This is a little late but here it is, Coronavirus conspiracy theories. As you may know many different origins, causes, and cures about the Coronavirus are circling around the web. But beware, because almost none of these have any truth behind them. An article by the New York Post states that,” “ We will also block or restrict hashtags used to spread misinformation on instagram, and are continuing proactive sweeps to find and remove as much of this content as we can. ” Kang-Xing Jin, Facebook’s head of health, wrote in a Thursday blog post. ” 

Facebook also plans to block or takedown posts that are also spreading misinformation, such as the dangerous idea that drinking bleach will supposedly rid you of the coronavirus. 

The New York Post also wrote that, “ The conspiracy group QAnon has reportedly spread a potentially deadly theory about the Coronavirus [that] has sickened thousands of people globally.” What was this theory? Well, QAnon told “ followers that they can defend themselves against the virus by guzzling ‘Miracle Mineral Solution’ or MMS… but it actually turns into a ‘dangerous bleach’ when mixed. [It] actually has ‘potential life-threatening side effects,’ the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has said ” 

Of corse their are more theories that are spreading around all over social media. And apparently a Chinese scientist is claimed to have created the Coronavirus as a bio weapon. Buzzfeed News states that, ‘the scientists name, photo, email, and telephone number, are being spread across American social media.’ The article from Buzzfeed also says, people on social media are ‘falsely accusing [the scientist] of creating the Coronavirus as a bioweapon, in a plot it said is real-life version of the video game, Resident Evil. ” 

Not all of the conspiracy theories are deadly ones. Some just spread false hopes in ways of preventing yourself from getting infected by the deadly virus. One false heath claim can be found an article by BBC News, and it states that, a “claim – shared 16,000 times on Facebook – advises users in the Philippines to ‘keep your throat moist,‘ avoid spicy food and ‘load up on vitamin C’ in order to prevent the disease.”  These of corse should not be the only thing that you do to keep away the Coronavirus. Staying generally healthy and hand washing should be you first steps to not getting the Coronavirus. Of corse so far their is no sure fire way to have 100% safety from the virus.   

Citations:

Manskar, Noah. “Facebook to Remove Posts Spreading Coronavirus Conspiracy Theories.” New York Post, New York Post, 31 Jan. 2020, nypost.com/2020/01/31/facebook-to-remove-posts-spreading-coronavirus-conspiracy-theories/.

Broderick, Ryan. “A Pro-Trump Blog Doxed A Chinese Scientist It Falsely Accused Of Creating The Coronavirus As A Bioweapon.” BuzzFeed News, BuzzFeed News, 2 Feb. 2020, www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanhatesthis/a-pro-trump-blog-has-doxed-a-chinese-scientist-it-falsely.

“China Coronavirus: Misinformation Spreads Online about Origin and Scale.” BBC News, BBC, 30 Jan. 2020, www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-51271037.

CohenFeb, Jon, et al. “Scientists ‘Strongly Condemn’ Rumors and Conspiracy Theories about Origin of Coronavirus Outbreak.” Science, 19 Feb. 2020, www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/02/scientists-strongly-condemn-rumors-and-conspiracy-theories-about-origin-coronavirus.

Image Citation:

Doheny, Kathleen. “Quarantines for Coronavirus: Not in My Backyard.” WebMD, WebMD, 25 Feb. 2020, www.webmd.com/lung/news/20200225/quarantines-for-coronavirus-not-in-my-backyard?scrlybrkr=36a40975.