This student's claim that drinking large amounts of water can cure or prevent the COVID19 virus is false and extremely misleading. I was not able to find any accurate and reliable sources to support this claim, and instead found multiple credible health sources, such as the World Health Organization and John Hopkins, stating that it does not kill the virus or prevent infection. Although drinking water can help relieve specific symptoms like sore throats or dehydration, the COVID virus enters the body through the nose and respiratory system, which are ways that water cannot stop.
My Sources:
1. World Health Organization Infographic:
https://www.who.int/vietnam/emergencies/covid-19-in-vietnam/information/mythbusters
Clearly states that drinking water does not prevent coronavirus infection.
2. John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2020/covid-19-myths-vs-realities
Includes expert statements. One says that while warm water or gargling may soothe a sore throat, it has "no direct effect on the virus". It also says that there is "no evidence at all for the specific claim that "You can avoid the virus by drinking warm water every 15 minutes."
3. BBC
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200319-covid-19-will-drinking-water-keep-you-safe-from-coronavirus
In this article it talks about how there is no scientific research supporting the claim and that believing it can cause a false sense of security.
Possible Biases:
BBC: The only possible bias I could think of, as both The World Health Organization and John Hopkins are incredibly reliable sources, was with BBC. As a news website BBC may present information in a more engaging way in order to gain traction, but it still relies on scientific evidence.
