Dr Amalina Bakri denied the advice from Health Minister Dr Adham Baba that people should be encouraged to drink warm water to prevent Covid-19 infection. This statement was produced by Dr Adham Baba in an interview recently on TV1.
In that interview, he said, as quoted by Malaysiakini,
“The virus does not like heat. But please drink warm water. The virus will go down to the stomach and the acid in our stomach will kill the virus.”
Dr Amalina who is concerned about misinformation surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic immediately tweeted to explain that there is no evidence to back up such claim.
Tidak kiralah di mana anda dengar tips ini walaupun di TV nasional, tips ini adalah mitos. Tips yang betul adalah jaga kebersihan, basuh tangan, jangan sentuh muka, amalkan batuk/bersin etiquette, duduk rumah dan amalkan social distancing 1m. https://t.co/QeqS9YJVQw
— Dr. Amalina (@DrAmalinaBakri) March 20, 2020
Earlier this month the WHO has also rejected this myth and the organisation shared in their official Twitter account about it, explaining that it is good to stay hydrated but it does not prevent the spread of Covid-19.
Q: If drinking water alleviates a sore throat, does this also protect against #2019nCoV infection?
A: While staying hydrated by drinking water is important for overall health, it does not prevent coronavirus infection. pic.twitter.com/AWb1wK89Wj
— World Health Organization Philippines (@WHOPhilippines) February 8, 2020
Watch the snippet of Dr Adham Baba’s interview here:
Our Minister of Health shared a scientifically dodgy tip to fight COVID-19 by drinking warm water. According to him virus will then fall into one’s stomach before it is killed by acid. Please advice him @DGHisham. He is a DANGER to public health. His “tip” might KILL more people. pic.twitter.com/l68FcvVJKd
— Effi Saharudin ???? (@1Obefiend) March 20, 2020
We would like to request everyone to not simply follow any myth that you see floating online. Please refer to Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia and also the World Health Organization for the best ways to deal with anything regarding to the Covid 19 pandemic. We are living in an era where we can find the correct information easily within just a few clicks. So, please do your research first before sharing any myth or fake news ok?
Also read: Video: Malaysians Seen Loitering Around Penang Despite Restricted Movement Order
