Social media posts that have been shared thousands of times support 10 methods of preventing another coronavirus infection and cite recommendations that may have resulted from autopsies on victims of COVID-19, even in China, where the virus has occurred. Advice is misleading; Experts say the list contains half-truths and direct lies.
"Doctors report that they now understand the behavior of the COVID 19 virus due to their autopsies," said a Facebook article on March 31, 2020, followed by alleged advice on how to avoid the virus.
Variations on the list of misleading tips also appear on Facebook here , here and here , on Twitter here and here , on Instagram here and Reddit here and have been around since March 21, 2020.
An audio version of the article says that the advice came from Doctor Hospital Negrin, a public hospital in the Spanish Canary Islands. The hospital has not yet responded to a request for comment.
A screenshot of a misleading Facebook post from April 8, 2020 AFP Fact Check contains the following misleading tips.
Frequent consumption of hot liquids neutralizes the virus: wrong
Drink lots of hot liquids: coffee, soups, teas, hot water. Also, take a sip of warm water every 20 minutes, keep your mouth moist, and remove any viruses that have entered your mouth from your stomach, where your gastric juices neutralize it before it reaches your lungs. "I recommend the list.
It is wrong.
According to a tweet from the World Health Organization (WHO) on February 20, 2020: "Staying hydrated with clean water is important for overall health, it doesn't prevent coronavirus infection."
A screenshot of a tweet from the World Health Organization on April 7, 2020 AFP has already solved this problem by the facts here and here checks has .
Gargling with an antiseptic protects against the new corona virus: false
"If possible, gargle with warm, antiseptic water such as vinegar, salt or lemon every day," says the second tip on the list.
AFP has already addressed this issue in a fact check here , which found that the claim was false.
Official recommendations from WHO and the United States , Canada , United Kingdom and Australia health authorities did not mention the gargle as a treatment for COVID-19.
"While some Western, traditional, or home remedies can alleviate and relieve the symptoms of COVID-19, there is no evidence that current medications can prevent or cure the disease," the WHO website says.
Brandon Brown, professor at the Center for Healthy Communities at the University of California at Riverside, emailed AFP that gargling with warm water is a common remedy for a sore throat, not particularly the new corona virus.
The virus persists in clothing, but soap and sunlight can kill it: sometimes wrong
"The virus sticks to hair and clothing. And detergent or soap will kill it, but you will need to bathe or shower when you enter the street. Avoid sitting at home and taking a shower directly. If you can't wash your clothes every day, hang them in the sun to neutralize the virus, "the message said.
This is partly wrong.
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website recommends cleaning the machine according to the manufacturer's instructions and using the water temperature as hot as possible.
When washing a sick person's clothing, the CDC recommends wearing disposable gloves to clean and disinfect the baskets and avoid shaking the clothing.
Although soap is effective, hanging clothes in the sun will not "neutralize" the virus.
AFP reported that if ultraviolet (UV) light with extremely high intensities can be used as a disinfectant, daily UV emitters like the sun will only release small amounts of UV light.
"The ultraviolet can kill COVID-19 if it is exposed to concentrated UV rays within a certain time and distance," said Dr. Pokrath Hansasuta, assistant professor of virology in the department, told AFP. Microbiology from Chulalongkorn University in Thailand. .
"However, this UV exposure is harmful to human skin. It may be in the light bulb or lamp because the sun's natural UV radiation is not strong enough to kill it."
The virus persists on metal surfaces for up to nine days: wrong
"Wash metal surfaces very carefully as the virus can remain viable on them for up to 9 days. Be careful and careful when you touch the handrails, door handles, etc. and keep them clean," the message said.
It is wrong; A recent study found that the new corona virus was detectable in copper for up to four hours, in cardboard up to 24 hours and in plastic and stainless steel for two to three days, not nine days, as stated in the publication.
The data comes from a government-funded article published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) on March 17, 2020, based on a study by scientists from the University of California CDC in Los Angeles. and Princeton, AFP reported. .
CDC recommends disinfecting hard surfaces with a product approved by the US Environmental Protection Agency. USA, like the ones listed here .
Smoking increases the risk of infection: true
"Do not smoke," says the list of tips for preventing the virus. It's true.
"Smoking damages your lungs and other parts of the body and makes you more susceptible to # COVID19 infections," the WHO said in a tweet on March 26, 2020.
AFP has already solved this problem during a fact check here .
A screenshot of a tweet from the World Health Organization on April 7, 2020 Wash your hands every 20 minutes for 20 seconds: partially true
"Wash your hands with frothy soap every 20 minutes and do it for 20 seconds," the list advises.
This is partly true; Clean hands help stop the spread of germs, but the CDC does not stipulate that soap needs to foam to be effective, and it does not require people to wash their hands every 20 minutes.
CDC recommends washing your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds under various circumstances, including before preparing food and after blowing your nose and sneezing.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, people should also be careful to wash their hands after being in public or touching your nose or mouth in front of your eyes, says the website from the CDC .
A screenshot of the instructions from the World Health Organization on good hand washing technology from April 7, 2020 Eat healthy food: that's right
"Eat fruits and vegetables. Try increasing your zinc levels," the list says.
WHO spokeswoman, Dr. Margaret Harris said while looking at most of the other tips on the list as a mixture of half-truths and myths, WHO supports fruit and vegetable consumption. cool
Animals cannot spread new corona viruses: insufficient evidence
"Animals do not transmit the virus to humans. It is a person-to-person transmission," the message said.
Experts say there is still not enough evidence to confirm the statement.
"Corona viruses are a large family of viruses that are common in animals," says the WHO website . "Possible animal sources for COVID-19 have yet to be confirmed."
The CDC website states that while the first COVID-19 infections have been linked to a live animal market, the virus is now mainly transmitted from person to person.
"We have no evidence that pets, including pets, can transmit COVID-19 to humans or that they can be a source of infection in the United States," the website says.
Getting the flu, eating cold food weakens your system: partly wrong
"Try to avoid the flu as it weakens your system and avoid eating and drinking cold things," the list says.
This is partly wrong.
"We ... say we try to avoid seasonal flu through vaccination, even though health services are now overwhelmed. It's not easy when people haven't been vaccinated yet," Harris said in an email.
Just as drinking hot water does not protect you from disease, drinking or eating cold food does not endanger you.
Brown said, "There was no need to change the temperature of your drinking water."
In addition, "the temperature of your food (hot or cold) has nothing to do with your protection against COVID-19. The most important thing is to have a balanced diet regardless of the temperature of the food and to be aware of how to handle food before eating, "he said.
The virus "sits" in the throat before it goes to the lungs: wrong
"If you experience a sore throat or sore throat, attack immediately using the above methods. The virus enters the system through the throat, but stays in the throat for 3 to 4 days before it reaches the lungs," the message said.
"However, the symptoms only appear when the virus multiplies and the immune system is already overwhelmed, so the virus does not stay in the throat for 3-4 days without doing anything," said Brown.
The WHO reports that the incubation period for COVID-19 , that is, the time between virus capture and onset of symptoms, ranges from one to 14 days, but is usually around five days.
AFP Fact Check has demystified more than 260 examples of incorrect or misleading information about the new corona virus. You can find a full list of our controls on the subject in English here .
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire