- Misinformation about the coronavirus is spreading rapidly on the internet.
- Despite what you might've heard, you cannot get the virus from an imported package or a pet, and garlic and sesame oil will not help treat it.
- The best way to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, and other viral illnesses, is to stay home when you're sick, and wash your hands frequently with soap and water.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
The novel coronavirus, 2019-nCoV, is new, deadly, and spreading fast.
As of Monday, at least 362 people have died from the virus, and another 17,400 have been confirmed ill with the virus that prompts fever, cough, and shortness of breath.
The US has issued a mandatory quarantine for citizens and their families coming back from Hubei province in China, where the disease originated in December. There is no treatment or vaccine for the virus, which scientists suspect originated in bats, and might've hopped into an intermediary host animal, before infecting people.
Still, some are peddling fake misinformation about where the virus comes from, and how to "cure" it, as people around the globe hunger for easy answers to combat the spread of this new and relatively unknown virus.
Here are a few of the most egregious claims we've heard so far, as well as some of the best advice from experts on how to actually stay healthy and disease-free.