The most dangerous health myths debunked in 2020, from herd immunity to COVID-19 'hygiene theater'

Ever since restrictions were first implemented to slow the rise in coronavirus cases, some people have suggested the best way to handle the pandemic is by letting infections happen.

The theory is that if enough people are naturally exposed to the virus, the population could build up enough immunity to resist continued spread among the "herd" of people. Typically, this exposure happens via vaccine, which allows people to develop resistance to the virus without getting sick.

But without a vaccine, the risk of unnecessary deaths and long-term consequences is too great for herd immunity to work, according to public health experts.

That's because COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, has serious long-term side effects we're only just beginning to understand. Symptoms like brain fog, ongoing fatigue, rashes, and loss of smell can affect survivors, and we don't know for how long.

And the number of people requiring intensive care or hospitalization from the virus is also enough to overwhelm the healthcare system, which puts the entire community at risk, including doctors and other medical staff on the front lines.

That's led experts to continue to advocate for social distancing and mask wearing until a vaccine is available, since these precautions save lives.

A certain fringe of the internet has long touted a "cure" called miracle mineral solution (or MMS advocates), which some people believe can treat everything from malaria and the flu to cancer and autism.

The substance, chemically known as chlorine dioxide, is in fact an industrial bleach. Consuming it can lead to serious health issues, including liver failure, severely low blood pressure, and in high doses, coma or death.

MMS advocates have been using the pandemic to promote their product since the virus first began to gain international attention early this year.

The disinformation campaign promoting chlorine dioxide has gained momentum on social media, prompting companies like Facebook to shut down some of the larger online communities selling the substance.

Still, some government officials, such as the new health minister in Bolivia, have advocated for its use despite the warnings of scientists.

In the US, the FDA and FTC have cracked down on fraudulent claims of coronavirus-curing products. These include MMS but also colloidal silver, another dubious supplement made of tiny particles of metal suspended in liquid, which has been shown to cause kidney damage and argyria, a permanent blue-gray discoloration of the skin.

It's a myth that someone's health can be determined solely based on their weight. But two vitriolic online debates this year showcase why commenting on someone's weight or diet without context can be dangerous, too.

In the spring, British pop star Adele was the subject of unsolicited comments after posting a picture of herself looking slimmer.

Critics pointed out that weight loss isn't inherently positive, and that focusing on Adele's apparent transformation only reinforced a cultural message that larger bodies are less worthy.

Then,"Black Panther" star Chadwick Boseman died of colon cancer he had kept secret from the public. For years, the actor had lost weight as a consequence of his illness, and faced major backlash as a result, both from fans lamenting his loss of muscle to people making mean-spirited jokes.

These cases illustrate how easily body-shaming comments can miss the mark, because weight changes can happen for a variety of reasons. Even well-intentioned comments can backfire, and research shows weight stigma is linked to poorer mental and physical health.

That's a good reason to keep weight-related comments to yourself, particularly when ongoing jokes and memes about the "quarantine 15" continue to be popular and eating disorders are on the rise.

While 2020 was a year of protests and marches for racial equity, particularly regarding police brutality, racism also took center stage in another way.

The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted disparities in the healthcare system that have made Black and brown communities more vulnerable to COVID-19, according to experts.

Black Americans between ages 35 to 44 are 10 times more likely to die of coronavirus infection than their white peers, and Latinx people in the same age group are eight times more likely to die that whites.

That's in part due to higher rates of chronic illnesses such as diabetes, obesity, hypertension and asthma, experts have said. But those disparities, too, are linked to systematic racism — lack of access to healthcare, more exposure to dangerous environments, and less access to nutritious food all play a role in risk of chronic disease.

"COVID-19 has unmasked the structural racism in this country," Dr. Camara Jones, an epidemiologist and physician with affiliations at Morehouse, Emory, and Harvard universities, previously told Business Insider.

From floor-to-ceiling wipe downs to heavy duty disinfectants to huge trucks designed to spray bleach, people have spent enormous resourcing trying to prevent COVID-19 spread this year.

But according to experts, those efforts are misguided.

Hygiene theater, coined in July 2020 by The Atlantic, the term describes attempts at coronavirus precautions that are, at best, only mildly protective at the cost of large amounts of time, energy, and resources.

Experts say focusing on routinely sanitizing high-touch surfaces such as door handles and arm rests is a much more efficient than infrequent deep cleanings. Handwashing is also crucial. While the coronavirus is likely spread from person to person, keeping your hands cleans reduces the chance that you'll pick up any wayward contagions and transfer them to your face.

