Debunked:
That WhatsApp Message with Health Tips from a Doctor in China
is FALSE😡 and Misleading😡
A MESSAGE WITH a number of claims about Covid-19 symptoms, the length
of time the coronavirus lives on surfaces and ways to stave it off has
been widely shared on WhatsApp recently.
However, most of the claims in this message are false and many are misleading.
The claims include that the virus is “killed by a temperature of just
26/27 degrees” (false from the evidence so far) and advises people to
“try not to drink liquids with ice” because drinking warm water is
“effective for all viruses” (false).
The advice in the message claims to be from a friend’s uncle who has a Master’s degree and worked in Shenzhen Hospital in China.
Here is the full message
Let’s break these claims down one by one.
1. If you have a runny nose and sputum, you have a common cold
Sputum is another word for phlegm. Although a runny nose and phlegm
are not the most common symptoms of Covid-19, some patients do report
having nasal congestion and a runny nose, according to the World Health Organization.
Symptoms of Covid-19 can be similar to cold and flu symptoms, the HSE
has said. Therefore, a runny nose and phlegm cannot immediately equal a
common cold.
The most common symptoms of the coronavirus are a fever, cough shortness of breath and breathing difficulties.
2. Coronavirus pneumonia is a dry cough with no runny nose
It is incorrect to say that pneumonia brought on by Covid-19 always involves a dry cough with no runny nose.
Dr Kim Roberts, leader of the virology research group in Trinity
College Dublin, said none of the common Covid-19 symptoms are indicators
of whether the illness will develop into pneumonia.
Pneumonia is a term to describe the swelling of tissue in the lungs.
“Many people with a cough might have been diagnosed with the virus, but this might not develop into pneumonia,” Roberts said.
Pneumonia brought on by Covid-19 inflames the lung membrane and fills
liquid into the lung air sacs needed for the intake of oxygen and
exhalation of carbon dioxide in our bodies.
People who have pneumonia are likely to have a cough, according to
the HSE. This can be a dry cough or patients might produce phlegm.
Other common pneumonia symptoms include breathing difficulties, rapid heartbeat and fever.
3. This new virus is not heat-resistant and will be killed by a temperature of just 26/27 degrees. It hates the sun.
At the moment, scientists do not know how temperature changes
influence the behaviour of SARS-Cov-2, the virus that causes the
Covid-19 disease.
From the evidence so far, the World Health Organization said the virus can be transmitted in all areas, including those with hot and humid weather conditions.
The WHO also said there is no reason to believe cold weather can kill this coronavirus.
4. If someone sneezes with it, it takes about 10 feet before it drops to the ground and is no longer airborne.
When people cough or sneeze, they spray droplets from their nose or
mouth. If somebody with Covid-19 coughs or sneezes without covering
their nose and mouth, droplets containing the virus will travel.
If you are standing too close to an infected person when this
happens, you could breathe in these droplets or they could land on you.
“When we cough and when we sneeze we create a whole range of different sized particles,” Dr Kim Roberts explained.
“We think that this virus is transmitted through the big particles
and these land very quickly within about a metre of you, and that’s why
standing two metres apart is thought to protect you from these droplets.
“We don’t think the virus is efficiently transmitted through these smaller particles that can hang in the air for longer.”
The droplets believed to hold the virus are too heavy to be airborne and they land on objects and surfaces surrounding the person, which is why the HSE also advises cleaning surfaces regularly.
The WHO recommends maintaining a distance of one metre (three feet) between yourself and anyone coughing or sneezing, but the HSE advises keeping a space of two metres (6.5 feet) between yourself and others.
5. If it drops on a metal surface it will live for at least
12 hours – so if you come into contact with any metal surface – wash
your hands as soon as you can with a bacterial soap.
Official advice from the WHO states that it is not certain how long the virus that causes Covid-19 can survive outside the body.
However, the same guidance does note that the new virus appears to behave like other coronaviruses that have been tested before.
One study, recently published in the Journal of Hospital Infection, looked
at how long other coronaviruses – like Sars and Mers – survived on
materials including various metals at different temperatures.
It found that different strains of Sars survived on metal for up to
five days, paper for up to five days and plastic for up to nine days.
Mers was found to survive on steel and plastic at 20 degrees Celsius for up to 48 hours.
As the virus can survive on most surfaces, there is no logic in singling out metal surfaces.
Simple household disinfectants can kill the virus on surfaces. The
HSE recommends cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and
surfaces regularly.
Regular and proper hand washing is also continuously advised by
health officials. People are advised to avoid touching their face with
their hands.
6. On fabric it can survive for 6-12 hours, normal laundry detergent will kill it.
Again, not enough research has been looked into the length of time this particular coronavirus lasts on fabric.
Detergents will kill the virus as they contain soap.
Those who are self-isolating with coronavirus symptoms are advised by the HSE to was clothes with detergent at a temperature above 60 degrees Celsius.
7. Drinking warm water is effective for all viruses. Try not to drink liquids with ice.
“Drinking water is good, staying hydrated is good, but it isn’t going to wash away the virus,” Dr Kim Roberts said.
“Some people have it in their heads that because there is a fatty
layer around the virus, there’s an idea that hot water can help to melt
it away, but that’s not true.”
Roberts said that drinking water, warm or cold, has no effect in
washing the virus out of your system or into your stomach from your
respiratory tract.
Similarly, when washing your hands, cold water is just as effective
as hot water because soap and the mechanical action of hand washing is
what works to get the virus off your hands.
TheJournal.ie debunked a similar claim previously that drinking water every 15 minutes can protect you from getting the coronavirus. This is not true.
8. Wash your hands frequently as the virus can only live on
your hands for 5-10 minutes, but – a lot can happen during that time –
you can rub your eyes, pick your nose unwittingly and so on.
Frequent hand washing is one of the most important ways of protecting yourself and others against Covid-19.
However, it is incorrect to say that the virus can only live on your
hands for five to ten minutes. This is a new virus and scientists don’t
yet know how long it can last on surfaces, including skin.
The WHO says studies suggest coronaviruses may survive on surfaces
for a few hours or up to several days, so frequent hand washing is
crucial.
Guidance on how to properly wash your hands can be found on the HSE website and in our video below.
9. You should also gargle as a prevention. A simple solution of salt in warm water will suffice.
This claim had also been circulating separately, allegedly from a top Chinese respiratory expert. It is not true.
“No present findings have suggested that saline water can kill the
new coronavirus,” a Chinese epidemiologist who discovered the Sars
coronavirus, Zhong Nanshan, told AFP recently.
10. Can’t emphasise enough – drink plenty of water.
Again, water is great for hydration but will not prevent or get rid of the coronavirus.
READ the Article HERE:
👇 👨🔬 👇 😡👇
👇 👨🔬 👇 😡👇
Replying to@WHOPhilippines
Q: Can regularly rinsing your nose with saline help prevent infection with the new coronavirus?
A: No. There is no evidence that regularly rinsing the nose with saline has protected people from infection with the new coronavirus. More myth busters: bit.ly/370oKOZ
A: No. There is no evidence that regularly rinsing the nose with saline has protected people from infection with the new coronavirus. More myth busters: bit.ly/370oKOZ
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