There
is a lot of information and misinformation related to the latest epidemic
caused by the novel Coronavirus which has been termed as SARS-CoV-2. Those
people who have been consistently updating their knowledge about the virus
through news or reports are often misinformed. The chain continues and in the
present circumstances, it has become difficult to separate the truth from lies.
Based on the latest public announcements issued by the World Health
Organization, here we are listing some major myth-busting facts for Coronavirus
disease (COVID-19), a respiratory infection caused by the CoV-2 virus.
The main purpose of this blog is to filter out the facts from
rumours that are fueling false news reports and augmenting public disturbances.
Following
information has been declared to be a plain hoax by the World Health
Organization. The fact about the so-called myths is also given along with some
insight on the origin of those rumours.
Myth #1: Coronavirus is a failed biological weapon!
Fact:
Authorities
of Wuhan and the level 4 research laboratory from where the virus was suspected
to have escaped, have provided enumerable claims with evidence of their
non-involvement. Virologists, studying especially Coronavirus strongly suggest
that the origin of the novel strain of CoV is purely natural. This discards any
such speculations of the virus being the mutated form of common cold, lab
creation or meddled bioweapon.
SARS-CoV-2,
the name given to the novel strain, belongs to a family of Coronaviruses that
infect humans as their primary hosts. It was found that nCoV shares 90% of its
genetic material with Coronaviruses that infect bats. This shed some light on
the origin of the virus, which was definitely not some lab. The truth of its
origin is yet to be confirmed, but it is a fact that it came from nature and is
not man-made.
Myth
#2: Bathing regularly with hot water can make you immune to the virus
Fact:
CoV-2
is not an ectoparasite or bacteria that remain intact to a viable host body
surface. It is a virus that can not be killed by any means if it enters your
body. Your body under normal circumstances maintains its core temperature at
37°C no matter how much you submerge yourself in hot water tubs. Anyhow, heat
is unlikely to kill the virus but it is capable of scalding you instead! Hence,
torturing yourself with hot water baths is not gonna solve anything.
Solution: The most effective
measure that is suggested by all medical centres is to wash your hands
regularly with a strong cleanser, use 95% alcohol-based hand sanitizers and
clean exposed surfaces in your house with Sodium Hypochlorite based
disinfectants.
Myth
#3: Wearing masks will avoid 100% chances of contracting the virus
Fact:
Wearing
masks is not advised as the best preventive fix for an average healthy person.
You will remain exposed to CoV-2 even with your mask on. In fact, in some
cases, masks have increased the risk of infection when not properly sanitized
or disposed of.
Solution:
Centres
for Disease Control and Prevention does not encourage the inhabitants of an
infection-free zone to wear masks specially designed for the infected. Washing
your hands properly, following sanitation practices and opting to healthy
nutrition are the only effective protective measures that you should take. For
medical practitioners or those tending the infected, surgical masks and special
respirators called N95 respirators have been proven to be effective against the
virus spread. But the respirators are not prescribed for the general public due
to various reasons. For one, they are intricately designed which may not be
suitable for people with persisting respiratory and cardiac problems.
Myth
#4: COVID-19 can adversely affect everybody
Fact:
Everyone
is indeed at risk of contracting the virus but the level of morbidity depends
upon certain factors such as low immune system, age, people already under
treatment for other sickness, pneumonia or long term medical care. These people
are at high risk of getting adversely affected by the virus. Precautions still
needs to be taken by everyone amid the accelerating spreading rate of the
infection.
Myth
#5: Your pets are potential virus carriers
Fact:
Such
rumours got hyped up when a local dog in china was found to be tested positive
for CoV. It was found to have contracted a very low level of the virus probably
from its owner who was infected with CoV-2. There is no evidence so far that
the dog has spread the infection to other humans, meaning they have no such
capability to transmit the virus. Many other pets were also tested negative as
carrier hosts of the virus, thus negating the hypothesis of them being the
culprits.
Still,
it is advised by the CDC to take proper care of your pets and wash your hands
properly after touching them. If you are sick, let someone trusted to take care
of your pet for a while.
Myth
#6: Do not receive any Chinese product or package dispatched from China
Fact:
It
has been proved that there is no way CoV-2 can survive on paper-based products
for that long! The virus needs certain favorable conditions to thrive without a
live host. International delivery routes and temperature factors are often way
too extreme for the virus to stay viable. Plastic, metal or glass products
which are properly enclosed in wrapping materials also lose their tendency to
carry the virus. Hence, it is safe to accept goods from China as long as you
disinfect them post-arrival and clean your hands thoroughly.
