News of the COVID-19 pandemic response dominates nearly every media platform, including some social media and websites where misinformation and myths are circulating. Dr. Gregory Poland, an infectious diseases expert and director of Mayo Clinic’s Vaccine Research Group says it’s important to urge information from credible sources.
Q. Can COVID-19 be transmitted by mosquitos?
A. There’s no evidence that COVID-19 is often transmitted by mosquitoes. This is often not a bloodborne disease. a crucial paper came out at the Journal of the American Medical Association last night, and it’s what many folks have suspected for an extended time? that’s once you sneeze or cough, you’re producing a posh cloud of currents with respiratory droplets of varying size. This cloud is anticipated to be about 27 feet in diameter, much larger than the three to five feet that folks mention . I feel what we are seeing is that transmission is certainly person-to-person that’s occurring primarily by the respiratory route, but also can occur by touching a contaminated surface, then touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
Q. Can hand dryers kill COVID-19?
A. Avoid hand dryers. the rationale for that’s that they only increase the air circulation of the viruses as that air, either warm or not warm, is blowing against your hands. That’s been well demonstrated with other viruses.
Q. Can spraying alcohol or chlorine on your body kill the COVID-19?
A. Don’t do this . You don’t want to use those solutions on your body. they’re to be used on hard surfaces. For your body, use simple soap and water. The way that soap and water works is basically important because it informs how you wash your hands. There are physical phenomenon agents in soap, so it takes away the electrostatic attraction of the virus to your skin, it removes oils and mucous which will get on your body that the virus can live in , and you’re by friction literally washing it away with water. which seems to be the foremost effective thing we all know .
Q. Can regularly rinsing your nose with saline help prevent infection with COVID-19?
A. The nasal rinses have primarily been shown to be effective with sinusitis and with allergies. I don’t know of any evidence for that with COVID-19.
Q. Can eating garlic help prevent infection with COVID-19?
A. Only insofar because it makes social distancing easier. There’s no evidence that shows garlic protects people from the virus.
Q. Are you able to protect yourself by gargling bleach?
A. I do know that on the web people have talked about gargling bleach and also putting bleach on cotton plugs and putting it within the nose. That’s a very dangerous and unhelpful thing to try to do .
Q. Can antibiotics kill COVID-19?
A. No antibiotic can kill an epidemic . Antibiotics are only to be used when there’s known, documented co-infection with bacteria.
Q. Can wearing a mask help protect you from the virus?
A. Absolutely correct. Now let me pause thereon . As I discussed , the ways in which this virus can infect is either through large respiratory droplets? Any quiet mask helps prevent that. Cloth masks don’t prevent viruses. A mask effectively acts as a behavioral aid in order that you don’t touch your eyes, nose or mouth. My advice to people, unless you’re by yourself, if you go outside to travel to the grocery to urge groceries, or wherever, you’re wearing a mask.
Q. Rural communities don’t need to worry, right?
A. Wrong. I feel that’s a really dangerous myth, as is that myth that younger people don’t get to worry. This is often a significant disease. Let me put it this manner . Last week within the U.S., there have been 18,000 cases. Today, there are over 85,000 known cases. There’s no evidence that this is often getting to end soon. We are talking about taking these maneuvers for months? Plural? Not weeks. This is often really dangerous. it’s rapidly evolving and a really dynamic situation. it’s imperative that we decrease human-to-human transmission to flatten this curve in order that the hospital and medical system is capable of responding and not overrun. In a number of our larger cities, they’re preparing tents, refrigerated trucks for the anticipated bodies.
