Coronavirus misinformation is growing increasingly bizarre, and increasingly dangerous

iNews ^ | 03/11/2020 | Ruchira Sharma

[SeekAndFind]

Misinformation about the coronavirus is continuing to spread online, and bleed into offline spaces as well, leading to some widespread misconceptions and confusion about the coronavirus. Experts say a lack of high-quality information has allowed false claims to fill in the gaps, raising concerns that people are actually following dangerous advice as a result.

You may have seen some of the information yourself, whether it's on your Facebook feed, an email forwarded from an uncle you haven't spoken to in years, or even published by some news outlets. From the evidence-free recommendation of vitamin C as a cure, to claims people are putting condoms on their fingers as protection, the inaccurate claims keep circulating.

Like many previous bits of misinformation, many are simply repeatedly reshared screenshots, or copy-and-pasted messages with unverified or factually incorrect information. Here's the truth behind some of the most questionable ones.

There's no evidence 'high-dose' Vitamin C can stop Coronavirus

A 'verified statement' from a university hospital in China claims that high doses of vitamin C can achieve good results in Coronavirus patients. According to Todd Ellerin, MD at Harvard Health Publishing, there’s no evidence that “supplements, such as vitamin C, or probiotics will help speed recovery.” 

Similarly, taking supplements isn’t likely to help prevent or cure Coronavirus, reports the Washington Post.

That hasn’t stopped misinformation about the vitamin spreading, primarily based on a screenshot of a 'report' apparently featuring quotes from a doctor in a South Korean hospital, and someone claiming to be a physician in China who claim to have seen symptoms disappear from users who had taken it. This is being re-shared either word for word, or as a similar screenshot, while the quotes have been used in numerous online stories of outlets as well. 

It isn’t actually a verified statement from China's Xi'an Jiatong University Second Hospital, and doesn’t appear among the hospital's other Covid-19 news updates on the website.

The post in fact came from Andrew W Saul, the editor-in-chief of the Orthomolecular Medicine News Service, an alternative therapy unsupported by scientific evidence. One of the quotes in his press release has been attributed to Richard Z Cheng, who claims to be a doctor with links to vitamin C trials in China - and also involved in an Orthomolecular Medicine society. 

However, vitamin C is being examined in China for its potential benefits against coronavirus, with a clinical trial document from last month showing that studies were underway. The predicted completion date is September of this year, so vitamin C is not at the moment considered a viable treatment or cure.

The NHS and World Health Organisation have also confirmed that there is no specific cure to coronavirus yet.

People aren't using condoms on their fingers to protect against Coronavirus

Over the last week, multiple online tabloids produced stories claiming that people were using condoms on their fingers to protect from Coronavirus, with some of these stories reaching hundreds of thousands of people. This appears to have originated around a month ago, with an image circulating on Chinese social network Weibo, around February 6, of someone pressing a lift button with a condom on their finger.

Contextual clues suggest this was a genuine joke, but on February 7 an image of an empty condom stand in a Singapore supermarket appeared on Reddit, under a joke title that Singapore residents were using the quarantine to have sex instead. Reports differ on how widespread the shortage of condoms actually was, though there's certainly some photographic evidence to suggest some stores were running out.

Then the story picked up on February 12, when Durex Singapore responded to it's meme-worthy reputation during the quarantine with a joking Facebook post about using the product as protection when pressing buttons in lifts. This post was later removed.

Alistair Reid, editor of fact checking site First Draft highlighted how the picture many outlets used appeared to be taken from the Reddit thread, a month beforehand. This was combined with the previous images from around the internet, including edited versions of the durex ads, to put the various tabloid stories together.

One news story claims: "The latest [coronavirus protection] strategy allegedly sees people panic-buying packets of condoms to put them on their fingers to protect against the virus when pushing elevator buttons in buildings."

There's no evidence this is a widespread practice.

It's not a good idea to make your own hand sanitiser

In recent days, some people have been panic-buying and stockpiling hand sanitiser, and even profiteering on online sales sites. However, while hand sanitiser is effective, there's no requirement for it in place of hand-washing. Both the WHO and PHE confirm one of those most effective ways to stop the spread of Covid-19 is washing hands with soap. Hand sanitiser is an option if that isn't possible.

"Proper hand washing is the most effective method and this should be your first choice," explains PHE.

Despite this, the demand has continues which has led to shortages - a potential problem for people who rely on it for other reasons. This shortage has also led to dubious explanations of how to produce your own hand sanitiser.

The explanations seem to be inspired by a spike in search activity noticed by a range of outlets across the world, likely inspired by people discovering the shortage. Some outlets have responded to this with recipes, on the assumption that anything with more than 60% alcohol will be just as effective - but the evidence for that is limited.

