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Checklist: 11 Coronavirus Myths Debunked
Dr. Z • Mar 22, 2020
11 Coronavirus (COVID-19) Myths Debunked
Some of this stuff is just plain nuts...
(Updated December 19, 2022) Coronavirus (or COVID-19) precautions are legitimately on everybody’s mind. With variants of the virus like Delta and Omicron, I'm getting daily calls from CarpalRx patients. They mostly ask about virus "cures" & "protections" that are absurd at best and dangerous at worst.
I'm writing this article to clarify the facts. I'm also encouraging you to post comments with your questions. Bookmark this post because
I'll be answering your questions & updating for as long as the pandemic emergency lasts.
1) The most dangerous myth
"Drinking bleach kills the COVID-19 virus."
This one is just plain insane. If you drink bleach, you’ll die.
CNN reports
that people have been gargling or drinking bleach to kill the COVID-19 virus. People worried about the virus have added bleach to their food and gargled or inhaled bleach products. Some people even bathe in dilute bleach or household disinfecting solutions. This not only ineffective but VERY dangerous, according to the CDC.
There’s also a popular spray called MMS (for Miracle Mineral Solution). It uses a bleaching agent. The anti-vax (anti-vaccination movement) touts it as a "miracle cure." It's not. It seems anti-vaxer's are hell-bent on killing themselves no matter what.
2) The most absurd myth
"Blowing hot air into your nose will kill the COVID-19 virus."
What hot air!
This absurdity got started on Facebook. It claims the heat from an ordinary hairdryer blown up your nose will heat up your sinuses enough to kill the virus. Wrong!
The World Health Organization advises you CANNOT kill the virus with hot air & that Coronavirus survives both hot & cold temperatures fairly well.
3) The most shameless myth
"Drinking Silver Sol will cure COVID-19."
This world-class scammer & his wife Tammy Faye (shown above during their glory days as televangelists) ran a religious empire called the PTL Club until felled by financial & sex scandals.
Bakker has a new TV show to support his ministry. Rather than rely on donations for money -- he sells various products while on air.
His most recent pitch was for Silver Sol as a Coronavirus cure. On March 12, 2020 the Missouri Attorney General's Office sued him to make him stop selling it.
ANY company selling Silver Sol as a virus cure is a total scam. There are at least 5 other companies selling it to treat Coronavirus. But only Bakker's was doing it in God's name.
4) The most intoxicating myth
"Tito's vodka is a good hand sanitizer."
Recipes for DIY hand sanitizers abound on the Internet these days. The ballyhoo over using vodka as a sanitizer got started when a Twitter user wrote:
"I made some hand sanitizer out of your [Tito's] vodka. The hand sanitizer doesn't taste bad either. Cheers to Tito's vodka. Keeping me germ-free and feeling good at the same time."
The problem is you need at least a 60% alcohol content to fight Coronavirus. Tito's vodka is only 40%. As NPR reports, it's therefore inadequate to fight the virus.
So if you're determined to stay germ-free & feel good at the same time - check your vodka's proof first. But for my money, vodka is for sipping & not splashing on your hands.
5) The most widely practiced myth
"Surgical masks will protect you against the COVID-19 virus."
Do surgical masks help you? The answer is not what you think.
Viral particles are really small & surgical masks aren't made to protect against tiny viral particles. If you are infection free and wearing such a mask, viral particles will get in.
Up until yesterday (April 2, 2020), the CDC advised you DO wear surgical mask if you HAVE Coronavirus.
But today (April 3, 2020) the CDC's advisement is that everybody
should wear a surgical mask or even a scarf in public. That's because you might be infected without knowing it. Covering your mouth can help prevent YOU from spreading the virus to others.
If you're infected, your cough contains huge water droplets filled with virus. A surgical mask and even a cloth mask or scarf will trap most of the droplets on their way out.
6) The most anticipated myth
"Summer's heat will kill the COVID-19 virus."
Scientists still don’t know how temperature and climate affects the Coronavirus. And it’s true that virus infections generally lessen during the summer months. But as the New York Times explains, that’s because people tend to spend more time outdoors.
The virus only lives in the human body and for a short time on inert surfaces. The virus is also normally transmitted from person to person, sometimes with an infected surface intermediary. In colder months people stay indoors more. The close quarters gives the virus more opportunity to transmit by coughing, sneezing, & touching the same surfaces. Therefore, reports of fewer virus infections in the summer months has little to do with the virus’s temperature sensitivity.
