Warning over fake DIY coronavirus test that involves stopping breathing for 10 seconds – The Sun
A WARNING has been issued over a fake DIY coronavirus test that involves stopping breathing for 10 seconds.
The advice – which falsely claimed to be from Stanford University, Japanese doctors, and Taiwanese experts – emerged on the internet last week.
The fake social media post was shared through Facebook, What's App, and Twitter.
It read: "Taiwan experts provide a simple self-check that we can do every morning.
“Take a deep breath and hold it for more than 10 seconds.
"If you complete it successfully without discomfort, stuffiness or tightness, it proves there is no fibrosis in the lungs, basically indicating no infection.”
Medical experts, the World Health Organization, and Stanford University have since rejected the claims – but social media users continue to share the incorrect info.
California's Stanford University tweeted on Friday: "Misinformation about COVID-19 symptoms and treatment falsely attributed to Stanford is circulating on social media and in email forwards.
"It is not from Stanford. Official information from Stanford is available at http://healthalerts.stanford.edu."
On Thursday, Dr. Robert Legare Atmar, an infectious disease specialist at Baylor College of Medicine, told The Associated Press that there is no clear evidence that coronavirus causes 50 percent pulmonary fibrosis.
According to experts, the 10 second breathing can not genuinely determined if someone has the virus.
Atmar said: “This approach may be helpful in identifying persons with more serious lung disease.
"But it will not identify persons who are infected and have mild to no symptoms.”
The erroneous post also stated that drinking water every 15 minutes will kill the virus.
“While staying hydrated by drinking water is important for overall health, it does not prevent coronavirus infection,” the WHO Philippines tweeted on February 7.
There are many things beyond coronavirus that could lead to restricted breathing, including asthma, anxiety or heart disease, according to Dr. Gregory Poland, head of vaccine research at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
Any one of these healthy problems could make it difficult to hold your breath for 10 seconds, Poland said.
There have been more than 2,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the US.
Facebook is working to reduce the spread of coronavirus and offered some tips on what to look out for.
They social media platform suggested being skeptical of headlines, looking closely at links, investigating the source, watching for unusual formatting, considering photos, inspecting dates, checking evidence, and comparing other reports.
The deadly virus has spread to 49 states, and President Trump announced that he had tested negative on Saturday night.
Trump confirmed the US broadened its European coronavirus travel ban to include the UK and Ireland.
The White House had previously declared a travel ban to Europe, with the exception to the UK and Ireland – but that changes as of Monday.
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