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Dispelling Coronavirus Rumors

The rumor mill is particularly harmful in such a global health issue. I’ve heard of racist attacks, people touting ‘silver liquids’, garlic, sesame oil, rasam powder, drinking cow’s urine, lemon juice, drinking bleach, and so many un-proven and completely false solutions to COVID-19.

Turmeric root and powder, Rumors regarding spices.

I am purposely not linking any links as I do not want to legitimize these claims. The following is a list of some ‘claims’ that can be easily corrected. Please read in full for context.

  1. Just because the virus originated in Wuhan does not mean that all Asians are infected. Don’t let your fears make you a racist. Be respectful of all people and animals.
  2. You cannot get the virus from eating Chinese food.
  3. People are touting commonly found spices and mixes (garlic, sesame oil, olive oil, oregano, rosemary, asafetida, a.k.a hing, turmeric, rasam powders, lemon juice etc.) as cures against all viruses:  Logically, if it worked, China, India, and Italy would not have any people who were affected.
  4. Drinking bleach will corrode your mouth, your esophagus, and affect your breathing, ultimately injuring your lungs and breathing so much that death is hastened.
  5. Drinking cow urine or eating cow dung is not only useless, but actually dangerous. Coronaviruses are typically zoonotic meaning they are transmitted from animals to human. (humans are technically animals, however the medical industry makes a specific distinction). Although the current coronavirus (beta version) resulting in COVID-19 is thought to sourced from a bat, it is very dangerous to willfully consume unsterilized cow urine, dung.
  6. Silver liquids – There is no known study that proves this to work for any disease let alone a brand-new health issue.
  7. Dogs are not transmitting coronavirus to humans. Please don’t abandon, kill, or eat your pet. None of those measures will help your health.
  8. People only need to wait for a few months and the coronavirus will disappear. This is accurate for ‘some’ viruses only, but it is not necessarily proven in the case of COVID-19. If warm weather was a deterrent to this specific virus, then India, Sri-Lanka, Saudi-Arabia, Egypt, Nigeria, Senegal, UAE, and Qatar would not have seen any confirmed cases. These places have a typical temperature much higher than the winter temperatures in the United States, or Europe. Click here to find out which countries have been affected.

I will add any ridiculous rumor to this list as needed.

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Main Coronavirus, COVID-19 article

I’ve written some posts on the ongoing situation. This will be the main article with updated links as I keep adding to the information regarding the pandemic.

Please share this article to help others.

Articles listed in order of ‘oldest’ to ‘latest’. (Last updated 1:45 PM PST, March 9th 2020)

  1. Click here to access article on understanding relevant terms surrounding the COVID-19 disease.
  2. Click here to access article on masks
  3. Click here for some basic information on how to protect yourself and cleanliness tips.
  4. Read about how to make your own hand-sanitizer.
  5. Dispelling coronavirus rumors
  6. Read beyond your favorite media source and government’s medical authority.
  7. CDC frustrations and Washington state new test.
  8. Letter to Governor Kate Brown re: Coronavirus response.
  9. Who is at risk? Discussion on WHO guidelines and neglected populations.
  10. Being Calm yet Cautious.
  11. WHO update on the ‘Pandemic’ criteria, and recovery rates.

Please note: I am not a medical doctor. I am an ex-researcher and a biochemist.

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Make your own hand sanitizer – Coronavirus COVID-19

The following is a procedure on how to make your own hand sanitizer at home with ready to purchase ingredients. Making your own version is easy, but you must follow the instructions exactly.

Do not add your own steps. Do not substitute.

It is very important to note: If you buy a different percentage of alcohol, then the ultimate needed concentration of 60 % alcohol will be affected.

Aloe vera gel can be your choice, the most important thing is to get the right concentration of isopropyl alcohol.

The following is how I would make the hand sanitizer. I am an ex-researcher and a biochemist.

Keep things ready:

Do the following BEFORE starting to make the mixture. This will make your life easier and you won’t waste time, and hopefully not scald yourself with boiling water. Please be careful with super hot stuff around kids, pets, and yourself.

  • Clean kitchen surfaces.
  • Wash your hands with soap, friction, and running water.
  • Boil water on the stove. Do not microwave it, microwaving plain hot water causes hot spots and it creates small bursts that might scald you.
  • While the water is boiling, keep a glass measuring cup (pyrex) and a stainless-steel spoon ready.
  • Keep your ingredients, alcohol, gel + a new plastic jar/container ready.
  • Don’t keep the bottle of isopropyl alcohol open for no reason. If it tips over, you’ll lose the essential ingredient. Additionally the high concentrated alcohol will evaporate in air over time.
  • DO NOT breathe in the alcohol. Another suggestion – Keep windows open while making this concoction, specially if you have a small kitchen or space.
  • DO NOT eat/drink/ or consume the alcohol or sanitizer except in the prescribed manner.

Procedure

  1. Take boiling hot water and pour it into your measuring cup (glass) and add a stainless-steel spoon into the same glass cup. Do not use plastic measuring cups or spoons. Dunk the entire spoon in the hot water and let it soak for a few minutes. In the meanwhile, wash your hands with regular hot water from the tap.
  2. If you wait until the glass cup gets ‘cool’ to the touch, then it will be too late to continue next steps. Restart with boiling hot water.
  3. Throw out the hot water from the glass cup, but do not wipe the glass cup with a towel, as it’ll contaminate it again.
  4. Fill the cup with the aloe vera gel FIRST to the 82 mL mark. If you do this step first, then when the liquid is added it won’t splash as much.
  5. Add 170 ml alcohol to the 250 mL mark. When doing this, do NOT inhale the alcohol, it will make you dizzy. Typically chemists take shallow breaths when handling such volatile (things that evaporate really fast in room temperature).
  6. Mix with a CLEAN spoon (the one you’ve soaked in boiling water).
  7. Now fill it into a clean container.

Notes: Please read the following before you start making the mixture.

  • Please don’t add other stuff (fragrances, essential oils etc.)
  • Since you are using home/kitchen measuring cups that are not as accurate or precise as laboratory equipment, it would be prudent to use higher than needed quantities of the isopropyl alcohol.
  • If your original container of isopropyl alcohol (IPA/rubbing alcohol) is super large (like Costco or some obnoxious size) then transfer to a clean sterilized container (general cup, glass) before measuring it out. Otherwise transferring from a super large container to a small cup will result in a lot of splashing and wastage.
  • By using these quantities, even if you make a slight mistake of one teaspoon etc. you will have a concentration that is higher than 60 %.
  • Please attempt to be as accurate and precise as possible when measuring the liquid.
  • Even if you add a little less of the gel, it is okay.
  • DO NOT add too much gel, as that will lessen the total percentage of alcohol concentration.

If you have excess isopropyl alcohol left, keep it. You can make another batch, or use it to make a hand spray. DO NOT waste.