“Is it to eat Chinese food?”
That’s a question asked through an audience member at a public briefing on the coronavirus held Friday in New York City through the Center for Disaster Medicine at the Medical College of New York (NYMC). No, it’s not a nutrition assembly or a “what to do” assembly. Be careful if you need to avoid flatulence on a date. “It’s a consultation that brought together NYMC medical experts, elected officials, and city and state fitness branch officials to answer public inquiries about the novel coronavirus (2019) outbreak. -2019-nCoV).
If you check the World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) websites about the coronavirus, “eating Chinese food” is not listed as a threat of contracting the novel coronavirus. MSG or flatulence, depending on where you get the food and what you eat specifically. In fact, flatulence is a threat in any type of kitchen. But no, eating Chinese food in New York City may not expose you to an increased risk of 2019-nCoV infection.
“There’s so much incorrect information out there,” Edward C. said. Halperin, M. D. , M. A. , Chancellor and Executive Director of the NYMC, who spoke at the session. “We are witnessing the conspiracy theories of the past government and the dark aspect of racism. People Say you go to Chinese restaurants or make racist comments about other people of Chinese descent.
In fact, while social media is fueling the fire, many misconceptions are spreading faster than 2019-nCoV. Here are some of the most common:
Misconception number 1: 2019-nCoV is more contagious and spreads faster than any pathogen.
Not even close. The measles virus is an example of a virus that is much more contagious than 2019-nCoV. The only reason the measles virus doesn’t seem to have spread as quickly in recent outbreaks is that most people are already vaccinated against measles.
The replication number (R0) is the average number of new people a user carrying a pathogen can infect, assuming that not everyone else is immune to the virus, as I previously described for Forbes. A study published on medRxiv (i. e. , not a peer-reviewed clinical journal) first estimated the R0 of 2019-nCoV at around 3. 8. This means that a user infected with 2019-nCoV could, on average, transmit the virus to up to four other people. This sparked alarmist and uninformed tweets that went viral on Twitter. The estimate still had a lot of uncertainty and has since been revised downwards, according to the study’s first author:
An R0 of 2. 5 would mean that an inflamed user would infect an average of two or three other people. Either way, keep in mind that this study has not yet undergone clinical peer review, which means that all of its conclusions should be taken with a grain of salt. A pinch of salt. The uncertainty and lack of knowledge are not surprising, as getting information on the fly about anything absolutely new can be difficult. It can be like trying to figure out how damaging a road can be in the middle of an accident.
However, an estimated R0 of 2. 5 would be much lower than that of measles and whooping cough, which are between 12 and 18. These aren’t the only diseases that appear to be more contagious than 2019-nCoV. For example, there is also polio and diphtheria.
Misconception No. 2: 2019-nCoV is deadlier than any pathogen.
Mary Foote, MD, MPH, senior medical coordinator for communicable disease preparedness at the New York Department of Health, who also spoke at the NYMC session, told me that “people claim that each and every inflamed user will eventually die. “It’s partly true. Everyone who is infected with the novel coronavirus will eventually die, but maximum due to a core disease, cancer, old age, or anything other than an infection, and in many cases, in years, because no one lives forever.
Foote was referring to the widespread confidence that other people die from 2019-nCoV infections at much higher rates than they do. What is literally happening then?
Let’s take a look at the numbers. The case fatality rate is the proportion of other people who die from a disease divided by the total number of other people with the disease. Al Jazeera reported that the most recent death toll was 304, with at least 14,380 2019-nCoV infections. math, that’s about 2% of other inflamed people who die. While 2% is not insignificant, it is still well below the case fatality rate of many other pathogens such as Ebola (an average case fatality rate of 50%, according to the WHO), Marburg (also around 50%) and the rabies virus (which can be almost a hundred percent deadly).
And not the flu, which kills tens of thousands of people each year in the United States and between 291,000 and 646,000 people worldwide, according to a study published in The Lancet. While the case fatality rate during the typical flu season could be a decrease (less than 0. 01% by some estimates), keep in mind that many other people get a flu shot each year, which can reduce the spread and affect the flu. Worrying about 2019-nCoV without getting a flu shot is a bit like worrying about anything else while dressed in a Lady Gaga raw meat outfit in a lion’s cage.
Misconception number 3: 2019-nCoV is manufactured in a laboratory and deliberately spreads.
