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Myths Around the Coronavirus
As of the time of writing this article — September 17 (2020), 6,400,000+ Canadians have been tested for the coronavirus with over 140,000 cases, 8,500 active cases, 123,000 recovered cases, and 9,200 deaths or mortality cases based on data from the Government of Canada. Everyone knows the general recommendations coming from the Canadian Government, from their health authorities, and… from their grandmothers, i.e., wear a mask, wash your hands, physically distance at least 6 feet or more, etc.
This will focus less on the obvious and more on the interesting myths, which have arisen in the time of the coronavirus. These resources come more comprehensively from the World Health Organization. Only a select few covered here. There was misinformation about the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine for helping clinically with COVID-19. It does not. It helps with “malaria, lupus erythematosus, and rheumatoid arthritis.” Current evidence suggests the drug does not reduce deaths of hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
COVID-19, the disease, is caused by a virus and not by a bacteria, as it is part of the Coronaviridae family of viruses. This means, antibiotics do not work for COVID-19, because antibiotics do not work against viruses. Antibiotics can be recommended by a provider of healthcare if some complications involve a bacterial infection alongside COVID-19. No current drugs have been licensed as effective in prevention of treatment of COVID-19.
