The 2012 study cited in this claim only tested for coronaviruses that cause the common cold, but not COVID-19, which was not discovered until 2019. Furthermore, only one of 69 individuals who had received the flu shot tested positive for coronavirus—a frequency that precludes drawing a causal association between the flu shot and coronavirus detection.
Numerous claims circulating on social media tout untested diagnostic methods, preventions, treatments, and cures for COVID-19. While many of these are not harmful by themselves, they could potentially induce a false sense of security that causes individuals to ignore basic, tested precautionary measures such as frequent handwashing, disinfecting surfaces, avoiding touching the face, social distancing, and self-isolation when sick, which have all proven effective in slowing the spread of the pandemic.
There is no evidence supporting the claim that marijuana and ginger can cure COVID-19. To date, there is no specific treatment available for COVID-19, although clinical trials evaluating certain existing drugs are underway.
For more than a hundred years, scientists have accumulated scientific evidence supporting the notion that diseases are caused by pathogenic elements: “germs” such as bacteria or viruses can cause infection and gene mutations can cause genetic diseases or cancers. This scientific framework allowed for medical innovations such as antivirals, antibiotics and genetic tests. Alternative hypotheses, such as the terrain hypothesis, have been formulated but no data has been brought forth to support it.
There is no evidence to suggest that gargling salt water or vinegar, or partaking in many other home remedies, fight SARS-CoV-2 infection. Upon entering the body, the virus attaches to and enters cells in the airway where it takes over the cells’ machinery, producing more viral particles that spread to other cells. Because the virus hides out in the body’s own cells, it can not be targeted without also killing healthy, uninfected cells. Therefore, fighting viral infections relies on the body’s immune response.
People may become infected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, when they touch contaminated surfaces and transfer the virus to their eyes, nose, or mouth. However, it is not known how often this is likely to occur and there is no evidence that it is spreading quickly in this manner. Therefore, proper handwashing and cleaning surfaces with soap or other common disinfectants are effective ways to reduce the risk of contracting the virus from surfaces.
Some preliminary scientific publications report that SARS-CoV-2 may be less prevalent or less contagious in warm and humid climates. However global warming does not occur at a pace or magnitude that would prevent further SARS-CoV-2 propagation. In addition, scientists emphasize that virus propagation primarily depends on other factors such as existing immunity and there is currently no way to reliably predict the spread of COVID-19 on a warmer Earth.
Intravenous high-dose vitamin C has been used to treat patients with COVID-19 in certain Chinese hospitals, but it has not been recommended by the Shanghai government as claimed. The OMNS article also cherry-picks the treatment’s potential benefits from two reports, leaving out the potential side effects, including nausea and kidney stones, and failing to mention contraindications for pregnant women and individuals with cancer and other medical conditions.
There is no causal link between COVID-19 and 5G technology. The cause of the disease has been definitively identified in scientific studies as a novel coronavirus. 5G technology uses low-energy radio waves, which do not damage DNA or cells unlike ionizing radiation.
Every year in the U.S. is an election year, if taking into account midterm elections as well as presidential elections, and contrary to the claim, not every election year has had a disease outbreak, as implied in the claim. In addition, the transmissibility of the coronavirus, represented by the “basic reproduction number”, is still under study. Currently, the basic reproduction numbers reported for the virus causing COVID-19 range between around 2 to more than 6.
