Don't believe everything you hear or read!
Fear and panic about the new coronavirus, COVID-19, evoke different feelings in people, which are only deepened by various falsehoods and conspiracy theories. Especially when the words "pandemic" or "epidemic" appear in news headlines, people become afraid, and with fear comes a lot of misinformation.
Let's take a look at some of them!
1. Spraying chlorine or alcohol on the skin kills viruses in the body
These products cannot destroy viruses in the body. Applying alcohol or chlorine to the body can damage the skin, and it is especially dangerous if it gets into the eyes or mouth. Although these chemicals can be used to disinfect surfaces, they should not be used on the skin.
The coronavirus can infect people of any age. However, the elderly or people with pre-existing medical conditions such as diabetes or asthma are more likely to develop complications from the disease.
3. Children cannot get coronavirus
All age groups can be infected. So far, most cases have been in adults, however children they are not immune. Symptoms are less severe in children.
4. The coronavirus is the "ordinary" flu
The flu and the coronavirus are similar in symptoms (painful limbs, fever and cough) and in that both can lead to pneumonia. However, the new coronavirus is much more serious. On March 3 of this year, the WHO estimated the mortality rate at approx 3.4 percent.
This statement is false. As we mentioned earlier, the COVID-19 coronavirus is fatal for a small percentage of people. China's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 80,9 % cases of coronavirus with mild symptoms.
6. Cats and dogs spread the coronavirus
There is currently little evidence that the coronavirus can infect cats and dogs, or that animals spread the virus. There was a positive dog in Hong Kong whose owner had the coronavirus, but the dog did not show any symptoms. Professor Joletan Ball, a molecular virologist from England, he says: "We have to distinguish between a real infection and just detecting the presence of the virus. The real cause of the outbreak is people.”
Healthcare workers use professional face masks that fit tightly around the face to protect them from infection. Disposable face masks do not provide such protection because they do not fit over the face, so droplets can still enter the mouth and nose. Also, tiny virus particles can penetrate directly through the material.
However, if someone has a respiratory-related illness, wearing a mask can protect others from infection. "There is very little evidence that wearing such masks protects the wearer from infection," explains dr. Ben Killingley, consultant in acute medicine and infectious diseases at University College London Hospital in England. WHO recommends, those caring for someone with suspected coronavirus should wear a mask.
8. Hand dryers kill the coronavirus
Hand dryers they do not destroy the coronavirus. The best way to protect yourself and others from the virus is to wash your hands with soap and water.
9. SARS-CoV-2 is just a mutated form of the common cold
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses, all of which have spiked proteins on their surface. Some of these viruses use humans as a base the host and cause a cold. Other coronaviruses, such as SARS-CoV-2, primarily infect animals. Both the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS) and the acute respiratory distress syndrome (SARS) have been transmitted from animals to humans.
The longer someone is with an infected person, the more likely they are to get the virus, but you can get it in less than 10 minutes.
11. Rinsing the nose with saline protects against the coronavirus
There is no evidence that saline nasal irrigation protects against respiratory infections. Some of them research suggest that this technique could reduce the symptoms of acute upper respiratory tract infections, but the scientists did not find that it could reduce the risk of infection.
No way. Bleach is corrosive and can cause serious injury your throat!
13. Antibiotics destroy the coronavirus
Antibiotics only kill bacteria, they do not kill viruses.
14. Thermal scanners can diagnose the coronavirus
Thermal scanners can detect if someone has a fever. However, other conditions, such as the seasonal flu, can also cause fever. In addition, symptoms of the coronavirus may not appear until 10 days after infection, meaning that someone infected with the virus could have a normal temperature for a few days before it rises.
15. Garlic protects against the coronavirus
Some research suggests that garlic may have antibiotics properties. However, there is no evidence that it can protect people from COVID-19.
16. Shipments from China can spread the coronavirus
Scientists believe that the virus cannot survive on packages for a long time, although these findings change from day to day. CDC explains , Yes "since the virus does not survive on surfaces for several days, there is a very small risk of spreading the virus from products or packaging that are exposed to room temperature".
17. Home remedies can cure and protect you from the coronavirus
No amount of home remedies can protect you from the coronavirus, including vitamin C, essential oils, colloidal silver, sesame oil, garlic, and drinking water every 15 minutes.
18. You can get the coronavirus if you eat Chinese food
No, you can't.
19. You can get the coronavirus through urine and feces
Unlikely is that this would be true. According to Prof. John Edmunds from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine in England, with modern, highly sensitive detection mechanisms, these viruses can also be detected in feces. As a rule, these viruses, which are detected in this way, are not contagious to others, since they have been destroyed by the intestines.
20. The virus disappears when temperatures rise in the spring
Some viruses, such as cold and flu viruses, spread more easily during the colder months, but that doesn't mean they stop completely when conditions become milder. Scientists still they don't know, how temperature changes will affect the behavior of SARS-CoV-2.
21. The coronavirus is the deadliest virus known to man
It's not the deadliest virus we humans face. Ebola had a higher death rate.
22. Flu and pneumonia vaccines protect against COVID-19
Because SARS-CoV-2 is different from other viruses, no existing vaccines protect against infection.
23. The virus originates from a laboratory in China
There is no evidence that this is the case. Some researchers believe that SARS-CoV-2 may have jumped from pangolins per person. Others think it could pass to us with of bats, which was the case for SARS.
Although scientists are convinced that the virus started in animals, there is no evidence that it came from any soup.
