COVID-19: 9 Myths and Misconceptions
As the number of confirmed novel coronavirus (COVID-19) cases grow worldwide, it is becoming increasingly important to stay abreast of breaking news, government guidelines and medical advice. However, in the dawn of the social media and “Fake News” era this has proven extremely difficult.
Media outlets race to be the first to report a story, often cutting corners by doing minimal fact checking at the expense of the audience. Increasingly, politically aligned newsrooms publish stories that fit and proliferate their agenda-driven narratives. The following article contains 9 popular myths and misconceptions surrounding COVID-19.
Myth #1: COVID-19 is just the flu.
The SARS-CoV-2 virus that caused COVID-19 has led to more than 1.9 million cases and more than 115,000 deaths worldwide.
SARS-CoV-2 is extremely similar to previously studied coronaviruses, four of which cause the common cold. All five viruses have spiky projections on their surfaces and utilize so-called spike proteins to infect host cells.
Both the seasonal flu and COVID-19 are contagious viruses that cause respiratory illness. According to the Centre for Disease Control (CDC), the virus spreads mainly via respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks. These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs. You can also get infected by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes.
Typical flu symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, muscle aches, headaches, runny nose, fatigue, and more seldomly, vomiting and diarrhoea. With COVID-19 however, doctors are trying to establish the full set of symptoms. Reported symptoms include fever, cough and shortness of breath. Studies of hospitalized patients have found that about 90% of patients develop a fever, 80% develop a dry cough and 30% develop fatigue or muscle aches, according to a review study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Intriguingly, a loss of smell and taste has also been reported in a vast number of infected patients.
Myth #2: COVID-19 and influenza have similar transmissibility and death rates.
The measure scientists use to determine how easily a virus spreads is the “basic reproduction number” or R0 (R-nought).
This term refers to the contagiousness of an infectious disease, as well as the reproduction number. R0 indicates the average number of people who will be infected by one contagious person. It specifically applies to a population of people who are free of infections and have not yet been vaccinated.
The common flu has an R0 value of about 1.3. Researchers are still working to determine the R0 for COVID-19, with preliminary studies estimating an R0 value of 2.5. It is important to note that R0 varies over time. It depends on location, population density, and the measures already implemented to reduce viral spread.
Arguably the most important factor to consider when comparing COVID-19 and influenza is the case fatality ratio (CFR), or death rate. The death rate may seem like a simple calculation: simply divide number of worldwide deaths due to COVID-19 by the number of worldwide cases. However, it is far more complex than that for a variety of reasons:
- In COVID-19 cases, the length of time between initial symptoms and death has been approximately 2–3 weeks. Therefore, in order to calculate the CFR, one must use the number of confirmed cases from a few weeks ago, rather than at the present time.
- The ubiquitously quoted mortality rate of 3.4% is taken from confirmed deaths over total reported cases. This is likely an overestimate as dozens of countries have suffered from a lack of testing resources. Hence, only patients with severe symptoms have been tested. Generally these patients with the most severe symptoms have a greater chance of dying, resulting in a biased CFR.
According to Jennifer Cole, a biological anthropologist, from the University of London:
“Early estimates of fatality rates tend to be higher and then drop as the outbreak progresses. This is mainly because early figures are based on the more severe cases only — those that seek hospital treatment — and so don’t capture mild cases. It’s not until later in the outbreak, when large numbers of people get tested and recover, that the figures settle down.”
Myth #3: Face masks guarantee protection from the virus.
Standard surgical masks cannot protect you from SARS-CoV-2. The design does not allow the mask to sit flush on the face, and fails to block out a portion of the viral particles. That said, surgical masks can help prevent infected people from spreading the virus further, by blocking any respiratory droplets that could be expelled from their mouths.
Within health care facilities, special respirators called “N95 respirators” have been shown to greatly reduce the spread of the virus among medical staff. People require training to properly fit N95 respirators around their noses, cheeks and chins to ensure that no air can sneak around the edges of the mask.
The N95 rating refers to the fact that it blocks 95% of all particle matter down to .03 microns from entering the lungs.
Myth #4: The virus was made in a lab.
Since COVID-19 first appeared in Wuhan, speculations have emerged regarding its origins, most notably the theory that China released the virus in order to derail the global economy, specifically the West.
Kristian Andersen, an immunology and microbiology researcher affiliated with the Scripps Research Institute argues against claims that the virus is a form of biological warfare. His team presents evidence indicating the infections stemmed from pathogenic SARS-CoV-2 viruses that were transmitted from an animal vector to humans.
SARS-CoV-2 closely resembles two other coronaviruses that have triggered outbreaks in recent decades, SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, and all three viruses seem to have originated in bats.
Other scientists agree. “We see absolutely no evidence that the virus has been engineered or purposely released,” says Emma Hodcroft, a molecular epidemiologist at the University of Basel in Switzerland.
Myth #5: Vitamin C supplements, garlic and ginger will prevent COVID-19 infections.
There is no evidence to suggest that vitamin C supplements can render individuals immune to COVID-19 infection. In fact, for most people, ingesting extra vitamin C does does little in warding off the common cold, though it may shorten the duration thereof.
However, these products do serve essential roles in the human body and support normal immune function. As an antioxidant, vitamin C helps the body synthesize hormones, build collagen and seal off vulnerable connective tissue against pathogens.
Additionaly, the WHO has denied claims that garlic prevents COVID-19 infection. They explain that garlic is a healthy food that may have some antimicrobial properties. However, there is no evidence from the current outbreak that consuming these products has protected people from infection.
