This article is a collection of claims about SARS-Cov-2 that have been circulating on the internet. This list was originally at the coronavirus information page but moved here as the list is growing daily.
It is unfortunate that a lot of misinformation and fake news is being spread through social media about such a deadly virus. Many people are genuinely trying to help but they are unintentionally spreading false information.
How Do I Know If It's Fake Coronavirus news?
Routinely, false information comes in the form of a private message within one's social media network. The message will contain verbiage asking that you, "Share this information NOW! before Facebook takes it down", or something akin to this. Some of these messages probably were blocked from regular social media postings because they are false, dangerous, and some could kill people. There is no conspiracy, the information is just verifiably wrong.
Another way to identify fake coronavirus news is that the presenter always claims to have heard something from someone else, who told them, who works for some other company or government. As we say in the south, "He say, she say mess." This can be challenging because you may get the information from a friend, a medical worker, or even someone you trust that has a degree of some sort. In one popular video, an older woman claims she was a nurse for 40 years, and then proceeds to give a startling number of false and dangerous claims on how to eliminate any viruses internally. Having a practiced skill set or expertise in one field doesn't make someone an expert in coronaviruses, Sars-Cov-2, or COVID-19.
Note: I'm not an expert in virology either and I ask that you always double-check any of my claims or refutations against reputable sources.
How To Combat Fake Coronavirus News
Don't share without checking first. Visit snopes.com, factcheck.org, the CDC fact-checking site or the WHO Fact-checking site. Of course, you can always come here as well as this site is updated frequently. Remember, failing to check could cost lives. You can kill someone by sharing improper medical advice. Desperate people will believe you and not seek medical treatment.
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List of Social Media Coronavirus Claims and the Verdict
1.) Warm water will kill the virus - False
Your body's temperature is 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. How does this make any sense? The virus itself can withstand temperatures up to 131 degrees Fahrenheit. Lastly, the virus hides in your own cells. If your cells are not disintegrating, the virus is okay too.
2.) Lemon juice, lime water, or citrus will kill the virus inside the throat. - False
Again, if the virus is inside your cells, how can this impact it? It can't.
3.) Inhaling hot vapors will kill the virus - False
Extremely hot vapors can harm the cells in your nasal passage. This can damage your sense of smell and open you up to infection. This will not impact any viral particles in your lungs.
4.) The virus is a "weak" virus. - False
The virus can survive long enough outside of the body to infect and kill people. I'm not understanding what's so weak about it. The idea that this virus is "weak" was spawned from disinformation that this virus can't survive at "80 degrees". The meme didn't specify whether Celsius or Fahrenheit. If Fahrenheit, that's cooler than the human body. If 80 degrees celsius, that's 176 degrees Fahrenheit. It is true that it cannot survive at such a high temperature, but it doesn't need to, it just needs to pass from human to human and settle into a cozy ~98.6 degrees Fahrenheit body.
5.) Gargling an antiseptic like Listerine will kill the virus - False
Antiseptics kill bacteria as the solutions are in direct contact with the bacteria. This interrupts cellular processes. Viruses are not alive and will not be impacted by chemicals like Listerine. Johnson & Johnson's Listerine page confirms this here.
6.) Black people and Black Africans cannot contract the virus - False
This was suggested as not many Africans and African Americans were contracting the virus initially. This has now changed as tens of thousands of black people have been infected and many have died.
7.) A blow dryer in the nose can kill the virus - False
You CAN severely damage nasal tissue, opening you up to infection and ruining your sense of smell. The virus does not "live" in the nose. Once you breathe it in, it will fairly rapidly make its way inside cellular tissue and begin to replicate. A blow dryer cannot stop this process. If the virus was somehow stuck to a plate, then sure, it could be inactivated that way.
8.) People with O blood are protected against the coronavirus. - False
A single study came out of China in which they happened to noticed that there was an association between people with A blood and O blood and the number of infections. There seemed to be a higher percentage of people infected with the coronavirus with A blood type and less for O blood type. Notice that the study did not state that O blood types are immune. Regardless, more samples need to be taken to see if this is even the case. Even if there is some mutation that lowers the rate of infection, no one is genetically immune to this virus upon initial infection. All humans can get it according to this study.
