Fact-Check: Holding your breathe for 10 seconds without coughing does not mean you are free from coronavirus

A 3 minutes and 19 seconds video purporting to be promoting COVID-19-related health literacy has been found to be spreading misinformation.

The video which is being shared on WhatsApp and Facebook shows a man speaking in an indigenous Ghanaian language-Twi attempting to educate the public about how to detect if one has contracted the coronavirus.

According to him, holding ones breathe for 10 seconds in the morning will help victims find out if they have been infected with COVID-19.

“When you wake up early in the morning, breath in and hold your breathe for 10 seconds… if you don’t cough or experience any discomfort in your body that means you have not been infected with coronavirus. But if you cough or have any discomfort then you are positive for the virus.” He partly said.

He also claimed that drinking water after every 15 minutes helps flush the virus into the stomach and this allows for “the acid in your stomach” to kill the virus.

“In every 15 minutes make sure you take in water or drink to keep your throat moist. In doing so, if there is any virus or bacteria in your throat, it flushes into your stomach where the acid in your stomach kills it…. Doing this helps you to avoid infection with the virus…,” he partly stated.

Fact-check

The World Health Organization (WHO) says being able to hold your breathe for 10 seconds or more without coughing or feeling discomfort DOES NOT mean you are free from COVID-19.

“The best way to confirm if you have the virus producing COVID-19 disease is with a laboratory test. You cannot confirm it with this breathing exercise, which can even be dangerous.” the WHO has stated as part of its Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) advice for the public.

The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are dry cough, tiredness and fever. Some people may develop more severe forms of the disease, such as pneumonia.

The WHO has also debunked the claim that frequent drinking of water flushes the virus into the stomach which would be killed by the stomach acid.

“There is no evidence that drinking lots of water flushes out the new Coronavirus or the stomach acid kills the virus.”

However, for good health in general, it is recommended that people should have adequate water every day for good health and to prevent dehydration.

Verdict

The two claims about how to detect and prevent COVID-19 are FALSE.