<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><br><br><div dir="ltr"><div>—</div><div><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Armando Vias</span></div><div>Owner of The Blind Advocate Network</div><div>Website: https://theblindadvocate.net</div><div>Phone: (404) 480:3436</div><div>Email: avias@theblindadvocate.net</div><div>Like my page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theblindadvocatenetwork</div><div>Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/theblndadvn</div><div>“Getting advocacy results for the blind.”</div></div><div dir="ltr"><br>Begin forwarded message:<br><br></div><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><b>From:</b> Dorothy Griffin via NFB_of_Georgia <nfb_of_georgia@nfbnet.org><br><b>Date:</b> March 14, 2020 at 5:22:21 AM EDT<br><b>To:</b> NFB of Georgia List <NFB_of_Georgia@nfbnet.org><br><b>Cc:</b> Dorothy Griffin <dgriffin@nfbga.org><br><b>Subject:</b> <b>[NFB_of_Georgia] Fwd: COVID-19 - A viral list of dubious coronavirus tips claims to be from Stanford — it isn’t</b><br><b>Reply-To:</b> NFB of Georgia List <nfb_of_georgia@nfbnet.org><br><br></div></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><span>Please read for immediate update.</span><br><span></span><br><span>---------- Forwarded message ---------</span><br><span>From: McGill, Kay <Kay.McGill@ablegeorgia.ga.gov></span><br><span>Date: Fri, Mar 13, 2020 at 10:01 AM</span><br><span>Subject: COVID-19 - A viral list of dubious coronavirus tips claims to be</span><br><span>from Stanford — it isn’t</span><br><span>To: McGill, Kay <Kay.McGill@ablegeorgia.ga.gov></span><br><span>CC: Housley, Danny <danny.housley@gatfl.gatech.edu>, Anika Futch <</span><br><span>afutch@savannahcblv.org>, Jane Boynton <jboynton@garrs.org></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span>Hello everyone, pls read the following. The concern is that there is</span><br><span>information in the article recently sent that is true e.g. washing your</span><br><span>hands. Lesson learned – we have to be vigilant regarding info on COVID-19.</span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span>So I am sending this email to the bazillions of people I sent the original</span><br><span>article to yesterday. My goodness gracious, what times we are living in</span><br><span>these days!</span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span>Thank you, Danny (Tools for Life) and Jane (GaRRS) for this alert!</span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span>Hey Kay, just a heads up: the information in the e-mail you shared is a</span><br><span>hoax.</span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span>https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2020/03/theres-a-facebook-coronavirus-post-going-viral-claiming-to-be-from-stanford-dont-believe-it/</span><br><span><https://gcc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.motherjones.com%2Fpolitics%2F2020%2F03%2Ftheres-a-facebook-coronavirus-post-going-viral-claiming-to-be-from-stanford-dont-believe-it%2F&data=02%7C01%7CKay.McGill%40ablegeorgia.ga.gov%7Cd4827516569944185e8508d7c74c689e%7Ce54ad2e331314ed797e3e6e95d089c4e%7C0%7C0%7C637197003305944894&sdata=ygyMOOZPlmdGgv5cdTuiVw5lBPOwRwYJza22gEpr3GE%3D&reserved=0></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span>*Danny Housley*</span><br><span>Assistive Technology Acquisition Manager</span><br><span></span><br><span>Tools for Life</span><br><span>Georgia Institute of Technology | College of Design</span><br><span>512 Means Street | Suite</span><br><span><https://www.google.com/maps/search/512+Means+Street+%7C+Suite+250+%7C+Atlanta,+GA+30318?entry=gmail&source=g></span><br><span> 250 | Atlanta, GA 30318</span><br><span><https://www.google.com/maps/search/512+Means+Street+%7C+Suite+250+%7C+Atlanta,+GA+30318?entry=gmail&source=g></span><br><span>O: 404.385.7029 | F: 404.894.1215</span><br><span>amacusg.org</span><br><span><https://gcc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Famacusg.org%2F&data=02%7C01%7CKay.McGill%40ablegeorgia.ga.gov%7Cd4827516569944185e8508d7c74c689e%7Ce54ad2e331314ed797e3e6e95d089c4e%7C0%7C0%7C637197003305954865&sdata=TPmUXs61rv112KTkGEk7wqyb15lxAbikRP68MtxZzNc%3D&reserved=0></span><br><span></span><br><span>gatfl.org</span><br><span><https://gcc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fgatfl.org%2F&data=02%7C01%7CKay.McGill%40ablegeorgia.ga.gov%7Cd4827516569944185e8508d7c74c689e%7Ce54ad2e331314ed797e3e6e95d089c4e%7C0%7C0%7C637197003305954865&sdata=2eGHqeY9ti3WnWLwHSRYOyaQ7Vp5gIosebMRLiQSRr4%3D&reserved=0></span><br><span>(Formerly known as AMAC Accessibility)</span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span>A list of dubious coronavirus tips is going viral on Facebook and Twitter,</span><br><span>as well as spreading through email. It falsely claims to be from the</span><br><span>Stanford Hospital board and contains advice like “take a few sips of water</span><br><span>every 15 minutes at least,” to kill the virus. None of these tips have</span><br><span>anything to do with reality; it is dangerous misinformation.