With any event that gathers significant attention comes… conspiracies. 9/11, the assassination of John F. Kennedy, Princess Diana’s death, and in 2020? Coronavirus. While the virus is very much real and has devastated lives across the world, there have been some very strange and absolutely insincere claims that have developed as a result.
In fact, COVID-19 has fueled more than 2,000 rumors and conspiracy theories, some of which have posed a serious threat to human life. In times of crisis, it can be difficult to separate fact from fiction, and many people find themselves believing anything in desperation. Let’s look at 4 of the weirdest conspiracy theories to have developed from the pandemic.
- The virus started from someone eating a bat
First and foremost, let’s start with perhaps the biggest and strangest theory, and one that emerged right at the very beginning of the pandemic. Yes, one extremely popular rumour is that COVID-19 originated from people eating “bat soup” in China…
Although bats have been the source of diseases which can spread to humans, there is absolutely no evidence to suggest that this particular activity caused the coronavirus pandemic. To this day, the exact source of the virus is still unknown.
- Cases are only so high because of increased testing
If no one got tested, we wouldn’t have any positive cases, right? While this might be true on paper, it doesn’t take away from the fact that coronavirus is still very much out there, making people sick and taking lives. Encouraging people not to take tests in order to keep the figure down is a blatant attempt at ‘brushing it under the carpet’.
Don’t listen to this conspiracy theory. Tests are absolutely fundamental in keeping the virus at bay – if you receive a positive test, you have confirmation that you must self-isolate which, in turn, stops the spread of the virus. If you’re looking for an easy solution, MyHealthChecked offer COVID self-swab tests that offer a 99.9% accurate answer in 48 hours.
- Drinking bleach kills the virus
Made popular through social media and, at one point, Donald Trump, the idea that drinking bleach can kill the coronavirus reached millions of people. While there’s no evidence that bleach can kill the virus, there is evidence that it can kill you.
Though fatality can depend on your size and age, how much you swallowed and what other chemicals were mixed in, it’s something that certainly not worth trying.
- COVID-19 is no worse than the flu
Despite rapid recent developments, many people still claim that COVID-19 is no worse than the flu. Whether people are choosing to downplay the severity in order to calm their nerves, or they’re straight believers in this conspiracy, it’s caused quite a stir across the world.
There are many reasons why this claim is false, the most important one being that many people have partial immunity to the flu because of having already received a vaccination or a previous infection, whereas most of the world has not yet encountered COVID-19.
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