Myth
#7: Coronavirus can be transmitted through mosquito bites
Fact:
Until
now, no proofs have been provided that are supporting this hypothesis. Mostly
because CoV-2 is a respiratory viral strain that is spread through infected air
droplets of an infected person. Moreover, mosquitoes do not seem to have the
favourable genetic makeup for acting as virus’s carriers. So, no you won’t get
infected through a mosquito bite but do keep them away for protection against
other diseases they are capable of causing.
Myth
#8: UV lamps can be used to disinfect your hands
Fact:
Not
by any mean should you use UV rays on yourself! It is extremely dangerous and a
foolish attempt at fighting CoV-2. This idea has originated from the fact that
Coronavirus is sensitive to UV radiations and many industries opt to indoor
disinfection via UV lights. Any incomplete information is dangerous and in this
case hazardous. Those indoor UV treatments that you have heard of, requires
certain guidelines to follow. The intensity of the UV radiations should be set
at 1.5 Watts per square meter. The treatment should not last for more than half
an hour and the room should be well ventilated afterwards. Treating UV lamp as
your regular sanitizer will end you up in the hospital for all the wrong reasons!
Myth
#9: Taking vitamin C supplements is equivalent to getting vaccinated
Fact:
First
of all, there is no vaccine yet made to cure COVID-19. People who suggest
getting anti-pneumonia shots are the ones who have little knowledge of the
newly discovered virus. CoV-2 is a completely new virus with different
virulence factors. Its very own vaccine creation is under process as many labs
all over the world are waiting to get ready for the human trials of their
prototype vaccines. A vaccine is soon underway until then it is important to
understand the basic facts. Any sort of food supplement or nutrient is not
potent enough to fight a viral disease that gets genetically bonded to its
host. Hence, such ideas should not be encouraged in this context.
You
might have read somewhere that garlic is the superfood with a strong tendency
to fight CoV-2, a claim that is baseless and blown out of proportion. However,
taking it or any vitamin source is great for building immunity which should be
taken by all means. Just don’t confuse prevention with the cure.
Myth
#10: Taking antibiotics is enough to treat COVID-19
Fact:
COVID-19
is the disease that is caused by the novel strain of Coronavirus -SARS-CoV-2.
It is a viral disease that is completely different than a bacterial disease.
Mixing both is like apples and oranges. It is imperative to spread awareness
about viral and bacterial infections.
When
you catch flu, you are most likely affected by a virus which can not be killed
by taking antibacterial drugs. Even the antiviral medications that your doctor
put you through, can only subside the symptoms and help you recover. If you are
still wondering why your doctor prescribes you antibiotics when you catch flu,
that’s because you probably had developed bacterial infections along with viral
and those antibiotics are for taking care of those bacteria.
Please,
do spread the word as taking wrong medication can elevate your problems instead
of getting rid of them.
Myth
#11: Abstain from having animal products as they will transmit the virus into
your system
Fact:
As
mentioned before, CoV-2 is a respiratory virus that transmits through infected
bodily droplets that an infected person produces while sneezing or coughing.
There is no evidence of contracting CoV-2 after consuming animal meat or eggs.
For
being on the safer side, it is recommended to properly cook the food before
consuming. Raw food products are never a smart choice, especially raw meat or
eggs. There are greater risks of contracting other infections (for example, parasitic
infections) through animal products, but CoV-2 is not one of them yet.
Myth
#12: Colder regions such as Antarctica are infection-free because of cold
weather, hence by dropping your room temperature you can be safe from the
infection
Fact:
Antarctica
is infection-free because the virus has not spread there yet. If the virus has
already entered your body, changing your external temperature to low or high
won’t make any difference. CoV-2 is affected by temperature and other factors
such as humidity, UV radiation, etc only when it lies dormant on a susceptible
surface. When it enters a living host, it doesn’t matter how much changes are
brought upon the external environment. It is false to assume that Coronavirus
can be killed with heat either. The only best measure is to take precautionary
steps to keep your self infection-free.
Talking
about the precautionary measures, let me summarize them real quick:
WHO
have issued certain measures to be taken against the novel Coronavirus strain.
For the sake of simplicity, let’s divide them into two categories based on
preventive and post-exposure measures:
Fact:
Antarctica
is infection-free because the virus has not spread there yet. If the virus has
already entered your body, changing your external temperature to low or high
won’t make any difference. CoV-2 is affected by temperature and other factors
such as humidity, UV radiation, etc only when it lies dormant on a susceptible
surface. When it enters a living host, it doesn’t matter how much changes are brought
upon the external environment. It is false to assume that Coronavirus can be
killed with heat either. The only best measure is to take precautionary steps
to keep your self infection-free.
Contact
now :-
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First Floor, Sector-11, Panchkula, Haryana 134109
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Kalgidhar Enclave, Zirakpur. 140604
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