Stephen Fry debunks myths related to coronavirus pandemic; watch

In this hour of panic where the entire world is battling with the deadly coronavirus infection, there are certain people who are still juggling with certain questions pertaining to the outbreak like ''Why is it spreading so fast?'', ''Is it airborne?',  ''And how long does it survive on food and surfaces?'' So to clear the air of doubts, Stephen Fry, who has come to us in our hour of need with a fact-checking video that answers many of our most-asked questions about coronavirus. And busts a lot of the myths, too.

Facts checking on coronavirus

In his six minutes long video, Fry reveals that coronavirus can survive on plastic and stainless steel for three days. On cardboard, it sticks around for around a day and on copper it lasts for 4 hours. But that doesn’t mean antibacterial wipes or soap need to be used on them for cleaning. If you are buying products you don’t know who else has touched it, so the safest thing to do is to bring it home and wash it with soapy water.

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With the tests showing the spread of disease through the air as a possible medium, sparking worries about shared buildings and air conditioning. But experts have pointed out that if the virus was easily transmitted this way, then the rate of infection would be much, much higher. For example, Fry explains that the most infectious airborne virus is measles. A person with measles can infect 90 per cent of the people around them. But the rate of infection for coronavirus is just 10 per cent for people living in the same home.

Fry also explains that one of the reasons that the disease is spreading quickly is because people don’t always know they have it. The number of UK deaths is, worryingly, rising more quickly than in Italy and China at similar stages. This could put unsustainable pressure on the NHS. Fry concluded his video on an optimistic note and said that If all the people maintain a certain amount of distance from others, it will mean that doctors can treat all the most critically ill patients, saving lives and eventually it will be much easier to combat with this virus which has claimed the lives of many.

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