COVID 19 - Myth Busters......

We are over the worst, thank fully; and our economy and our people are reeling from one of the worst things that most of us have seen in our life time. 

I remain concerned, that people are saying these incorrect statements, so I thought I’d blog about it! The first myth I’ve heard is that if you drink a lot of alcohol, it protects you against COVID 19.  This is absolutely not true, and actually drinking alcohol distracts your immune system by trying to get what is effectively poison out of your body, and actually increases the risk of health problems.  Yes, I do know that a lot of hand gels are alcohol based, but it is categorically impossible to sterilise yourself from the inside out, and drinking alcohol is harmful, particularly in large quantities. 

Everyone is now continually talking about Thermal Scanners, and how they can detect COVID so it’s OK to travel abroad right?  Thermal scanners are effective in detecting people who have a fever.  They cannot detect people who have COVID 19.  You must remember that a fever is one of many symptoms which may or may not be present in a COVID positive case; and fever is a symptom of other illnesses too!

We all should be aware that our leading scientists around the world are working towards a cure and a vaccine for COVID-19, but they have not yet found one.  Drug trials are ongoing, so don’t start taking any dangerous medications in the blind ‘hope’ that it might work, because that is just dangerous behaviour.  Be patient, and let the experts handle it!

FACT: Adding pepper to your soup or other meals DOES NOT prevent or cure COVID 19.  Many people now believe that making their food as spicy as possible will keep them safe. This is entirely untrue and the best way to protect your self is to keep at least 1 metre away from others to wash your hands or to use a well-tested hand sanitiser, either an alcohol or an antibacterial hand sanitiser. 

There is a lot of chatter about how COVID can be transmitted by house flies.  This is untrue, and there is absolutely no evidence or information to suggest that the COVID-19 virus transmitted through houseflies.  The virus that causes COVID-19 spreads primarily through droplets generated when an infected person coughs, sneezes or speaks.  You can also become infected by touching a contaminated surface and touching your eyes, nose or mouth before washing your hands.  To protect yourself, keep at least 1 metre distance from others and disinfect frequently touched surfaces.

Probably the most talked about Myth, is the one that Donald Trump unwittingly lit a fire under, which is that spraying or introducing bleach or another disinfectant into your body will not protect you against COVID 19….. and will be dangerous! Bleach and disinfectants are basically poison, and it is definitely not advisable to ingest them at all!

The one that has actually gained the most traction is that the novel COVID 19 virus has got  something to do with 5G, and that 5G  mobile networks can spread COVID 19. This is definitely not true, because viruses DO NOT TRAVEL on mobile networks or radio waves.  In fact COVID 19 is spreading in many countries that do not have 5G mobile networks. 

Another preposterous assertion is that exposing yourself to the sun or temperatures higher than 25 degrees protects you from COVID, it DOES NOT prevent or cure COVID 19, so it doesn’t matter how sunny the weather is.  To protect yourself, make sure you are cleaning your hands frequently, and thoroughly and make sure you are using a good well tested alcohol or antibacterial hand sanitiser.  

Being able to hold your breath for 10 seconds or more without coughing or feeling discomfort DOES NOT mean you are free from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) or any other lung disease. 

The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are dry cough, tiredness and fever. Some people may develop more severe forms of the disease, such as pneumonia. The best way to confirm if you have  the virus producing COVID-19 disease is with a laboratory test.  You cannot confirm it with this breathing exercise, which can even be dangerous.

As the advice from government bodies continually changes its minds on whether wearing a mask is beneficial, advisable, useful – depending where you are of course, there is a myth that does need to be addressed.  The prolonged use of blue surgical masks, or medical masks when properly worn does not cause CO2 intoxication not oxygen deficiency. There seems to be a great deal of noise coming forward about this -  which I can confirm is in fact a myth. 

The prolonged use of medical masks can be uncomfortable. However, it does not lead to CO2 intoxication nor oxygen deficiency. While wearing a medical mask, make sure it fits properly and that it is tight enough to allow you to breathe normally. Do not re-use a disposable mask and always change it as soon as it gets damp.

A question I frequently get asked is “Are hand dryers effective in killing COVID 19?”   The answer to this is of course, no because most hand dryers are actually quite poorly maintained, and they suck air in to their filters which is filled with faecal bacteria and spew this out to on your hands.  The heat that is generated by a hand dryer will not affect the virus.  The only way to protect yourself is to wash your hands frequently, or use a hand sanitiser.

I’ve heard is that some people are advocating rinsing their noses with sterile saline in an attempt to ward off the virus.  There is some limited evidence that regularly rinsing nose with saline can help people recover more quickly from the common cold. However, regularly rinsing the nose has not been shown to prevent respiratory infections.  Eating garlic has also been advocated as a cure for Coronavirus, however there is no evidence that this is the case.  Garlic is a very healthy substance and does in fact have some antimicrobial properties, but sadly it does not cure COVID 19.

There are of course loads more Myths which are also untrue….; snow and cold environments won’t kill it either; antibiotics won’t kill it either, vaccines against pneumonia are only effective against pneumonia…. The list goes on and on.

So what I’m effectively saying, is be sensible, please don’t listen to these rumours, be pragamatic and logical.  If it sounds bogus, it probably is bogus advice.  I’ve actually had people phoning me in my office and checking whether these FACTS (?) are true, so I thought I’d write a blog about it.