Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses which may cause illness in animals or humans. In humans, several coronaviruses are known to cause respiratory infections ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). The most recently discovered coronavirus causes coronavirus disease COVID-19.
What is COVID-19?
COVID-19 is the infectious disease caused by the most recently discovered coronavirus. This new virus and disease were unknown before the outbreak began in Wuhan, China, in December 2019.
The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, tiredness, and dry cough. Some patients may have aches and pains, nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat or diarrhea. These symptoms are usually mild and begin gradually. Some people become infected but don’t develop any symptoms and don't feel unwell. Most people (about 80%) recover from the disease without needing special treatment. Around 1 out of every 6 people who gets COVID-19 becomes seriously ill and develops difficulty breathing. Older people, and those with underlying medical problems like high blood pressure, heart problems or diabetes, are more likely to develop serious illness. About 2% of people with the disease have died. People with fever, cough and difficulty breathing should seek medical attention.
People can catch COVID-19 from others who have the virus. The disease can spread from person to person through small droplets from the nose or mouth which are spread when a person with COVID-19 coughs or exhales. These droplets land on objects and surfaces around the person. Other people then catch COVID-19 by touching these objects or surfaces, then touching their eyes, nose or mouth. People can also catch COVID-19 if they breathe in droplets from a person with COVID-19 who coughs out or exhales droplets. This is why it is important to stay more than 1 meter (3 feet) away from a person who is sick.
Unfortunately, antibiotics do not work against viruses, they only work on bacterial infections. COVID-19 is caused by a virus, so antibiotics do not work. Antibiotics should not be used as a means of prevention or treatment of COVID-19. They should only be used as directed by a physician to treat a bacterial infection.
Can edible bird's nest (EBN) help to cure COVID-19?
At this point of time, there is no vaccine nor cure for COVID-19, therefore it would be silly to say that EBN is the only cure for COVID-19.
However, in 2006, a research was conducted to study the antiviral efficacy of natural cave and house-cultured EBN. The research demonstrated that EBN extract could effectively inhibit influenza infection independent of its strains− human, avian and swine, by directly binding to the influenza virus itself or inhibiting the hemagglutination of the virus to human erythrocytes. In other words, EBN is a safe and valid natural source for the prevention of influenza viruses.
As mentioned, EBN hasn't been proven to be the cure for COVID-19, however, consuming EBN helps to build up and boost the body's immune system against influenza strains, which is helpful to fight against these coronaviruses. As the saying goes, prevention is always better than cure.
Perhaps consuming bird's nest will help you steer clear away from the current pandemic.