9.) This virus was created to cull the population, or some other reason - False
The genetic sequences have been mapped. Highly similar versions of this coronavirus have been found in bats and pangolins. The virus mutates from host to host. Keep in mind that this coronavirus version infects about 2 to 3 people. Measles infects between 12 to 18 people. I would think that releasing a measles strain would be better if some government wished to use a virus as a bioweapon. Also, circulating is the idea that America, in particular, created the virus. For what purpose isn't clear. This flies in the face of reality in that China itself tried to hide the fact that there was a viral outbreak initially and then later closed down the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market and banned wild-life animal trade. China is now claiming that the seafood market may not have been the original cause even though the first infected people were at the market. The original human source is not known so this has opened the door for conspiracy theories and finger-pointing. Of course, someone could claim that some random, shadowy character placed the virus in Hunan, but that would be just making up stories to fit a belief without any evidence wouldn't it?
10.) Going to church and praying can stop the virus - False
I wish this were true but there is no evidence that going to church will stop the spread of the virus or that a parishioner is protected from the virus. In fact, the inverse is true. Because hundreds of churches are not promoting physical distancing and some even deny that the coronavirus exists, infection rates in churches are skyrocketing. Sadly, many churchgoers will continue to get infected and what's worse, spread it to others.
11.) Alcohol in the nose can stop the virus - False
The virus does not "live" in the nose. Sure, some viral particles may propagate within the nasal mucosa, but that's not where all of the viral particles reside. The particles can reside in multiple tissue types throughout the gastrointestinal and respiratory tract. Not to mention, alcohol is a contact sterility measure. Once dry it's useless.
12.) Drinking alcohol purifies the blood and stops the virus - False
This is a dangerous one that's been popular outside of North America. Multiple fatalities have occurred from people trying to cure or prevent a coronavirus infection with different types of alcohol. Drinking alcohol will not stop the spread of infection. Consider that you need an alcohol concentration of about 70% to destroy viruses completely. An alcohol level in the blood of just .4% is about 11, 80-proof shots an hour (16.5 ounces). This is enough to kill most humans. Other alcohol forms can be deadly at even lower doses. Rubbing alcohol (isopropyl or isopropanol), which is not for consumption, can kill a human at only 8 ounces.
13.) The Flu is worse - Worse how?
More people die from the flu - True (Globally) so far.
This is a false comparison. Just because more people die from some other event doesn't automatically lessen the reality of COVID-19 deaths. COVID-19 deaths are additive. We are adding more deaths not competing with other deaths. More people usually die from the flu compared with other contagious diseases because it is more widespread and creates health issues that are difficult for some people to overcome. The novel coronavirus is new on the scene and is spreading throughout the global population. Sadly, it is actually on track to kill more people than the flu after all. In Italy, the monthly death rate is currently higher for Covid-19 victims than average flu deaths over a single month's time. Lastly, the death rate over time is what we are looking at as well. The flu kills about 0.1% of its victims. COVID-19 is killing at a rate of about 5% in America while the global average is 5.8%. Even if only 1% of victims die. That's 10 times more deadly than the flu.
14.) Fruits and Veggies can stop the virus - False
Though there is strong evidence that eating lots of fruits and veggies for many years produces healthier outcomes compared to those that consume the Standard American Diet (which leads to many diet-induced diseases), there is no evidence that suddenly eating fruits and vegetables will protect you from the virus after decades of neglect. That said, to improve the chances of recovery from any illness in the future, you should be engaged in healthier eating and physical activity. (Please consult with your doctor before engaging in any fitness or dieting program).
15.) Stomach acids can kill the virus - Partially True
Stomach acids can destroy the virus but not all of it. Research is beginning to reveal that it may survive and impact the digestive tract.
16.) Sunlight can kill the virus - Partially True
This depends on the exposure time of the virus when it is in direct contact with solar radiation. However, being in the Sun cannot protect you against any virus spread by droplets. Breathing the particles in is all that is required to begin an infection.
