Top coronavirus myths, hoaxes and scams
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Here are the top coronavirus myths, hoaxes and scams
The surge in myths, hoaxes and scams surrounding COVID-19 shows no sign of abating.
“People are moving online in unprecedented numbers [and] the public health crisis is making it easier…to exploit people’s anxieties,” Alex Guirakhoo, strategy and research analyst at Digital Shadows, a company that provides Digital Risk Protection Software, told Fox News.
In some cases, the scam plays off the myth. In other cases, it’s simply misinformation.
Here are some of the worst misinformation, scams and hoaxes.
The new coronavirus was deliberately created or released: False
“Occasionally, a disease outbreak happens when a virus that is common in an animal such as a pig, bat or bird undergoes changes and passes to humans. This is likely how the new coronavirus came to be,” according to a blog post from Dr. Lisa Lockerd Maragakis, Johns Hopkins Medicine.
The virus is the product of "natural evolution," said The Scripps Research Institute, citing a new report in the scientific journal Nature Medicine.
Pneumonia vaccines work: False
Vaccines against pneumonia only help protect people from specific bacterial infections, according to Harvard Medical School. They do not protect against any coronavirus pneumonia, including pneumonia that may be part of COVID-19.
Alternative, home remedy "miracle drug" cures work: False
Currently, there is no cure for COVID-19, though there are a number of drug trials currently going on.
Amazon recently announced it barred the sale of over 1 million products that falsely claim to cure or provide protection against the coronavirus.
“There currently are no vaccines, pills, potions, lotions, lozenges or other prescription or over-the-counter products available to treat or cure coronavirus disease…online or in stores,” said the Federal Trade Commission in an advisory.
Bleach, chlorine, garlic or colloidal silver are also sometimes falsely claimed as a cure.
However, there is some hope for chloroquine, a drug that has been used to prevent and treat malaria. It has shown promise in being a potential treatment for the coronavirus, President Trump said Thursday.
TOP CORONAVIRUS SCAMS TO BE AWARE OF
Emails from the World Health Organization: False
Email scams are on the rise that impersonates official correspondence from reputable organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO).
Scams claim to provide critical data about the virus in order to get your sensitive personal information. These are scammers are simply after account numbers, Social Security numbers, or your login IDs and passwords.
One email scam pretends to give COVID-19 drug advice from the WHO and makes it look like the email is from Director-General of the World Health Organization, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
The coronavirus can be transmitted through mosquito bites: False
To date, there is no evidence to suggest that the new coronavirus could be transmitted by mosquitoes, according to the World Health Organization (which, despite scammers who try to exploit the WHO name, offers legitimate advice on its website about the virus).
“The new coronavirus is a respiratory virus which spreads primarily through droplets generated when an infected person coughs or sneezes, or through droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose,” the WHO said.
A face mask will protect you from COVID-19: False
For the general public without respiratory illness, wearing lightweight disposable surgical masks is not recommended.
“Because they don’t fit tightly, they may allow tiny infected droplets to get into the nose, mouth or eyes. Also, people with the virus on their hands who touch their face under a mask might become infected,” Johns Hopkins Medicine said in a blog post.
People with a respiratory illness can, however, wear these masks to lessen the chance of infecting others.
Certain models of professional, tight-fitting respirators -- such as the N95 -- can protect health workers when they care for infected patients.
Phone calls about the coronavirus: Likely False
“Coronavirus is a perfect storm for robocallers seeking to scam consumers out of money and personal information. Bad actors are seizing on confusion and fear,” Transaction Network Services’ (TNS) Chief Product Officer Bill Versen told Fox News.
Among the most popular scams are a 3M scam call offering a coronavirus safety and medical kit and free iPhones, Netflix, healthcare services, and COVID-19 testing kits.
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Good stuff, V...
Checked email a bit ago and had message that a scam email with the title "Corona Virus" had been intercepted.
On the pneumonia vaccine... I was aware it doesn't impact Covid-19, but still reduces occurrences of 2ndary infections the vaccine does work against. Early on many of the deaths that have occurred were reportedly due to "complications brought on by the virus."
Anything on this?
"When you have a shared vision it is a lot easier to make unpopular decisions." - Paul DePodesta "When you win, say nothing. When you lose, say less." - Paul Brown Complete 2017 Browns Board Mock: http://thebrownsboard.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=46196 -
Good stuff, V...