</span><br><span></span><br><span>Stanford confirmed the message did not come from the university. In a</span><br><span>statement emailed to *The Verge*, Lisa Kim, a media relations specialist at</span><br><span>Stanford Health, said “A widely distributed email about COVID-19 that is</span><br><span>attributed to a ‘Stanford Hospital board member’ contains inaccurate</span><br><span>information. It did not come from Stanford Medicine.”</span><br><span></span><br><span>“Even if the virus gets into your mouth, drinking water or other liquids</span><br><span>will wash them down through your throat and into the stomach. Once there,</span><br><span>your stomach acid will kill all the virus,” one tip reads. Loren Rauch, an</span><br><span>emergency room doctor in Los Angeles who has a master’s degree in</span><br><span>epidemiology, told *Mother Jones*</span><br><span><https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2020/03/theres-a-facebook-coronavirus-post-going-viral-claiming-to-be-from-stanford-dont-believe-it/></span><br><span>this advice was “totally bogus.”</span><br><span></span><br><span>Another tip tells people to check for the virus by holding their breath for</span><br><span>10 seconds. “If you complete it successfully without coughing, without</span><br><span>discomfort, stiffness or tightness, etc., it proves there is no Fibrosis in</span><br><span>the lungs, basically indicates no infection,” it adds.</span><br><span></span><br><span>Unfortunately, this is also false. “That can check if you are anxious or</span><br><span>have respiratory compromise,” Rauch said</span><br><span><https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2020/03/theres-a-facebook-coronavirus-post-going-viral-claiming-to-be-from-stanford-dont-believe-it/></span><br><span>.</span><br><span></span><br><span>The message also says the virus “hates the sun” and isn’t heat-resistant.</span><br><span>It can be “killed by a temperature of just 26/27 degrees,” (roughly 78</span><br><span>degrees Fahrenheit). This is not entirely true. “If something’s in</span><br><span>sunlight, it’s going to get disinfected pretty quickly, because that’s</span><br><span>ultraviolet light, just the same type of sanitation we use in hospitals,”</span><br><span>Rauch told *Mother Jones*. “But just, like, ‘It’s gonna be a warm day</span><br><span>today. We don’t have to worry about coronavirus,’ I don’t think that’s</span><br><span>gonna work.”</span><br><span></span><br><span>I received the tips firsthand, in an email from a friend who was sending</span><br><span>them out in a sincere effort to keep people safe. When I read that I didn’t</span><br><span>have coronavirus if I could hold my breath for 10 seconds, I felt relieved.</span><br><span>Then I felt suspicious. I remembered Adi Robertson’s advice for spotting</span><br><span>fake news</span><br><span><https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/3/20980741/fake-news-facebook-twitter-misinformation-lies-fact-check-how-to-internet-guide>:</span><br><span>if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.</span><br><span></span><br><span>So I did what any of us should do if we’re on the receiving end of</span><br><span>misinformation from a friend or loved one: I told my friend that the tips</span><br><span>were fake. The most reliable sources of information on the coronavirus</span><br><span>continue to be the World Health Organization’s</span><br><span><https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019> guidance on</span><br><span>COVID-19, or the Centers for Disease Control’s coronavirus page</span><br><span><https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html>.</span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span>Another article from *Mother Jones*</span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span>If you’ve opened Facebook or Twitter in the past few days, you might have</span><br><span>come across a post <https://imgur.com/5qQSoqc> with alarming information</span><br><span>about the coronavirus attributed to Stanford University.</span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span>The post goes something like this: People with coronavirus may not show</span><br><span>symptoms for several days, but if you can comfortably hold your breath for</span><br><span>more than 10 seconds, you’re probably not infected. You should sip water</span><br><span>every 15 minutes to wash the virus into your stomach, where stomach acid</span><br><span>kills it, to prevent the virus from entering your windpipe and lungs. And</span><br><span>if you have a runny nose, you have a cold, not the coronavirus.