Whenever an outbreak of an infectious disease occurs, conspiracy theories erupt like diarrhea in the social media toilet. According to Fatima Tlis, writing for Polygraph. info, an online fact-checking page produced through Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), “[on January 27] a giant number of Russian national media outlets began recommending that the United States was possibly behind the outbreak. This included claims that the U. S. was using the coronavirus as a bioterrorism weapon. opposed to China and that American pharmacists, yes, pharmacists, were making billions from it. Imagine that conspiracy theories were spread through Russian sources. Apparently, some in China also agree with those theories:
Oh, and surprise, surprise, conspiracy theories and misinformation also come from the United States. Halperin said: “We have made this query because the website is full of incorrect information. I’ve noticed claims that it’s the result of a bomb or an explosion. Or a government conspiracy. To accomplish what exactly? Well, some have advised you to make money from a vaccine.
For example, Shiva Ayyadurai, a Massachusetts Republican running for the U. S. Senate, claimed in a Facebook post that “the coronavirus PATENT belongs to the Pirbright Institute. “But it does not specify that the patent does not fear 2019-nCoV. As I’ve already explained to Forbes, there are other strains of coronavirus, ranging from those that cause mild to moderate upper respiratory illness, similar to the not unusual cold, caused by SARS and MERS. Therefore, a patent for a strain does not mean that a patent already exists for 2019-nCoV and a vaccine opposed to that new strain. However, take a look at some of the responses to Ayyadurai’s message such as “this [is]. “2019-nCoV outbreak] will go away in 16 weeks, but I bet the pharmaceutical industry will release a vaccine and make sure it’s a wildfire for profit.
And this: “This goes in the direction of the ideology that the Earth can only feed X number of other people and plays into the climate replacement mentality, so they create viral and bacterial organisms to demand vaccines, any of which can be poor, which in some cases. Countries make up a giant component of the population. Bad weather.
The 2019-nCoV outbreak is part of the Resident Evil franchise. Alice (played by Milla Jovovich). . . [ ] will appear to save the day. (Photo by Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images)
No, this does not mean that the Pirbirght Institute holds the patent for 2019-nCoV. No, the 2019-nCoV outbreak is not another installment in the Resident Evil franchise. No, there is no evidence that this virus is taking merit from a vaccine. Because there’s a bit of a challenge with such a theory: there’s still no vaccine that opposes beeping. Which brings us to the next misconception.
Misconception 4: We need to have a vaccine to prevent this epidemic.
Do you know why no vaccine is available yet?That’s because finding a vaccine is incredibly complicated and requires time, money, and, you know, genuine science. First, you need to figure out what virus or bacteria is causing the problem. Then we have to figure out how to make a vaccine. And then the vaccine has to pass (drumbeat, please) rigorous tests for protection. You know the kind of tests that supplements and other products touted as vaccine opportunities don’t have to pass.
Speaking of supplements.
Misconception number 5: A fake filler treatment can save you or treat coronavirus infections.
One thing is certain. If there is a fitness problem, someone will recommend that supplements or “natural medicines” can fix it. After all, when you don’t have science and facts to back up your claims, you can say pretty much anything. Tim Caulfield, LLB, LLM, a law professor at the University of Alberta, combined some of the claims into this tweet:
Pharmaceuticals may make billions from this outbreak, but it turns out that other promoters of pseudoscientific treatments are looking to make at least some money. The claims are numerous, ranging from keeping your throat moist to avoid infections to drinking bleach to get rid of them. (The suggestion to drink bleach has previously been raised for other ailments, as I’ve written before for Forbes. )While gargling with water constantly can be relatively harmless, unless you’re on a date or in a job interview, don’t do it. Drink bleach. Don’t do it.
Lately, there is no genuine cure for coronavirus infection. The most productive way to avoid infection is to wash your hands thoroughly and often. And don’t interact too much with a user in poor health, whether they’re inflamed with coronavirus or some other infection.
Which leads us to the misconception.
Misconception No. 6: Every case of fever and cough is a consequence of the coronavirus.
Having a fever and cough does not mean you have a 2019-nCoV infection. (Photo: Getty Images)
Foote talked about all that’s to come: “People pretend there’s all those coronavirus cases in New York City that infect with coronavirus. “The medical world has a saying: “When you hear the sound of hooves, think horses, not zebras. “This doesn’t mean that horses run everywhere in hospitals. This means that when a user has a fever and respiratory symptoms, there is a strong chance that it is something much more common, such as respiratory and upper illnesses, that one contracts regularly rather than a 2019-nCoV infection.
Misconception number 7: The coronavirus is a punishment for those who fill the void.