17.) The virus dies at 20 degrees C / 80 degrees Fahrenheit. - False
A human's body temperature is 37 degrees C / 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. Much higher than this.
18.) Children and babies have stronger immune systems and don't get COVID-19. - False
A number of babies around the world have died from complications of COVID-19.
19.) Teenagers don't die from the virus. - False
Yes, they do. Happens more in countries suffering from obesity and other health conditions. However, more and more teens are dying that have no known underlying medical conditions.
20.) The virus is airborne - Mixed / Incomplete
Though not strictly considered airborne, SARS-Cov-2 can be wet aerosolized and remain in the air for three hours in some conditions. Micro-droplets have been observed to remain in the air for more than 20-minutes.
21.) Only people with poor immune systems die from this. - False
Many people, young and old, with no known underlying health conditions, are dying from this virus. The human body has no initial defense against this virus so it must develop a resistance. The healthier you are helps, but there is no guarantee. There are no known humans that have a genetic immunity to this virus as of 04/03/2020.
22.) Chloroquine and Hydroxychloroquine can kill or halt the virus - False
This was considered after some non-scientific anecdotal evidence was brought forth. There have been no scientific studies proving that this works at this time. (Link) (Link). Unfortunately, President Trump's immature endorsement of the drug has strained unprepared suppliers and has cost the lives of at least one man that tried to self-medicate.
Note: This isn't to say that it doesn't offer some benefit. It may help reduce some inflammation markers which could improve immune response. It just hasn't been clinically tested and verified in a double-blinded placebo-controlled study. Early reports from ICU doctors are that the drugs don't appear to be doing anything for critically-ill patients.
Update: Latest study shows no benefit and may increase mortality. The dangers of leaders not trusting the science is dangerous. This is why we wait for research to be conducted. Sadly, the VA gave hydroxychloroquine to1,300 veterans as a treatment for Covid-19 risking their lives.
23.) Vitamin C and Zinc can block the virus - False
There is no evidence that vitamin C can do anything to a coronavirus. The virus attaches to the ACE-2 receptor on cells. Vitamin C does not block this process. Zinc has been shown to block viral replication but only in high amounts inside cells in the lab. Ingesting excessive amounts of Zinc can be dangerous.
24.) Warm water and vinegar can kill the virus - False
"Warm" is not very descriptive but the Sars-Cov-2 virus can withstand temperatures up to 131 degrees Fahrenheit. The WHO mentions that the virus completely denatures at 132 degrees for 15 minutes. Household vinegar is a weak acid that can inhibit bacterial growth ex vivo such as in beakers and on hard surfaces. Coronaviruses are not bacteria. Stronger concentrations (~10%) could be effective but this could damage cellular tissue as well. This should go without saying, do not drink vinegar or gargle strong acetic acids to try and "kill" the virus. Again, the virus hides in cells and also, if the virus is in your lungs, how will warm water and vinegar stop it? It can't.
25.) Open-air kills the virus - False
Time of exposure in dry conditions, sunlight, temperature, etc., all play a role; but; open-air alone does not destroy the virus full-stop. Playing basketball outdoors with at least one infected person could possibly infect the entire group.
26.) Coronavirus is a "new hoax" pushed by the democrats to hurt Trump - False
As the death toll mounts, it is apparent that the virus is real and that criticisms of Trump's response to this pandemic have been warranted.
27.) The Flu vaccine increases the risk of getting COVID-19. - False
This rumor began when a non-scientist misunderstood a Chinese study about the flu shot and the coronavirus. It was looking to see if there was an interaction between the two. It found none. Excellent rebuttal to this idea posted here.
28.) Did a Chinese scientist try to warn everyone about the virus - True
Dr. Li Wenliang saw a post on WeChat from colleagues about an unknown strain of SARS coronavirus. He posted this on Weibo. He and other colleagues were forced to sign a confession that they were disrupting the social order. This has led to many Chinese citizens thinking that their government knew about this in advance. The Chinese government later rescinded the reprimand. Ai Fen, one of the doctors who sounded the initial alarm, has since gone missing.
