misinformation is harmful. within 18 hours after president donald trump’s widely condemned comments that household disinfectants could help combat the novel coronavirus,
nyc poison control centres saw a spike in calls regarding lysol, bleach, and other household cleaners.here are three of the most ridiculous conspiracy theories, and why they’re wrong.
covid-19 isn’t real because hospital parking lots are empty
“
coronavirus deniers” are taking videos of hospital parking lots and claiming this is evidence that the novel coronavirus is a “hoax.” in reality, hospital parking is down because visitors for most non-covid patients have been told to stay home and potential covid-19 patients are discouraged from admitting themselves to the emergency. instead, patients who suspect they have covid-19 are encouraged to call their doctors first and visit an assessment centre if necessary.the fact that hospitals aren’t completely overrun means they are properly prepared with an outbreak response in place. if “coronavirus deniers” are looking for a covid-19 horror show, they need only to look at shelter systems or the
hundreds of long-term care homes across the country which have become the new frontlines.it’s been commonly reported that emergency departments have become
emptier than usual because patients are more wary of contracting covid-19, which has caused concern for physicians. appendicitis, falls, heart attacks, strokes, and car collisions are still happening and if you have an emergency, you definitely should still visit the emergency room.
covid-19 was caused by 5g
yes, 5g as in the next generation of wireless communication technology. what started as a fringe idea on a french conspiracy website has now led to some setting fire to cellphone towers across europe. the belief stems from the fact that wuhan — where it’s believed the virus originated — was one of the first places with 5g coverage. by the way, 5g is also available in
many other cities across the u.s., the u.k., south korea, and china. a different variation of this “theory” is that 5g networks can weaken the immune system and make it more difficult to breathe.the claim that electromagnetic fields from
5g can cause covid-19 has no evidence to back it up, says the international commission on non-iodizing radiation protection (icnirp), an independent non-profit organization that provides scientific advice and guidance on the health and environmental effects of non-ionizing radiation. the world health organization (who) states that the only way to contract covid-19 is to physically come into contact with the sars-cov-2 virus through respiratory droplets from an infected person or a contaminated surface. electromagnetic fields cannot carry viruses.plus, there is also zero evidence that 5g impacts the immune system in any way.
covid-19 is an elderly disease
while older people tend to be hit harder by covid-19, people of all ages can be infected by the virus. those who have pre-existing health conditions are more vulnerable. in canada, the majority of deaths from covid-19 have been in long-term care homes because preparation had become an afterthought.among children, infants have been found to be the most vulnerable. in one small pre-published study from the journal pediatrics, 30 per cent of covid-19 cases in children were deemed “severe” and more than half of all cases were categorized as “critical” in
babies less than one year old.children are also far from immune from the virus. new evidence from german researchers has found that children carry a similar viral load of sars-cov-2 as adults, which means which the virus attacks children just as much as adults and
children may be as infectious are adults. for this reason, researchers are cautioning against the re-opening of schools and kindergartens.
diana duong is a writer and editor at healthing. find her on twitter @dianaduo.dduong@postmedia.com
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