We’ve all heard bizarre rumors about the new coronavirus.
Fake stories on WhatsApp have falsely claimed that the virus has killed millions of people around the world. Social media posts have claimed that drinking garlic water cures the deadly disease. Conspiracy theories that the virus is a biological weapon designed in a Chinese laboratory have been voiced by television experts and even an American lawmaker.
There is a lot of misinformation and it spreads faster than the virus itself. We set the record straight.
Do you hear a rumor that you are not sure about? Ask us your questions here. We will continue to update this story.
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A cattle virus that we’ve known for years is the real cause of the coronavirus
Absolutely not. Facebook users are posting a photo of a vaccine used in cattle to falsely imply that the new coronavirus infecting humans worldwide has been known “for years”. This suggestion is false.
When we say “the coronavirus”, we are referring to a new strain of virus from a family of coronaviruses. Coronaviruses can infect animals and people, and we’ve known other coronaviruses for years. The new coronavirus, which causes COVID-19 disease, was released for the first time in late 2019.
The vaccine shown is used to fight bovine coronavirus, which is a virus that infects cattle. ScourGuard 4K is a vaccine for “pregnant cows and heifers” to help prevent diarrhea in calves. Bovine coronavirus has not caused the current epidemic in humans.
– Angelo Fichera, FactCheck.org
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Coronavirus will be gone by April
We have received many questions from you as to whether the virus will go away in the spring as the weather warms up, but health officials say it is a “premature” thought.
Like the common cold and flu, COVID-19 is spread by respiratory droplets, and most viral respiratory diseases have seasons. They spread more during the colder months, but you can still get sick during the warmer months.
Coronavirus comes from Corona beer
It’s funny, but no. In January, the alcoholic drink from Mexico showed an increase in searches on Google, as well as the terms “corona beer virus” and “beer virus”.
In the United States, Google Trends has calculated that 57% of people who searched for one of these terms searched for “beer virus” and the remaining 43% searched for “corona beer virus”. States like Hawaii, New Mexico, and Kansas have searched for the “beer virus” more, while states like South Carolina, Colorado, and Arizona have searched for the more “corona beer virus” more .
– Adrianna Rodriguez
Virus escaped from Chinese laboratory
Again, no, the new coronavirus is not a biological weapon designed by scientists in China. Early last month, bloggers started spreading a theory on social media and other websites that the virus was created by humans. Health officials denied this claim, but Senator Tom Cotton, R-Ark., Repeated the theory at least three times on Fox News. Right-wing media defended Cotton’s comments.
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Scientists are still studying how COVID-19 emerged, but say it is not created by humans. The first infection, reported in December 2019, was related to a market in Wuhan, China. We still do not know how the transmission took place, but there are several theories. Some researchers believe that someone bought contaminated meat at the market, ate it, got sick, and infected others. Others say that the virus originated in bats, spread to an intermediate animal, and then to humans.
Coronavirus test costs $ 3,000
Nope. In fact, it’s free. A claim that it costs patients in the U.S. more than $ 3,000 to test COVID-19 was born on Twitter, where it collected more than 250,000 likes and retweets. It became a meme that spread on Facebook.
In fact, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized the use of two tests – one from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and one from the New York State Department of Public Health – and neither agency charges patients for the test.
– Saranac Hale Spencer, FactCheck.org
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You should start wearing a face mask
No, you should only wear a face mask if you are sick or if a doctor recommends it, according to the CDC. The best way to prevent infection is to wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water, avoid close contact with sick people, cover coughing or sneezing, clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces and avoid touching the eyes. , nose and mouth.
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Lysol “knew” the virus before the outbreak started
Yes, Lysol products carry labels indicating that they disinfect against “human coronavirus”. But these labels do not refer to the new coronavirus, in particular.
The labels refer to the coronavirus, in general, which is a larger family of viruses. The COVID-19 virus is one of many viruses in this family. Some Lysol products have been shown to work against coronaviruses on hard, non-porous surfaces, according to the company’s website.
Pope Francis has the coronavirus
A story circulating on social networks falsely claims that the Vatican has confirmed that the Pope and two of his collaborators had tested positive for the virus. Several Italian media also reported that the pope had been tested for the virus.
The Vatican has not verified any of these claims, nor has it revealed whether the pope had been tested for the coronavirus. Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni issued a statement saying, “The cold that the Holy Father was recently diagnosed is continuing, with no symptoms related to other conditions.”
– Isabella Fertel, FactCheck.org
CDC recommends shaving beards to protect against virus
Social media users sharing a CDC infographic showing different facial hair styles have suggested that the agency ask people to shave their beards and mustaches to prevent coronavirus. Bearded or not bearded?
Infographics actually have nothing to do with the new virus. The CDC National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health released the image for the first time in 2017 to show workers what types of facial hairstyles work with a tight-fitting respirator. According to the CDC, facial hair along the seal area of a respirator, such as a beard, sideburns, or certain whiskers, interferes with respirators, which rest on a tight face seal for protection. maximum.
Influenza vaccine prevents coronavirus
Although you should definitely get the flu shot, it won’t protect you from the new coronavirus. Instead, take the common sense precautions described above.
Why get the flu shot? In the United States, the flu has caused 12,000 to 61,000 deaths a year since 2010, according to the CDC. So far this season, there have been at least 32 million cases of influenza, 310,000 hospitalizations and 18,000 deaths from influenza.