Cloth Masks, Wet Markets and 5G Towers Are Top Reasons for Coronavirus Concerns This Week
Welcome to our weekly discussion, now called the Coronavirus Roundtable. Once again, I’d love to hear what you’ve heard about our current pandemic, especially if it makes you think, “Yeah, is it really true?”
Last week, we talked about a controversy over whether health organizations should recommend that everyone wear masks. The CDC ended up saying yes if they were cloth masks . We’ve given some tips on what to know if you’re wearing a sheet mask , although the truth is, there isn’t much hard evidence for this.
In any case, many are now discussing the question: how to get a fabric mask? If you are sewing or you know someone who does it, no problem. But for everyone else, you are now trying to find an item that everyone suddenly needs, but which cannot be easily purchased in the store. There are two DIY options on the CDC page that don’t require sewing. Our social editor Tim Mulkerin also informed me that Etsy is seeing a boom in their handmade mask department:
One thing: don’t expect essential oils to protect you if you are using a mask. There’s a news anchor making a great bandana mask guide telling people that lavender and peppermint oils are “antibacterial” and “help fight germs.” COVID-19 is caused by a virus, not bacteria, and there is no reason to believe that applying essential oils to a bandana will do anything about the virus. (Nice smell in your mask that blocks disease? This is some crap from a 17th century plague doctor .)
In other news:
- People who already believed in 5G mobile network conspiracy theories recently claimed that 5G is somehow linked to the coronavirus, and this claim is not based on facts . This fresh conspiracy theory leaked to some celebrity social media accounts and allegedly led to attempts to damage 5G towers .
- Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, drugs used to treat malaria and autoimmune diseases, are still debated as worthy of trying in COVID-19 patients. This is despite the fact that panic buying has already triggered a shortage of these drugs, and widespread experimental use in COVID-19 patients may make it difficult or impossible to conduct a proper trial.
- The first cases of coronavirus in Wuhan were associated with a “wet market” that sold seafood and other food products. While some news stories have used terms such as “seafood market,” the word “wet market” is now associated in the public mind with disease, and now with a proposed ban on such markets . And so it can be helpful to know what the term actually means: dry markets sell haberdashery goods (clothing, electronics), and wet markets sell food of various types. Here is the video :
- It turns out panic buying wasn’t the only reason for the toilet paper shortage, and as a result, it can take a while for TP to be back in stock. Our finance writer Lisa Rowan will provide you with an explanation .
Here are a few things I’ve seen. And you? Have you noticed the misinformation? Have questions about what you see? Can’t figure out why we’re not talking about the worrying insert anymore here? Let me know in the comments. We can discuss and I can delve deeper into some of the popular or intriguing stories to post later this week.