The Coronavirus that originated in Wuhan has led a lots of people to seek advice in WeChat groups, to appease their anxieties – however as we’re sure you’ve noticed, this can create a lots of unverified and contradictory information. And lots of panic. We uncover the true or false on all the myths floating around.
Misinformation during this time has spread rapidly, from homemade cures, to winged carriers, so we’ve made an overview of which rumours to take note of, and which to ignore;
新冠疫情导致人们在微信群组中提出各种疑问，借以减轻他们的焦虑——然而这导致了许多未经证实或自相矛盾的信息出现。我们做了一个概览，其中包括你该知道的正确真相。
Alcohol or smoking can prevent the virus饮酒和吸烟有助于抵御病毒
True or False? 真的假的？False! 假
Fact: On January 22, Li Lanjuan, expert from the National Health Commission of the PRC said in an interview that the new coronavirus is not resistant to alcohol and high temperatures. As a result, the topic became highly discussed on social media, and the fake news related to “drinking strong alcohol against coronavirus” spread rapidly. In this regard, Li Lanjuan and other experts said that medical alcohol can be used for disinfection, especially 75% medical alcohol. It does not mean that drinking alcohol can help resist the virus, as the alcohol content is totally different. Besides, drinking can weakening your body’s immune system and general health.
事实:1月22日，中华人民共和国国家卫生健康委员会专家李兰娟在接受采访时表示，这种新型冠状病毒对酒精和高温没有抵抗力。这一话题在社交媒体上引起了激烈的讨论，同时“喝烈性酒可以对抗冠状病毒”的假新闻迅速传播开来。其实，李兰娟等专家指出的是，医用酒精，特别是75%浓度的医用酒精可以用来消毒。这并不意味着喝酒可以帮助抵抗病毒，因为酒精的含量是完全不同的。相反酗酒还会对免疫系统和自身健康造成不良影响。
Shuang huang lian helps you get rid of the virus双黄连能有治愈病毒
True or False? 真的假的？False! 假
Fact: Shuanghuanglian, a Chinese medicine, containing three herbal ingredients, was cited as being effective in containing the novel coronavirus infection by a joint research between Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica under Chinese Academy of Sciences and Wuhan Institute of Virology. The news was also reported by People’s Daily soon after. It emerged as the most searched topic on Chinese Twitter-like Weibo. People rushed to purchase the medicine online and offline, resulting in it to go off the shelves in quick succession.
事实:双黄连口服液是一种有中草药成分的流行中成药，根据中科院上海药物研究所和武汉病毒学研究所的联合研究显示，双黄连口服液能有效抑制新型冠状病毒感染。随着《人民日报》也报道了这一消息，这成为微博上搜索最多的话题。人们纷纷在网上和线下购买这种药，导致它很快就售罄下架。
However, on Feb.1st, the institute announced that the research content was correct, however, the study is based in vitro experiment. There is no specific anti-viral treatment recommended against coronavirus infection so far, and the fastest virus vaccine to do clinical trials is around late April.
2月1日，研究所再次声明研究内容是无误的，然而，研究对象只是通过实验室的体外试验证明双黄连可以抑制病毒。到目前为止，还没有针对冠状病毒感染的特定药物，最快能进行临床试验的疫苗也在4月下旬才能推进。
Pets Can Transmit Coronavirus to Humans 宠物会传播病毒给人类
True or False? 真的假的？False! 假
Fact: From the WHO report, the animal source of the 2019-nCoV has not yet been identified. At present, there is no evidence that companion animals or pets such as cats and dogs have been infected or have spread 2019-nCoV.
事实:根据世界卫生组织的报告，此次疫情爆发的来源尚未确定。目前，还没有证据表明伴侣动物或宠物，如猫和狗会感染或传播病毒。
Vitamin C helps protect against the virus 维生素C可以预防病毒
True or False? 真的假的？False! 假
Fact: Online posts claim that vitamin C can “slow or stop” the new Coronavirus, though there is no known cure for the virus at this time. While it’s true that vitamin C can have a marginal effect on warding off a cold, there’s no evidence that it can stop or treat the new coronavirus.
事实:据报道，武汉正在进行维生素C补充剂的临床试验以帮助治疗新型冠状病毒肺炎，因此公众十分好奇，服用维生素C是否有助于预防病毒。中国食品信息中心的阮广丰解释，维生素C有助于提高免疫力的说法源于人们对感冒的认识，这是没有科学根据的。
Antibiotics help against the virus抗生素可以预防病毒
True or False? 真的假的？False! 假
Fact: Antibiotics do not work against viruses; they only work on bacterial infections. The novel coronavirus is a virus and, therefore, antibiotics should not be used as a means of prevention.
事实:抗生素对病毒无效，它们只对细菌感染有效。因此，抗生素是一种防御手段。
No N95 mask? Medical surgical masks can help
若买不到N95口罩，医用外科口罩也可以防护
True or False? 真的假的？True! 真
Fact: Wearing a medical mask can help limit the spread of some respiratory disease. However, using a mask alone is not guaranteed to stop infections and should be combined with other prevention measures including hand and respiratory hygiene and avoiding close contact – at least 1 meter (3 feet) distance between yourself and other people.
