Coronavirus Myths
Social media has been set ablaze with interesting information about coronavirus. Let’s take a few moments to validate or discredit the giggle-worthy information available.
1. Coronavirus can be killed by heating your nose with a hair dryer: FALSE
A Floridian politician will forever be remembered. Not for creating jobs or improving local legislation, but for being the “coronavirus blow dryer nose guy.” While the concept is partially rooted in truth, private AND World Health Organization studies indicate the temperature required to denature (kill) most viruses is well over 136 degrees (Mr. Florida’s referenced temp). Boil contaminated items for 10 minutes for safe and confident sanitizing.
2. Bright lights in your home can kill coronavirus: FALSE
After you hair-dry your nose, be sure to turn all your lights on! Just kidding, it will make no difference at all. While UV light can destroy viruses by irradiation, your home lightbulbs do not produce UV and it’s not practical to purchase UV bulbs. As UV radiation causes skin and eye damage, you would need to rock sunglasses and sunblock inside your home. Secondary note, the coronavirus does not belong to the e. boogiman viral family, thus having no relation to light.
3. Coronavirus only lives on surfaces for a few hours: DEPENDS
Viruses can survive longer in environments that keep their exterior envelope intact: hard, nonporous and unmoving. Soft materials, like hair or Kleenex, wick away moisture and damage the exterior envelope that protects the viral DNA or RNA. A literature review of 22 studies conducted on molecularly similar viruses indicated the virus can remain intact on nonporous surfaces for 9 days. Studies on COVID 19 endorsed by the National Institute of Health indicate a maximum of 3 days, with suspension in the air for up to 3 hours. In short, we don’t know with full certainty how long coronavirus can live on a surface, so sanitize away.
4. If you’re fever free, you’re not infected: FALSE
Many patients in other countries have tested positive for coronavirus with ZERO symptoms at all. Worse yet, new studies indicate the viral load (how contagious you are) may be the same for those with and without symptoms. Stay home to stop the spread of the virus. Take this opportunity to watch Netflix while saving the world.
5. Spraying alcohol or chlorine on the skin will kill the viruses in your body: FALSE
While this may kill any viruses on your skin, it will not affect the presence of the virus inside your body. Perhaps try drinking the alcohol? Just kidding. While self-medicating with alcohol is a age-old practice, it won’t help here either.
6. COVID 19 is just like the flu: SO DARN FALSE.
If we all had antibodies (tiny molecular virus fighters), maybe! Unfortunately, no one has antibodies to this new virus, making the symptoms and contagion much more severe. In ten years, there’s a chance we’ll talk about the coronavirus like we do the flu. Until then, take this seriously.
7. You have to be with an infected person for 10 minutes to catch the virus: FALSE
Sharing a smooch will give you the ‘Rona much faster than 10 minutes! Jokes aside, breathing any droplets containing the virus will spread the virus to your body. There’s no time limit to this process.
Saving the best for last….
8. Coronavirus was sent by UFOs to wipe out human populations, and thus reduce our carbon footprint… so they can take our planet: HUNG JURY
I received a call from my 94 year old grandmother while drafting this post with her immediate concern about UFOs. Upon further investigative research, some say aliens are fleeing our planet in fear of the virus. When the aliens announce their intentions, just remember you heard it first from Lyn Carter’s sweet old Grandma.
******Remarkably, all myths provided here have ACTUALLY been seriously suggested to the Edify team by friends, colleagues, or family.*****