Coronavirus myths debunked: why your hair dryer won’t kill the virus and rinsing your nose with saline won’t help

Coronavirus as seen under an electron microscope

This illustration, created at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), reveals ultrastructural morphology exhibited by coronaviruses. Note the spikes that adorn the outer surface of the virus, which impart the look of a corona surrounding the virion, when viewed electron microscopically. A novel coronavirus, named Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was identified as the cause of an outbreak of respiratory illness first detected in Wuhan, China in 2019. The illness caused by this virus has been named coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

There’s a lot of misinformation going around about the coronavirus known as COVID-19. Social media is rampant with myths about how you can “kill the virus” by gargling some chemical or using essential oils or eating this one food (we’re looking at you, garlic). So we’ve done some fact checking and consulted with experts on the most popular of these myths and why some are not only incorrect, but dangerous.

Before we get into the myths, here’s what will help you avoid getting COVID-19.

  1. Wash your hands frequently. Use soap and water if available, otherwise sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol will work. Wash for at least 20 seconds.
  2. Frequently clean and disinfect high touch surfaces like doorknobs, countertops and your cell phone.
  3. Avoid contact with those infected.

We know, it’s not the most exciting bit of information -- but those are the only scientifically proven ways to help protect yourself against COVID-19. So if you hear stories of something that will keep you safe or kill the virus that isn’t one of those three methods, approach it with skepticism first.

Also, be sure to consult reputable sources. For this article we checked in with websites for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization, the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. We also spoke with Dr. Nirmal Joshi, the system chief medical officer with Mount Nittany Health who has specialized over the years in internal medicine and infectious diseases.

On to the myths!

MYTH: Hot air from a sauna or hair dryer will kill COVID-19.

FACT: No, it won’t. That’s because of how the virus spreads. Once the virus is in your nose, it’s firmly attached to the mucous membrane and doing its thing.

“At that point in time, blowing air into your nose is simply not going to make a difference,” Dr. Joshi said. “The key is to prevent the virus from getting into your body in the first place.”

You know how you do that? Avoiding exposure to those with the virus, washing hands frequently and thoroughly and disinfecting high touch surfaces.

MYTH: Warmer weather will kill the virus.

FACT: Don’t count on it. So far, the World Health Organization says that all evidence has shown that COVID-19 can be transmitted easily regardless of weather and climate.

MYTH: Drinking colloidal silver will kill the coronavirus.

FACT: This is not only not true, but drinking colloidal silver is dangerous, according to the National Institutes of Health, the country’s medical research agency. Drinking colloidal silver can cause serious side effects and can make it harder for other drugs to work. Drinking it can also cause you to develop argyria, a skin condition where your skin permanently turns bluish-gray. Drinking silver also has no known benefits for people and is not useful as a dietary supplement.

MYTH: Eating lots of garlic will prevent you from getting coronavirus.

FACT: Garlic is good for you, however there isn’t any evidence that it protects people from the coronavirus, according to the World Health Organization.

MYTH: Drinking or gargling chlorine dioxide (also known as Miracle Mineral Solution/Supplement or Master Mineral Solution or MMS) will stop you from getting the coronavirus and also kill the virus.

FACT: Chlorine dioxide is an industrial bleach and is incredibly dangerous to gargle, let alone swallow. It is not made for human bodies. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says that drinking bleach is not effective or safe for treating any illness. On the contrary it can cause severe reactions like vomiting, diarrhea and acute liver failure. So, in summary: do not put bleach in your mouth.

MYTH: Drinking water every 15 minutes will flush out any coronavirus that has come in through the mouth by pushing it down into your stomach where it will be killed by your stomach acid.

FACT: This won’t work, Dr. Joshi said. That’s primarily because of how the virus spreads. The virus isn’t chilling out in your mouth, it’s actually in your nose having come in through the air. It’s breathed in. So drinking water won’t help you flush the virus out -- although staying hydrated is always a good idea.

MYTH: Taking vitamin C will prevent me from getting the virus.

FACT: There’s no scientific proof that vitamin C is really that effective for fighting virus infections.

“For the most part, the results of studies have been that vitamin C doesn’t work to prevent viral diseases other than for a certain part of the population in very specific situations,” Dr. Joshi said.

MYTH: Using essential oils will protect you from getting COVID-19.

FACT: There is no evidence to support that belief, Dr. Joshi said. The Food and Drug Administration has already issued warning letters to several essential oil companies warning them to stop saying their products can help against COVID-19.

MYTH: Spraying yourself with alcohol or chlorine will stop you from getting coronavirus.

FACT: Don’t do that. It’s not good for you.

There are two different sanitizing methods out there. Hand sanitizers are meant for the body and are designed specifically to come into contact with human skin. They’re regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration because of that. Disinfectants, however, are meant to only be used on surfaces and on inanimate objects -- not the human body. They’re regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency. They aren’t designed for contact with the human body and they’re not safe to be used for that purpose. Sanitizers and disinfectants are two very different things, and Dr. Joshi encourages you not to mix the two up or you’ll hurt yourself.

MYTH: Regularly rinsing your nose with saline will stop you from getting the coronavirus.

FACT: There’s no evidence that this is true, although the World Health Organization does note that there is limited evidence that this can help you recover more quickly from the common cold (not COVID-19). Regular saline rinses have not yet been shown to prevent respiratory infections.

MYTH: Antibiotics will help you against coronavirus.

FACT: Antibiotics do not fight viral infections, they’re used to treat bacterial ones. Coronavirus is a virus, and thus not weak to antibiotics.

MYTH: Getting a flu shot or a pneumonia vaccine will stop you from getting coronavirus.

FACT: While neither will stop you from becoming sick from COVID-19, they are definitely worth getting, especially if you’re elderly according to Dr. Joshi said. But, again, they won’t save you from COVID-19. There is no vaccine for COVID-19, although there are clinical trials in action right now to try and change that.

MYTH: You need to be with an infected person for at least 10 minutes to get the disease.

FACT: “I wish it was as clear cut as that!” said Dr. Joshi. Time isn’t the factor you need to be concerned about, it’s proximity. If you’re within three feet of an infected child you are more likely to be infected, while you’re also likely to get it if you’re within six feet.

That doesn’t mean the length of time isn’t important. Statistically, the longer you’re with a person the greater the risk. “But there’s no magic amount of time,” Dr. Joshi said. “You could literally get it in a few seconds if someone sneezed in your face.”

MYTH: Black people can’t get the coronavirus.

FACT: This isn’t true. COVID-19 doesn’t discriminate. People of all races and ages have the disease. For those still skeptical, see actor Idris Elba’s diagnosis or the current spread of the coronavirus in Africa.

So, to summarize: if something says it can “kill” or “cure” COVID-19, it’s probably not true. But you can always go to a reputable source like the CDC to check! And, once again, the only scientifically proven methods that will help prevent you from getting COVID-19 are washing your hands frequently for at least 20 seconds, disinfecting high touch surfaces and avoiding infected people.

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