Daily Times

Coronavirus or nCoV has already claimed around 425 lives with more than 20,000 fresh cases in China. The virus is said to have been spread to 28 countries with 3 confirmed cases in Kerala. Coronavirus outbreak has already crossed the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) numbers and has claimed several lives across the globe. As deadly as this virus is, what is deadlier are the misconceptions related to it. There are a few food-related misconceptions that are doing the rounds on the internet and the social media, and with this people are also getting confused as to what to eat and what not!

IS ‘SEAFOOD’ SAFE TO EAT? — Coronavirus is reported to have started from Wuhan, China and in the wet markets where people come every day to shop for meats. In these markets, people sell and buy all kinds of meats – chicken, seafood, mutton, sheep, pig and even snakes. Because of this very reason, people in India are doubting if they should eat seafood. To put a rest to this confusion, it has been said that its safe to eat seafood in India as no such link between sea animals and coronavirus has been established.

Recently, a Chinese vlogger posted a video of herself enjoying a ‘bat soup’. This gave rise to several claims that coronavirus is being spread through bat meat, which scientists believe can be true. Coronavirus is a zoonotic disease and spreads from animals to people. Though various claims have been made for bat meat, nothing conclusive has been established

HAS THIS ORIGINATED FROM BAT MEAT? — recently, a Chinese vlogger posted a video of herself enjoying a ‘bat soup’. This gave rise to several claims that coronavirus is being spread through bat meat, which scientists believe can be true. Coronavirus is a zoonotic disease and spreads from animals to people. Though various claims have been made for bat meat, nothing conclusive has been established. Scientists ares till exploring the link between bat, snake and corona virus.

CORONAVIRUS SPREADS FROM ‘CORONA BEER’ — this misconception came into being from the fact that ‘Corona’ is a name of both, the virus and the beer, which actually means crown in Latin that refers to the characteristic appearance of the virus particles. People started searching for Corona beer, which is a popular beer brand and is available across the world. This confusion got in the news because of the similarity in their names. As per inconclusive reports, Corona has even offered up to $15 million to help change the Coronavirus’s name to the ‘BudLightVirus’.

CAN GARLIC HELP IN FIGHTING NCOV? — as per various sources, it has been believed that garlic can actually help in fighting this deadly infection. The organosulfur compound and the antimicrobial properties of garlic are undoubtedly exceptional and can help in fighting diseases like cancer. However, there is no proof that garlic can help in the disease.

EATING MEAT-BASED DISHES CAN CAUSE CORONAVIRUS — another misconception doing the rounds is that one should completely prohibit the usage of meat, as this virus spreads from animals to people. What people need to understand is that, nothing has been established so far and it is completely safe to eat non-vegetarian food in India. The only thing that you need to take care of is that the meat has been hygienically cooked and should not be raw, which is the best way to prevent any disease transmitted through animal meat.