29.) Lysol knew about the Coronavirus before the outbreak - True
How? Coronaviruses are a family of viruses, of which, the common cold is one as well. So Lysol destroys the common cold; however, COVID-19 is not the common cold. Rush Limbaugh stated on his radio program that it is.
30.) Pets can give you the virus. - Possibly
Recent studies revealed two dogs that possessed antibodies to SARS-Cov-2. One has died (cause unknown). It is believed to not be easily transferred to them, but they did have antibodies to the virus, which means it entered their systems and created an immune response. Just as we create antibodies to pollen. So though they may not be able to transmit the virus, it has been considered that pets may be able to pick up viral particles from their human partners and transfer them to someone else. The risk is low, but not impossible. In the meantime, it would be prudent for infected persons to not have their pets snuggling with uninfected persons outside of the home. Update 04/2/2020: A case in Belgium appears to reveal that a cat was infected by its owner as it had high-levels of virus in its stool. More studies on dogs and other pets need to be done.
31.) The virus will magically disappear when it gets hot - False
Rates could drop; but since humans interact a lot indoors, the virus would still be transmitted. There is some evidence that this will be seasonal but a complete halt will probably not occur.
32.) The virus (Sars-Cov-2) starts in the throat. - Not Quite
This coronavirus attacks lung tissue but it also appears to be able to infect many different tissues such as nasal tissues, throat, esophagus, intestinal, and liver.) The virus can bypass the throat and head straight to the lungs to begin its infection. It doesn't start in the throat full-stop, but it can infect cells there.
33.) 5G Networks are responsible for the coronavirus - False
Simple logic. If this were true, people would have experienced these symptoms sooner. Also, people don't develop antibodies to EM fields(radio waves). If this is not a virus, then there should be no antibodies, but there are. To think that 5G is causing the coronavirus is to deny basic virology. A map is also circulating showing the locations of 5G towers overlayed with a high number of COVID-19 cases. Sadly, conspiracy theorists fail to consider that just maybe, these networks support larger cities and that COVID-19 rates are higher there because more testing is done in these cities and that more people live there? Also, COVID-19 is spreading in Canada, Brazil, and Cameroon and there is no 5G there. Another thing, if 5G is causing these problems, how are people recovering in the hospital or at home? Did these waves magically disappear? Oh, and No, a 5G tower wasn't taken down in China to prevent the coronavirus. ABCNews has a good piece on 5G that is worth sharing.
NOTE: Some members of the medical and scientific community are concerned about the impacts of 5G, but this has nothing to do with coronavirus symptoms. I encourage fellow scientific researchers to review scientific papers and other scientific concerns as well as visit the RF guidelines for future discussion. As of now, it doesn't appear that the 5G networks are going to be operating at levels considered harmful according to most independent international scientists.
34.) Shortness of breath symptoms is because oxygen can be impacted by 5G - Unproven
This confusion stems from the fact that 5G towers can emit 60Ghz waves and these waves are absorbed by oxygen in the air. In fact, 98% of the waves are absorbed by atmospheric oxygen. A video is circulating in which a Nigerian environmental consultant, Tony Nwakalor, states that as oxygen absorbs these waves that it changes the spin of the elections so that they spin differently. This spin, he claims, interferes with oxygen binding and transportation via the hemoglobin molecule. Unlike studies that address concerns of the impact of 5G on tissues, this claim is unusual as it focuses directly on air. I have not been able to find any studies supporting the hemoglobin claim. I have found natural healing and homeopathic websites that mention the claim but with no citations. One scientific study of interest was one in which the impacts on molecular oxygen were discussed. In this study, it does appear that frequencies at 60Ghz can change the spin of the electrons in atmospheric oxygen. We know this is the case because the absorption band changed in the oxygen molecule. Since all chemistry is dependent on the position and spin of these electrons, it seems reasonable that there should be some concern. However, not every oxygen molecule would be impacted this way. Lastly, even if true, why would this be permanent? If 5G waves are what is causing this, wouldn't breathing in this oxygen allow the electrons to return to their correct orientation? Would not the body shield against these harmful waves as it enters the nose? 60Ghz waves cannot penetrate beyond the skin. A recent seven-year study on electromagnetic fields at 100 kHz to 300 GHz revealed no detrimental health effects. If 5G is the problem, how are people recovering, especially if their oxygen is gone?
