Hey everyone
Check out my fourth Fact check video.
In this blog post, I will be providing the explanation of each facts presented in my fact check video.
- Weather or climate do not have any effect in the spread of COVID-19.
You can get COVID-19 no matter how sunny and warm it is. Exposing yourself to the sun or high temperatures does not prevent or treat COVID-19. So, whatever the weather you should follow the official advice to protect yourself from the virus.
Getting out into the sunshine, if you can, is still a good idea as this helps your body produce vitamin D which is important for your immune system.
- There is no drink, hot or cold, that will protect you from coronavirus or cure the illness.
There is no drink, hot or cold, that will protect you from coronavirus or cure the illness. Most people who get COVID-19 recover by themselves. Taking paracetamol, drinking lots of liquids, and getting enough rest can help you manage your symptoms.
- Vaccines - such as Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Astrazeneca - are shown to be 100% effective in preventing severe COVID-19.
- Anosmia (loss of smell) is a symptom of COVID-19.
The most commonly reported symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough and shortness of breath. However, as the disease has spread around the world, healthcare providers have noticed a few unusual symptoms, including loss of smell (anosmia) and decreased sense of taste (ageusia).
In South Korea, 30% of people who tested positive for the virus said that loss of smell was their first major symptom. In Germany, more than 2 out of 3 confirmed cases included loss of smell and taste.
Doctors recommend that anyone who experiences a sudden loss of smell or taste self-isolate and contact their healthcare provider.
- SARS-CoV-2 binds tightly to human cells.
In 2003, SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, spread from Asia throughout the world, sickening more than 8,000 people and killing more than 700 over a six-month period. The virus that caused SARS (SARS-CoV) is similar to the one that causes COVID-19—both are types of coronaviruses—but researchers have recently discovered an important difference that may explain why the new coronavirus is so hard to stop: SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) binds 10 to 20 times more tightly to human cells than SARS-CoV (the virus responsible for SARS).
- Coronavirus can make babies seriously ill.
Compared to adults, children appear much less likely to get sick if they contract the novel coronavirus. However, the very young (less than 1 year) appear to be more vulnerable to serious illness than older children. From the records of 2,143 Chinese children, nearly 11% of sick infants were seriously or critically ill, compared to 7% of children ages 1 to 5 years, 4% of children ages 6 to 15 and 3% of teenagers aged 16 and older. In the United States, from February 12 to April 2, less than 2% of cases were in children younger than 18 years. Of these pediatric cases, 15% were in children under 12 months.
A multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS) is affecting some children positive for current or recent SARS-CoV-2 infection. MIS is rare but very serious. MIS is characterized by gastrointestinal symptoms and cardiac (or other system) inflammation. The syndrome is similar to Kawasaki disease, an illness that could lead to enlarged coronary arteries or even coronary artery aneurysms. Symptoms include: fever, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, neck pain, rash, bloodshot eyes, and/or tiredness. (Not all children will experience all MIS symptoms.)
- Coronavirus can live on surfaces for days unless they are disinfected.
COVID-19 is spread primarily through respiratory droplets. When an infected person sneezes or coughs, the virus can travel from one person to another, either directly (which is why the CDC recommends maintaining at least a 6-foot distance from other people) or via an intermediate surface. The virus can also spread through the air, but this is more likely in crowded, indoor areas with poor ventilation than in areas with plenty of outdoor air and fewer people.
Researchers have found that the virus can live up to 24 hours on cardboard and 2 to 3 days on plastic and stainless steel. The CDC reports that the virus was detected on surfaces of the Diamond Princess cruise ship up to 17 days after passengers disembarked. However, only pieces of the virus were detectable, not viruses capable of infecting a person.
- People who do not have symptoms can spread the virus.
One-third of 565 Japanese citizens who were evacuated from Wuhan, China in February that tested positive for coronavirus infection never developed COVID-19 symptoms; and a study out of China reports more than half of infected children had no symptoms or only mild symptoms. The CDC estimates up to 40% of infected individuals do not experience symptoms.
That’s good news for the affected individuals, but bad news for public health because people who are infected but don’t have symptoms can unintentionally spread the virus to others. Public health officials are asking all people to dramatically limit social contact to prevent the spread of disease. Wearing a cloth facial covering when you go to a public indoor place protects others because you could be infected and not know it. Wearing a mask reduces the risk of unknowingly spreading the virus to others in the space around you.
- People with type A blood may be more susceptible to infection.
A Chinese study of 2,173 individuals who were hospitalized with COVID-19 found that the proportion of sick people with type A blood was significantly greater than researchers would expect based upon the percentage of people with type A blood in the general population. The study also found that there were fewer sick people with type O blood than would be expected.
Genomic studies of patient from Italy and Spain have supported these findings, showing a higher risk of developing COVID-19 respiratory failure in patients with type A blood.
But this is not 100% proved due to few trials.
- Reinfection may be possible.
If a person gets COVID-19, are they immune to future infection from SARS-CoV-2? And how long will immunity last? Ten to 30% of our common colds are caused by four different coronaviruses, and we all know that having a cold doesn’t keep you from catching another cold.
Across several countries, doctors have confirmed less than a 100 cases of SARS-CoV-2 reinfection. The risk of reinfection with SARS-CoV-2 varies from person to person and also depends on the specific strain, or variant of SARS-CoV-2 the person is exposed to. In general, natural immunity and protection from reinfection is thought to last 6 to 12 months, but some people were reinfected earlier.
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