Supposed ‘Stanford’ Coronavirus Test Gets Debunked After Going Viral

The coronavirus pandemic has arrived in full here in the United States, and with it came plenty of misinformation and disinformation as well.

Social media has been spreading some wild and asinine claims regarding COVID-19 over the course of the last few weeks, and this will likely only get worse as the days wear on and Americans continue to find themselves adrift in a sea of speculation.

One of the most pervasive pieces of information that has been meandering across cyberspace has to do with a test, allegedly connected to Stanford, in which individuals hold a deep breath for 10 seconds in order to determine whether or not they are carrying coronavirus.  As you can imagine, this is a wholly fabricated bit of bull.

The university said Friday it has nothing to do with the bogus breathing test claim, which appeared to surface in the past week.

“Misinformation about COVID-19 symptoms and treatment falsely attributed to Stanford is circulating on social media and in email forwards,” Stanford tweeted. “It is not from Stanford.”

Social media users are sharing the false post on What’s App, Twitter and Facebook, The Associated Press reported Thursday.

“Taiwan experts provide a simple self-check that we can do every morning,” says the post, purportedly from a friend on the Stanford Hospital board. “Take a deep breath and hold it for more than 10 seconds. If you complete it successfully without discomfort, stuffiness or tightness, it proves there is no fibrosis in the lungs, basically indicating no infection.”

The post also claims if a coronavirus patient goes to the hospital too late their lungs will experience 50 percent fibrosis, a scarring of the lungs that restricts breathing. And it claims that drinking water every 15 minutes will kill the virus. Each of those claims are false.

Americans seeking accurate and up to date information regarding coronavirus, including prevention tactics and symptoms, should visit CDC.gov.