Seven Dangerous Lies Trump Spread About the Coronavirus
By: Shourya Agarwal
Tags: Election 2020, Politics, Health, Coronavirus, Science

Seven Dangerous Lies Trump Spread About the Coronavirus

Believing in this fake-news can cost you your life

Source: NBC News

Unfortunately, we are living in Post-Truth and the pandemic has been the biggest testament to that. The last nine months have been fraught with beserk misinformation often times sugar-coated with flimsy research. President Trump seems to have prized the cake for being the leading progenitor of medically incorrect pandemic literature. While it is virtually impossible to call out the fluff from the towering peaks of untruth, it is worthwhile to remind ourselves of the facts that pose serious medical risks for all. Here’s are seven lies that are absolutely ridiculous and you better be careful with them to save your life.

Anti-malarial drugs can treat Coronavirus

The POTUS has shown tremendous confidence in hydroxychloroquine as an effective treatment for the virus. Having stockpiled 63 million doses, one would expect the belief to be backed by some scientific rationale. However, the FDA has warned against taking the drug. Not to mention, that large observational studies have concluded that the drug has no effect on Covid-19 patients. Furthermore, the Trump administration's testing czar, Brett Giroir hs also cautioned against the consumption of this medicine. In case, you do contract the virus, please do not rely on self-medication of chloroquine. It's advisable to seek a proper medical opinion on the prognosis.

Coronavirus is as deadly as common flu

Trump has repeatedly drawn on home-spun data to compare Coronavirus to common flu. The latest instance occurred on 6th October when he was fresh out of Walter Reed. Experts from across the globe have warned against this misconception and have stated that the virus is much more hazardous than the flu. In terms of the statistics as well as in terms of their behavior the two viruses are not comparable. Any allusion to the flu would potentially mellow down the dangers associated with the virus, risking public health and safety. It is extremely important that we take this crisis seriously and refrain from comparisons that embolden callousness.

99 percent of the cases are totally harmless

On 4th July, Trump said that 99% of the cases are harmless and people should not be too bothered about the virus. Quickly defusing this belief WHO launched a statement establishing that about 15% of the cases can be severe with around 5 percent being critical. Moreover, Dr. Fauci has also lambasted the growing misconception that Covid-19 is predominantly a mild disease. Considering the voluminous medical opinion urging for caution, you should be as careful of the virus as you should be of falsehoods like this one.

Children are immune to Covid-19

On multiple occasions has the President claimed that people from ages 0–18 are virtually immune to the virus. However, this claim has been proven wrong time and time again by prominent medical experts and pandemic data. Studies conducted in the US and China have suggested that though children are showing mild symptoms it does not imply that they do not contract the virus. In fact, the CDC believes that about 7% of the cases have occurred in children. Additionally, because they do not show symptoms, children can act as potential carriers of the contagion for older adults. With little research conducted on the long-term impacts of the virus, we are playing in the dark about what the future might hold for the infected children. Therefore, falling for this fad would be exposing oneself to unforeseen dangers in the future.

The vaccine will be ready by Election Day

Donald Trump has expressed his trust in a vaccine becoming available before Election Day. With less than two weeks to 3rd November, experts have warned against waiting for a cure before the deadline. On catching the disease now, one must not wait for the vaccine and immediately follow the established medical protocol. Waiting for a cure must not deter you from deferring your medical help under the pretext that a vaccine would happen in a short while. Such a false belief can lead to extremely devastating consequences.

Injecting Bleach kills Covid-19

On April 23, Trump stated that injecting bleach can be a potential measure against the virus. In his defense, he did roll back the statement and claimed that he was being sarcastic. However, after his remarks, the damage has been done with disinfectant poisoning cases shooting up across the country. In an unrelated case, around 500 people succumbed to methanol poisoning in Iran over Covid related rumors. This shows how dangerous unscientific claims can be when they stem from the helm of leadership. For all intents and purposes, intravenous injections of disinfectants will do nothing but take life and the populace must be crystal clear about that.

Mexicans are responsible for spreading the virus

The President has held no barrels when accusing Mexicans of spreading the contagion in the US borders. With the extreme xenophobia aside, this statement has come under scrutiny by medical experts. Such a belief is baseless and incendiary with the medical reports identifying no relation between the spread and immigration. Even after we have overcome the virus, such strains of hatred can continue to plague our society if we fall for such fallacious beliefs. Falling for this lie would make you more susceptible to unwarranted stereotypes.