Health2 min(s) read
Published 18:23 07 Apr 2020 GMT
As should be evident by now, COVID-19 is a highly infectious disease. In fact, in recent days, the number of cases of the novel coronavirus has exceeded 1 million worldwide. At the time of writing, there are currently 1,363,365 confirmed cases of the disease, per the John Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center.
But despite the alarming infection rate, there are some people out there who are spreading misinformation about the virus.
One particular individual has had a now-viral video removed from Facebook after telling his followers that it is "impossible" to catch a virus. (The video has since been reuploaded, but VT will not be sharing it.)
Related - A doctor in the UK has shared a breathing technique to help ease COVID-19 symptoms:
[[jwplayerwidget||https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/cyv9Q2Bp-izxriqNH.mp4||cyv9Q2Bp]]
Tom Barnett, an anti-vaxxer and one-time candidate with the Involuntary Medication Objectors Party, was slammed for telling his viewers that "the only way that you can catch a virus is by having it injected into your bloodstream."
He also downplayed the importance of social distancing guidelines and regularly washing your hands, saying in the video: "Pull your finger out, get outside and do normal things."
His claims have since been slammed by medical experts. For instance, Dr. Thomas Walker, M.D., an ear, nose & throat specialist based in Atlanta, Georgia told Lead Stories:
"His logic is that a virus is not a live organism, and because it's not a live organism, it cannot be contagious. For instance, look at hepatitis. If it were contagious, how come it's just affecting the liver and not the brain and not the heart, and if it's confined to one organ in your body, do you really think it can go between two people, let alone two species? It's just complete nonsense."
"Whether or not an agent is alive is irrelevant to the ability to be contagious," Dr. Walker added.
The doctor also used several well-known infections as examples of viruses that can be "caught" from another person. These include HIV, chickenpox, shingles, and herpes.
"A virus is clearly contagious. It is evidence-based medicine. This is what the science shows," Dr. Walker added.
The doctor also disputed Barnett's claim that the flu is viral and colds are bacterial. "Most colds are actually viral," Dr. Barnet explained. "The common cold is the rhinovirus. The vast majority of colds, which he claimed in the video are bacterial, is simply not true. Most colds, not just the flu, are also viral."
We are urging all of our readers to adhere to the advice from their respective governments and medical bodies, and practice social distancing and self-isolation where required. Together, we will beat this...
