Question

“Drinking large amounts of water can cure COVID-19.”

Answer 1

While looking for answers to this claim, I found none that supported it to be true. All sources stated that drinking large amounts of water cannot cure COVID-19. Although sources did voice for hydration as a factor in staying healthy in day to day life. 

For my sources I used:

The World Health Organization (WHO): https://www.who.int/southeastasia/outbreaks-and-emergencies/covid-19/What-can-we-do-to-keep-safe/fact-or-fiction 

WHO has a whole page on COVID Q&As. One of the questions was if drinking lots of water has the ability to cure COVID. The WHO states that though drinking water is important for health, "There is no evidence that drinking lots of water flushes out the new coronavirus." As a source The WHO is likely not biased as it is a medical research group.

BBC: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200319-covid-19-will-drinking-water-keep-you-safe-from-coronavirus

It's in the title of this article from BBC "No, drinking water doesn't kill coronavirus." This article explores and debunks the online 2020 rumors that drinking water every 15 minutes will help cure and prevent COVID. These rumors were circulating in 2020, when there was an abundance of online rumors about COVID "cures" and "facts". Most of these false rumors stem from personal fears/coping with the perceived lack of personal control that the pandemic caused. There is no scientific evidence to support the idea that drinking water will flush the virus into your stomach acid where it will die. BBC as a source is likely not biased in related to this topic, as many COVID "curing hacks" came from Americans on the republican/conservative side (such as Trump supporters) and the BBC is a British news source. 

and PubMed: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9510225/

This PubMed article briefly explores the 4 cases of Hyponatremia caused by excessive drinking of water. 3 of these cases actually over hydrated themselves because of the belief that large quantities of water would cure their COVID. PubMed as a source most likely does not have many biases as it mainly just uploads studies and medical information. However, a case group of only 4 people is not particularly impressive or prove much.

While there is evidence that drinking water can help with overall health and your immune system, it is not a magic cure-all. Overall, most viruses are transmitted through droplets in the air, or left on surfaces that are then touched and transferred. So washing a few extra germs into your stomach would not keep you safe from sickness. 

Answer 2

The claim that “drinking large amounts of water can cure COVID-19” is false, misleading, and incorrect. 

According to Children's Mercy, “While drinking enough water to stay hydrated is important, drinking sips of water every 15 minutes does not prevent infection from COVID-19.” 

Additionally, BBC News interviewed Kalpana Sabapathy, a clinical epidemiologist at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.  “Sabapathy explains that infections often begin after we’ve been exposed to thousands or millions of viral particles, so sweeping a few down the oesophagus is unlikely to have much of an impact… “You would probably have already got them in your nostrils by then, for example – it’s not fool proof.”  Meaning that by the time you are experiencing COVID like symptoms, drinking water every 15 minutes will not stop the virus from infecting your body. 

However, this is not to say that drinking water while having COVID or before having COVID is bad or not recommended, it is simply stating that drinking water will not cure COVID-19.  In fact, staying hydrated all of the time is incredibly important, but especially during cold and flu season.  A well nourished and hydrated body has a higher chance of having a shorter recovery time and less severe symptoms. 

Overall, the claim that “drinking large amounts of water can cure COVID-19” is in fact false.  It is recommended to wash your hands frequently, to social distance, and to wear masks if necessary. 

Works Cited: 

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200319-covid-19-will-drinking-water-keep-you-safe-from-coronavirus 

https://www.childrensmercy.org/parent-ish/2020/03/covidmyths/ 

Answer 3

The claim that drinking large amounts of water can cure covid-19 is completely false and is complete misinformation. According to the BBC it is a commonly held misconception that covid-19 can be cured or “flushed out” by drinking large amounts of water and is completely false and untrue. They even found people who drank large amounts of water despite helping with respiratory issues, did not help with covid-19 and even wrote that  “However, the findings don’t necessarily apply to Covid-19 – and it’s dangerous to assume that they do.”Along with this the World Health Organization also known as WHO answered this question on their page about covid-19 misconceptions explaining why this is wrong and even saying their is ​​"no evidence that drinking lots of water flushes out the new coronavirus."

All evidence I have given supports my claim that covid-19 cannot be cured by drinking water. I have not found any evidence from any trustworthy sources that support the original claim. I would say that the WHO has no biases due to the fact they are a world health organization and are not a private company. However the BBC could have a bias such as wanting to get more attention or the goal of more clicks on their article.

The original writer did not contact me back when I tried contacting them on news detective but if this changes I will update this post.