Viral claims that holding your breath can test for COVID-19.
"Take a deep breath and hold your breath for more than 10 seconds," reads a post shared more than 24,000 times on a\xa0Cambodian Facebook page., "If you can do this successfully without coughing ...\xa0it shows that you do not have fibrosis and generally indicate (sic) no infection"., The post also recommends drinking water every 15 minutes to "wash" the virus "into the stomach", where it will apparently be killed by hydrochloric acid., Many Facebook users commented on the post, expressing gratitude for the "relevant precautions" or sharing their own advice to avoid infection by\xa0the novel coronavirus., The disease has killed more than 4,000 people around the world, mostly in China, since emerging late last year., "Similar claims have been circulating in\xa0Spanish, Portuguese and Cambodias official language Khmer.", Contacted by AFP, Karla Ronchini, infectologist at the Gaffrée e Guinle university hospital in Rio de Janeiro, said that holding one\s breath is simply "not a method" to test for COVID-19., "There is nothing people can do to know if they are infected, except have the test," she told AFP., World Health Organization (WHO) spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said there was "no evidence" to support the claims., WHO\xa0recommendations\xa0for preventing COVID-19 include washing hands regularly, covering your mouth when you cough or sneeze\xa0and staying at home\xa0if you feel unwell., Contacted by AFP, Fernando de la Hoz, an epidemiologist at the National University of Colombia in Bogota, said claims that successfully holding one\s breath to show the absence of "fibrosis" and therefore of the novel coronavirus were\xa0incorrect., "There is not enough time for the patient to develop fibrosis" in cases of COVID-19, he said. "It is a lung disease caused by chronic exposure, sometimes for years, to industrial pollutants.", AFP previously debunked claims that drinking water every 15 minutes can fend off the virus., The WHO said on Twitter that while drinking water is important, it "does not prevent coronavirus infection"., Q: If drinking water alleviates a sore throat, does this also protect against #2019nCoV infection?\n\t\tA: While staying hydrated by drinking water is important for overall health, it does not prevent coronavirus infection. pic.twitter.com/AWb1wK89Wj, Manuel Vargas, a virologist at the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium, said it was "not possible to wash away a virus" as it is found inside cells and is therefore\xa0impossible to reach., "It is not yet known if the structure of the virus is able to resist stomach acid," he added., AFP has published more than one hundred fact checks reporting on misinformation surrounding the novel coronavirus outbreak., , Copyright © AFP 2017-2020.  All rights reserved.  Users can access and consult this website and use the share features available for personal, private, and non-commercial purposes.  Any other use, in particular any reproduction, communication to the public or distribution of the content of this website, in whole or in part, for any other purpose and/or by any other means, without a specific licence agreement signed with AFP, is strictly prohibited.  The subject matter depicted or included via links within the Fact Checking content is provided to the extent necessary for correct understanding of the verification of the information concerned.  AFP has not obtained any rights from the authors or copyright owners of this third party content and shall incur no liability in this regard.  AFP and its logo are registered trademarks.
World Health Organization refutes viral claims that holding your breath can test for COVID-19 | AFP Fact Check