Furthermore, the best ways to prevent infection in public spaces are chemical-free — socially distancing and mask-wearing are key strategies, according to health experts.

Ventilaton is also important since it can prevent airborne viral particles from transmitting the virus throughout an indoor area.

Despite being a $36 billion dollar industry, a growing body of evidence suggests vitamin supplements are overhyped at best, and at worst, a huge waste of money.

Gummy vitamins in particular are an expensive, sugary stand-in for nutrients when people should really just be eating more vegetables and whole foods, according to experts.

"There's no evidence that the average healthy adult needs to take supplements," Dr. Robert Shmerling, a senior faculty editor at Harvard Health Publishing, previously told Business Insider.

In addition to being unhelpful for general health, supplements also aren't effective at preventing or treating coronavirus infection, in spite of "immune boosting" claims.

The one exception is vitamin D, as growing evidence suggests a lack of that nutrient could play a crucial role in our ability to defend against viruses and other malicious microbes.

Even if you do need more of a specific vitamin, supplements are largely unregulated, so it can be difficult to know what exactly you're getting and in what dose.

Hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria and autoimmune disease medication, has been theorized to work against the novel coronavirus, since it has some anti-viral properties in a lab setting.

But a growing body of evidence has shown is just doesn't work, despite proponents like President Donald Trump and television personality Dr. Mehmet Oz advocating for its widespread use.

Studies found the drug provided no benefit to patients hospitalized with COVID-19, and was no better than a placebo when administered to patients with early or mild cases. It also doesn't help prevent infections, since people who take hydroxychloroquine have still been infected after exposure to the coronavirus, according to research.

In June, the FDA revoked an emergency-use authorization that previously allowed hydroxychloroquine treatment for coronavirus patients due to serious side effects such as heart problems associated with its use.

Hydroxychloroquine's place in the spotlight has had other consequences as well, such as drawing attention (and resources) away from other possible therapies.

The drug's popularity as an experiment coronavirus treatment was also linked to shortages for people who needed the medication as a proven therapy for conditions like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.

According to experts, wearing a mask ne of the most important measures the public can take to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Still, an outspoken minority of people continue to insist that masks are ineffective or actively harmful for people to wear, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

Part of the resistance to mask-wearing may be due to inconsistent messages from health authorities early in the pandemic, when officials urged the public not to wear them. That initial advice was to make sure frontline workers would have access to the limited supply available, and has since been overturned.

But misinformation regarding masks is rampant.

The debunked film "Plandemic," for instance, claimed that wearing a mask could worsen infection; experts say this just isn't true.

It's also not true that masks pose any risk to your ability to breathe properly, as study after study has shown they don't impair oxygen levels, although they may increase the perceived effort of breathing.

Beyond the science, rhetoric about personal freedom has also been a core tenet for anti-maskers, who have asserted the right to eschew a mask despite the potentially dangerous consequences for public health.

While it's true that young people appear to be prone to milder cases of coronavirus, they are far from immune.

In rare instances, children can experience a severe and life-threatening inflammatory response that appears to be linked to COVID-19.

And while children make up a tiny percentages of deaths from coronavirus, those who do die tend to Black or Hispanic, underscoring what we know about those communities being more vulnerable to this illness.

We're still just beginning to understand how and why children respond the way they do to coronavirus infection, though. Recent research suggests children have a weaker antibody response, and thus a less severe reaction to COVID-19, than adults.

However, there's still a lot we don't know.

Children can also contribute to spreading the virus among more vulnerable populations, such as teachers, parents, and grandparents, even if they don't become ill themselves.

Efforts to contain the coronavirus by isolating people who are already sick miss the most important source of new cases: people with no symptoms at all.

It seems counterintuitive that apparently healthy people might pose more of a problem than those with a cough or fever, but the data is clear.

The US is seeing its biggest surge in infections yet, largely due to people spreading the virus either before they feel sick or without ever showing signs of illness themselves, according to a November report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

That makes for a particularly insidious issue as people continue to travel and socialize without realizing they're sharing contagions with friends and loved ones.

To make matters worse, we still don't have a consistent understanding of how long people remain contagious. For example, one woman in her 70s continued to test positive for 100 days despite not having symptoms, and experts believe she was contagious for a majority of that time.

Even as we get closer to having a widely-available vaccine, the best way to protect yourself and loved ones from the virus is to continue social distancing, avoid large gatherings, and wear a mask.