Dr Jenna Macciochi, an immunologist based at Sussex University, said to HuffPo UK: "I wouldn’t try and make your own sanitiser at home. It’s not necessary for most people who have access to regular hand washing with soap and water, which is perfectly sufficient. [Homemade sanitiser] will most likely be less effective than ones that you can buy and have a known amount of alcohol in them."

Store bought hand sanitisers will also often have emollients to counter the harshness of the alcohol on the skin. Home made ones could risk hurting your hands as a result, Sally Bloomfield, a professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine told The Guardian.

The government doesn't recommend not shaking hands

Claims that the government recommended people not shaking hands are partially unfounded. An article in The Sun on Wednesday claimed that the NHS warned people to ban handshakes, but fact checking site Full Fact found this was not the case. PHE confirmed that the government were not limiting or even banning handshaking.

"We may get to a point where if we see more widespread infection we ask people to limit the social contact they have with each other," said Prof Paul Cosford, Emeritus Medical Director at PHE.

"This could include limiting everyday interaction, although we’re not there yet."

The initial story was following up a clip of a BBC Breakfast interview with GP Dr Rosemary Leonard and Leeds University virologist Stephen Griffin, in which Dr Leonard said: "When we all walked into the BBC this morning, the charming people at the desk were all shaking our hands. I know it’s very British and very polite, we probably ought to stop shaking hands."

This was not officially issued advice as was initially reported, however, and this advice has not yet changed.

The confusion has likely been further exacerbated by questioning of Prime Minister Boris Johnson over whether he personally would stop shaking hands. Asked by Philip Schofield on This Morning earlier this week, Mr. Johnson echoed official advice, saying: "I’ve been going around hospitals as you can imagine and always shake hands. People make their own decisions. Washing them is the key."

Children don't need to be removed from schools

Many groups have sprung up about Coronavirus, and as you might expect, many of them are concerned parents. A common suggestion is that parents should take their children out of schools.

(Facebook)

This isn't recommended advice. At the current levels, Coronavirus doesn't present an extensive enough threat to justify this, and while a small number of schools have been closed, this is due to specific instances of a pupil or a parent testing positive for Coronavirus.

For parents who had not travelled with children to a high risk country and were considering taking their children out of school because of Coronavirus, a spokesperson for PHE said "we wouldn't recommend it."

"Our advice in that situation is just to continue life as normal."

This post was updated to clarify the position of Mr Cheng.

[null and void]

Done. Welcome aboard!

[gleeaikin]

I read one article trying to discourage people from enhancing their Vitamin C intake which spoke of potential “lethal” doses of C. The only info I could find gave the LD50 for rats in metrics. Converted to US measurements 1/2 of a group of rats would die if they took almost 1/2 ounce of C per 2 pound rat. That would be like giving 2 pounds of C to a large woman or small man which might kill 1/2 of a group like that. So taking large amounts of tablets won’t kill you, and if you get the terrifying symptom of burning urine or acid farts, just take somewhat less.

I have taken 3 to 6 grams of Vitamin C daily for over 45 years and at 81 am in good health. I also took 24 grams of C in one day for a bad flu and never had urinary or bowel symptoms. Once while on a big camping event I met a woman suffering from the effects of 3 yellow jacket stings on her neck. Her eyes were swollen shut, she was choking and her whole body was somewhat swollen. I quickly crushed 10 grams of C in a glass of water. She was able to drink it and in 20 minutes her eyes were open, she was no longer choking and the body swelling was going down. I spent the next 8 hours with her giving her 5 grams every hour along with several other supplements I thought might help. Then she said she felt better and thought she could sleep. I left her with some additional C tablets and told her to take them as she felt she needed. She never complained of any excretory symptoms and I am told she hike out 3 miles the next day. The 3 Chinese clinical trials are using 24 grams of IV C in a day. I hope we will be allowed to hear their preliminary results before September.

Please remember that no CEO will be able to pay himself a $20million salary if he only sells Vitamin C, even if in large quantities.

[SunkenCiv]

Please remember that vitamin C doesn't treat any disease, any more than getting rid of aluminum cookware cures alzheimer's.

[gleeaikin]

This article from 10 days ago does not recommend taking children out of schools. As of the beginning of this week schools were closed by the governments of Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, DC. I don’t know about the west coast or fly-over country. Any information out there? I think our President has stopped shaking hands.

[null and void]

Schools are closed in Nevada. Not because kids get sick, but because they are asymptomatic carriers, bringing it home to mommy, daddy, abuelo y abuela...

[kiryandil]

They're rolling up the sidewalks everywhere (this from 2 days ago):

https://whotv.com/news/list-states-that-have-closed-all-schools-due-to-coronavirus/