Fact vs. Fiction: Local doctors help debunk COVID-19 myths

Fact vs. Fiction: Local doctors help debunk COVID-19 myths
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MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- With so much uncertainty still surrounding COVID-19, it can be confusing knowing what’s true and what’s not.

The virus has become a common enemy for humans, but the doctors say misinformation is just as dangerous.

Meet Dr. Tito Izard of Milwaukee Health Services, Inc. and Dr. Hammad Haider-Shah of Aurora Health.

The two gave CBS 58 their time answering some viewer questions.

We’ll start with the myth that face masks aren’t needed.

“If I wear a mask I don’t need to social distance anymore, I can be next to anybody that I want to be. And so that’s obviously not true," said Dr. Hammad Haider-Shah, CMO at Aurora West Allis Medical Center.

“You might have walked into a space that someone else was in a few minutes earlier, 15 minutes earlier and there still could be viral particles present," said Dr. Tito Izard, MD, president and CEO of Milwaukee Health Services, Inc.

You may have heard that sunshine kills the virus. Well, that’s not completely false.

Dr. Haider-Shah said UV rays can work, but don’t yet rush outside.

“The issue is how long do you need to be in the sun, and that we don’t know. It’s one thing if it’s on a cardboard box or if it’s on metal. Your skin’s a different medium," he explained.

But what about home remedies, like inhaling steam to help kill the virus?

Dr. Izard advises against, and if it’s too hot it could harm you.

“The amount of heat, or steam, that you’re taking in, your airway will adjust that by the time that it gets into your body anyway," Izard said.

And finally, there’s no vaccine for the COVID-19, but is there a treatment?

Dr. Haider-Shah said  Remdesivir is FDA approved.

“It limits the amount of time you have it. You have to start treatment within 10 days of symptoms.”

 Hydroxychloroquine is a drug previously thought to treat the Coronavirus. Haider-Shah said there is no longer evidence that the drug is effective.

Another myth is that hospitals or clinics are no longer safe to visit because of the virus.

The professionals at Aurora say there are ways to protect your health and still get the care that you or your family needs.

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