The infodemic from the pandemic Covid-19 untruths!

Misinformation and half truths are very dangerous in our current situation. It is really important that you arm yourself with the truth so you can make informed choices. Time is of the essence.

The pandemic will be over in 2 weeks: This is totally untrue. In fact it will be a lot worse in 2 weeks especially if people don't start to take the instructions of Public Health specialists including the CDC seriously. Your family and your community needs your help to stop this from going into the summer.

Viruses are like bacteria, you can kill them with antibiotics: Not true viruses are organisms with no cell walls, they have a core of nuclear material surrounded by a protein capsule. The capsule of this virus looks like a crown, that is why it is called corona.  They release the nuclear material into your cells when they infect you causing a reaction. Their structure is completely different from bacteria and that it why antibiotics don't work on them. Just like they don't work on fungal infections.

There is medication that can cure the virus: Once again untrue. There is no medication that can prevent or cure the virus! It is possible that there is medication that can mitigate the symptoms, the associated co-morbidities (i.e the other things that happen like respiratory failure and cytokine storm) and the viral load (the amount of virus in someone's system). None are proven effective and are certainly not appropriate for prevention. The one 'study' in France on hydroxychloroquine actually showed that more patients on hydroxychloroquine ended up being transferred to the ICU than the group without. There is no conspiracy to deprive people of life-saving medication that works!
We often use azithromycin (Z-pak) for the secondary lung infections that people get sometimes when they get the flu and so this is also used sometimes in Covid-19 patients in the same way. If this antibiotic is overused however, as with all antibiotics, infections will become resistant and they don't work anymore.

The main way you get the virus is someone coughing in your face: You can get it that way but that is not the main method of transmission. You are far more likely to introduce it to your respiratory tract with your hands. Wash them all the time, wear gloves and keep your hands off your face! Every time you are handed back your credit card use hand sanitizer and again when pushing elevator buttons or turning doorknobs. It is obvious when someone coughs in your space besides you are supposed to be keeping a 6 foot distance from others anyway.

The virus will be gone when it gets warmer: This is not the flu, this is a novel virus. We don't know if it has seasonal prevalence or not. There are countries that are way hotter than ours which are battling the virus right now, don't bank on the heat taking care of it! Having said that, if you have a home sauna feel free to use it frequently. The sauna heats up your core temperature and makes you sweat which detoxifies and makes your body unfriendly to the virus. This is why we generate a fever when we are sick the body is trying to kill the virus.

It is not as bad as they say: No, it is WORSE!

Some people are immune: Not true, unless you are from Wuhan, China. No one is immune because it is a novel virus. Everyone is equally likely to get infected if they don't take precautions. Doesn't matter if you are a prince or a pauper, white collar or blue collar, big or small, black or white.

Black people don't get the corona virus: read above.

Don't use aspirin or Ibuprofen if you have the virus: This is true, it can make the condition worse.

Men are more likely to get infected and die from the virus:  True, reasons are unclear currently but all over the globe this has been the case. However this is a relatively useless piece of information because everyone still needs to do all the things I have advised but......if it makes men sit up and take notice so much the better.

Everyone who wants to get tested for corona virus 19 can: False! Because of lack of foresight from our leadership there are very few tests available. The number of tests are totally insufficient for everyone in Maryland let alone the rest of the country. Most testing stations will test a maximum of 500 people a day and only people who have symptoms or are medical staff or first responders. Forget about getting tested for now and act as if you have the virus. Prevention is better than cure and this has never been truer.

You should go to the ER if you feel sick: False. Only go to the ER or Urgent care if you have difficulty breathing with a high fever. Why?  Many reasons. Because the resources are very meager right now and beds are scarce. You may not have Covid on the way in but could come out with it on the way out! You expose the hospital staff to unnecessary risk.
The correct protocol is to call first, even if you are going to the ER (if you are not that ill do not clog up their lines).

Dr. Tuakli's pledge: True! As always, I will serve my patients to the best of my ability during this crisis. I will stay open and available as long as I can. My goal is to keep you adequately informed and dispel misinformation. Last but not least I will try my hardest to keep my patients from having to access acute care institutions like hospitals and urgent care. Remember you can always call me, we can help you on the phone, do video calls and in-office consults. Do not wait until you are gravely ill to contact me. I am here for you. Let's work together, be transparent and disseminate truthful information.