facts, myths and coronavirus

Facts, Myths & The Coronavirus

Ever since the corona virus pandemic has affected people worldwide, we’ve been inundated with information pertaining to the virus – what will prevent it, what won’t, what we should do to avoid getting it, and how to build our immunity against it. While it is clear that social distancing seems to be the only surefire way to protect ourselves against the virus, no man is an island. So let’s wade through the plethora of information on how to keep ourselves safe, and find out which one of these holds merit.

Washing hands:-

We’ve started with an easy one! According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), soap is a 100 percent way to kill the COVID-19 virus, and washing your hands properly takes as long as singing the song ‘Happy Birthday’ twice, back-to-back. Make sure you don’t touch your face and nose until you’ve washed your hands properly, as that’s how the virus carries. Clean every bit of your palm, back of the hand, fingers, nails and the space between the fingers thoroughly. If you don’t have immediate access to soap and water, use an alcohol-based sanitizer thoroughly all over your hands.

The Alkaline diet:-

Several messages have been doing the rounds on social media, touting the benefits of the Alkaline diet, based on the principle that the virus can be killed by eating a pH level higher than its own. Just to give you an idea – a pH below 7.0 is considered acidic, at 7.0 is deemed to be neutral, and above 7.0 is considered alkaline. While it is generally good to eat alkaline foods to balance the body’s acidity, there is no evidence that such a diet is a surefire way to kill the virus. Nor is the keto diet a sure shot cure. You just need to eat sensibly to keep your health at its optimum, but none of this can prevent viral transmission.

Mouthwash:-

The jury’s not yet out on this one! But recent studies over the last few days are veering towards using mouthwash as a potential preventive. According to scientists, the coronavirus is an ‘enveloped virus’, which means they’re covered by a fatty layer that is destroyed by certain chemicals – including those present in alcohol-based mouthwash. There is no conclusive proof of this until now, although studies are underway.

Vitamin C;-

Immunity seems to be the buzzword these days, and everyone’s talking about the benefits of vitamin C as an immunity-booster, which could potentially prevent the virus. Well, bad news. You cannot overdose on vitamin C and expect the virus to stay away! What can you do now? Stay safe, wash your hands, and eat your veggies. There is anyway no known way to be immune to coronavirus. But a lowered immunity might lead to a cold, and in the times we live it, that might stress you out just as much. So eat sensibly –a gamut of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, omega 3 fatty acids, and yes some.

Food transmission;-

Here’s some good news - there is currently no evidence that the virus can be transmitted through food. The primary source is still person-to-person; when one person coughs or sneezes, and the other catches it. However, in case someone who has handled your food is infectious, there could be a lingering virus on the surface of packaging, or a fruit or veggie. Wash your fresh produce in hot water, and set it aside for a few hours. Clean your own hands with soap afterwards—sanitise packaging on dry produce. If you’ve ordered takeaway, discard the packaging entirely and reheat the food entirely before you consume it.