10 Coronavirus Myths Debunked

Posted on by Magdalena J.W.

10 Coronavirus Myths Debunked.

 

In this video, I am debunking some of the most common myths about the coronavirus.

Hi, it’s Magdalena here from HealthValley. If you’re new here, make sure you click that subscribe button and hit the bell to get notified every single time I post a new video.

So let’s jump into it.

With the whole world talking, reading, posting and sharing all sorts of information about coronavirus, it can be hard to sort through what is actually a fact and what is a myth.

And there are some myths that keep popping up over and over again.

Here there’re a few examples from the message I’ve received from someone a few days ago, although I know this message has been circulating on social media for a while now.

 

1. The Virus Survives About 12 Hours On Hard Surfaces

This is untrue. We know that coronavirus survives on cardboard up to 24 hours and up to 2-3 days on plastic and stainless-steel surfaces.

 

2. Sun’s UV Rays Kill The Virus

Sunlight has not been proven to kill coronavirus. Natural UV from the sun is not strong enough to kill the novel coronavirus.

There’s only one type of UV –which is UVC – that can inactivate COVID-19 – but it’s extremely dangerous and harmful to human skin which should never be exposed to it.

 

3. Drink Water Every 15 Minutes

“Drink a sip of water at least every 15 minutes as the virus will get flushed through the oesophagus, into the stomach where gastric acids destroy the virus.”

There is no evidence that sipping water every 15 minutes can help prevent coronavirus infection.

The infections often begin after we’ve been exposed to thousands or millions of viral particles, so sweeping a few down the oesophagus is unlikely to have much of an impact.

Also, the virus can get into the body in many ways. While some people might become infected by touching their mouth with contaminated fingers, it can also enter the body by touching the nose or eyes.

But this is not the main route of transmission. Instead, the main risk is from breathing in tiny droplets containing thousands of viral particles after a person coughs or sneezes. They are getting right to your nostrils, so drinking water to wash them down doesn’t make sense.

 

4. Another part of the message also claims the virus “Hates heat and Dies If It’s Exposed To Temperatures Greater Than 27°C degrees Celsius.”

It tells us to “abundantly” consume hot drinks during the day as “These hot liquids kill the virus”.

Now, the average human body temperature is around 37 °C (degrees Celsius) so if this would be true that the virus dies in the temperatures greater than 27 degrees it wouldn’t survive in a human body.

The truth is the virus is destroyed by 60 degrees Celsius but the virus lives in lots lot of places where hot drinks don’t get to. So by drinking liquids as hot as 60 degrees, it’s not just that you wouldn’t kill a virus, but you would also run the risk of scalding yourself.

Here are some other examples of false or misleading information.

 

5. Coronavirus Only Infects Older People.

Older people and people with pre-existing medical conditions (such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease) appear to be more vulnerable to becoming severely ill with the virus.

But people of all ages can be infected by the new coronavirus and also young people can contract and spread the disease and people of all ages could become critically ill. We know today that even young, healthy people die of coronavirus.

For instance: Of 1,415 people, among the first to be diagnosed with COVID-19, around half were aged between 15 to 49, according to researchers from the China Medical Treatment Expert Group.

Also about a quarter of COVID-19 patients hospitalized in Italy are under 50.

In the US 38% of people hospitalized are between the ages of 20 to 54 and 47% of people in intensive care are under 65.

The presumption that coronavirus is merely a disease of “old” people is having damaging consequences. Young people don’t think they could become seriously ill or could be carrying the virus home to their parents or grandparents, so they often don’t follow the social distancing rules.

6. It’s Just Like The Flu.

No, it’s not just like the flue.

It’s deadlier. While the exact death rate is not yet clear, it’s estimated to be 1-3.4% comparing to 0.1% for seasonal flu.

It’s more contagious. No human immune system had seen it before January, so no unexposed human has any natural immunity to it. That means it’s more contagious than the flu — about twice as contagious, perhaps more; the numbers are still being worked out.

There’s also concern about COVID-19 that, unlike influenza, there are no specific treatments or vaccine for COVID-19 as of yet.