</span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span>Most of this is false.</span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span>I emailed Stanford’s office of communications to check the post’s</span><br><span>authenticity. “The post is not from Stanford,” Lisa Kim at Stanford Health</span><br><span>Care wrote back. She directed anyone who is confused to the university’s actual</span><br><span>coronavirus information page</span><br><span><https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstanfordhealthcare.org%2Fstanford-health-care-now%2F2020%2Fnovel-coronavirus.html&data=01%7C01%7Caweinberg%40motherjones.com%7Ceede403645714facf10508d7c5711684%7C012f9e2f06f14827a96c9a54d367d83e%7C1&sdata=qhI4zZhiYR5sA1mSr3LhJIaTW13YhqOx1JYp5s0QeRk%3D&reserved=0></span><br><span>.</span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span>Then I called Loren Rauch, a community ER doctor at Antelope Valley</span><br><span>Hospital in Los Angeles with a master’s degree in epidemiology, to dispel</span><br><span>some of the rumors circulating online. The statements in bold are quotes</span><br><span>from the viral Facebook post, and Rauch’s responses—lightly edited for</span><br><span>length and clarity—follow.</span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span>“The new coronavirus may not show signs of infection for many days. By the</span><br><span>time you have fever and/or cough and go to the hospital, the lung is</span><br><span>usually 50 percent fibrosis.”</span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span>That doesn’t mean anything. Fibrosis is a late scarring process. You may</span><br><span>have 50 percent of your lung affected by the virus, causing pneumonia or</span><br><span>fluid in your lungs. But fibrosis—that is not correct.</span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span>If you can breathe fine, do not go to the doctor. Only go if you cannot</span><br><span>breathe or are very ill.</span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span>“Taiwan experts provide a simple self-check that we can do every morning:</span><br><span>Take a deep breath and hold it for more than 10 seconds. If you do this</span><br><span>successfully without coughing, without discomfort, stiffness or tightness,</span><br><span>there is no fibrosis in the lungs; it basically indicates no infection. In</span><br><span>critical times, please self-check every morning in an environment with</span><br><span>clean air.”</span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span>That’s not true. That can check if you are anxious or have respiratory</span><br><span>compromise.</span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span>“Everyone should ensure your mouth and throat are moist, never dry. Take a</span><br><span>few sips of water every 15 minutes at least. Even if the virus gets into</span><br><span>your mouth, drinking water or other liquids will wash them down through</span><br><span>your throat and into the stomach. Once there, your stomach aid will kill</span><br><span>all the virus. If you don’t drink enough water regularly, the virus can</span><br><span>enter your windpipe and then the lungs. That’s very dangerous.”</span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span>Totally bogus. That’s not real.</span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span>“Drinking warm water is effective for all viruses. Try not to drink liquids</span><br><span>with ice.”</span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span>No.</span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span>“If you have a runny nose and sputum, you have a common cold. Coronavirus</span><br><span>pneumonia is a dry cough with no runny nose.”</span><br><span></span><br><span>Editor’s note: On this one, we thought new research might help: A pre-print</span><br><span>study <https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.03.05.20030502v1> by a</span><br><span>group of German researchers suggests that upper respiratory tract symptoms</span><br><span>like runny nose may be more common than previously thought.</span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span>However, the CDC</span><br><span><https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/symptoms.html> still</span><br><span>emphasizes fever, cough, and shortness of breath as the main symptoms. And</span><br><span>Whitney Adams, a former pandemic preparedness coordinator and programs</span><br><span>manager for CARE <https://www.care.org/>, issued a word of caution when</span><br><span>considering the deluge of non-peer-reviewed research information relating</span><br><span>to the coronavirus. “While it’s really important for the research</span><br><span>community, the medical community, public health community keep sharing</span><br><span>these findings, we should take those with a grain of salt,” she said.