Coronavirus: Rumours You Should Ignore

The Coronavirus continues to spread across the world, and there is currently no treatment for this dreaded virus.

Amid fears of the virus rapid spread, many fake and weird rumors about how to get saved are being circulated on social media platforms.

There's a lot of misinformation out there, and it's transmitting faster than the virus itself.

Here's a selection of some of these outlandish rumors:

The garlic

There are many posts spread on social media platforms recommending eating garlic to prevent infection with the Coronavirus.

The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that although garlic is "healthy food" and may help counteract microbes", there is no evidence that eating garlic may protect against infection with the emerging coronavirus.

The "Miracle" solution

“We know that the flu virus does not live much outside the body during the summer - but we do not yet know how heat affects the emerging coronavirus,” she added.

Users on Facebook claimed that chlorine dioxide, a bleaching agent used in detergents, helps "get rid" of the Coronavirus.

In turn, the US Food and Drug Administration warned against the health risks of drinking chlorine dioxide, confirming that drinking chlorine dioxide products can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and symptoms of severe dehydration.

Health authorities in other countries have issued alerts about this issue.

Homemade hand sanitizer

 In Italy, which is currently one of the virus hotspots, fears of an outbreak have led to the disappearance of hand sanitizers from stores.

After viral reports about hand sanitizers shortage, recipes for home-made sanitizers spread on social media.

However, the recipes seemed to be more suitable for cleaning surfaces than for hands, scientists have affirmed that its components are not appropriate for the skin.

Hand sanitizers contain ingredients that make them suitable for the skin, in addition to 60 to 70 percent of alcohol.

University professor Sally Bloomfield, of the London School of Health and Dermatology, said that she does not think anyone could make an effective hand sanitizer at home.

Drinking water every 15 minutes

A Facebook post carried advice from a "Japanese doctor" who recommends drinking water every 15 minutes to flush out any virus that might enter the mouth.

The Arabic version of this post was shared more than 250,000 times.

University professor Bloomfield stressed that there is absolutely no evidence that drinking water flushes viruses out of the body.

Heat and avoid eating ice cream

There are lots of tips which suggest that high temperatures kill the virus - that's why there are recommendations for drinking hot water, bathing in hot water, or using a hairdryer.

A post circulated by dozens of social media users in different countries - falsely attributed to UNICEF, claims that drinking hot water and exposure to sunlight will kill the virus – adding that eating ice cream should be avoided.

Charlotte Gornitzka, who works for UNICEF on Coronavirus misinformation, says: "A recent erroneous online message...purporting to be a  UNICEF communication appears to indicate that avoiding ice cream and other cold foods can help prevent the onset of the disease. This is, of course, wholly untrue.