The novel Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, is a pandemic disease that has affected people all over the world. Over 195 countries are suffering from this virus. It has caused respiratory infections and in severe cases death. Hence, there are certain myths, misconceptions or misinformation spreading like wildfire amongst all the confusion. People are scared and in a state of panic. This panic situation is creating more problems that need to be debunked in this serious situation.
The myths about the statistics are being spread and have created a panic situation initially. Such myths contain only a small bit of correct information in them while everything else is just made up. It is important to debunk such myths and calm down the panic of people.
11 Coronavirus Facts that will Debunk Myths
Following are some myths about coronavirus :
Coronavirus is the Deadliest Virus
According to myths, coronavirus is considered to be extremely deadly, but this is not true. Most people diagnosed with coronavirus are not likely to die. The fatality rate of coronavirus is only about 1 percent according to researches going all over the world. The high mortality rates of Italy are because of the aging population, a large population aging between the 80s and 90s were the patients of coronavirus who died. Though this does not imply young people would not die because of it. The mortality rate below 50 years is hardly around 0.2 percent.
Coronavirus is the same as the Flu
Just having a sore throat and cold is no reason to panic and self- diagnose it as coronavirus. Flu and coronavirus can have similar symptoms but these are totally different from each other. Coronavirus is to cause lung disease and not just upper respiratory disease (nose and upper airway). Researches tell about ninety percent of people with coronavirus will have a fever while 80 percent will have a dry cough and 30 percent will have shortness of breath and malaise. This most differentiating feature of coronavirus from flu is shortness of breath because in flu only at a complicated stage such as pneumonia shortness of breath is observed.
But in coronavirus shortness of breath is common. Moreover, flu is characterized to have a fever with chills, body aches, cough, and sore throat and no difficulty in breathing. This might be a common influenza virus. If one has any travel history from a high-risk country in back 14 days it is advised to visit the doctor for proper diagnosis of the symptoms.
Specialized Medical Masks and Coronavirus
The N95 mask is one of the special masks designed and is being worn by professional medical workers but these are not intended to be used by the public. Such a mask was meant to be used by those people you come in direct contact with the illness. These even require proper training to wear them in the right way. Doctors and other health workers were advised to wear N95 masks and gloves and gowns to protect themselves while treating the patients suffering from coronavirus. Surgical masks are advised in the same way. Though if a sick person wears a mask it is beneficial in preventing the spread of the virus.
Eating out during the Coronavirus Outbreak
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations COVID-19 is not a foodborne disease. Therefore, unless in lockdown or kept under isolation going out and eating is not prohibited although it is better to be safe than sorry and so you should stay at home.
Chlorine Disinfection is Important to Prevent Coronavirus
Many home-made remedies and cures are being circulated in public through the internet which claim to effectively protect you from the virus. Many of them are useless and can even be harmful. Hand dryers, a spray of chlorine are some of those remedies which are not effective in killing the coronavirus. The best suggestion by the doctors is to wash your hands thoroughly with soap for 20 seconds, sanitize them frequently, avoid touching the face and cough and sneeze covering your mouth with tissue that could be thrown or cover it with an elbow.
Flu Vaccine and Coronavirus
In the panic crisis of Coronavirus, the influenza vaccine should not be neglected. Though the vaccines do not carry any protection against coronavirus it protects you from other viral infections which may also cause respiratory diseases.
Everyone with Coronavirus needs Hospitalization
Since there is no cure yet, it is better to provide supportive care as early as possible. Supportive care such as staying hydrated, eating healthy and remedies to counter cough, mucus, and pain. According to many doctors, mild cases are advised to stay under home isolation in order to stop the spread of infection to others. People with severe symptoms require IV fluids, oxygen and other treatment facilities that are available at hospitals. Though hospitalization is not necessary for every person suffering from COVID-19, it is important to identify the people with coronavirus to prevent the spread of disease in public.
Homemade Sanitizer Prevent Coronavirus Spread
Due to the shortage of sanitizer in the market, some people on social media have uploaded DIY hand sanitizer recipes. These are no replacement for the medical sanitizer available in the market. It is better to wash hands with soap regularly rather.
Everyone might have Coronavirus and Still won’t Realize it
Asymptomatic cases with coronavirus are rare or rather nowhere. It is not yet observed that a person may not have any symptoms of coronavirus and still spread coronavirus. In the incubation period which ranges from 5 to 15 days, the infected person will develop the symptoms which can be even mild like slight fevers or body aches.
Blacks don’t get Coronavirus
On the internet, rumors are being spread saying that Black people are not affected by a coronavirus. This is not true, the virus cannot discriminate based on race. Neither WHO nor CDC has concluded anything about the racism factor of coronavirus.
Blood Test for Coronavirus
In such crisis conditions in the US, the shortage of coronavirus tests occurred. People became furious to confirm whether their symptoms are due to COVID-19. There was a rumor that people who gave blood were tested positive for coronavirus. But this was false because the detection of the virus in blood was only seen in severely ill patients, not in asymptomatic patients.
Conclusion
Coronavirus is spreading throughout the world. We need to spread awareness and stop the spread of misinformation about it. We need to stay safe and fight against with virus by listening to the welfare ministry of the country which tells us to stay home and practice hygiene and other guidelines properly.
