Don't spread false information about coronavirus

Science can be trusted. Though it isn't 100% perfect, science is way better than other ways of knowing -- especially when it comes to the coronavirus, COVID-19. 

I just discovered that a frequent commenter on this blog left several comments on my HinesSight blog that referenced false information from mythical "Stanford board" advice about dealing with the coronavirus. 

That information has been deleted by me. 

Please, COVID-19 is tough enough to fight without people spreading false information about it. Here's the truth.

----------------------------------------------

CNN) — Contrary to what some may think, not everything on social media is rooted in fact.

Case in point: A recent viral coronavirus "simple self-check test," which medical experts say is completely inaccurate.

Written on what appears to be the iPhone notes app, the three-part post falsely claims that people can find out whether they have coronavirus simply by holding their breath for more than 10 seconds. If they can hold their breath without coughing, the test claims they don't have the virus.

The post, which began circulating Twitter, Facebook, and emails last week, was falsely credited to a member of the "Stanford Hospital board." Stanford Health Care spokeswoman Lisa Kim told CNN the "dangerous" post is not affiliated with Stanford Medicine and "contains inaccurate information."

Misinformation about COVID-19 symptoms and treatment falsely attributed to Stanford is circulating on social media and in email forwards. It is not from Stanford. Official information from Stanford is available at http://healthalerts.stanford.edu .

To debunk all the false information included in the post, CNN spoke to Dr. Robert Legare Atmar, an infectious disease specialist at Baylor College of Medicine.

Myth: Drinking water will protect you from the coronavirus

CLAIM: "If you don't drink enough water more regularly, the virus can enter your windpipe and into lungs."

Whoever penned the post also wrote that people should drink water "every 15 minutes at least" to wash the virus down through the throat and into the stomach, where the acid will supposedly kill the virus.

REALITY: Atmar said there is no evidence from any other respiratory viruses that proves this approach works.

"Even if it worked at all, which it doesn't, people still breathe in from their nose, not just their mouths," Atmar told CNN. "This would still only protect the mouth and not the nose."

Myth: Gurgling water and salt will prevent the coronavirus

CLAIM: "A simple solution of salt in warm water will suffice."

Along with gurgling a water and salt solution, the post also suggested drinking warm water can kill the virus.

REALITY: Based on data from other respiratory viruses, saltwater "would not be expected to work," Atmar said.

By recommending people to drink warm water, the post implies the temperature of the water inactivates the virus, which Atmar said is entirely incorrect.

Myth: If you can hold your breath for 10 seconds, you're OK

CLAIM: "Take a deep breath and hold your breath for more than 10 seconds. If you complete it successfully without coughing, without discomfort, stiffness or tightness, it proves there is no fibrosis in the lungs, basically indicates no infection."

REALITY: Atmar said this is simply "not correct."

"When someone has an acute viral infection it can be difficult to take a deep breath and not cough because the airways are irritated. That's all it means. It doesn't say anything about fibrosis, even though people with fibrosis might struggle doing it. Being able to hold your breath for 10 seconds also doesn't mean someone doesn't have coronavirus."

Myth: If you have a runny nose, it's just a cold

CLAIM: "If you have a runny nose and sputum, you have a common cold. Coronavirus pneumonia is a dry cough with no runny nose."

REALITY: This isn't completely true, Atmar said. A runny nose can be a symptom of the flu, allergies and other illnesses.

And while many patients of the coronavirus do have a dry cough, those with coronavirus pneumonia also have had or could have a productive, or "wet," cough which produces phlegm (sputum), according to Atmar.

Myth: If you have the coronavirus, you'll get pneumonia

CLAIM: "The virus then blends into a nasal fluid that enters the trachea and then the lungs, causing pneumonia." The post also said the virus first infects the throat, which would give patients a sore throat for three to four days before blending into a nasal fluid.

REALITY: This is also not entirely accurate.

