EDIRNE, Turkiye

The best weapon against coronavirus is bolstering up your immune system, an academic said on Thursday.

Faruk Yorulmaz, head of Trakya University's community health department, said the human body finds hard to fight against viruses when its immune system weakens, thus it is of prime importance to eat healthy and sleep well.

“There is no known treatment or vaccine against the virus [so far]. So, strengthening our immune system is our best weapon against coronavirus,” he told Anadolu Agency in an exclusive interview.

“We can bolster up our immune system with healthy nutrition,” he said, adding that people could expose themselves to sunlight to get Vitamin D.

Stressing that we should consume at least two liters of water per day, the doctor said one should refrain from eating junk food as obesity affects immunity adversely.

“Uninterrupted sleep for 7-8 hours will also be beneficial,” he said, and recommended physical activity at the same time.

"The human body is programed to move, therefore physical activity would help improve the immune system," he said.

Since first being detected in Wuhan, China last December, the virus has claimed more than 8,900 lives globally, according to data maintained by Johns Hopkins University.

Over 220,000 cases of the virus have been confirmed in at least 159 countries and territories, with Europe as the new epicenter of the pandemic.

*Writing by Ali Murat Alhas