COVID-19 aka Coronavirus: Facts vs. Myths

[W_L]

I thought about putting this in the Pit, but it's health issue, not a political or sensitive topic for debate (Please do not turn this into a political topic, I just want to raise health awareness). Probably it's a good idea to start a topic here in the lounge to clear the air and give people good guidance without overreaction.

In the last couple weeks, I've noticed that in Boston at least, it seems so much quieter. The weather has been unseasonably nice for New England (we hit 60's last weekend), there's no major holidays, and still a few normally busy establishments are dead.

I've read up on the history of HIV/AIDS' affect and one of the things I remember most from my reading was that there was too much fear with conspiracy theories, veiled hatred, and lies that were spread from word of mouth, which took decades to end like the fear of LGBT blood donors for instance.

So here's my attempt at a little myth busting and hopefully alleviation of fear:

1. Don't let fear of "potential" infected in your area cause you to panic and buy all the cold/flu medication from your pharmacy/drug store.

The majority of the infected Coronavirus population is isolated in China under a province wide quarantine.

In total, 82,166 people have been infected and 32,812 people have already recovered. This is not the "Black Death" with high mortality rates.

2. The best way to prevent infection is:

a. Wash your hands with soap and water as much as you can

b. Try not to congregate closely with people, who appear sick.

3. A face mask is not going to ensure 100% protection from this virus. There's been many notable cases of medical professional with advanced face masks treating patient, who have been infected as well due to careless exposure, like scratching an itch under your mask after contacting an infected person. Most face mask are not tight enough to protect your nose or mouth from tiny droplets from sneezes, either.

.John Hopkins has few more facts on their website in addition the ones above:

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus/2019-novel-coronavirus-myth-versus-fact