The time sequence for coronavirus symptoms vary from patient to patient, and not all patients will have a sore throat, Atmar said. Not everyone with a sore throat has coronavirus, either, and not all coronavirus patients will develop pneumonia.

Myth: Coronavirus patients will experience a drowning sensation

CLAIM: "The nasal congestion is not like the normal kind. You feel like you're drowning.

REALITY: This isn't true.

"That does not sound like any other respiratory virus people are infected with and many patients with coronavirus have not had nasal infection at all," Atmar told CNN.

Myth: By the time a person with coronavirus is hospitalized, their lungs will have experienced fibrosis

CLAIM: "By the time they have fever and/or cough and go to the hospital, the lung is usually 50% fibrosis and it's too late."

Fibrosis is the irreversible scarring of the lung which can lead to respiratory failure.

REALITY: This is totally incorrect.

"This information is extremely alarmist," Atmar said. "Fibrosis only develops in the minority of patients and 80 percent of coronavirus patients experience only the mild symptoms of the disease, so this is incorrect."

The incubation period for coronavirus, Atmar said, is two to 14 days. Symptoms usually begin with five to six days of exposure, with the first week including a cough, sore throat, fever, and muscle aches. Only the minority of patients will experience the second week of severe respiratory symptoms and may be at risk of fibrosis.

While the coronavirus is an issue everyone in the world should be taking seriously, the spread of false information can be both dangerous and deadly.

If you aren't sure if something you are reading about the coronavirus is correct, the best thing to do to is to check with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or your local health department -- not social media.

Comments

[Sonia Taylor]

Yes, numerous myths abound and these mentioned about self testing are the most dangerous... and somewhat bizarre.

We knew COVID-19 was coming to America (and the rest of the world) but not until last week did it feel real. Now it gets more difficult day by day. The hardest part for me right now is not having all of my favorite late night shows to make me laugh. This virus is creating a tremendous amount of anxiety in people on many levels. Now more than ever we need some humor in our lives—something to bring us together in spirit.

One alarming report was the sales of guns and ammunition. I guess it shouldn’t have surprised me, but it did nonetheless.

[Sonia Taylor]

Two things I haven’t been able to work out yet—why Italy has had such disproportionately high numbers of new cases and deaths while India has very little considering its population.

Is God a Hindu who hates Catholics?

I feel my humor getting darker by the day.

[Trevor Smith]

Two things I haven’t been able to work out yet—why Italy has had such disproportionately high numbers of new cases and deaths while India has very little considering its population.

Is God a Hindu who hates Catholics?

I feel my humor getting darker by the day.

Posted by: Sonia Taylor | March 17, 2020 at 09:20 PM

Which is the second thing? You ask only about Italy fatalities.

[s*]

Good you write this Brian.

Thank you very much!

Keep up the good spirit..

Even my sentences take distance..
;0)

[Sonia Taylor]

Which is the second thing? You ask only about Italy fatalities.

Posted by: Trevor Smith | March 17, 2020 at 09:44 PM

Oh well I wasn’t very clear. The second thing was why are their so few cases and deaths in India relative to its population... and relative to numbers in other countries.

[Sonia Taylor]

I have a twitter account devoted solely to COVID-19 but unless you’re not afraid of alarming news articles, you wouldn’t enjoy it. ✖️COVID-19🔚🔜

Here’s one really cool site, though. I mean it’s not “happy news” but it’s good to know. https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/#countries

[Amar]

Sonia Taylor wrote, "Two things I haven’t been able to work out yet—why Italy has had such disproportionately high numbers of new cases and deaths while India has very little considering its population."

The US has very few reported infections because they haven't been testing until very recently. They were also testing using incomplete/faulty test units. Give the US another week and you'll start to see exponentially large increases in the confirmed infection rates and deaths. India has done a better job to date than the US on this.