7) The most 'in your face' myth
"An infected person needs to sneeze or cough in your face to infect you."
Of course you should cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough. But it’s not the only way the virus moves around.
Sure the virus is most efficiently transmitted from person to person via coughing and sneezing. But the CDC cautions that contaminated surfaces or objects can also spread the virus
very easily. For instance, if an infected person casually touches their mouth and then touches a hard surface, that surface becomes infected. Anybody can come along and pick up the virus on a finger. Then, if that finger touches your eye or mouth, infection transmission is complete.
8) The most saturated myth
"Drinking a lot of water will flush the virus out of your body."
Water won't save you. The World Health Organization
says you can't drink water to force the COVID-19 virus into your stomach where the acid will kill it. Nor can you flush it from your body by a lot of urination after drinking plenty of water.
Some of this fallacy is also associated with more human activity during summer months. We drink much more water in the summer months because we’re in the outdoor heat a lot more. Therefore, the lower infection rate in the summer is the result of being farther apart from infected people, not drinking more water.
9) The most immune myth
"The flu vaccine will protect you against getting the COVID-19 virus."
The influenza vaccine is excellent precaution against getting the flu. It's saved the lives of countless millions around the world. But it does not protect you against the COVID-19 virus.
The University of Chicago says you should certainly get this flu vaccination no matter what. But the flu vaccine (for influenza) is not a Coronavirus precaution or prevention. That's because the COVID-19 virus is a different species of virus than the virus causing influenza.
However the COVID-19 vaccines DO work against the virus. In fact, the CDC recently added COVID-10 shots to their list of routine vaccinations for adults and children.
10) The most fortified myth
"Coronavirus can be combated with vitamin supplements."
If somebody told you to take a lot of vitamin C to combat this virus, it might sound reasonable. After all, we know vitamin C supplements help boost the immune system to fight infections. But it does NOTHING against the COVID-19.
According to Livescience, this notion misplaced confidence can also be dangerous. It could embolden people to expose themselves or to not social distance. There currently is no evidence that any vitamin supplements can protect you from COVID-19. Nor will supplements enable you to recover faster from COVID-19 infection.
11) The most isolated myth
"Only the elderly or those already infected need social distancing."
Here's another dangerous and false rumor. The CDC recommends postponing festivals, sporting events, and celebrations for a good reason. That is, you can be free of symptoms and still carry (and spread) the COVID-19 virus. The young and healthy or old and sick can carry it without symptoms. Therefore, social distancing for everyone is therefore crucial
to stop the virus from spreading, or at least slow it down.
The CDC advises staying at least 6 feet away from another person to reduce your chances of being infected.
OK, one more....The most transmissible myth
"No symptoms = no infection."
Party on, dude!
Some people think if you’re exposed to an infected person but don’t have symptoms after a few days, then you’re OK.
But The CDC says you can be asymptomatic (have no symptoms whatsoever) but still carry the COVID-19 virus for weeks. That means you can infect anybody you come into contact with, without even knowing it.
If you were exposed (in contact with a known infected person) the CDC recommends that you stay in quarantine for 2 weeks after the exposure. That’s enough time to tell if you see symptoms develop which can then infect other people.
Well, maybe another....The most treatable myth
"Advil makes your symptoms worse."
Even though this myth is tossed around like fact, nobody is really sure what effect ibuprofen (Advil) has on COVID-19 Coronavirus symptoms.
To date, there have only been anecdotal reports that Advil (ibuprofen) makes symptoms worse. But England's National Health Service
(NHS) says there currently is no strong evidence that Advil can make COVID-19 symptoms better or worse.
However, out of precaution, the NHS does have a sound recommendation for the time being. It suggests using Tylenol instead of ibuprofen to treat the virus's symptoms.
This is the end...The most gagging myth
"Gargling with warm water, salt & vinegar kills the COVID-19 virus."
Here's another self-treatment rumor that's just plain wrong. People are adding vinegar and/or salt to warm water and gargling it to kill the COVID-19 virus. The idea is that since the virus concentrates concentrates in your throat for several days before getting to your lungs, then attacking it in your throat will help.
But this will not kill the virus. That's according to Dr. Paul Offit, University of Pennsylvania’s expert on infectious diseases. But Dr. Offit says if you DO have symptoms, gargling will decrease inflammation and make your throat less sore.