Assessment of Coronavirus disease, the nose pollution filter, fermented spicy Kimchee, and peppery hot soup consumed in Korea

Abstract

Recent statistics of Coronavirus diseases in Korea are studied with respect to many other countries. It is found that as of 8 February 2021, Korea has recorded 15.8 patients per 10,000 people, and this is used to calculate ratio to compare with other countries. On average, the number of Coronavirus patients in the world is 136.2 that is 8.6 times more than in Korea. The number of Covid-19 patients recorded in Korea is relatively smaller than other countries. There was no clear evidence on the atmospheric transport of Coronaviruses over 1 km to cause infection to other people. The infection of Coronaviruses appeared to occur mainly by close contact with an infected person or by airborne droplets in confined indoor environments, as noted earlier (Lancet, Respir Med 8(12):1159, 2020). To reduce the transmission of Coronavirus and related infections, the wearing of a pollution filter (mask) covering the nose and mouth is mandatory for Coronavirus patients. For the general public, however, we have invented a filter which covers only the nose. When there is no need for conversation and deep breathing, the nose band would be sufficient to filter out Coronavirus and air pollutants. Meanwhile, air and sea port activities including ground transport continued and strict policy on people mingle was not tightly enforced, and control measures to reduce infection were not so effective. However, it is believed that consuming fermented Korean spicy Kimchee and hot peppery soup plus warm rice tea helps in washing Coronaviruses around the throat deep down to the stomach. We find that cleansing the mouth and throat deeply including pathway is better than doing shallow gargling. A possible mechanism for cleansing the mouth and throat of Coronaviruses is here explored. This could have contributed to the relatively small number of Coronavirus patients observed in Korea.