Viral Social Media Posts Offer False Coronavirus Tips
Quick Take
Posts are currently circulating misleading and false strategies on media — in some cases about how people prevent and are able to monitor the coronavirus.
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As the U.S. and nations around the globe work to deal with the pandemic spread of COVID-19, articles disseminated by tens of thousands on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are feeding misinformation to individuals about how to prevent and self-test for the disease due to the novel coronavirus.
The articles provide a series of supposed tips about the virus, like wrongly instructing individuals to hold their breath to judge if they have been infected and falsely suggesting that water consumption can kill the virus. Similar claims were encouraged in a text-based image posted on the Instagram accounts of actress Debra Messing, which has since been deleted. They were shared broadly in screenshots on Twitter.
The articles in some cases cite”Taiwan specialists” or”Japanese physicians,” and many starts by sourcing the text to”STANFORD HOSPITAL BOARD.” Stanford Health Care has debunked that attribution.
We consulted Krys Johnson, an assistant professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at Temple University, who predicted the articles”deeply troubling since they make dangerous and incorrect claims.” She recommended people consult with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the World Health Organization, before dispersing purported health advice.
Here are some of they’re inaccurate, and the claims from the articles:
Claim: “Take a deep breath and hold your breath for over 10 seconds. If you complete it successfully without coughing, without discomfort, stiffness or tightness, etc., it proves there isn’t any Fibrosis from the lungs, essentially indicates no disease.”
Truth: There is no evidence to suggest that this is a legitimate test for COVID-19. What is more: “We all know that individuals infected with coronavirus show symptoms within 14 days and that this virus may result in severe complications,” Johnson told us through email,” but those are severe respiratory distress (not having the ability to breathe) and septic shock (the virus infecting your blood ), not fibrosis, as mentioned here.”
The CDC urges seeking medical information by telephone if you create the principal signs of COVID-19 — fever, cough, and shortness of breath — and have been in contact with somebody who has the disorder, or has recently traveled to an area experiencing a spread of the virus.
Claim: “If you’ve got a runny nose and sputum, you get a frequent cold… Coronavirus pneumonia is a dry cough without a runny nose.”
Truth: While the many frequent symptoms of COVID-19 are”fever, fatigue, and dry cough,” according to WHO, some patients have”aches and pains, nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat or nausea.” Don’t show any signs. Additionally, a WHO report stated that according to an examination of over 55,000 supported COVID-19 cases, 33 percent had sputum (phlegm) production.
Claim: “Everyone should make sure your mouth & throat are moist, never dry. Simply take a few sips of water every 15 minutes. Why? If the virus gets into your mouth, drinking water or other fluids will wash down them and into the stomach. Once there, your stomach acid will kill all of the viruses.”
Truth: The WHO has taken down this concept, stating that,”[w]hile staying hydrated by drinking water is essential for overall health, it doesn’t stop coronavirus infection.”
Likewise, Johnson reported that the”moistness of your throat and mouth have nothing to do with the probability you will develop the illness and just drinking water to’rinse’ your digestive tract won’t keep you from being infected or by getting sick.” Water ingestion, she added, “has no bearing on the virus getting into your lungs and airways; if you breathe in an infected person’s respiratory droplets, the virus will travel through your airways.”
CDC officials advocate people clean their hands frequently, for 20 or more minutes — or use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol instead — and avoid touching their mouths and faces. They also indicate social distancing, which may help suppress the spread of this virus.
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Claim: “This new virus isn’t heat-resistant and will be murdered by a temperature of just 26/27 degrees.”
Truth: What, exactly, these articles are referencing is unclear. The CDC has stated it is”not yet understood whether temperature and weather affect the spread of COVID-19.” We have formerly written about how it’s unknown whether warming weather will help temper the outbreak.
The WHO has stated there’s”no reason to think that this virus would act differently in different temperatures.” Johnson noted that Italy” has a particularly mild winter and they’ve had the widespread transmission of COVID-19, therefore it’s not likely that the outside temperature will impact this disease.”
Facts Check: Uber Fake