事实: 戴医用口罩有助于抵御某些呼吸道疾病的传播。然而，单独使用口罩并不能保证阻止感染，还应与其他预防措施相结合，包括手部和呼吸道卫生，避免与人的密切接触等。
Since the outbreak, the shortage of medical supplies has been a weakness in the prevention and control of the epidemic. And the key medical supplies N95 masks are for front-line medical staff, WHO advises on rational use of medical masks thus avoiding unnecessary wastage of precious resources and potential misuse of masks.
疫情爆发以来，医疗物资短缺一直是疫情防控的薄弱环节。主要医疗用品N95口罩是供前线医护人员使用，世卫组织也建议大众合理使用口罩，避免不必要地浪费资源。
Wearing more masks can resist the virus 带多层口罩可以抵御病毒
True or False? 真的假的？False! 假
Fact: Dr. Zhong Nanshan has said that it is not even necessary to wear a mask rated for N95, as surgical masks can block most of the spreading droplets in which the virus travels. Some people are take extreme measure by wearing multiple masks, the fact is as long as you use the qualified products and make sure to wear them properly, there’s no point to wear more than 1 mask. A facemask is less effective in preventing the virus after being disinfected through spraying alcohol. However, in places where the epidemic is less severe, disposable facemasks can be reused as long as its inner layer is unsoiled.
事实:钟南山院士说普通人甚至不需要戴N95口罩，因为医用口罩就可以阻止病毒传播的大部分飞沫。有部分人采取极端措施，戴多个口罩试图防疫。事实上只要你使用合格的产品，并正确佩戴，没有必要戴一个以上的口罩。口罩经喷酒精消毒后，对病毒的预防效果较差。然而，在疫情不那么严重的地方，只要口罩的内层没有被污染，可以喷洒酒精后重复使用口罩。
If you don’t open your windows the virus can’t get in关窗可以隔绝病毒
True or False? 真的假的？False! 假
Fact: Issues relating to aerosol often come up when people want to know how to protect themselves from respiratory diseases. When people sneeze or cough, they may spray big droplets but the droplets do not stay suspended in the air for long. They fall. Health care procedures like intubation can spray small droplets into the air. The major routes of transmission now are still through droplets and direct contact. The droplets spread usually shorter than two meters. In fact, the fresh air will serve to air out your house and make it a more pleasant and healthy environment.
事实：呼吸道传染疾病经常会出现与气溶胶有关的问题。人们打喷嚏或咳嗽时，他们可能会喷出大的唾液和飞沫，但不会在空气中停留很长时间。唾液下降，细小的飞沫会喷向2米左右。目前病毒传播的主要途径仍然是通过飞沫和直接接触。事实上，新鲜空气将有助于房屋通风，使它成为一个健康透气的环境。
Eating lots of garlic resist the virus吃大蒜可以抵御病毒
True or False? 真的假的？False! 假
Fact: Rumors said eating garlic could protect people from getting infected with the new coronavirus. There is no evidence that eating garlic does help, although garlic is thought that it may have some slight antimicrobial properties.
事实:有传言说吃大蒜可以防止感染新型冠状病毒。目前没有证据表明吃大蒜有帮助，尽管大蒜是一种健康食品，可能有一些抗菌特性。
Eating curry can prevent from getting the virus吃咖喱可以抵御病毒
True or False? 真的假的？False! 假
Fact: This rumor came from when 700 Indians came back from Wuhan are confirmed uninfected. People start to believe that eating curry can prevent you from getting the virus. Whether it is curry or other seasonings, you can’t just eat healthy foods and get the benefits right away, plus there’s no proof that curry can help resist the virus.
事实:这个谣言来自700名从武汉回来的印度人被证实没有感染的新闻。人们开始相信吃咖喱可以预防感染病毒。无论是咖喱还是其他调料，只吃健康的食物就不可能马上生效受益，而且没有证据表明咖喱可以帮助抵抗病毒。
Heater or air conditioners can eliminate the virus暖气或空调可以杀死病毒
True or False? 真的假的？False! 假
Fact: CCDC said the virus can be killed when temperature reached 56 ℃, they only claimed the coronavirus is sensitive to heat, and 56℃ hot water for 30 minutes can effective eliminate the live virus. Therefore, your heater or AC cannot help with this.
事实:中国疾病预防控制中心表示，冠状病毒对热敏感，56℃热水30分钟可有效灭活病毒。显然你的暖气和空调在这一点上帮不上忙。
Sources: China Daily, WHO, CCDC, Factcheck.org
消息来源：中国日报、世界卫生组织、中国疾控中心、Factcheck.org
Challenging silly rumours is important. At this stage, we encourage you not to believe of spread any rumours.
谣言止于智者，现阶段我们希望大家都不要轻易信谣传谣。因为谣言比疫情更产生恐慌。
Any ridiculous rumours we missed ? 你还有听过的荒唐谣言吗？Let us know!欢迎留言科普告诉我们
