The Wuhan flu, Chinese coronavirus, Covid-19 virus, or simply coronavirus as some prefer to call it, needs no introduction. It is the latest nuisance we all have to deal with. The virus first appeared in China and in less than two months, has spread to every continent in the world. It has killed over 4,000 people so far and another 113,000 people are confirmed to be infected.
Most people agree that the virus first appeared in a seafood market in Wuhan, China. It appears, however, that some conspiracy theorists do not believe this story. They say it is just another sham story someone made up to cover-up the true origin of the virus.
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10 The United States government
There are rumors that the United States government created the Chinese coronavirus. This claim was first made by the Russian news network, Channel One, during a live news broadcast. A news presenter said the US government created the virus to destroy China’s economy. He added that the US might have also created it so they could sell vaccines to the Chinese government.
The presenter based his claim on the fact that corona means crown in Russian and Latin. As we all know, President Trump used to be a judge on beauty pageants and was sometimes in charge of crowning the winner. The presenter said this was the reason the virus was named after crowns. Meanwhile, scientists say they named the virus after its crown-like shape.[1]
9 Bill Gates
If you are struggling to understand how Bill Gates fits into all these, we will need to go back to October 2019. That month, 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.
Bill Gates predicted a coronavirus-like outbreak – down to it starting at a Chinese market – in 2019 Netflix documentary show ‘The Next Pandemic’https://t.co/XIIcBcmZFc
— B Free Thinker (@B_Free_Thinker) January 31, 2020
Conspiracy theorists backed their claims with the fact that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation had earlier provided funding for the UK-based Pirbright Institute, which has a patent on a coronavirus vaccine. They say Bill Gates teamed with the institute to start the epidemic so he could sell the vaccines.
The Pirbright Institute denies any link between their organization and the Covid-19 virus. A spokesperson said they only researched into coronaviruses that affected birds and not humans. Their vaccines do not work for humans either.[2]
8 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.
People on the other side of the fence say Ashlie is just another conspiracy theorist. They say the 2000 study she quoted was discredited by a 2005 study that proved 5G was not dangerous to humans. They also pointed out the fact that Wuhan was just one of the 16 Chinese cities that got 5G internet at the same time.[3]
7 The Chinese government
Some people believe China created the Covid-19 virus as part of its biological weapon program. They say the virus later leaked from a lab, causing the epidemic.
The lab in question is the National Biosafety Laboratory. It is the only Chinese government-owned facility capable of conducting research into deadly viruses. It is part of the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which is located in Wuhan. If you recall, Wuhan is the same city where the epidemic broke out.
These claims arose over a statement President Xi Jinping made right after the epidemic broke out. He said the safety of laboratories was a national issue. The following day, the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology released instructions on how to secure laboratories to prevent the escape of viruses.
Where ties with communist China are close, the coronavirus follows https://t.co/Y2OO96bc0I via @YouTube The Taiwanese people get it right and know what it takes to battle the coronavirus. Do not believe China’s Government!
— ?Thirdy III?? WWG1WGA??? (@underdogreg) March 12, 2020
Conspiracy theorists back up their claims with the fact that viruses have earlier leaked from Chinese labs. The deadly Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) virus escaped twice.[4]
6 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?[5]
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5 The October 2019 meteorite explosion
Something incredible happened in northeast China in the early hours of October 11, 2019. A meteorite exploded in the sky just after midnight, causing an intense flash that made the night sky as bright as day.
Conspiracy theorists have now jumped on that incident. They say the meteorite brought the Covid-19 virus from space.
Scientists say this is unlikely since the meteor did not land on the ground. Even if it did, they do not think the virus could have survived the extreme temperature of the landing. Meteors that do not burn up in the atmosphere can reach up to 1,198°F by the time they touch the ground. That is more than enough to kill the virus several times over.
Infectious diseases specialist, Dr. Dominic Sparkes, added that the Covid-19 virus most likely originated here on earth since it shares a lot in common with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).
All three viruses belong to a group of viruses called coronaviruses. We know SARS and MERS originated here on earth, but Covid-19? Only time will tell.[6]
4 A Chinese woman eating bat soup
There are speculations that humans got the Covid-19 virus from bats. While scientists are yet to verify this claim, some people believe it spread to humans after someone munched down on an infected bat. That “someone” is Chinese travel blogger, Wang Mengyun.
Mengyun became a victim of a conspiracy theory after a video of her eating a bat went viral. She was accused of contracting the virus and spreading it to other people.
Mengyun was later forced by the socialist Chinese government to apologize for eating the bat. She added that the video was shot in 2016, three years before the Covid-19 virus appeared. It was not shot in China but in Palau, an island nation in the Pacific Ocean.[7]
3 Some unknown person or group created it from HIV
Not all conspiracy theories have a name pinned on them. Like this one proposed by a group of Indian researchers. The researchers say the Covid-19 virus bears some semblance to the HIV-1 virus. They said this was enough evidence to prove that someone had modified HIV to create this new virus.
They published the paper on bioRxiv, a website for research papers awaiting review. The researchers did not mention names, so we do not know the people responsible. The paper caused a controversy, causing the researchers to withdraw it.[8]
2 Corona beer
Corona Extra is a brand of beer brewed in Mexico. It is unrelated to the coronavirus and does not cause or spread it. The beer got its name from the Spanish and Latin word for crown. The virus was named for its crown-like shape.
Corona Extra has been suffering a naming crisis since the epidemic broke out. While no one has actually claimed it causes or spreads the virus, it appears that people already nurse such beliefs. Google has been flooded with searches for “corona beer virus”, “beer virus” and “beer coronavirus” since January.
Sales are up by 5% – This statement from Corona is a PR masterpiece, but it’s also something more: a lesson in emotional intelligence https://t.co/t5wBiuEkVY
— Ron Caruso (@Cinovate) March 12, 2020
The market share of Corona Extra has actually grown according to the company. Lucky them! In the 1980s, a diet candy called Ayds suffered a 50% drop in sales after people thought it caused AIDS.[9]
1 Samuel Hyde
Samuel Hyde is a famous actor and comedian. Some people, however, think he should also be famous for starting the coronavirus epidemic. This claim is believed to be part of a running joke of blaming Hyde for every unfortunate incident that occurs in the United Sates.
As it happens, Hyde has been blamed for almost every mass shooting in the US. The accusations have sometimes gotten a bit more serious, like it did after a deadly shooting in Texas in 2017. Rep. Vincente Gonzalez told CNN the name of the shooter was Sam Hyde. He later apologized after discovering he had fallen for an ongoing prank and conspiracy theory.[10]
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