35.) Bill Gates patented a chip that will be placed in the coronavirus vaccine - Patent # 060606. - False
Social media is perpetuating a story that Bill Gates patented a chip that will be placed in vaccines so that he can obtain information from you. This is a mix of four concerns: anti-vaccines, anti-Bill Gates, pro-privacy, and the coronavirus. What really happened? What Microsoft did was patent the idea that human body movement or even brainwaves could aid in data mining by providing a secure way to prove that a human is behind the activity and not a bot. The technology has nothing to do with the coronavirus or vaccines. Also, the technology to do this isn't nanotechnology (think a wearable device) so it couldn't fit in a vaccine. Additionally, the technology isn't designed to invade your privacy, this would be a technology that data miners would purposefully adopt to earn bitcoin. Lastly, it has absolutely nothing to do with the coronavirus. One version of the story is that the patent number: 060606 is a vaccine that Bill Gates created before the SARS-Cov-2 virus to trick people into getting his vaccine. Which he plans on using for nefarious purposes of course, i.e. population control, testing new drugs, mind control. Of course, Bill Gates hasn't developed a vaccine, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation provides billions of dollars for vaccine research. The partial patent, # 060606, has been shortened to 666 by some groups to show that this patent reflects the Mark of the Beast. The full number is WO2020060606. Conspiracy theorists have carefully taken this to mean: Wuhan 2020 - 666. The WO is in reference to WIPO and the 2020060606 is the entire number assignment and not a date. Regardless of the fact that the Patent Office is the one that assigns these, that the virus was already in existence in 2019, and that the patent has nothing to do with vaccines. The myth continues to spread. The actual patent is here.
36.) Coronavirus Victims are all Actors - False
This is a virus that is going to impact at least 80% of the world. Folks that believe this now, will not soon. These are real people folks. On a personal note: My 1st cousin and her husband are in a Detroit Hospital right now from complications of COVID-19. I have lost a few mentors and colleagues to this virus as well. Visit your local hospital to see how fake it is.
37.) A tiger at a zoo got COVID-19. - Incorrect Newsline / Unverified
A tiger does appear to have tested positive for coronavirus. How can this happen?
The way this can happen is that one of his handlers would have the virus. If the cat rubs his nose against an infected person(which all cats do) or an object that the infected person handled, the virus can go into its nose. At that point, the cat may develop antibodies to it. This is akin to how humans develop antibodies to pollen and may have allergies. There is no conclusive evidence that the tiger has the disease. The tiger tested positive for the antibodies to Sars-Cov-2. A tissue sample would reveal if there is an infection. If the lung, kidney, or heart tissue, for instance, show that the virus has entered the cells, that is now officially COVID-19. At this time, there is no evidence that pets can get infected and transmit the disease, but they could transfer the particles to others if the virus is on the animal's nose, for instance. Update: 04/06/2020 - According to the New York Times, the US Department of Agriculture is reporting that other tigers and lions are showing signs of respiratory distress. If true, this will be the first known case of actual infection from Sars-COVID-2. This still needs to be confirmed tissue-wise. In Belgium, a cat appears to have picked-up the virus from his owner. In this case, it does appear that the cat was actually infected with the virus as the cat's stool possessed high-levels of SARS-Cov-2 virus. More updates to come.
