Some people really will believe anything…
The world’s going mad, and not just from house-bound confinement for weeks (or months) on end! We’re talking crazy coronavirus conspiracies.
With so much time on our hands, too many of us are diving deep into the dark world of conspiracy theories. Some sound totally irrational, others are impossible to disprove. What do you believe? And what makes you roll your eyes?
Let’s find out:
Theory 1: It was leaked from a Chinese laboratory
If there’s one conspiracy theory that sounds somewhat plausible, it’s that the virus was accidentally leaked from a Chinese lab. Specifically the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
However, it has been proven that the virus is not lab-grown, showing signs that it was organically created by nature. But this doesn’t mean it wasn’t extracted from natural surrounds and housed within a lab in China from where it subsequently leaked. It could very well have been. And until we get to the bottom of it (provided the Chinese government allows the world to investigate), this theory will continue to hang around.
Of course, the fact that the Chinese government is hindering any investigation does ring alarm bells. It also perpetuates another side conspiracy theory that the Chinese government released it as a bioweapon. But that doesn’t seem as plausible considering it began in Wuhan, China. Why would you release a bioweapon in the middle of your own country? Most especially in a major city…
However, new developments surrounding the ‘accidental release’ theory have come to light this week.
According to 7News, “[it has] emerged overnight that the Five Eyes intelligence agencies… are investigating two Chinese scientists who previously worked on bat research in a CSIRO laboratory in Geelong.”
The two Chinese scientists in question – Professor Shi Zhengli and senior researcher Zhou Peng – had co-authored a research paper, published in Nature, that first linked COVID-19 to bats through genome sequencing of infected patients.
The rumour is that the Wuhan laboratory did not have reasonable safeguards to house the virus, causing it to leak into the general community. According to Professor Shi, she had mulled over that possibility as well.
Or perhaps it really was just an unlucky shopper at the Wuhan wet markets…
Food for thought!
Theory 2: 5G network is exacerbating the crisis
The 5G network theory is a little far-fetched for most of the world, but it’s become a potent conspiracy theory over the past few weeks. For some reason, a lot of people seem to believe that correlation equals causation.
According to the theory, the 5G Network is exacerbating the spread of the coronavirus. And their only evidence? Maps. If this is supposed to be believed, then Kuwait should have a higher record of COVID-related deaths than any other country.
But, best not to fan the flames of misinformation.
The fact of the matter is that plenty of scientists rebuke the idea that 5G towers are exacerbating COVID-19.
Theory 3: The US military had transported the virus to China
Now we’re really delving into the strange depths of coronavirus conspiracies. This theory seems to have been sparked by a Chinese official who blamed American soldiers for spreading COVID-19 during the Military Olympic Games in Wuhan in October 2019. It must be said that the Chinese official in question – Lijian Zhao – has a history of trolling the United States on Twitter.
The 300 US soldiers who attended the Military Olympic Games all tested negative for COVID-19, according to The Scientist.
Theory 4: It was Bill Gates!
Out of all the weird conspiracy theories to hit the world, this one seems a little overdrawn. It arises from a Ted Talk that Bill gave half a decade ago, where he claimed the world was not ready for a viral outbreak. Since the resurfacing of that, and the fact that Gates donated US$250 million to help medical researchers find a vaccine, conservative pundits have been sharing the idea that Bill Gates manufactured the virus to test his statement.
Theory 5: COVID-19 doesn’t actually exist!
Even with global coronavirus-related deaths surging past 200,000, there are still many people out there who believe the virus just doesn’t exist. It is believed that these people are angered by lockdowns in their own countries, so they peddle the idea that the virus was created to control the people.
So there you have it, five intriguing, weird and downright kooky coronavirus conspiracies, but could one be true?
