Mythsvs reality about COVID-19
The novel coronavirus continues to infect people around the
world, news articles and social media posts about the outbreak continue to
spread online. Unfortunately, this relentless flood of information can make it
difficult to separate fact from fiction — and during a viral outbreak, rumors
and misinformation can be dangerous.
Following are some myths which may or may not be true related
to sudden outbreak of corona virus.
Ordering
or buying products shipped from China will make a person sick.
The answer is false.
Researchers are studying the new coronavirus to
learn more about how it infects people. As of this writing, scientists note
that most viruses like this one do not stay alive for very long on surfaces, so
it is not likely you would get COVID-19 from a package that was in transit for
days or weeks. The illness is most likely transmitted by droplets from an
infected person’s sneeze or cough, but more information is emerging daily.
A
face mask will protect you from COVID-19.
The answer is false.
Certain models of professional, tight-fitting
respirators (such as the N95) can protect health care workers as they care for
infected patients.
For the general public without respiratory
illness, wearing lightweight disposable surgical masks is not recommended.
Because they don’t fit tightly, they may allow tiny infected droplets to get
into the nose, mouth or eyes. Also, people with the virus on their hands who
touch their face under a mask might become infected.
People with a respiratory illness can wear these
masks to lessen their chance of infecting others. Bear in mind that stocking up
on masks makes fewer available for sick patients and health care workers who
need them.
Getting COVID-19 is a death sentence
That's not true. About 81% of people who are infected with the
coronavirus have mild cases of COVID-19, according to a study published Feb. 18 by the Chinese Center
for Disease Control and Prevention. About 13.8% report severe illness, meaning
they have shortness of breath, or require supplemental oxygen, and about 4.7%
are critical, meaning they face respiratory failure, multi-organ failure or
septic shock. The data thus far suggests that only around 2.3% of people
infected with COVID-19 die from the virus. People who are older or have
underlying health conditions seem to be most at risk of having severe disease
or complications. While there's no need to panic, people should take steps to
prepare and protect themselves and others from the new coronavirus.
Pets can spread the new coronavirus
Probably not to humans. One dog in China contracted a
"low-level infection" from its owner, who has a confirmed case of
COVID-19, meaning dogs may be vulnerable to picking up the virus from
people, according to The South China Morning Post. The infected Pomeranian has not fallen ill
or shown symptoms of disease, and no evidence suggests that the animal could
infect humans.
Several dogs and cats
tested positive for a similar virus, SARS-CoV, during an outbreak in 2003,
animal health expert Vanessa Barrs of City University told the Post.
"Previous experience with SARS suggests that cats and dogs will not become
sick or transmit the virus to humans," she said. "Importantly, there
was no evidence of viral transmission from pet dogs or cats to humans."
Just in case, the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) recommends that
people with COVID-19 have someone else walk and care for their companion
animals while they are sick. And people should always wash their hands after
snuggling with animals anyway, as companion pets can spread other diseases to
people, according to the CDC.
Vitamin C supplements will stop you from catching COVID-19
Researchers have yet to find any evidence that vitamin C supplements can render people immune to
COVID-19 infection. In fact, for most people, taking extra vitamin C does not
even ward off the common cold, though it may shorten the duration of a cold
if you catch one.
That said, vitamin C serves
essential roles in the human body and supports normal immune function. As
an antioxidant, the vitamin neutralizes charged particles called free radicals
that can damage tissues in the body. It also helps the body synthesize
hormones, build collagen and seal off vulnerable connective tissue against
pathogens.
So yes, vitamin C should absolutely be included in your daily
diet if you want to maintain a healthy immune system. But megadosing on supplements is unlikely to
lower your risk of catching COVID-19, and may at most give you a
"modest" advantage against the virus, should you become infected. No
evidence suggests that other so-called immune-boosting supplements — such as
zinc, green tea or echinacea — help to prevent COVID-19, either.
Be wary of products being advertised as treatments or cures for
the new coronavirus. Since the COVID-19 outbreak began in the United States,
the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Federal Trade Commission
(FTC) have already issued warning letters to seven companies for selling fraudulent products that
promise to cure, treat or prevent the viral infection.
The virus was probably made in a lab
No evidence suggests
that the virus is man-made. SARS-CoV-2 closely resembles two other
coronaviruses that have triggered outbreaks in recent decades, SARS-CoV and
MERS-CoV, and all three viruses seem to have originated in bats. In short, the
characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 fall in line with what we know about other
naturally occurring coronaviruses that made the jump from animals to people.
Comments
Post a Comment