38.) SARS-Cov-2 are just exosomes - False
There is an hour-long video on youtube by a Dr. Kaufman claiming to be a medical doctor and psychiatrist who is reporting that exosomes are what scientists are actually seeing. This is patently absurd. Apparently, tens of thousands of microscopists are incompetent, but even an untrained eye can see the difference between a coronavirus and an exosome. The video states that something in the environment is causing cells to make toxic exosomes (a kind of mini-cell for cell-to-cell communication). For him and some, 5G explains this. Regardless, neither 5G nor exosomes explain away the fact that specific antibodies have been created against this virus. Neither theory explains away the classic epidemiological incidence and spread of the virus. And what about contact tracing? How are investigators able to determine who passed on the virus to whom? Also, why are so many people recovering? It's not like the 5G and toxins went away. The video also claims that exosomes use the ACE2 enzyme to enter cells. In my research, I could not find this to be true. I am currently waiting on an exosome expert to chime in. Kaufman also claimed that Vitamin C will help somehow and that the "virus" has "not reached pandemic levels". It has. He also stated that the President of Meharry Medical College stated that, ".. the virus is fully an exosome in every sense of the word". I have reached out to Dr. Hildreth on this claim. The quote from the video is probably addressing this paper in which Dr. Hildreth discusses how HIV may hijack exosomes which can aid them in entering cells. He never said that the virus itself doesn't exist or that HIV is just an exosome. Very dishonest by "Dr." Andrew Kaufman. Deschttps://www.factcheck.org/2020/01/social-media-posts-spread-bogus-coronavirus-conspiracy-theory/pite the lack of evidence and horrible claims made, his acolytes praise him on discovering the real truth about COVID-19 regardless of readily available scientific contrary evidence. :-(
39.) Black people are ignored so COVID-19 is killing them more - False
Early on, it was believed that blacks were immune to the virus as the number of infections and deaths were surprisingly low. Now, the rates of infection and deaths among the black community are higher than in any other racial group. There is no conspiracy needed to explain this disparity. Before the virus hit America, there was already a concern for the black community due to poverty, access to medical care, and higher occurrences of diet-induced comorbidities. These comorbidities are diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and hypertension. Asthma also disproportionately affects blacks more than any other group in America. Any of these can negatively impact the quality of life for a person but to have more than one will significantly increase morbidity. These comorbidities are more common and exacerbated in people that are obese. The arrival of a deadly virus into communities suffering from these conditions will increase the death rate significantly. This is exactly what we are seeing.
With that said, it cannot be easily dismissed that there are biases and prejudices in the system. Poor blacks tend to work positions in which they are exposed more to people with minimal protection: retail, fast food, bus drivers, and even those in entry-level medical care jobs. Additionally, how one views the value and life of blacks can impact whether they get a viral presence test, Sars-Cov-2 antibody test, admitted for treatment, or told to go home.
40.) Tonic water can cure COVID-19 - Unknown/Doubtful
One liter of tonic water contains a small amount of quinine (~83mg). Synthetic versions of quinine are hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine. These synthetic versions are used to treat malaria at (~400mg/day) and recently, they have been used in COVID-19 trials (5mg/kg/day). To be effective then, one would need to drink between 4 to 5 liters of tonic water to match a comparative medicinal quinine dose. The problem, of course, is that natural quinine itself has not been tested on COVID-19 patients. The synthetics are being tested and there aren't any scientific results at this time. Early reports from ICU doctors are that the drugs don't appear to be doing anything for critically-ill patients. Patients believe so, but this isn't scientific. This is akin to how some believe that a rabbit's foot brings them luck. It probably doesn't, but if they believe it does, any positive event in their lives will then be attached to the rabbit's foot. We see this in all unscientific beliefs.
41.) The FBI discovered that an American scientist and Chinese spies worked together to steal an experimental coronavirus from a US Lab - False
This claim is making the social media PM rounds and it features a list of ineffective treatments for coronavirus accompanied with a 2-minute video. Though the video doesn't explicitly mention coronavirus, the message wishes for you to assume there's a relationship.
What Happened? A Professor and two Chinese nationals were arrested for independent activities all related to economic espionage:
Charles Lieber, a Harvard Professor, was paid $15M to assist the Wuhan University of Technology to set up a new lab specializing in nanoscience. Dr. Lieber never reported this money or his role with this foreign school and in fact, he lied about it when asked by federal investigators. Lieber's expertise is in creating nanowires and macroporous devices to simulate synthetic tissue. His overall interests were in the interface between technology and the brain. He's was neither a research virologist or biologist nor had access to these tools.