It’s more likely to severely disrupt our health care systems. The hospitalization rate is 19% comparing to 2% in the case of seasonal flu. And that’s one of the reasons it has a higher potential than flu to overwhelm our health care systems and hurt people with other illnesses.

 

7. Warmer Weather Can Kill The Virus.

A study from the University of Maryland has shown that the virus has spread most in cities and regions of the world where average temperatures have been around 5-11 degrees Celsius.

However, your body temperature is around 37 degrees Celsius and we know coronavirus can survive in that, so if it’s 37 or 40 degrees Celsius outside, it will most likely survive.

Probably that’s why there have been considerable numbers of cases in tropical locations too, such as Guangxi and Singapore.

There’s no evidence yet for a seasonal behaviour of COVID-19. But even if it does show some seasonal variability, it is unlikely to disappear entirely over the summer months, as some have suggested.

8. Apple Cider Vinegar Kills Coronavirus.

There are many people on social media who are currently advising to wash hands with apple cider vinegar or drinking large quantities of it. It is highly unlikely this will have any benefit whatsoever. In fact, drinking large amounts could cause more harm than good. You can keep adding it to your salad dressings and meals, but don’t drink it in large amounts! Apple cider vinegar does not kill coronavirus.

Also, using apple cider vinegar to wash your hands is a waste of time. While it does have some potential antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, it is not going to perform better than washing your hands with soap. So just stick to the soap. It’s much more efficient.

9. Garlic Protects Against Coronavirus.

Some research suggests that garlic might slow the growth of some species of bacteria. However, COVID-19 is caused by a virus, and there is no evidence that garlic can protect people against COVID-19.

Also, no other home remedies have been proved to protect against COVID-19.

Even though garlic has many health benefits, and it’s worth to include it in your diet but we can’t expect any food or supplement to work miracles and suddenly cure or protect us from getting the coronavirus. However, having a healthy diet is very important in supporting our immune function and many nutrients influence the body’s ability to fight infection. And the healthy balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables can help boost our immune system.

10. Salt Water Gargling Will Kill The Coronavirus.

Unfortunately, salt water can not defeat the coronavirus.

It’s true that gargling with warm water and salt can alleviate the symptoms of a sore throat, but there’s no evidence that there’re benefits beyond this. Gargling warm water with salt, unfortunately, won’t get rid of the virus or stop it from reaching your lungs, which is the primary area under attack. It can be effective in soothing a sore throat for a short while, however, the pain will soon come back and it is not a cure for the COVID-19.

While gargling salt water won’t kill the coronavirus, your symptoms may be reduced so you may think it works.

It’s tempting to go for all sorts of home remedies you’d usually use for the same symptoms when you have a cold. However, by reaching for these techniques, people might ignore prevention methods backed up by science as they are getting the false sense of security. People will think that by using these techniques they’re going to be OK so they might neglect some proven, recommended advice – like hand-washing and effective social distancing. For this reason, false information like this can be dangerous.

And the overwhelming evidence suggests that the most powerful tool to prevent the spread of the coronavirus is social distancing (also called physical distancing). So stay home. By staying home, you are saving lives. If you have to leave the house, make sure you stay at least 2 meters from other people and wash your hands often.

Check the video I’ve linked in the cards about how social distancing saves lives.

If you came across other myths I didn’t mention today, please share them in the comments below.

We are dealing with a new virus and what we know today can be contradicted by other evidence the following day. That’s why the best way to be up to date with the latest research is to go to credible sources.

There are many trusted sources you can check for medical information about the new coronavirus like:

  • World Health Organization’s website,

  • The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has a useful Q&A page,

  • the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States also has a good Frequently Asked Questions page,

  • Johns Hopkins University has a good page of coronavirus resources.

  • and in the UK you can try the NHS website.

So, be safe, stay home as by staying home, you are saving lives. And if you are wondering whether you should be wearing a face mask then check out the video linked on-screen.

Thanks for watching and I’ll see you guys next time.