Seeing how a new strain of coronavirus is spreading around the world, a lot of fake news and conspiracy theories about the outbreak have appeared. So what is this virus? A secret biological weapon, evil machinations of the Pentagon to stop the growth of the Chinese economy, or maybe it’s just a mutated virus? Conspiracy theories are popping up like new Starbucks shops in LA, but let’s look at the most prominent ones. Just keep in mind that unlike a scientific theory, you can’t disprove a conspiracy theory, as it will always account for the missing pieces. However, that does not make them real.
1. Biological weapon
On one of the serious scientific sites where scientists publish their work, an interesting article appeared at the end of January. Its authors, a group of Indian Doctors, claimed that there are some sections of proteins in the genetic code of the COVID-19 that suspiciously resemble parts in the code of the human immunodeficiency virus, i.e., HIV. Scientists found four fragments in the structure of the new coronavirus, which have no analogs among the known coronaviruses. According to those Indian scientists, it is likely that someone intentionally crossed two viruses, which immediately led to the emergence of a conspiracy theory that the coronavirus was created at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
Shortly after the publication, the Chinese scholars issued a full rebuttal. Some days later, the Indian scientists removed their work from the site, but it was too late. The Washington Times picked up the news and ran with it. According to their article, the COVID-19 was developed at the Wuhan Institute as a biological weapon and accidentally broke free. Yeah, I don’t think so. Or maybe the government wants me to believe that?
2. Canadian trail
Several US publications specializing in the X-Files-Esque conspiracies have unearthed information that, in 2018, a group of Canadian researchers sold a strain of the virus to a Wuhan research institute and that the COVID-19 was allegedly created in a Canadian lab. This is where they work on advanced vaccines and methods for treating infectious diseases. A Chinese researcher worked there for some time and was deported from Canada last year. It remains a mystery why a virus was created in the vaccine laboratory, and why the Canadians sold the virus to the Chinese. It is also unclear as to why China would buy this strain and whether this was an attempt to create a biological weapon.
So, here’s the theory: Canadian doctors developed a strain of coronavirus for research purposes, to work with vaccines, and a Chinese spy who worked in a laboratory under the disguise of a scientist, stole the virus and exported it to China. Yup, sounds about as dumb as a Hollywood movie plot, which means that there’s no way this is real.
3. Evil pharmacies
There is another hypothesis that at first glance is absolutely insane, but if you delve into the details, you start seeing the pattern. A week after the first news about the coronavirus appeared on YouTube, videos began to appear, calling for the use of one very controversial solution to fight the virus. We are talking about a substance called Miracle Mineral Solution, MMS, for short. A couple of years ago, it was heavily promoted on the Internet as a treatment for autism. Wha’st in this magic water, you ask? It’s literally two parts water, one part chlorine. MMS was advertised as a universal medicine because it contains components that destroy any pathogens but are absolutely harmless to healthy tissue. At least that’s what the ad said.
A few years ago, when people started discussing MMS more actively, American doctors slammed the door shut. They said that it could not become a medicine because essentially, it was nothing more than overpriced industrial bleach. But the coronavirus outbreak is an excellent reason to promote such “universal protection methods.” Millions of mothers around the world are scared to death by the news of a terrible virus that knows no borders. They will be happy to feed their children anything if the medicine keeps them alive. Seriously, people, you have a brain, use it once in a while.
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