Yanqing Ye is alleged to be a military officer for the Chinese government. She lied about her status on her Visa. Her role, according to documents, was to steal government information about military operations and spy on scientists that could help her get the information she needed, Dr. Lieber was not a target and he had no contact with her.
Zaosong Zheng was a cancer research student at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston in 2018. In December 2019, Zheng stole 21 vials of biological material from the lab. When he was caught, he explained that he had planned to conduct his own cancer research in China and publish under his own name. The biological materials he stole were not coronavirus related materials.
* None of these cases are related to the SARS 2 coronavirus.
42.) Viruses are just pieces of a toxic cell. - False
This unfortunate myth was started by a well-known antivaccer, Dr. Thomas Cowan. Similar to Dr. Kaufman, he published a video arguing that viruses don't really exist as thought and that they are just pieces of a toxic cell. He goes on to argue that 5G is the cause even though many countries stricken with this virus don't have 5G. He also argued that Wuhan was the first city to have "completely blanketed" 5G, this isn't true either. (ABCNews has a good piece on this worth sharing). Dr. Cowan and many like him are germ theory denialists. Germ theory is the idea that microscopic organisms are the cause of infection. How a medical doctor denies such basic science in a 1st-world nation is mindboggling. Sadly, this idea is growing quickly among individuals susceptible to pseudoscience. Acolytes of Antoine Bechamp are the largest section of believers to accept these false claims. Bechamp had the unscientific idea that if a person has a healthy immune system and healthy tissues that pathogens cannot evade the cells and cause disease. This is in direct opposition to the germ theory of disease and pretty much everything we have learned over the last 150 years. DNA and RNA viruses have their own genetic sequences that are traceable to their origins. This means that viruses have a family tree. If viruses are really exosomes or some broken bits of a cell then shouldn't the DNA or RNA be more similar to the cell it came from and not another virus in a pangolin or civet? To deny germ theory is to not just deny virology, but it is to also deny the fact of biological evolution.
43.) A Nobel prize-winning scientist stated that SARS-Cov-2 is man-made? - True
It is true that he believes this; however, there is no evidence that the claim is correct. Dr. Luc Montagnier is a 2008 Nobel Prize awardee for co-discovering HIV, the virus that causes AIDs. His biggest issue is that he appears to not understand how some snippets of HIV RNA match Covid-19 RNA. It is commonly known in this area of research that this region of RNA is highly conserved common among many living organisms and not just viruses. He also is apparently unaware these snippets have been found in earlier coronaviruses. He got this idea due to this Indian study which has since been withdrawn. Montagnier also is a believer in homeopathy, the idea that small doses of something dangerous can actually cure that deadly ailment. Consider building snake venom resistance. However, this doesn't work for most other ailments. Homeopathy is a dangerous pseudoscience. You can't cure mercury poisoning with more mercury for instance. A more detailed analysis is here.
44.) Onions on your chest can treat symptoms of the coronavirus - False
A video is circulating of a woman that claims she's been a nurse for over 35 years (Apparently to prep the viewers of the impending pseudoscience). This doesn't make any logical sense. It is baffling that a nurse that works in the field treating COVID-19 patients (allegedly) believes that this is an actual treatment. It doesn't matter if the onions are fresh, old, in a bag, boiled, or magically enchanted, it will not treat COVID-19. What's even scarier are the thousands of people that believe it will work and are thanking her in the comments.
