CORONA beer does not spread coronavirus or have anything to do with it - but that hasn't stopped some people avoiding it.

Beer drinkers in America have stopped buying the brand, amid concerns over the spread of coronavirus, a survey has found.

The study by PR firm 5WPR found that 38 per cent of respondents would not buy the popular Mexican beer brand “under any circumstances”, and one in 20 regular Corona drinkers said they would stop consuming it.

Around the world, more than 83,000 people have now contracted Covid-19 coronavirus, and more than 2,800 deaths have been reported.

A total of 60 people are confirmed to have the disease in the United States, though none are reported to have died.

Corona confusion

The phone survey, which was conducted with more than 700 American beer drinkers, also found that 16 per cent were confused about “whether Corona beer is related to the coronavirus.”

According to data from SEMrush, which tracks online search trends, there has been a large rise in the number of people searching for “corona beer virus” and “beer coronavirus” in the last few weeks.

The Mexican company’s so-called ‘buzz score’ - which YouGov calculates based on whether American adults have heard anything negative or positive about a brand - has fallen dramatically in recent weeks.

From a high score of 75 at the beginning of January, Corona beer’s ‘buzz’ now sits at a paltry 51 - a fall of almost a third.

‘This is a disaster for the Corona brand’

"There is no question that Corona beer is suffering because of the coronavirus,” said Ronn Torossian, founder of 5WPR.

“Could one imagine walking into a bar and saying, ‘Hey, can I have a Corona?’ or, ‘Pass me A Corona’? While the brand has claimed that consumers understand there's no linkage between the virus and the beer company, this is a disaster for the Corona brand.

“After all,” he added, “What brand wants to be linked to a virus which is killing people worldwide?"