Trump indicated only a week ago that this was only the flu and not to worry about it. He's an idiot, but his advisers should be brought to trial once this settles down. Waiting for weeks before enacting measures to curtail public gatherings and closing the country off will kill many people.

Now Trump wants to throw almost $1Trillion dollars ($850 Billion) to combat the Corona virus. He knows he's going to be vilified (spelling?) for mishandling this and will cost him the upcoming elections...

If only the Democrats could get their collective shit together....

[j]

"Trump indicated only a week ago that this was only the flu and not to worry about it."

False info, Trump never said anything remotely like that. Ironic that this was allowed to be posted here.

[Sonia Taylor]

Another update: COVID-19 is hitting younger adults because of their laissez-faire attitude towards the novel coronavirus.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/03/19/younger-adults-are-large-percentage-coronavirus-hospitalizations-united-states-according-new-cdc-data/

[anami]

"Trump indicated only a week ago that this was only the flu and not to worry about it."

j,
True, that is an oversimplification of what he said (see #5 in link), but he has made quite a number of statements on COVID-19 that were off the beam. Sorry, I know you love him, and love is blind...
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/3/13/21176535/trumps-worst-statements-coronavirus

[Trevor Smith]

"Trump indicated only a week ago that this was only the flu and not to worry about it."

False info, Trump never said anything remotely like that. Ironic that this was allowed to be posted here.

Posted by: j | March 19, 2020 at 08:31 AM

@J,

So what exactly has Trump said then?

[j]

"True, that is an oversimplification of what he said (see #5 in link), but he has made quite a number of statements on COVID-19 that were off the beam. Sorry, I know you love him, and love is blind..."

1) It's not an oversimplification, it's just flat out wrong. My opinions aren't based on loyalty to people I love, but if you think they are, you're welcome to your opinion and go fuck yourself.

2) Since he took office in 2106, everything Trump has said about anything has been "off the beam." That's the view of his detractors, who often are overzealous about proving the president wrong and who change the subject when their darts are off the mark.

3) We have been in an ever-evolving crisis with the coronavirus epidemic, one that this country has ever seen before. It calls for leaders to strike a delicate balance between recommending prudent action and instilling confidence and hope, vs encouraging despair and a wholesale shutdown of society. Very difficult job to do. As far as I can tell, the U.S. has been doing it's very best to protect everyone and stop the virus from spreading.

[Amar]

This is what Trump tweeted: With approximately 100,000 CoronaVirus cases worldwide, and 3,280 deaths, the United States, because of quick action on closing our borders, has, as of now, only 129 cases (40 Americans brought in) and 11 deaths. We are working very hard to keep these numbers as low as possible!
8:34 AM · Mar 5, 2020·Twitter for iPhone

He doesn't have a clue what he's talking about. They aren't testing, so obviously the numbers are low. Has nothing to do with him closing the borders. You can't trust anything that comes out of his mouth, it's always about what makes him look better.
He needs to gets his fat ass out his advisors and experts way so they can do their jobs, instead of declaring victory over the Corona virus when it started to spread. Moron.

On Monday, March 11, 2020 he said: "On Monday, when Trump tweeted that the coronavirus was not as perilous as the flu, he said, “So last year 37,000 Americans died from the common Flu. It averages between 27,000 and 70,000 per year. Nothing is shut down, life & the economy go on. At this moment there are 546 confirmed cases of CoronaVirus, with 22 deaths. Think about that!”

Two days later, Anthony Fauci, head of infectious diseases at the National Institutes of Health and a member of Trump’s task force on the outbreak, said the coronavirus was far more deadly.

“This is 10 times more lethal than the seasonal flu,” Fauci said, contradicting the President's own message. Trump is clueless.

This isn't about Republicans or Dem's. There have been very competent and capable Republican Presidents in the past, but this guy will be a blemish in US political history.

[anami]

Denial, Anger and Bargaining come first in the five stages of grief. Depression follows, then Acceptance. Some conclude a sixth stage, Meaning.