Written by: Emraan Ali Merchant
STAY HOME, STAY SAFE!! This is the most communicated advice making round the globe these days, and also there are SO MANY conspiracy theories and myths surrounding COVID-19, so I had another go at them here.
Today I am going to discuss some of the most common conspiracy and myths I have seen and heard out these days.
It’s myth BUSTED time!!
Myth # 1.
“Will sipping water every 15 minutes prevent a Coronavirus Infection?” Japanese Doctors treating COVID-19 cases say that you should ensure your mouth and throat are moist, never dry, so make sure you are taking a few sips of water every 15 minutes!!”
Skeptical to the source I don’t know if necessarily Japanese doctors came out and said this, but there is partial truth to it. If you have dry mucous membrane, they are more likely to crack. When they crack, you actually have a higher possibility of getting infected with the virus. So yeah, you should be well-Hydrated. You should be drinking. Will it protect you a hundred percent?? “NO” But it is a good way to make sure that you are doing the best you can stay healthy.
Myth # 2.
“Are hand dryers effective in killing the new coronavirus?” or “Hand dryers are effective at killing coronavirus?”
I don’t think that’s the case, It certainly hasn’t been proven. Also doctors recommends drying your hands through the air dry method, which is you just naturally let your hands dry, or using a paper towel. Reason being, there was a study that actually talked about on this that shows those ultra-high speed dryers actually blow bacteria or viruses all over the place. Especially if you don’t wash your hand well. With this virus having fecal-oral spread, meaning that toilets, sinks, can be quite messy, especially in public restrooms, you don’t want to be blowing that bacteria or virus all over the place.
So, “NO” I don’t think air dryers will kill the virus. I don’t think you should be using them.
Myth # 3.
“You can create your own sanitizer using TITIO’s vodka”!!
I was always gonna say like YEAH! It is possible to create NOT with vodka!! Not with Tito’s Vodka, or any other wine or liquor, I actually think Tito’s vodka came out and make a statement on this because people were doing this based off a TikTok Video. So, “No”, you cannot use Tito’s vodka, which I think is only 40% alcohol to create a hand sanitizer like that. It is not just recommended. If you are gonna be using some kind of disinfectant, the recommendation would be to use rubbing alcohol. That being said, soap and water, soap and water, soap and water!!
Myth # 4.
“Gargling with Salt water or Vinegar will eliminate the COVID-19 Coronavirus”
We have no evidence of that. Doctors do actually do recommend salt water gargles to a lot of their patients, NOT for eliminating viruses especially COVID-19. Just because it soothes a sore throat. If you have mucous build up, it helps clear the mucous, especially if you have like post nasal drip or really chronic sore throat. BUT to kill the virus?? So “NO”, “We don’t have evidence of that”. Also this virus seems to be very infectious in comparison to the influenza virus for example, so if it touches your mucous membranes, right away it is gonna start infecting the rest of your body. It has a long incubation period, but a quick infectious period, if it makes any sense.
Myth # 5.
“Coronavirus originated with Chinese people eating bats from Open-Air markets!”
Okay, I heard this one, and initially I was almost ready to buy into that, because, you know, other cultures eat different animals, so I was not to judge. However, when I looked into this, I found that the initial picture that starting this reporting actually didn’t come from China. It came from a report that was eating in an Asian country, not China, some kind of local delicacy. Nothing to do with cuisine that’s actually consumed in China.
So, “NO” we have no evidence of this coming from BAT soup. We need to stop that. We initially thought that this virus started in bats, somehow made its way to humans, probably through a mutation. There could have been an intermediate carrier along the way, so perhaps the bat passed it to another animal, and then we got into humans. We don’t know yet, we’re gonna be investigating. And again, let’s think smart here. We are trying to combat this, prevent spread, and flatten the curve. “What’s the use in talking about bat soap?”
Myth # 6.
“There are many supplements and other cures that can fight off the coronavirus”
We have ZERO evidence for any of those statements, and I am so proud of our doctors and medical institutions and health ministry for prosecuting those individuals trying to make claims like this. And if you are a supplement manufacture or you have your own line of supplements, PLEASE do NOT use this as a moment to brand your product. That is a cheap shot, praying at folks’ vulnerabilities at a very sensitive time. We should be banding together, not trying to figure out how to make a buck off each other.