Checked email a bit ago and had message that a scam email with the title "Corona Virus" had been intercepted.
On the pneumonia vaccine... I was aware it doesn't impact Covid-19, but still reduces occurrences of 2ndary infections the vaccine does work against. Early on many of the deaths that have occurred were reportedly due to "complications brought on by the virus."
Anything on this?
Good stuff, V...
Checked email a bit ago and had message that a scam email with the title "Corona Virus" had been intercepted.
On the pneumonia vaccine... I was aware it doesn't impact Covid-19, but still reduces occurrences of 2ndary infections the vaccine does work against. Early on many of the deaths that have occurred were reportedly due to "complications brought on by the virus."
Anything on this?
Not that I'm aware of...
Dr. Manny Alvarez says he's 'bullish' on anti-malaria drug to effectively treat coronavirus
https://www.foxnews.com/media/manny-alvarez-bullish-chloroquine-malaria-drug-coronavirus
On Wednesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced a multicountry clinical trial of four drugs as possible COVID-19 treatments -- one of those drugs is chloroquine.
Chloroquine is widely available now and could be used off-label, but FDA commissioner Stephen Hahn explained that officials want a formal study to get good information on its safety and effectiveness. The drug was first used to treat malaria in 1944.
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"We're looking at drugs that are already approved for other indications" as a potential bridge or stopgap until studies are completed on other drugs under investigation, Hahn said.
Earlier on Friday morning, Dr. Mehmet Oz expressed similar optimism about the potential treatment.
“We have to give science a chance to win. ... Can you imagine if COVID-19 behaved like the flu virus? Would we be doing this? No, so let’s give science a chance to make this come into fruition," he said, urging all Americans to socially distance themselves to "bend the curve" on how quickly the virus is spreading.
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I was reading today that 2-gram dose of Chloroquine is lethal.
The daily does the Chinese used was half that per day, but in two, 500mg doses 10-hours apart.
"When you have a shared vision it is a lot easier to make unpopular decisions." - Paul DePodesta "When you win, say nothing. When you lose, say less." - Paul Brown Complete 2017 Browns Board Mock: http://thebrownsboard.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=46196 -
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I keep hearing that masks are worthless. So why, then, are they mandatory in China?
Early man walked away as modern man took control. Their minds weren't all the same and to conquer was their goal. So He built his great empires and he slaughtered his own kind, and he died a confused man and killed himself in his own mind... -
Found the story...
But what of hydrooxychloroquine? Otherwise known as plaquenil?
My mom has been taking it for 8 years for RA and she's not dead yet.
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I mean, seriously, Tylenol is lethal if you take enough. This shouldn't doom the drug if it shows promise.
Early man walked away as modern man took control. Their minds weren't all the same and to conquer was their goal. So He built his great empires and he slaughtered his own kind, and he died a confused man and killed himself in his own mind... -
I keep hearing that masks are worthless. So why, then, are they mandatory in China?
I keep hearing that masks are worthless. So why, then, are they mandatory in China?
At about 1:50 he explains about the masks, it's an older video but informative maybe it will help your question.
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But plaquenil /hydroxychloroquine is, from what I've seen, the drug being used. Not the older chloroquine.
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I've got a bunch of n95 masks from 3m for working in dusty environments. I'm holding onto them for when shit gets real ugly though.
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I mean, seriously, Tylenol is lethal if you take enough. This shouldn't doom the drug if it shows promise.
I mean, seriously, Tylenol is lethal if you take enough. This shouldn't doom the drug if it shows promise.
And it won't doom the drug.
There's an old saying that the dose makes the poison... even aspirin poisoning is a real thing.
Obviously you want the greatest safety margin between an effective dose and a lethal one, but if the only game in town is one where the difference is a 2x or 4x multiple, then you go with it and warn warn warn about the dangers.
And still we are all not made the same. The lethal threshold does vary among individuals.
In one google search I did for the above post I glanced at a hit for a Chinese paper on some 2007 deaths due to Chloroquine overdose. This was back in trials to combat SARS.
And FYI.... the LD50 oral for Tylenol is over 2000 mg/kg.
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Dr. Oz seems to be big on it...don't know a lot about this tv doctor except he is a real doctor who went to an IVY league school.
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