Coronavirus myths you should not fall for
Epidemiologists and infectious diseases experts have been at pain to emphasise against the scramble for face masks in recent weeks
What you need to know:
- Impact. Currently, there is no known cure of the virus and several vaccine trials are underway. This has left room for speculation about some treatments for the deadly disease. Daily Monitor’s Norbert Atukunda brings you some of the myths.
Alcohol
Some taxi drivers were on Tuesday pictured using lemon and alcohol as sanitisers against coronavirus.
“They tell us that alcohol can be used as a sanitiser, meaning if I take alcohol, I am on a safer side,” a taxi driver in Kampala, who only identified himself as Moses, said.
However, Dr Julius Lutwama, the deputy director of Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI), dismissed the theory, saying alcohol kills a person not the virus. Dr Lutwama said one should use a sanitiser to clean their hands but in case it is not available, one should wash the hands using soap and water as a preventive measure.
He added that lemon is not a proven preventer of coronavirus and should not be relied on.
Africans’ immunity
Another myth is that Africans are immune to coronavirus. However, Dr Julius Lutwama, the deputy director of the Uganda Virus Research Institute, dismissed the assertion.
He said if this was the case, then indigenous citizens of Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda and DR Congo would not have acquired coronavirus.
“Africans are not immune to coronavirus. We even do not know what will happen if more Africans get sick. We are not immune,” Dr Lutwama said yesterday.
Protective masks
Epidemiologists and infectious diseases experts have been at pain to emphasise against the scramble for face masks in recent weeks. They say the surgical masks can only minimise the spread of infection from one person to another.
Dr Ruth Jane Aceng, the minister of Health, said there is no need to wear medical masks if one does not have respiratory symptoms such as cough, sneezing or running nose.
Cold weather
There has been talk that coronavirus cannot survive in cold weather. However, the World Health Organisation says evidence so far indicates that Covid-19 can be transmitted in all areas, including areas with hot and humid weather. “There is no reason to believe that cold weather can kill the new coronavirus or other diseases. The normal human body temperature remains around 36.5°C to 37°C, regardless of the external temperature or weather,” WHO says.
It adds that taking a hot bath will not prevent you from catching Covid-19. “Your normal body temperature remains around 36.5°C to 37°C, regardless of the temperature of your bath or shower. Actually, taking a hot bath with extremely hot water can be harmful, as it can burn you.”
WHO adds that to date there has been no evidence to suggest that the new coronavirus could be transmitted by mosquitoes.
