There is no cure for COVID-19.
So as the number of cases rise in Australia and around the world, people are understandably searching for ways to protect themselves and their loved ones from the virus.
Unfortunately, there are plenty of unqualified people out there ready to oblige with advice, most of which is completely unfounded and potentially dangerous.
Mamamia‘s daily news podcast, The Quicky, scoured social media for some of the most persistent myths and misinformation, and brought in an actual expert to address them: GP Dr Brad McKay.
Watch: The Quicky’s Claire Murphy answers your COVID-19 questions.
But first, a reminder… According to the World Health Organisation, legitimate ways to protect yourself from COVID-19 include:
- practise social distancing;
- avoid touching your face;
- regularly wash your hands with soap and water (and do it thoroughly, for at least 40 seconds);
- cough and sneeze into your elbow or a tissue.
MYTH: Drinking hot water every 15 minutes will kill coronavirus.
A viral list of ‘coronavirus-prevention’ tips, which has been shared widely on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, is filled with questionable advice from unreliable sources. Among them: drinking hot fluids regularly “will sweep [the virus] away through the esophagus and into the stomach. Once in the belly, gastric acid in the stomach will kill all the virus.”
Top Comments
Dr McKay says that soap doesn't kill the virus, but his comment goes against all the other science available.
The National Geograpic website says it in very easy to understand terms:
"Soap works so effectively because its chemistry pries open the corona virus’s exterior envelope and cause it to degrade. These soap molecules then trap tiny fragments of
the virus, which are washed away in water. Hand sanitizers work similarly by busting apart the proteins contained in a virus."
But there are plenty of sources that can explain the chemistry properly if you're into it.
It's ironic that this article on myth busting appears to contain unsound information. Who is this Dr McKay?
You didn't read the article properly. By your own post: "which are washed away in water".
Ergo, soap breaks down the barrier that causes the virus to stick to the hands. The virus then washes down the sink. It doesn't kill the virus per se, it weakens it's grip on the hands, which allows it to be washed away.
It is EXACTLY what Dr McKay said.
Nope. It is not EXACTLY what he said.
I'll try again:
When you wash your hands with soap and water, you surround any microorganisms on your skin with soap molecules. The hydrophobic tails of the free-floating soap molecules attempt to evade water; in the process, they wedge themselves into the lipid envelopes of certain microbes and viruses,
prying them apart.
They act like crowbars and destabilize the whole system. Essential proteins spill from the ruptured membranes into the surrounding water,rendering the viruses useless.
(In tandem, some soap molecules disrupt the chemical bonds that allow
bacteria, viruses and grime to stick to surfaces, lifting them off the
skin. Micelles can also form around particles of dirt and fragments of
viruses and bacteria, suspending them in floating cages. When you rinse
your hands, all the microorganisms that have been damaged, trapped and killed by soap molecules are washed away.)