Common Coronavirus Misconceptions And The Science You Need To Know

Tedros said people harm themselves based on false or misleading information, self-medicate with toxic chemicals or dangerous drugs and should not take the precautions they should take. It has also affected our trust in institutions and health systems, resulting in people turning to new treatments and vaccines if they do not have confidence.

Here are some common myths and misconceptions that float around, and the state of science that we understand to this day.

Myth No. 1: Only older people are affected by the virus

At a rally on Monday, President Trump said, “It affects older people. Older people with heart problems and other problems, if they have other problems. This is what really affects them. That’s what you know. Thousands of people in some states – – No young. Under 18, like no one. ”

The fact is that people of all ages are affected by the virus. While older people are more likely to become very ill with Covid-19, or die if they become infected, younger people are not immune in any way.

Older people may be more susceptible because they have more existing conditions (called comorbidities) that make coronavirus infections worse, or their immune system may weaken with age.

Some young people also have comorbidities which increase their risk of becoming very ill. And in some children, the virus overpowers their immune system, causing inflammation and releasing a cascade of chemical reactions, known as cytokine storms, that wrap waste inside the body. It is a condition called multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children, known as MIS-C.

Myth # 2: Masks do not protect against coronavirus

This is probably the most controversial and political misconception of all. At the beginning of the epidemic, we were told that masks are not important to those of us who do not come into regular and close contact with sick people. Also, due to the scarcity that continues to this day, we were asked to save N-95 masks for front workers.

But masks became essential after we began to understand two very important facts. The first is that people can spread the virus even if they have no symptoms. And the second is that the virus is probably. It is spread in the air, in small ople rosules containing small viruses, and not only by a person exposed to infected surfaces or large respiratory droplets.

Infectious disease specialist Dr. Anthony Fauci addressed the reversal of guidance on facial masks during the CTIZ by the CNN conference on Tuesday. “One thing the public needs to understand is that this is an evolving situation,” he said.

“We didn’t know that 40% to 45% of people were pathological, or we didn’t know that significant numbers of infected people were infected by people who were without symptoms. That makes it hard for everyone to wear a mask,” he said. “Now the data is very clear.”

How will the mask work? The mask protects others against the virus-wearing spots that are expelled into the air by breathing, sneezing, coughing, singing or screaming.

Some studies have found that masks can reduce the amount of drops a person breathes in air by up to 90%. And one study found that masks reduce the transmission of respiratory viruses by as much as 56%.

Myth No. 3: You can only catch Kovid-19 if you are in close contact with someone with symptoms.

“The interesting thing about him is that he doesn’t change anything from what we say,” Fawcett said during the conference on Tuesday. “It means wear your mask, it means avoid close contact, it means avoid crowds.”

Fawcett also reiterated that “the outside of the house is better, because if you have an aerosol inside the house, you can do a little research.”

Misconception No. 4: This is like the flu

“This is the flu, this is like the flu,” the president insisted.

But it’s not really. It is true that both Covid-19 and the flu are caused by respiratory viruses and may share some similar symptoms, including fever, fatigue and cough. And in both cases, some people have milder symptoms than others.

According to the CDC, “These deaths may represent incorrectly classified COVID-19 deaths, or may be indirectly related to the CoVID-19 epidemic (e.g., due to a lack of health care or other causes related to overcrowded health care). Death). ”

Myth No. 5: Everyone can get vaccinated this winter

With some optimistic estimates in early October, there’s been a lot of speculation around when we will have the vaccine. Some developers expect to have data to share this fall.

But Fauci and other public health leaders have said the vaccine is unlikely to be available until election day. And U.S. The Food and Drug Administration is considering new rules for authorizing the Covid-19 vaccine, according to three sources familiar with the situation, and calculations show that these rules will force no authorization outside of election day.

That would dampen the hopes of President Trump, who has repeatedly said the vaccine could be ready by November 3.

“If it is shown to be effective in November or December, we do not have enough vaccine doses. We will have a few million in November and 10, 20 million each in December. That will be enough to start vaccination …” Some population but not the whole population, “Dr. Monsef Sloan told me. Sloi is the head of the government’s vaccination initiative, operation and warfare.

Some groups, such as health care workers and people who are susceptible to the disease, will be preferred – Sloui – who also noted that no vaccine will be effective enough because the data is not in it. “For the rest of us, it looks more like 2021,” he said, adding that a timeline has also been put forward by Fawcett.

Sloi also returned to what Fau Ki and others were pushing. “Let’s focus on what science says to help us get rid of this. I’m as excited about getting vaccinated as anyone – but in the meantime there are simple and effective things we can do ourselves: wash our hands, have big meetings. Avoid and wear a mask. ”