Coronavirus has literally turned our world upside down and it continues to spread like a wildfire. but it seems like hoaxes, fake news and conspiracy theories regarding the virus is spreading at a faster rate than the virus itself.

We are here to expose 10 hoaxes and conspiracy theories that surround coronavirus

1. Coronavirus is a bioweapon engineered by the Chinese government  to wage war on America

Let us start with the most common and provoking one. Corno virus is effectively a Chinese bioweapon to challenge the US hegemony. It was alleged that this coronavirus was being made by the Chinese scientists themselves in their labs and it was to be unleashed on the US and China would hence emerge as the world superpower. Sure, this stuff would make for great and amazing headlines and even movies. but unfortunately, it is not true. Researches have shown that the origin of the virus has been from nature itself and it has not been engineered artificially.

2. Coronavirus originated with Chinese people eating bats

Now coming to another very popular narrative. Chinese people eating bats caused coronavirus. This belief has led to many racist attacks against Chinese people and their eating habits. However, the truth is we don’t know exactly where COVID-19 came from, but it’s safe to say that characterizing the virus as a product of an entire country’s eating habits is both inaccurate and wildly offensive. “It’s not simply a matter of the consumption of exotic animals per se,” says Adam Kamradt-Scott, an associate professor specializing in global health security at the University of Sydney, told Time. “So we need to be mindful of picking on or condemning cultural practices.”

3. It is a simple  flu

How we wish it were. This has been states by many famous persons around the world. However, COVID-19 is not the common cold, for numerous reasons: aside from having completely different symptoms (fever, cough, etc.), it also has a mortality rate of about 2 per cent, which the common cold does not.  So, for your own safety, don’t take it so lightly.

4. The Simpsons predicted the coronavirus

Given, the Simpsons predicted a host of stuff including the election of Donald Trump as the president of the US. It is not improbable that many felt that they predicted the outbreak of coronavirus as well. Case in point: screengrabs allegedly from the 1993 episode “Marge in Chains” about an outbreak of a mysterious illness, with one appearing to show a newscaster delivering a report about a “coronavirus.” Although the episode in question is legit, it focuses on an illness called “Osaka flu” (with Osaka obviously being in Japan, not in China), and the screengrab, which is from another episode entirely, actually reads “Apocalypse Meow,” not “coronavirus.”

5. Bill Gates knew about it 

It is one thing to say that Bill Gates predicted the outbreak of the virus, but a whole other thing to say he knew about it. It is said that in Oct 2019 the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation collaborated with the World Economic Forum and the John Hopkins Center for Health Security to test how well we were prepared to deal with an epidemic.

In a curious twist of fate, the Covid-19 virus showed up two months later. Conspiracy theorists say the program was a prelude to the upcoming epidemic, which all three organizations had planned all along. Meanwhile, the John Hopkins Center for Health Security has denied any link between the event and the Covid-19 epidemic.

check out: Did Bill Gates Predict the Corona Pandemic 2020? (Opens in a new browser tab)

6.  There is a vaccine or cure for coronavirus that the government won’t release

A viral Facebook post led many around the world to believe that coronavirus was introduced by the government for the benefit of the pharmaceuticals company and the government in fact has the cure for it. However, there has been no concrete evidence to support this claim. Scientists and researchers are working day and night to come with the cure of the vaccine but progress is underway.

7. 5G Internet 

Wuhan was one of the first Chinese cities to get 5G internet. It is the same city where the Covid-19 virus first appeared. Is that a coincidence? Dana Ashlie says it is not.

Ashlie believes the Covid-19 virus is caused by radiation waves released by 5G internet. She based her claims on a two-decade-old research paper that revealed 5G was dangerous to human health. Ashlie says the so-called coronavirus is actually radiation poisoning. She says it weakens the immune system, leaving a person vulnerable to diseases.

However, this has been widely discredited as researches have shown that 5G isn’t harmful to human health.

8. Hand dryers are effective at killing coronavirus

Another conspiracy theory we wish were true. Coming from the belief that heat kills the virus, it came to be widely accepted that hairdryer kills coronavirus. However, According to the World Health Organization (WHO), which has set up a page for debunking coronavirus myths, this is ineffective. What is effective is watching your hands with soap and water thoroughly and/or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer (think Purell), and then wiping your hands with a paper towel or using a hand dryer. But putting your hands under heat in itself does next to nothing.

9. The Canadian government

some people believe the Canadian government led by social studies teacher Justin Trudeau (pictured) created the Covid-19 virus at the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg, Canada. The lab is a Canadian government-owned facility that conducts research into deadly viruses, just like the one in Wuhan, China.

Conspiracy theorists say two Chinese spies stole the virus and sent it to the Wuhan Institute of Virology where it ended up causing the epidemic. The spies in question are Dr Keding Cheng and his wife, Dr Xiangguo Qiu. The couple worked at the lab until they were suddenly laid off in 2019.

Conspiracy theorists said the duo were fired for stealing samples of the virus and sending it to China. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said they were expelled over policy and administrative issues. Who is telling the truth?

10. A “miracle” bleach product can cure coronavirus

A popular piece of news has been doing the circles that a bleach-based product that has been touted by anti-vaxxers for years, is an effective means of warding off coronavirus. However, this is absolutely not true. In fact, The product contains toxic chemicals and can result in vomiting, diarrhoea, and acute liver failure if ingested in large amounts.

It is for you to decide whether to believe in these theories or not. But whatever you do, stay home, stay safe.