45.) There's a technology where light can enter the body to treat coronavirus - Not quite
On April 25th, 2020, President Trump said, "And then I said supposing you brought the light inside the body, which you can do either through the skin or in some other way. And I think you said you're going to test that, too. Sounds interesting." Four days before this statement, on April 21st, Aytu Bioscience produced a press release about this very idea, that light could potentially treat COVID-19 inside the body. Aytu Bioscience attempts to develop novel technologies to treat disease. In this case, they have developed a product called, Healight. According to the promotional video, Healight uses UV radiation to destroy viruses in the airway. The problem is that this is unproven to work in the body. UV light, like disinfectant, works great on surfaces, inside the body is a different story. Assuming it does work, there are risks associated with this and a mechanical problem that makes it useless. First, as the virus is inside cells and not sitting on a surface, this would mean exposure times would be longer. This would basically cause internal sunburn killing healthy and infected tissues. This would lead to more inflammation as healing factors would attempt to come to the rescue to repair the damage. Inflammation is not what you wish to increase if already compromised with COVID-19. Mechanically, it's a single tube that inserts deep into the trachea. It does not go into the bronchus, the small bronchioles, or the tiny alveoli where the biggest damage is being done (see image here). Did you notice the disclaimer? As gas exchange is impeded by fluid build-up in the alveoli, it is difficult to see how a patient could benefit from this technology. There have been attempts to remove ads and information about this product on social media and through some news outlets. This was taken as evidence, by some, as some conspiracy to hide the truth. It's not. It's being responsible. Once again, the President is touting treatments that don't work because he fails to understand basic anatomy and science.
For a more detailed story visit: Respectful Insolence Blog.
46.) SARS-Cov-2 was created in a lab and escaped due to Chinese negligence or intentionally - False
There are some conspiracy theories that the virus may have been synthetically created by humans; however, other researchers have looked at the genetic structure of the novel coronavirus and have argued that the sequences of RNA could have easily mutated naturally to its current form. It evolved and is still evolving. Dr. Anthony Fauci, who is considered a leading expert in infectious diseases and has been appointed to Trump's COVID-19 task force, stated unequivocally that there is no evidence that this strain of coronavirus was created in a Chinese lab and has, in fact, evolved naturally.
47.) US Hospitals Getting Paid More to Label Cause of Death as ‘Coronavirus’ - Misleading
The title of this article comes from The Centre for Research on Globalization, a site claiming to be a think-tank on truth. The headline fuels conspiratorial ideas that medical examiners and coroners all over the country are purposefully lying about the causes of death so that hospitals can earn more money. The word "label" makes it appear that this can be done without any oversight. First of all, if there was evidence of this, medical examiners and coroners all over the country would be going to jail in droves. They are the ones that determine the cause of death. Do hospitals get paid more by insurance companies if the cause of death is coronavirus? Yes. Just as it costs more money to remove a wart than to perform a liver tissue biopsy, it costs more money to treat a coronavirus patient. Remember, many hospitals had to buy or rent ventilators, bring on additional staff, buy medicines, etc. Is corruption possible? Of course. America has a profit-driven healthcare system so there is always the potential for some level of corruption. But to argue that mislabelling deaths is widespread is conspiratorial and not backed by any evidence. In fact, Julie Aultman, who is on the editorial board for the American Medical Association’s Journal of Ethics, told PolitiFact it is “very unlikely that physicians or hospitals will falsify data or be motivated by money to do so.” Now, where did the CRG get this idea from? Fox News of course. Senator Scott Jensen of Minnesota appeared on Fox News with Laura Ingram mentioning that there is a possibility of corruption because hospitals get paid more. When interviewed by FactCheck.org, Jensen stated that he doesn't think it is widespread and that there are no reports of this occurring.
48.) Remdesivir cures Covid-19. - False
Remdesivir is an antiviral drug. Antivirals don't cure people of viral infections but it can slow down the rate of viral replication thereby speeding up healing. There was no good data to support its efficacy initially but a recent study showed that it may help release people from the hospital five days earlier than average. This lends some support that it may be saving lives as well. So, it helps, but there is no cure.
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Beliefs don't equal evidence. Thinking for yourself isn't believing every wild and crazy idea posted on the internet. Isn't that more like blind faith and being gullible? You must research deeply and not superficially, that is, not seeking only what comports with your beliefs. You should ask questions? How do they know this? How does this work? Is that claim correct? How can I check to see if this is true? Think critically all, and research responsibly. Peace!
Reginald Finley, Sr., M.Sc. Biology, Ph.D. (c)
Associate Biology Professor in Allied Health