The COVID-19 pandemic is accompanied by what the World Health Organisation describes as an “infodemic” – misinformation, disinformation, conspiracy theories, and even myths.
To reduce the spread of misinformation, we asked ANU Associate Professor of Medicine and Infectious Disease Sanjaya Senanayake to explain what the science says in response to the top myths about COVID-19 that are circulating online.
Myth: Nothing will happen to healthy young people if they catch the virus, only the elderly and people with other health complications are vulnerable.
Associate Professor Sanjaya Senanayake. Source: Supplied
Prof Senanayake: "We know that the people at highest risk of getting a really bad or serious COVID infection are older people, particularly people over 65 or 70 and people with underlying health problems. However, we have definitely seen young, healthy people get very sick with COVID, ending up in intensive care or even dying."
Myth: The UV rays of the Sun will kill the exposed coronavirus, so sunbathing will keep me safe from the virus.
Prof Senanayake: "There is some evidence that UV light might affect viruses like flu, but it isn't very strong evidence. It appears that a type of UV light called UVC might have the best activity against coronaviruses, but it can be dangerous to people.
"A special type of UV light called Far-UVC has been examined. This may not be dangerous to humans but still dangerous for viruses and bacteria; however again, good human studies are lacking."
Myth: Eating garlic, taking Vitamin D supplements, or taking herbal and home remedy medications will prevent coronavirus infection.
Can children be poisoned by hand sanitisers? Source: Getty/Flavia Morlachetti
Prof Senanayake: "There is no good scientific evidence that that is the case. If you feel better by taking garlic, etc; if that makes you feel better, that is fine, but don’t do it because you think it will prevent COVID."
Myth: Drinking hot water, alcohol or lemon water will clear my throat of the virus.
Prof Senanayake: "Drinking hot water and water with lemon may make your throat feel a bit better but it will not kill the virus. It does not have any antiviral activity."
Myth: The virus lives in the throat for a few days before infecting the lungs and is destroyed by hot temperatures, so drinking hot water after catching the virus will prevent me from getting sick.
Prof Senanayake: "The virus does start off in the throat and in the nose but, again, as we have talked about with hot water, there is no evidence that mouthwashes, hot water, kill the virus."
Myth: Drinking water frequently will flush the virus into my stomach, where stomach acids will kill it off, instead of it passing into my windpipe.
Prof Senanayake: "There is no evidence that that’s the case. There are a lot of health reasons why it’s good to drink a lot of water but not for COVID-19. People with COVID-19 can have the virus found in their poo, so that means stomach acid does not always kill it."
Myth: Drinking strong alcoholic spirits like whiskey will sterilise my throat and kill the virus.
Prof Senanayake: "No, there is no evidence that drinking alcoholic drinks with high levels of alcohol will kill the virus but instead doing this can be harmful to your health for other reasons.
"I suspect this rumour may have come from the fact that we know that alcoholic sanitisers are effective at killing the virus from your hands but that is for the hands, not inside your body — they are two very different things."
Myth: Frequently taking hot baths helps prevent coronavirus infection.
Source: Getty Images
Prof Senanayake: "There is no evidence that frequently taking hot baths helps prevent coronavirus infection."
Myth: Rinsing sinuses with a saline solution will prevent coronavirus infection.
Prof Senanayake: "If you have blocked sinuses, that may help your blocked sinuses but will not kill coronavirus."
Myth: 5G mobile networks spread COVID-19.
Prof Senanayake: "I don’t even understand how 5G technology could spread a virus; that makes no sense. COVID is happening in countries and parts of countries where there is no 5G."
Myth: 5G mobile networks weaken the immune system and therefore are a reason behind the COVID pandemic.
Prof Senanayake: "There is no evidence that radiation from 5G is strong enough to weaken the immune system."
Question: What's the risk of getting the virus from inanimate surfaces?
Prof Senanayake: "It’s a lower risk to get it from surfaces but it’s possible and if you touch a surface that someone has just touched then there may be quite a lot of virus on it. That may be when your risk is higher but if that person has touched it two days ago, there may be much less virus at that time; so your risk will be much less."
People in Australia must stay at least 1.5 metres away from others. Check your state’s restrictions on gathering limits.
Source: Pexels
Testing for coronavirus is now widely available across Australia. If you are experiencing cold or flu symptoms, arrange a test by calling your doctor or contact the Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080.
The federal government's coronavirus tracing app COVIDSafe is available for download from your phone's app store. SBS is committed to informing Australia’s diverse communities about the latest COVID-19 developments.