#YouAsked Covid-19 Is Madagascar’s Covid-19 solution effective? Source World Health Organization Short answer Is Madagascar’s Covid-19 solution effective? Malagasy president Andry Rajoelina has claimed that a herbal tonic, made from the artemisia plant, could cure Covid-19. The beverage, Covid Organics, was reportedly tested on fewer than 20 patients. In April, the National Academy of Medicine of Madagascar warned against the use of the tonic based... Back Full answer
#YouAsked Covid-19 Is it safe to use hand sanitisers that contain alcohol in the long term? Source U.S. Food & Drug Administration Short answer Is it safe to use hand sanitisers that contain alcohol in the long term? Hand hygiene plays a crucial part in the prevention of the spread of the new coronavirus. According to the World Health Organization, research has shown that nurses who regularly used alcohol hand rubs had less skin irritation and dryness than those using soap and water. As a result of the cor... Back Full answer
#YouAsked Covid-19 Does smoking have an impact on recovery from Covid-19? Source World Health Organization Short answer Does smoking have an impact on recovery from Covid-19? Smoking is known to impair lung function, affect the immune system and can increase the severity of respiratory diseases such as influenza. Although no randomised controlled studies that have directly investigated the effect of smoking on people with Covid-19 are available at present, according to t... Back Full answer
#YouAsked Covid-19 Can Covid-19 be described as a bad flu? Source World Health Organization Short answer Can Covid-19 be described as a bad flu? Covid-19 is a disease caused by a recently discovered virus called SARS-CoV-2, which is a new type of coronavirus. A different virus causes influenza. Both viruses cause respiratory disease and both are spread by contact, droplets and contaminated surfaces and objects, according to the Worl... Back Full answer
#YouAsked Covid-19 Is the big Covid-19 wave still coming? Source South African Covid-19 Modelling Consortium Short answer Is the big Covid-19 wave still coming? In May, the South African Covid-19 Modelling Consortium estimated that the peak in active Covid-19 cases in South Africa is likely to be somewhere between early July (in a pessimistic scenario) and early August (in an optimistic scenario). The initial lockdown measures and social distancing delayed ... Back Full answer
#YouAsked Covid-19 Is mandatory mask-wearing by everyone effective? Source World Health Organization Short answer Is mandatory mask-wearing by everyone effective? Members of the general public have been discouraged from using surgical masks and N95 respirators amid global shortages of protective equipment for health workers. But recently updated guidelines from the World Health Organization (WHO) give examples in which “the general public should be encourag... Back Full answer
#YouAsked Covid-19 Is Covid-19 in fact a bacterial infection? Source World Health Organization Short answer Is Covid-19 in fact a bacterial infection? No, Covid-19 is not caused by bacteria. According to the World Health Organization, Covid-19 is the disease caused by the new coronavirus – a respiratory virus that is spread by droplets from an infected person. Viruses and bacteria differ in a number of ways. Bacteria are “single-celled micr... Back Full answer
#YouAsked Covid-19 Is it true that the US is to fund the Madagascar Covid-19 herbal ‘cure’ with $2.5m? Source US State Department factsheet Short answer Is it true that the US is to fund the Madagascar Covid-19 herbal ‘cure’ with $2.5m? In April 2020, the US Ambassador to Madagascar, Michael Pelletier, announced that the United States would provide Madagascar with Covid-19-related health assistance of $2.5 million to “strengthen the health response across the country including hospitals, laboratories and community health”. ... Back Full answer
#YouAsked Covid-19 How has Covid-19 spread so quickly? Source The University of Texas at Austin Short answer How has Covid-19 spread so quickly? Two measures are relevant to this question: how many people someone with Covid-19 infects and how long it takes to do so.Experts have calculated the basic reproduction number (R0) of Covid-19 to estimate how contagious the disease is. R0 is the number of people an infected person is likely to infect... Back Full answer