Coronavirus: Garlic Water Cures Infection? Experts Debunk 10 Viral Myths

China has been taken over by the new coronavirus epidemic with death count jumping to 2,000 on Wednesday. An average of nearly 100 people are being consumed by the deadly virus every single day. Latest reports bring the total number of cases in the mainland past 74,000. The novel coronavirus, also called as 2019-nCoV, has now been detected in 23 countries, with more than 17,000 people confirmed to be infected.

The death count due to the novel coronavirus outbreak in China has surpassed the toll from the SARS outbreak on the mainland and Hong Kong almost two decades ago. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), a disease in the same family as the new coronavirus, left nearly 774 people dead in mainland China and Hong Kong in 2002-2003. More than 120 others died around the world.

Rumours, myths and misinformation about the novel coronavirus have spread online. Here’re myths about the virus debunked:

1. According to experts, coronavirus virus has a 2 per cent fatality rate so far and about 18% to 20% that may be in, kind of in the critical condition range. Even those in the hospital have probably a 98% chance of surviving. So, basically, it's not a death sentence.
2. Is the coronavirus is the most dangerous virus?  That is not true. There are a number of different viruses out there in the world. The Ebola virus disease has a much higher fatality rate associated with it.
3. Claims that the novel coronavirus can be cured overnight if sufferers drink freshly boiled garlic water have been shared online. The claim is false; medical experts said that there was no evidence to support the theory.
4. Several online posts say the novel coronavirus comes from the use of rhino horn. The claim is false as the dead tissue that rhino horn consists of also cannot sustain a virus, which needs living cells to replicate.
5. A story that has been shared in multiple posts on Facebook say that over 40,000 people have been killed by the virus. The claim is misleading: Chinese health authorities have recorded just over 74,000 so far.
6. Social media users claim that the new coronavirus discovered in the city of Wuhan may have been created in Canada and stolen by Chinese spies. This is false; Canadian health and federal police officials say it has no factual basis.
7. Facebook posts shared thousands of times claim the novel coronavirus strain is “a type of rabies”. Experts refuted the claim as “close to ridiculous”; experts say the viruses are innately different.
8. Can I contract the virus from letters and packages sent from China? No. According to the WHO, people receiving post from China are not at risk of catching the new coronavirus. The WHO knows from previous analysis that coronaviruses do not survive long on objects, such as letters or packages.
9. Can regularly rinsing your nose with saline help prevent infection with the new coronavirus? No. There is no evidence that regularly rinsing the nose with saline has protected people from infection with the new coronavirus. 
10. Does putting on sesame oil block the new coronavirus from entering the body? No. Sesame oil does not kill the new coronavirus. There are some chemical disinfectants that can kill the 2019-nCoV on surfaces. These include bleach/chlorine-based disinfectants, either solvents, 75% ethanol, peracetic acid and chloroform.