Name: Chronically Ill Person Reacts to Coronavirus Myths [CC]
Uploaded: 2020-03-27T18:56:18.000Z
Duration: 17 min 25 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

The novel coronavirus epidemic is a double outbreak: the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus

responsible for the disease covid-19, but also a pandemic of misinformation. In moments

of heightened tension, misinformation can sometimes be worse than a virus.

Panic induced rumours can result in a phenomenon known as “the worried well”, where people

who don’t have the virus read something silly online like “all people with an index

finger longer than their ring finger are carriers for coronavirus, everyone else is safe”

Then overwhelm the health system which reduces its ability to care for those who genuinely

Misinformation can also have the opposite effect, meaning people who DO have the virus

think they’re totally safe because their Aunt Susan shared a Facebook post that says

if you were born on a Monday you’re fine and don’t have to practice social distancing

because you’re basically half mermaid anyway.

They then blithely skip around touching stuff with their infected hands and spreading the

virus everywhere before their actual symptoms kick in 2 to 10 days later because, wow, half

Unfortunately whilst there is no known cure for Coronavirus a number of myths have been

spreading around and it’s those we’ll be busting today! Some are useless but some

If you’re watching this video in the near-or-distant future when this whole ‘oh my god is this

the apocalypse?!’ thing has blown over then cheers to you! Also, really relieved you still

- because obviously that’s the real worry (!)

If you’re new to this channel, hi, that’s sarcasm. Please subscribe. Not sarcasm. I’m

Jessica, a chronically ill person who makes educational yet sassy videos about life with

Not that my life would be that different if I was straight. I must be in a parallel universe

Wow, I’m so gay I can’t even imagine being straight.

I thought it was important to make a video about the coronavirus, firstly because it’s

all that anyone can talk about at the moment so not talking about it seems strange-

- I had a really fun video that was meant to come out today but instead will be coming

out on Friday. Because we need entertainment in difficult times too.

And secondly, because, as someone who deals with being ill every single day, watching

healthy people panic about the possibility of being so is very trippy. You don’t seem

to be helping yourselves out either as there is a lot of passing misinformation around.

And thus, we’re going to break down the biggest myths currently floating around about

[PSA] The best way to protect yourself against COVID-19 is by frequently cleaning

your hands. By doing this you eliminate viruses that may be on your hands and avoid infection

that could occur by then touching your eyes, mouth, and nose.

Because sometimes you just need a very British person to tell you to CALM DOWN.

Also, I’m in the ‘at risk’ category of people and even if the virus just gives

you some mild, flu-like symptoms, you passing it to me could actually kill me.

I’ve already had pneumonia. It sucked worse than anything. And I never, never, EVER, want

I’ll start with a massive disclaimer that I’m not a doctor, just an ill person who

spends a lot of time in her house researching things on the internet. My myth-busting information

has been gathered from medical professionals and briefings from the World Health Organisation

- Who actually do know more than your kooky Aunt Susan who shares Facebook posts about

Myth: Holding your breath without coughing means you don’t have the virus.

According to social media, if you take a deep breath, hold it for 10 second and don’t

cough then you have no fibrosis or infection in the lungs and thus don’t have the coronavirus

so you’re free to go about your merry way.

HOWEVER, according to the American Lung Foundation, fibrosis or scarring of the lungs can occur

due to infections, medications, genetics or diseases but whilst being unable to hold your

breath for 10 seconds without coughing MAY occur when you have fibrosis, it is not a

Additionally, as we should all know by now, you don’t need to have lung fibrosis to

have coronavirus, you don’t even need any symptoms at all!

Sidenote: Don’t glare at people in public when they cough, okay? They may just have

- You can glare at them if they don’t cover their mouth when they cough though, that’s

If you are having breathing difficulties you should seek urgent medical care but please

remember that just because you started coughing whilst holding your breath for 10 seconds,

that does not mean you definitely have the virus or that, even if you do, it will cause

Myth: coronavirus only affects older people

People of all ages can be infected by the new coronavirus. Older people and those of

all ages with pre-existing medical conditions, particularly those that have an impact on

their respiratory or immune functions do appear to be more vulnerable to becoming severely

ill but young people can also become ill or carry the virus. So:

Myth: antibiotics will protect against the virus

No. But at least you’ve moved on from gargling bleach.

Antibiotics do not work against viruses, only bacteria. Antibiotics should not be used as

a means of prevention or treatment in the case of coronavirus.

However if you are hospitalised you may receive antibiotics

Myth: drinking water every 15 minutes flushes out the virus

There is currently a post going around Facebook which recommends drinking water every 15 minutes

to flush out any virus that might have entered the mouth. So it will go into your stomach.

Also what, the people who are infected  do not drink ever?

Professor Trudie Lang at University of Oxford says there is “no biological mechanism”

for washing a respiratory virus down into your stomach to kill it. They enter the body

when you breathe them in and, yes, some of them might go into your mouth but drinking

won’t prevent it from getting in through your nose… or eyes… or mouth even.

Still, staying hydrated is good for your immune system.

Subtitles ListPlay Video

Chronically Ill Person Reacts to Coronavirus Myths [CC]

significant

immune

eliminate

panic