With the spread of the virus, extreme lack of information, and governments cloaking what’s really going on and forcing journalists out of their country, comes the rise conspiracy theories related to coronavirus. In order to make sense of everything that’s going on, people try to craft their own narratives. Here are some of the popular false claims about the origins of coronavirus and possible cure.
Coronavirus is created in a lab, has been patented in 2015 and a vaccine already exists
One of the theories is that the Wuhan outbreak is related to an expired patent filed by Pirbright Institute. It is a research establishment in Surrey. The coronavirus conspiracy theories claim that there is already a vaccine existing and that pharmaceutical firms are planning to use this strain to profit off the virus. Giving more ammunition to this claim is a grant from the Institute by the Gates Foundation in 2018, although the patent predates that.
This theory is false because there are many types of coronaviruses, seven of which can infect humans. The term describes a group of viruses that can cause respiratory infections. They range from the common cold to more dangerous conditions such as SARS or MERS. The Wuhan coronavirus is a new strain and there’s currently no vaccine for it. The patent from Pirbright is for a different type of coronavirus, the avian infectious bronchitis virus. It infects poultry and the institute does not currently work with strains of coronavirus that affect humans.
Bill Gates has something to do with the outbreak
Another theory is that Bill Gates is behind the planning of synthesizing this virus. In his TED Talk in 2015, Bill Gates stated that the next global catastrophe won’t be a nuclear war but a highly infectious virus. On top of that, the Gates Foundation gave a multimillion-dollar grant to Pirbright Institute. An organization working on vaccines for similar coronavirus strains.
However, this theory is groundless because Bill Gates has been funding research looking into viruses in an effort to prevent future pandemics, as he told the Telegraph in 2018.
Chinese people caused Coronavirus by eating bats.
At the present time, we still don’t know the true origin of coronavirus. Although it is thought to have emerged at a seafood market in Wuhan, China. A video of a Chinese blogger eating a bat has been circulating on the Internet. This has triggered speculation that the coronavirus might have originated in bats. A report by the Wuhan Institute for Virology found that the new coronavirus’ genetic makeup was 96% identical to the kind found in bats, which were also the original source of SARS.
Nevertheless, the aforementioned video, filmed in Palau back in 2017 and not in China and has no connection to the current outbreak.
CIA engineered the Coronavirus as a bioweapon
Another baseless coronavirus conspiracy theory but totally viable theory that appears on social media is the suggestive connection that the virus is a “covert biological weapons program” in Wuhan. Another theory is that someone smuggled it from a Canadian laboratory or that the CIA engineered to wage war against China. All claims have no evidence to support them.
It wouldn’t make a lot of sense for the CIA to attack China’s economy using the virus. Indeed appears that the US economy is also suffering from it. The Canadian laboratory in question is the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg. In 2013 investigated a new cluster of coronavirus infections but, as mentioned earlier, there are many types of coronavirus and in this case, the lab examined MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome).
However, China is facing a huge predicament with this aging population and the pensions it’s going to dish out. There’s also a virology lab in Wuhan which studies “the world’s most dangerous pathogens” and it wouldn’t be the first time that communists kill their own people. Nevertheless, the link between the lab and this outbreak remains unproven.
We need to keep in mind that these conspiracy theories can have severe implications for certain sections of society. For instance, during the Black Death in Europe, Jews were scapegoated as responsible for the pandemic. These conspiracy theories led to violent attacks and massacres of Jewish communities all over Europe. The outbreak of the coronavirus has led to a worldwide increase in racist attacks targeted towards people perceived as East Asian.
Both the CDC and the World Health Organisation are still investigating the cause of the outbreak. Neither has suggested it is related to biological weapons. Scientists who recently examined the DNA structure of the virus came to the conclusion that it was entirely new and originated in nature, not in a laboratory. The journal The Lancet published the research.
Drinking bleach can cure the virus
And the most moronic claims linked to coronavirus has come from QAnon supporters. They suggested that consuming “Miracle Mineral Solution” such as chlorine dioxide can cure coronavirus.
But the FDA warned people not to drink MMS because it’s a “dangerous bleach”. It can cause “serious and potentially life-threatening side effects.”
Conspiracy theories are always fascinating but most of the time not true. Click HERE to know all the real news about Coronavirus!
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