</span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span>“It’s not necessarily helpful for people to try to self diagnose based on</span><br><span>these things that are really hard for even clinicians to understand,” Adams</span><br><span>said.</span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span>So the short answer is: It’s complicated.</span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span>“This new virus is not heat-resistant and will be killed by a temperature</span><br><span>of just 26/27 degrees Celsius (about 77 degrees Fahrenheit). It hates the</span><br><span>sun.”</span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span>If something’s in sunlight, it’s going to get disinfected pretty quickly,</span><br><span>because that’s ultraviolet light, just the same type of sanitation we use</span><br><span>in hospitals. The temperature in a dryer, for example, would kill</span><br><span>everything. But just, like, “It’s gonna be a warm day today. We don’t have</span><br><span>to worry about coronavirus,” I don’t think that’s gonna work.</span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span>“If someone with coronavirus sneezes, it goes about 10 feet before it drops</span><br><span>to the ground and is no longer airborne.”</span><br><span></span><br><span>The general rule of thumb we’re using is about six feet.</span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span>The bottom line is that “there’s a lot of misinformation floating around,”</span><br><span>said Adams, who noted she received an email containing the text of the</span><br><span>false viral Facebook post last week. So to prevent the spread of rumors, do</span><br><span>the information equivalent of social distancing: If someone posts something</span><br><span>that sounds even the slightest bit fishy, don’t pass it on.</span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span>* Phone number 770-414-3006*</span><br><span></span><br><span>*[image: cid:image007.png@01D2808C.45BBAD70]*</span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span>*Project Independence: Georgia Vision Program for Adults Age 55 and Over*</span><br><span></span><br><span>*Kay McGill, M. A. Ed., CRC*</span><br><span></span><br><span>*Program Manager*</span><br><span></span><br><span>*Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency*</span><br><span></span><br><span>*Office**: (770) 414-3006*</span><br><span></span><br><span>*Fax: **(770) 414-2674 | Georgia Relay: 711*</span><br><span></span><br><span>*2082 East Exchange Place│Suite 120</span><br><span><https://www.google.com/maps/search/2082+East+Exchange+Place%E2%94%82Suite+120+%0D%0A+%0D%0A+Tucker,+GA+30084?entry=gmail&source=g>*</span><br><span><https://www.google.com/maps/search/2082+East+Exchange+Place%E2%94%82Suite+120+%0D%0A+%0D%0A+Tucker,+GA+30084?entry=gmail&source=g></span><br><span></span><br><span><https://www.google.com/maps/search/2082+East+Exchange+Place%E2%94%82Suite+120+%0D%0A+%0D%0A+Tucker,+GA+30084?entry=gmail&source=g>*Tucker,</span><br><span>GA 30084</span><br><span><https://www.google.com/maps/search/2082+East+Exchange+Place%E2%94%82Suite+120+%0D%0A+%0D%0A+Tucker,+GA+30084?entry=gmail&source=g>*</span><br><span></span><br><span>*kay.mcgill@gvs.ga.gov <kay.mcgill@gvs.ga.gov>*</span><br><span>*https://gvs.georgia.gov/project-independence</span><br><span><https://gvs.georgia.gov/project-independence>*</span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span>-- </span><br><span>Dorothy Griffin - President</span><br><span>National Federation of the Blind of Georgia</span><br><span>dgriffin@nfbga.org</span><br><span>770-374-4832</span><br><span></span><br><span>The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the</span><br><span>characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the</span><br><span>expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles</span><br><span>between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want;</span><br><span>blindness is not what holds you back.</span><br><span>_______________________________________________</span><br><span>NFB_of_Georgia mailing list</span><br><span>NFB_of_Georgia@nfbnet.org</span><br><span>http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb_of_georgia_nfbnet.org</span><br><span>To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for NFB_of_Georgia:</span><br><span>http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfb_of_georgia_nfbnet.org/avias%40theblindadvocate.net</span><br></div></blockquote></body></html>