Hi MealMasters! I am Dr. Monique May, Board-certified Family Physician and Founder of Physician in the Kitchen™. Through my meal delivery service, best-selling book, MealMasters: Your Simple Guide to Modern Day Meal Planning, and cooking utensils I help busy households enjoy healthy eating without impacting their hectic schedules. Speaking of hectic schedules, thanks to the coronavirus epidemic, a lot of us have actually seen our schedules become less hectic because of the recommendations to avoid social gatherings of more than 10 people (previously it was 100, and then 50). Events, conferences, and sporting events have been canceled, and several US cities and states have essentially shut down for the foreseeable future. Schools, gyms, movie theaters, churches, etc now stand empty due to these recommendations. These drastic steps are necessary to #flattenthecurve, a phrase that means we need to slow the peak and rate of new infections so that the healthcare system will not become overwhelmed. If this happens it will lead to undesirable outcomes caused by not having enough COVID-19 tests, hospital beds, ventilators (breathing machines), medical supplies. and medical professionals to care for the ill. I was very sad to see people on Facebook hosting “‘Rona parties”, or gathering for St. Patrick Day’s parties and in NOLA’s French Quarter despite the recommendations. I have to think that these people either don’t believe the situation is as serious as we are saying, or they think it can’t happen to them, or, even worse, they are believing in the ridiculous myths, conspiracies, and downright lies that are floating around, particularly on social media (and even in some mainstream media as well). Here I discuss 13 myths that I have personally heard and hopefully help put an end to the wave of misinformation.
Myth#1: If you gargle with warm water and salt, or vinegar, this will get rid of the virus. This one was actually shared by someone I know just today. Gargling will not eliminate the virus. At the most, if you have a sore throat, gargling with warm water with salt may soothe it temporarily. Vinegar may have anti-bacterial effects, but since COVID-19 is caused by a virus, it would play no role there.
Myth #2: Drinking water every 15 minutes will flush out the virus. Certainly staying well-hydrated is always a good idea, more so if you have fever, vomiting or diarrhea. However, it does not clear the virus from your body. Only time and your body’s immune system will do that.
Myth #3: If you take a deep breath and hold your breath for more than 10 seconds and complete it successfully without coughing, without discomfort, stiffness or tightness, etc., it proves there is no fibrosis in the lungs and basically indicates no infection. This doozy is going around in an email chain and has been attributed to Stanford University. It is not true and it did not come from Stanford. Fibrosis, or scarring of the lungs, is diagnosed by a doctor with one or more of the following tests: chest x-rays, CAT scans of the chest, a piece of tissue sampling (lung biopsy), breathing tests (PFTs), or checking the oxygen level in your blood.
Myth #4: Coronavirus is man-made and is a form of biological warfare meant to reduce the Chinese population. There is no evidence of this. By studying gene sequences of the virus. researchers believe the virus originated in bats and was transferred to humans by a go-between species. Just what species is unknown at this time. MERS and SARS, two other coronaviruses, are thought to have started the same way.
Myth #5 Black people cannot get coronavirus. This is false and utterly ridiculous. Anyone with a pulse can get coronavirus. That means Black, white, Asian, Hispanic or any other ethnic group. Just today my favorite actor Idris Elba confirmed that he has tested positive. Click here for a link to the CDC coronavirus information page about symptoms.
Myth #6: The virus will be gone when the weather warms up. While flu season typically ends in April, we just do not know yet what the time course for coronavirus will be since it is a novel, or new, virus. As for the effect warm weather may have on this virus, only time will tell. According to Dr. Sanjay Gupta of CNN, there have been reports of people using hairdryers, UV lights, or hot baths to disinfect themselves. These options may cause harm by irritating or burning your skin, and there is no scientific evidence that these even work.
Myth #7: Vodka can be used to make homemade hand sanitizers. Hand sanitizers contain ethyl alcohol, usually in concentrations of at least 60%. The high alcohol level breaks down (or denatures) the proteins in viruses, and destroys the outer cover (or envelope) that some viruses, like coronavirus, have. Vodka is also ethyl alcohol, but 80 proof vodka is only 40% alcohol. This is not strong enough to kills germs such as bacteria and viruses.
Myth #8: Eating garlic can cure coronavirus. While garlic certainly helps to boost your immune system, it is not a cure for anything (except maybe vampires), much less coronavirus.
Myth #9: The virus can be spread through the mail. Research is ongoing to determine just how long the virus can last outside of a human host. There is a possibility it can last up to 3 hours in the air, and up to 3 days on certain surfaces. However, keep in mind that some of these are laboratory studies and may not translate to the real world. In other words, under real-life conditions, we just don’t know yet how long the virus is viable on its own. If you have any concerns about a package just wear a pair of disposable gloves when you open it and then wash your hands.
Myth #10: Everyone who gets sick with the virus will die. Thankfully this is not true! As of this writing, there have been 182,405 cases diagnosed worldwide, with 79,433 people recovered. The elderly and those with underlying medical conditions that weaken their immune system are at higher risk for death, but with supportive care (IV fluids, nutritional support, additional oxygen, breathing machines) they can recover too.
Myth #11: There is a vaccine available. Unfortunately, it will be at least a year before a vaccine is available. In the meantime be sure to get your annual flu shot to protect against influenza which is actually much more common.
Myth #12: Only people who are obviously sick can spread the virus. While initially it was thought that the disease was not spread as much by people who were not showing symptoms, it is now becoming clear that people with either no or mild symptoms are a significant source of coronavirus transmission. That is why social distancing, and likely very soon widespread quarantine, is so important in decreasing the rate of spread of the disease.
Myth #13: Coronavirus is just another form of the flu. Please do not be fooled. Influenza A and B are in a completely different virus family from the coronavirus (coronavirus is actually more related to the common cold). While they may have similar symptoms of fever, cough, fatigue, and body aches, coronavirus causes shortness of breath which can be life-threatening. The pattern of symptoms is different also: while the flu tends to hit suddenly and severely with symptoms developing sometimes overnight and worsening over 2-3 days before starting to improve, coronavirus has a more gradual onset of symptoms that linger and progress during the second week. With COVID-19, symptoms develop 2-14 days after exposure, and shortness of breath can develop 5-10 days after fever starts. Also, the lung involvement in COVID-19 seems to be caused by the virus itself, unlike influenza which can be complicated by a bacterial infection that causes pneumonia. Mild cases of COVID-19 can last for 2 weeks, longer for more severe cases. On the other hand, influenza symptoms usually appear 1-4 days after exposure and can last 5-7 days. People who have been vaccinated against influenza and then catch the flu (no vaccine is 100% effective at preventing a disease) typically have a milder and shorter course of infection.
Right now it is too soon to tell just how long the coronavirus will be with us. As we all adjust to the new normal, please keep washing your hands, staying well-hydrated, getting enough solid rest, eating healthy, exercising, and practicing social distancing (or just staying home). If you are sick cover your cough and sneezes and stay home! If your symptoms are getting worse (shortness of breath, fever, or cough), call your local healthcare facility before you go. Don’t believe everything you read on the internet. Always consider the source!
If you are looking for a new recipe to try while you are cooped up at home, head over to myeasypesto.com for a delicious super easy pesto recipe (featuring immune-boosting garlic).
For more information, be sure to visit me at DrMoniqueMay.com, and join the #MealMastersCommunity at www.Facebook.com/groups/mealmasters today.
