COVID-19: Fact vs. Fiction

By Sasha Roumyantseva

With seemingly endless amounts of information on the internet, web users can often struggle to remember all the information they read or hear, let alone determine if that information is true or not. According to recent studies conducted by the Bruno Kessler Foundation in Italy, every day in March 2020 an average of 46,000 new posts on Twitter led to inaccurate or misleading information about the pandemic. Since social media platforms like Twitter are from where many people receive their primary information about the crisis, The Opinator has compiled a list of fiction you may have been told is fact, and fact you may have been told is fiction.

Fiction: An accurate way to test if you have COVID-19 is to check if you can hold your breath for more than 10 seconds. 

The only way to accurately check if you have the virus is to get a laboratory test.

Fact: Vaccines against pneumonia do not protect against the COVID-19 virus.

Vaccines against pneumonia, such as pneumococcal vaccine and Haemophilus influenza type B (Hib) vaccine, do not provide protection against the new coronavirus. The virus is so new and different that it needs its own vaccine. Researchers are trying to develop a vaccine against COVID-19, and the World Health Organization is supporting their efforts. 

Fiction: “Certain foods and vitamins can help fight off COVID-19.”

At this time, no food or supplement has been proven to prevent or treat COVID-19. Researchers are, however, studying a number of  vitamins and supplements, including zinc, vitamins C and D, and melatonin, to see if they can be helpful.  

Fact: People of all ages can be affected by the virus.

Older people and younger people can be infected by the COVID-19 virus. Older people and people with pre-existing medical conditions, such as asthma, diabetes, and heart disease, appear to be more vulnerable to becoming severely ill from the virus.  

Fiction: COVID-19 isn’t harmful to young adults and children.

Children’s symptoms tend to be milder than those in adults, that is if they show symptoms at all. Recent reports, however, indicate that some children may develop life-threatening complications that can affect the heart and other organs. 

Fact: There are no medicines that can prevent or treat the virus.

To date, there is no specific antiviral treatment recommended to prevent or treat the new coronavirus. Those who have a possible or confirmed case of the virus are encouraged to stay home except to get medical care, monitor their symptoms carefully, remain rested and hydrated, and stay in quarantine. 

Fiction: Coronavirus can be transmitted through mail.

Experts are still learning how the new coronavirus spreads, but it’s believed that the virus primarily spreads from person-to-person through infectious respiratory droplets.

As research surrounding the virus and its spread continues to develop, The Opinator encourages its readers to refer to reliable sources of information to learn about the pandemic, such as the Center for Disease Control, the World Health Organization, and county and state health departments. Misinformation can have devastating effects, so hopefully this article has taught you something new about the pandemic or helped you debunk false facts that you’ve read.