FEATURE
My t h B u sters: Vi ral edition B y
Q u i c k s i lv e r
Fact or Myth: The virus freely rides the wind. Thus, wearing face masks makes us immune from it.
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Busted. Catching the disease through the air is highly improbable. Like other Coronavirus strains, the COVID-19 is not airborne. Although lab tests have proven that the virus can suspend in the air for an extended amount of time, its potency of infection lowers through the passage of time, as there have been no confirmed lab tests that state that suspended COVD-19 particles are potent enough in infecting others. What is true though, is that the virus is carried by microscopic respiratory droplets called aerosol. The virus that is contained in tiny droplets of human aerosol travels at an average of 50mph in a cough, and of 100mph in a sneeze, both of which are capable of shooting 100,000 droplets. Lab tests have also showed that infected droplets can travel to distances of one to two meters before falling to the ground. And though face masks protect the surrounding people from your droplets, the not-so-flush fit of the surgical and common face masks still leaves a chance for infection, thus making social distancing a better tool of prevention than cloth masks.
Fact or Myth: The virus is just a super Saiyan version of the common cold
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Busted. Named after its pronged appearance, the Coronavirus is a large group of viruses which have varying degrees of lethality and transmissibility. COVID-19 does share resemblances with other coronaviruses, as all these diseases attack the upper respiratory tract. However, the COVID-19 did not evolve from the common colds, as these two viruses differ in structure and protein composition not to mention the degree of its lethality and rate of transmission, these two are nothing alike. The Corona or crown of this family of viruses are the spiny protuberances on their surfaces, the viruses utilize these prongs to infect and attack the host cells. Unlike the other more common viruses that affect a person mildly, the COVID-19 is one lethal crown of thorns. Early investigations believe that the COVID-19 came from a bat which has rapidly evolved into a literal breathtaking, economy-crashing, graduation-wrecking disease.
Fact or Myth: The virus was designed in the lab as a biological weapon
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Fact or Myth: Getting COVID-19 is an assurance of death
Busted. The latest data show us the number of cases surging close to the 2-million mark. With 1,995,557 total recorded cases, only 6.34% of these cases have died. A study disclosed by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention also disclosed that about 81% of people who infected with COVID-19 have mild symptoms respiratory, symptoms that range from sore throat to lethargy. About 13.8% experience severe sickness, that of which is manifested by the shortness of breath and the need for a continuous supply of oxygen, and about 4.7% are critical, the unlucky ones fall to severe respiratory failure, multiple organ failure, and death. With the global numbers crunched down, the numbers show that people recovering from the disease greatly outnumber those who die.
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Fact or Myth: If you have coronavirus, signs and symptoms will clearly manifest
Busted. One of the reasons why COVID-19 has spread around the globe so easily is that a person can be exposed to the virus but not show any symptoms for up to 14 days. The majority of those who have fallen ill have reported that they have not experienced any symptoms nor have seen any signs on their first 1-14 days of having contracted the virus. Feeling glee and symptom-free, the unknowing victims continue to mingle with other people, unbeknownst to the fact that they have become carriers of the virus. This is a common story that we hear from communities gravely stricken by the virus. However, after the asymptomatic period that can stretch up to 14 days, the infected begin to feel the symptoms that start from coughing to sore throat. Early commencement of fever, cough, diarrhea, difficulty in breathing and loss of energy are the combined symptoms often associated with the COVID-19 — but at the initial onset, no symptom may even be observed at all.
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Busted. Despite the circulating “statements of an escaped Chinese scientist argued that COVID-19 is man-made” making their way to the social media, there are still no irrefutable pieces of evidences that suggest that the virus is lab-grown. These propagandas, however, are believed to pin down the blame on one country, expecting liability and accountability. After extensive genome sequencing, Kristian Andersen, PhD, an associate professor of Scripps Research has said that the COVID-19 “Originated through natural processes,”. Leading researchers also trashed the ‘man-made virus’ idea by stating that no country has the capability to produce a disease of that caliber, yet. And so, amidst the intriguing origination stories which range from a bateating nation, to a furry-aroused Chinese man, one thing is for sure, and that is that the COVID-19 is not a man-made disease.
The Beacon Publications |
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