A lot of information is circulating about COVID-19, so it’s important to know what’s true and what’s not.

Lisa Maragakis, M.D., M.P.H., senior director of infection prevention, and Gabor Kelen, M.D., 约翰霍普金斯大学关键事件准备和响应办公室主任, answer your questions.

TRUE or FALSE? A negative COVID test means you are safe.

The answer is false.

If you get a COVID-19 test and the result is negative, 这意味着你在采集样本时可能没有被感染. But if you get tested too soon after exposure to the coronavirus, it could be too early for signs of infection to show up on the test. Also, 现在冠状病毒检测呈阴性并不意味着你将来不会被感染，也不意味着你对COVID-19免疫. 

TRUE or FALSE? Quercetin, 精油和其他补充剂可以保护你免受冠状病毒感染或治疗COVID-19.

The answer is false.

Taking quercetin, zinc, 维生素D和其他营养补充剂不能预防或治疗冠状病毒感染或COVID-19. 精油也是如此，它们不能有效预防冠状病毒病. The best ways to stay safe from COVID-19 are getting vaccinated, wearing a mask (especially in crowded or indoor settings), keeping your hands clean and practicing physical distancing.

TRUE or FALSE? 群体免疫将结束冠状病毒大流行，因此没有必要接种疫苗.

The answer is false.

群体免疫是一个术语，指的是当人群中有足够多的人具有免疫力时，传染病的传播速度会减慢并停止, either from getting and surviving a disease or from being vaccinated.

For COVID-19, 让人们感染这种疾病会导致许多人患上重病, 遭受持久的器官损伤，甚至在群体免疫产生之前死亡.

如果你接触过SARS-CoV-2，接种COVID-19疫苗可以大大降低你患严重COVID-19的机会, the coronavirus that causes the disease. 疫苗的免疫力可能比COVID-19的免疫力持续更长时间. Also, 疫苗接种减少了给冠状病毒变异(改变)机会的感染数量。. Mutations (variants) of the virus (如传染性三角洲型变异)可以延迟甚至阻止群体免疫的实现.

TRUE or FALSE? Ivermectin cures or prevents COVID-19.

The answer is false.

伊维菌素是一种控制动物和人类寄生虫的药物. 社交媒体和其他地方流传着不负责任和误导性的报道，称服用这种药物是预防或治愈COVID-19的安全方法. The U.S. 美国食品和药物管理局(FDA)尚未授权或批准使用伊维菌素预防或治疗COVID-19. The FDA has received reports of humans taking veterinary ivermectin. 马和其他动物的配方与人类不同，对人类来说可能是非常有毒的. 未经批准的原因或大剂量服用伊维菌素可能有害, and can lead to hospitalization and even death.

TRUE or FALSE? 如果你接触到冠状病毒，温水或盐水可以保护你不生病.

The answer is false.

有关饮用温水或热水洗澡的错误报道正在流传, or washing out the inside of your nose with saline (salt) solution, will protect you from COVID-19 if you are exposed to the coronavirus. These reports are not true. 导致COVID-19的冠状病毒非常微小，无法从喉咙或鼻腔中冲洗或冲洗出来. The best ways to prevent infection are to get vaccinated, wear a mask, and practice hand hygiene and physical distancing.

TRUE or FALSE? Children can get COVID-19.

The answer is true.

Children can get COVID-19. In most cases, COVID-19 seems to be milder in young children than in adults, 但父母和照顾者应该明白，儿童可能感染冠状病毒并将其传播给他人.

疾病控制和预防中心(CDC)现在建议为5岁及以上的儿童接种COVID-19疫苗. 约翰霍普金斯医学院鼓励所有家庭让符合条件的孩子接种COVID-19疫苗. 目前，辉瑞的疫苗是唯一被批准用于儿童的COVID-19疫苗.

COVID-19 cases in children are increasing. 部分原因是现有的COVID-19疫苗最近才被批准用于5 -11岁的儿童. The widespread circulation in the U.S. 冠状病毒的高传染性变异是另一个因素. 

In rare cases, 感染冠状病毒的儿童可能会出现严重的肺部感染，并因COVID-19病得很重, and deaths have occurred. 这就是为什么必须遵循经过验证的COVID-19预防措施，例如在公共场合戴口罩, 在室内减少感染冠状病毒的机会. 我们可以通过确保他们周围所有符合条件的人都接种疫苗来帮助保护年龄太小而无法接种疫苗的儿童.

TRUE or FALSE? 你可以拿到一张口罩免检卡，这样你就不需要戴口罩了.

The answer is false.

一些地区出现了假名片和传单，声称持口罩者不受戴口罩规定的限制. The cards, which some people have bought online, may have official-looking logos or government insignias. 他们声称，携带枪支的人有美国残疾人法案(ADA)规定的身体或精神状况，使他们无法佩戴枪支 face mask or covering.

The US. Department of Justice issued a statement about these fake mask exemptions, explaining that the cards and flyers are fraudulent.

人们试图使用假身份证来避免在需要戴口罩的公共场所戴口罩, such as some stores and restaurants. The cards are not issued by the U.S. government and are not backed by the ADA.

TRUE or FALSE? You can protect yourself from COVID-19 by injecting, swallowing, bathing in or rubbing onto your body bleach, disinfectants or rubbing alcohols.

The answer is false.

这些产品是剧毒的，不应该吞下或注射到体内. Call 911 if this occurs.

Disinfectants, bleach, and soap and water may be used to clean surfaces, 这是阻止导致COVID-19的冠状病毒传播的重要一步. 不要试图通过用漂白剂摩擦或沐浴身体的任何地方来自我治疗或预防COVID-19, disinfectants or rubbing alcohol. 有效的洗手液确实含有酒精，但它们的配方对手部使用是安全的.

Learn more about protecting yourself from the coronavirus and COVID-19.

TRUE or FALSE? A vaccine to prevent COVID-19 is available.

The answer is true.

COVID-19 vaccines have been authorized by the U.S. 美国食品和药物管理局(FDA)，其中一个已获得FDA的完全批准. 约翰霍普金斯医学院认为，所有fda批准的COVID-19疫苗在预防严重疾病方面都非常有效, hospitalization and death from COVID-19.

Learn more about COVID-19 vaccine safety and what you need to know about the COVID-19 vaccines.