There’s lots of false information going around on the internet regarding how to protect yourself from coronavirus – here’s a list of some of it, with links at the bottom to fact-checking articles and sites.
- A runny nose means you have a cold and not coronavirus (mixed, it is possibly to have a runny nose when you first catch coronavirus)
- The virus dies at 26 degrees temperature (false, the human body is around 37 degrees and the virus survives just fine, you need around 60 degrees to kill coronavirus)
- The virus “hates the sun” (mixed, there isn’t any data yet)
- The virus travels up to 10 feet when someone sneezes, then falls to the ground (false, when someone coughs or sneezes, the large droplets fall to the ground but the tiny droplets can remain suspended in the air for quite some time)
- The virus survives up to 10 minutes on a person’s hand, 12 hours on fabric or metal (false, WHO says that it can survive up to several days on certain surfaces)
- Drinking warm water is “effective” against viruses, don’t drink cold water or eat ice-cream (false, you should drink to stay hydrated, but the temperature has no effect – you need around 60 degrees to kill coronavirus and you shouldn’t be drinking water that is so hot)
- Gargling can prevent you from getting sick with coronavirus (false, it can help a sore throat feel better but won’t stop coronavirus)
- The coronavirus is large, 400-500 micrometers, and can be stopped by a normal facemask (false, it’s actually very small, around 50,000 times smaller than this)
- Drinking water infused with lemons can stop coronavirus (false, and neither does it kill cancer)
- Drinking water with garlic can cure coronavirus (false, but your breath may smell so bad that people will stay away and not infect you)
- You can use vodka instead of hand sanitizer to kill coronavirus on your hands (false, standard vodka is only 40% alcohol, while WHO recommends 60% to 80% alcohol)
- You can wash coronavirus from your mouth to your stomach by drinking frequently (false, if it’s in your mouth, drinking won’t stop it… but it’s always a good idea to stay hydrated!)
https://factcheck.afp.com/these-14-claims-covid-19-are-viral-misleading (runny nose, temperature, duration on surfaces, drinking water and head, gargling, size of the virus and wearing masks)
https://factcheck.afp.com/false-claims-drinking-water-lemon-can-prevent-covid-19-circulate-online (lemon water)
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-51735367 (garlic, chlorine dioxide (MMS), home-made sanitizer, colloidal silver, drinking water, heat and ice-cream)
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/garlic-cure-coronavirus/ (garlic)
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/gargling-eliminate-coronavirus/ (gargling)
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/abdu-sharkawy-coronavirus/ Did Dr. Abdu Sharkawy write “I am not scared of Covid-19”? YES he did!