Doctors and helplines flooded with corona queries relevant, serious and sometimes foolish

From I have flu like symptoms. Do I have coronavirus? to Can we contract COVID-19 from Made in China' products?, doctors are flooded with anxious queries that cover the serious-to-downright-silly spectrum.

With physical checks out of the reckoning, except in emergencies and that too in hospitals, the telephone has replaced the stethoscope and doctors are busy attending to calls by panic-stricken patients trying to come to grips with the coronavirus pandemic sweeping the globe.

The usual queue at clinics and hospitals might have disappeared, but doctors are as busy as ever and helplines on television, hospitals and social media are buzzing.

The questions are many and bewildering in range, doctors said.

The most commonly asked questions relate to symptoms and prevention -- "Will summer kill the coronavirus?", "Should outside food and non-veg food be avoided?", "Does smoking affect chances of recovery?", "Are face masks useful?", "Are hand sanitisers better than soap?", Are elders in my family more susceptible?
And then the panic gives way to naivety with questions that leave doctors struggling for answers -- "Can one contract the infection through mail coming from China?", "Will sipping hot water kill the virus?", "Are Indians more immune to coronavirus than others?", Is the risk higher in homes with tiles?, Are those with beards and moustaches more prone to the disease?, Does sunbathing kill the virus?
I try to hear them out without interrupting. One needs to be more receptive. And, then whatever I share with the patient about coronavirus, I ask him/her to share it with his/her friends and relatives."