Rumors

With everyone communicating pretty much solely via social media now, there are so many rumors and things that keep getting passed around. My suggestion is to look at the source and do your own research to verify, though when it seems urgent, few people take the time to do that, in the name of trying to spread the word.

Gas pumps are a huge spreader of COVID-19: There is a post being shared a lot saying someone's friend is a doctor, and they were told at the hospital that lots of people are picking up the virus from gas pump handles, so you should use a paper towel when pumping gas. While I agree those handles are filthy and I always use caution with them, there's really no way to tell exactly what someone touched to pick up those germs. Gas pumps are just as likely as anything else, so just be cautious.

Hospitals want us to make homemade masks for doctors and nurses: I have seen so many people sharing instructions for making homemade fabric face masks. While these are legitimate items that some patients use in certain circumstances, they won't really help in this case where an N95 mask, that filters out particles of a certain size, is needed for medical professionals. Most hospitals won't be able to use your homemade masks. What they really need are N95 masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE) like goggles, gowns, and gloves. Places like mechanics, hardware shops, nail salons, tattoo parlors, labs, and other businesses that may use this type of equipment are encouraged to donate their supply to local hospitals, if needed.

There's a simple way to cure/prevent contracting COVID-19: If it were as simple as gargling vinegar or sucking on a lozenge or drinking de-acidified water or holding your breath every day or whatever the latest thing is, don't you think everyone would be doing that instead of sheltering at home or getting sick? There was one infographic I saw a lot a few weeks ago that Facebook finally started recognizing as untrue and blocking, but I still see others from time to time. Even the actual medical treatments they're researching right now, like repurposing malaria and antiviral drugs, are in an extremely experimental phase, having only been tested in a very small group of people, with no time to study short- and long-term outcomes. So while promising, we can't count on them just yet.

Anything with specific details on who and how the virus infects, or details about a treatment or vaccine: The truth is, we have known about this disease for only a couple months. We can't say that we have hard and fast rates on what ages or underlying conditions are most susceptible, how exactly people get infected, what specific symptoms they will have, etc. The virus just hasn't been studied that long, and outcomes have varied as it's spread, based on the population affected and how local governments have been handling things. Unless you are a doctor or researcher yourself, it's irresponsible to pass along medical information like this.