Authorities have been trying to contain the novel coronavirus outbreak by keeping tabs on potential cases. But they might need to be on the lookout for another problem: misinformation.
You’d think that the novel coronavirus outbreak is giving people enough to worry about. But there’s an outbreak of another sort that’s playing on public fears: an outbreak of misinformation.
This post circulating on messaging apps claims that people can fend off novel coronavirus as long as they drink hot water. Experts say that that’s too good to be true.
The premise behind this idea is that the coronavirus cannot survive in environments between 26-27 degrees Celsius. Medical professional Ho Mei-hsiang tells us that novel coronavirus actually thrives in that kind of environment. Of course, drinking water is a healthy habit, but it won’t kill a virus.
There’s another rumor out there that the new coronavirus cannot survive for more than half an hour over 56 degrees Celsius, so it’s best to crank up the heat or hit the sauna. Ho says if you heat yourself up to 56 degrees, odds are you’ll die along with any viruses.