CVS Chief Medical Officer Sent False Information on Coronavirus to Entire Staff
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As first reported by Mother Jones, CVS Health sent an email to all employees that contained false information regarding Covid-19, including inaccurate ways to combat the virus.
“Drinking warm water is an effective way to wash the virus into your stomach, where it is killed. Stay hydrated and get plenty of sleep,” Chief Medical Officer Troy Brennan’s email falsely stated.
The claim mirrors a post that has circulated online, which includes inaccurate details on the virus and is falsely attributed to Stanford University.
Stanford University has since taken to Twitter to label the post as “misinformation,” adding a link that leads users to “Official information from Standford.”
Misinformation about COVID-19 symptoms and treatment falsely attributed to Stanford is circulating on social media and in email forwards. It is not from Stanford. Official information from Stanford is available at https://t.co/LlNXeyuejP.
— Stanford University (@Stanford) March 13, 2020
Another false claim, which has gone viral via text message, states, “Everyone should ensure your mouth & throat are moist, never dry. Take a few sips of water every 15 minutes at least. Why? Even if the virus gets into your mouth, drinking water or other liquids will wash them down through your throat and into the stomach. Once there, your stomach acid will kill all the virus.”
Dr. Robert Legare Atmar, an infectious disease specialist at Baylor College of Medicine, debunked the theory and told CNN “Even if it worked at all, which it doesn’t, people still breathe in from their nose, not just their mouths.”
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