Ginger, garlic and vitamin C should be included in your diet if you wish to maintain a healthy immune system. But mega-dosing these products is unlikely to lower your risk of infection from COVID-19. No evidence suggests that other so-called immune-boosting supplements such as zinc, green tea or echinacea prevent COVID-19, either.
Myth #6: Only elderly people are at risk of dying.
If you are not considered elderly, and have a good immune system with no underlying health conditions, there is a very small chance you will die from COVID-19. However, the illness still has a higher chance of leading to serious respiratory symptoms than the seasonal flu.
The actions that young, healthy people take, including reporting symptoms and following quarantine instructions, plays an important role in protecting the vulnerable. “Flattening the curve” by adhering to social distancing laws and practicing proper hygiene will positively shape the trajectory of the outbreak, easing the strain experienced by hospital systems and medical infrastructure worldwide.
To emphasize the variability in death rate across age groups, we analyse the fatalities in Italy and South Korea:
According to work done by analysts at Statista, an online research and analysis service; 95% of Italy’s deaths were patients aged 60 years and older. This is vastly different to what transpired in South Korea, where 70% of the deaths occurred in patients aged 20–60 years old.
It must be reiterated that young people are still highly susceptible to infection, with an increased chance of death if they suffer from respiratory illnesses or compromised immune systems.
Myth #7: The virus dies at 25°C.
The family of coronaviruses have an external membrane which is sensitive to high temperatures.
COVID-19 remains stable at 4°C and can survive for several years at -60°C, according to the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. In higher temperatures its resistance declines, but the temperature affects only the virus’ survival time, not its ability to infect, the centre says.
Similar results were found with the SARS coronavirus. SARS remains stable at 4°C but will lose its activeness in three days at 37°C, according to research by Bao Zuoyi and Liu Yongjian at China’s Academy of Military Medical Sciences.
The WHO has also debunked the claim that the coronavirus thrives in cold weather conditions and dies when it is hot. It warned against taking extremely hot showers to “kill” the virus as this can only cause further harm.
A 2011 study titled The Effects of Temperature and Relative Humidity on the Viability of the SARS Coronavirus, investigated the stability of the virus at different temperatures and relative humidity. The dried virus on smooth surfaces retained its viability for over 5 days at temperatures of 22–25°C and relative humidity of 40–50%. Only at much higher temperatures of 38°C and relative humidity of >95% did the virus experience rapid loss of viability.
The evidence presented suggests that COVID-19 thrives in cooler temperatures, however there is no reason to believe that the virus dies off at 25°C.
Myth #8: Malaria medication kills the virus.
On March 28th, the Food and Drug Administration approved the use of two antimalarial drugs, hydroxychloroquine and a related medication, chloroquine, for emergency use to treat COVID-19. However, a study published in a French medical journal provides new evidence that hydroxychloroquine does not appear to help the immune system eradicate COVID-19 .
Despite the recent approval of this drug for use against COVID-19, questions remain as to the efficacy of this treatment. Additional large-scale testing needs to be conducted before accurate conclusions can be made regarding the implementation hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin as suitable COVID-19 treatment.
Myth #9: A vaccine could be ready within a few months.
All vaccines work according to the same basic principle; they present part of the pathogen to the human immune system, usually in the form of an injection and at a low dose, to prompt the system to produce antibodies to the pathogen. Antibodies are a kind of immune memory which can be quickly mobilised again if the person is exposed to the virus in its natural form.
Clinical trials, an essential precursor to regulatory approval, usually take place in three phases. The first, involving healthy volunteers, tests the vaccine for safety, monitoring its adverse side-effects. The second, involving several hundred people, usually in a part of the world affected by the disease, looks at how effective the vaccine is, and the third does the same in several thousand people.
“Like most vaccinologists, I don’t think this vaccine will be ready before 18 months,” says Annelies Wilder-Smith, professor of emerging infectious diseases at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
However, there is positive news coming from the 40 companies and academic institutions racing to create a COVID-19 vaccine, as listed by the WHO. At least four of these have already conducted testing in animals. The first of these — produced by Boston-based biotech firm Moderna — will enter human trials shortly.
On April 2nd, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine scientists announced a potential vaccine against SARS-CoV-2. When tested in mice, the vaccine produced antibodies in sufficient quantity to neutralize SARS-CoV-2.
“Our ability to rapidly develop this vaccine was a result of scientists with expertise in diverse areas of research working together with a common goal,” said co-senior author Louis Falo, M.D., Ph.D., professor and chair of dermatology at Pitt’s School of Medicine and UPMC.
The team is applying for approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in anticipation of starting a phase 1 human clinical trial in the next few months.
“Testing in patients would typically require at least a year and probably longer,” Falo said. “This particular situation is different from anything we’ve ever seen, so we don’t know how long the clinical development process will take. Recently announced revisions to the normal processes suggest we may be able to advance this faster.”
CONCLUSION
The Covi-ID app team implores everyone to verify COVID-19 news and claims in order to stop the spread of false information. Additionally, all citizens should adhere to governmental guidelines, as every one of us plays a vital role in slowing down this pandemic. Guidelines include:
1) Only leave the house when shopping for essentials.
2) Keep a safe distance from people: approximately 2 metres or 6 foot apart.
3) Wash your hands regularly, using a sanitizer of least 60% alcohol, or with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
4) Cover your sneeze and cough.
5) Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
6) Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces.
If you have been ordered to “shelter-in-place” or go into “lockdown” - try to be patient and remember: “Stay Home, Save Lives”.
