10. You have to be with someone for 10 minutes to catch the virus
It is possible to catch the virus in less than 10 minutes, but one thing is for sure, the longer you stay in contact with an infected individual, you are more likely to catch the virus.
11. Parcels from China can spread coronavirus
Some previous research analyzing similar coronaviruses, including those that cause SARS and MERS and are similar to SARS-CoV-2, scientists came to the conclusion that the virus cannot survive on letters or packages for an extended time.
The CDC explained that “because of poor survivability of these coronaviruses on surfaces, there is likely very low risk of spread from products or packaging that are shipped over a period of days or weeks at ambient temperatures.”
12. You can catch coronavirus from urine and feces
This is unlikely to be true. According to Prof. John Edmunds from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine in the U.K.:
“It isn’t a very pleasant thought, but every time you swallow, you swallow mucus from your upper respiratory tract. In fact, this is an important defensive mechanism. This sweeps viruses and bacteria down into our gut where they are denatured in the acid conditions of our stomachs.”
“With modern, very highly sensitive detection mechanisms, we can detect these viruses in feces. Usually, viruses we can detect in this way are not infectious to others, as they have been destroyed by our guts.”