Don’t you just love racism? This allows you to blame other people’s entire teams for pretty much anything. “Why do some people still feel the need to blame others when they have a health problem?”Halperin asked. Today, many other people accuse the Chinese of being to blame for this epidemic. It’s similar to what happened with HIV when 4-Hs, gay men, hemophiliacs, heroin addicts, and Haitians were classified as evildoers. Remember, that HIV as a whole is a punishment for some useless lifestyles?If diseases existed to punish certain groups of people for “moral” faults, why isn’t there “the fever of corrupt politicians,” the “blisters of fanatics,” the “lymphadenopathy of liars,” or “the elephantitis of embezzled sums of money”?
Misconception number 8: The novel coronavirus can be contracted through Chinese food or products.
Don’t crowd your underwear, even if it was made in China. The audience member who asked about the protection of Chinese food also expressed considerations about foods such as tuna shipped from China. One panel member noted that tuna packaged in China would most likely heat up first to a temperature that would kill the virus and that the virus would likely not affect the packing and shipping process.
The audience member didn’t seem convinced and muttered something about other Chinese touching the food, which then leads to a misconception.
Misconception 9: You avoid or are afraid of all other Chinese people. In fact, why bother making a distinction?Just avoid all other people of East Asian descent in general.
Just because the 2019-nCoV outbreak started in Wuhan, China, doesn’t mean that everyone else of East Asian descent should be avoided and blamed. (Photo: Getty Images)
If you don’t normally date other people of Asian descent, you now have an excuse, right?Except this excuse wouldn’t make clinical sense. Viruses are not like other people on dating sites. They do not express personal racial tastes or choose other people based on their appearance. On the other hand, viruses such as the novel coronavirus offer absolutely equivalent possibilities, infecting anyone who is not immune and thinks to be close enough. In fact, the true fairness of those viruses would make them a smart boss, they are viruses. And you don’t need a boss who can infect you.
What will it take to disseminate the following clinical fact?Nothing about having an “Asian look” or being of Asian descent makes a user more likely to carry the virus:
Oh, and if you see a user who “looks Chinese,” don’t assume they’ve been anywhere near Wuhan. This would be like assuming that all people with the color of Donald Trump’s skin hang out at the Mara Lago resort.
“There’s been wildly incorrect information that stigmatizes Asian communities in general,” Foote said. “This creates a lack of buy-in among other communities, which can make the situation worse. “She notes that “stigma can save other people from seeking appropriate care. This can necessarily cause other people to go “underground” when they have a problem.
Misconception number 10: The coronavirus outbreak is a hoax to fill the void.
Wow, that would be a pretty impressive hoax: coordinating the World Health Organization (WHO) and all those scientists, fitness professionals, organizations, and national governments to design and execute this hoax. So, other people can coordinate around the world to implement force such an elaborate deception, but it can’t solve primary social problems, such as why headphone cables get horribly tangled in your pocket?Can you believe the resources and effort it would take to accomplish all of this in secret?Hell, getting scientists to agree on anything other than transparent clinical facts can be like watching a group of cats dressed in headphones as they drive toy cars.
World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus speaks at a news conference after a WHO emergency committee on whether the outbreak of the SARS-like coronavirus that began in China constitutes an overseas health emergency, Jan. 30, 2020 in Geneva. The United Nations fitness company has declared an external emergency in reaction to the deadly coronavirus coming out of China, a little-used designation that could lead to greater external coordination in the fight against the disease. (Photo via FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP) (Photo via FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images)
These are far from the only common misconceptions about the 2019-nCoV outbreak. Sadly, other people with goals will be there to spread misinformation, whether it’s to smear or discredit other people, spread bigoted ideas, or sell something. The challenge is to immunize the public that opposes such nonsense. Foote said: “Good threat communication is very important. One of the biggest enemies is panic and fear. You need to make sure that other people don’t panic because of misinformation, but at the same time that they are aware of the real threats so that they can take appropriate action.
He added: “The paintings will have to be done in ‘peacetime’, when there is no emergency. You’ve built acceptance among other communities and ensured that relationships are established between netpaintings members, fitness care professionals, and government.
Halperin said this misinformation has gained traction because “a huge part of the population is not clinically literate. There is not enough clinical education. Many don’t even know what a virus is. For example, on the ferry I met a qualified engineer who devised a virus just as a piece of protein.
He went on to say that “other people deserve to know and respect doctors, public fitness professionals, and genuine scientists. If there is an infectious disease outbreak, those are the other people who will protect the public. They are the ones with the experience and expertise, unsung heroes.