COVID-19: Fact vs. Fiction

By Meriam Shanti, Opinions Editor

Courtesy of DAQ/Politico

An unfortunate consequence of COVID-19 is the rapid and unrelenting spread of misinformation. In times of crisis, it is important to stick to the facts and avoid falling victim to panic. Here are just a few popular COVID-19 myths debunked.

MYTH: COVID-19 originated from bat soup.

FACT: The true origin of COVID-19 is still murky. Scientists have pinpointed the source of the virus to a market in Wuhan that housed many different animals. According to Richard J. Kuhn, a professor of biological sciences at Purdue University, “...it’s not likely that novel coronavirus spread directly from bats to humans, but that one or more animals at the market in Wuhan were infected by bats and served as an intermediate host in the transfer of the virus from bats to humans.”

MYTH: The flu is more deadly than COVID-19.

FACT: Although COVID-19 and the flu have similar symptoms (fever, coughing, fatigue), the flu is actually a lot less deadly. Because it’s been around for much longer, the general population has been able to develop an immunity to it. In comparison, COVID-19 has a death rate of about 3.4% while the flu kills less than 1% of those infected.

MYTH: Hot weather will kill off COVID-19.

FACT: Although it isn’t certain how the virus will behave with the introduction of heat, many hot countries (such as Iran) have experienced a rapid spread of COVID-19.

MYTH: Hand sanitizer doesn’t actually help fight COVID-19.

FACT: Although the most effective prevention involves washing your hands with soap and warm water, hand sanitizer with a 60% alcohol content or more can kill off the virus. "It helps break up the germ membranes,” Bill Wuest, associate professor at Emory University, said. “But you need to make sure it gets into direct contact with the bacteria or virus.”

MYTH: Packages, especially from China, could be carrying COVID-19.

FACT: According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “The new coronavirus cannot be transmitted through goods manufactured in China or any country reporting COVID-19 cases.” It is highly unlikely that COVID-19 would be able to survive the days -- or weeks -- of delivery, what with the many different temperatures the virus would be subject to.

MYTH: COVID-19 can be transmitted through takeout and other food.

FACT: It might be wise to sanitize the container itself, just as a precaution. However, stomach acid would immediately kill the virus even if the food contained it.

MYTH: Eating Chinese food or drinking Corona beer is directly linked to COVID-19.

FACT: There is no direct link between either Chinese food or Corona beer to COVID-19.