Wuhan coronavirus facts vs fake news: All the myths and conspiracy theories on social media busted!
As health experts scramble to learn more about the deadly and mysterious Wuhan coronavirus, several individuals or groups seem to have all the answers, with no evidence and only half-baked information to support their claims -- thereby creating paranoia among followers.
These people have turned social media into a breeding ground for conspiracy theories and misinformation as the disease keeps spreading. "Misinformation about the coronavirus has particularly taken root in Facebook groups for anti-vaccine advocates and believers in QAnon, a broad, right-wing conspiracy theory, " PolitiFact, a fact-checking website said.
Here is a list of six myths propagating on social media posts and articles:
Myth: Outbreak was a ploy to vaccinate people
Supporters of anti-vaccine groups have concocted a new conspiracy theory: that Wuhan coronavirus was a planned tactic by authorities to forcibly vaccinate people.
Claims: Their claims -- appearing on social media posts and YouTube videos -- stem from a patent for coronavirus vaccine filed in 2015. A QAnon YouTuber named Jordan Sather went so far as to tweet that the coronavirus was a “new fad disease”, claiming the release of the virus that causes it was “planned".
“So let me get this straight about this virus, It is 'new' yet it was lab-created and patented in 2015 (in development since '03). The patent expired (today) on the day the first case is announced in the US. The patent also tells us the CDC helped make this. This invention was made by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an agency of the United States Government. Therefore, the U.S. Government has certain rights in this invention. And now magically a vaccine is in the works for it already? Yet the patent in 2015 already references a vaccine for it. But what do I know I’m just a conspiracy theorist,” said one user.
Fact: UK's Pirbright Institute did file a patent for coronavirus in 2015 -- but not for the Wuhan coronavirus. The patent was to cover the development of a coronavirus vaccine that could prevent respiratory diseases in birds and other animals. Coronavirus is a large family of viruses, some of them cause the common cold, while others can be devastating such as SARS, MERS, and the current Wuhan coronavirus. The viral disease -- which has claimed 106 lives so far in China and infected over 4,500 people -- has no vaccine or cure yet.
Myth: Virus ‘created in a lab’ as a ‘bio-weapon for population control’
This new theory has caught the fancy of a few.
Claims: Wuhan coronavirus is the handiwork of governments to check the burgeoning population, according to some social media posts.
"Several news websites, especially alternative news and health websites, are coming under cyberattack for reporting what is a huge story about the fact that this coronavirus that is sweeping China, and which has now spread to other countries — including the United States of America — is a biological attack being perpetrated on the United States and other countries," said David Zublick, who has a history of propagating conspiracies and has more than 12,000 views on YouTube, reports PolitiFact.
Fact: There is no evidence to indicate that the Wuhan coronavirus was created in a lab. Evidence suggests that the virus originated in Wuhan's seafood market and investigations are still being carried out.
Myth: FEMA suggested "Martial law"
This is another theory doing the rounds. This time, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which is responsible for coordinating the US federal government's response to natural and man-made disasters, has been dragged into it.
Claims: Acting FEMA Director Pete Gaynor, on January 22, proposed to President Trump the implementation of a Martial Law to prevent the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus, read social media posts of conspiracy theorists. The story has been shared more than 570 times on Facebook, according to CrowdTangle, an audience metrics tool.
Fact: These claims are fabricated. "It is not true — the FEMA director did not advise martial law," Lizzie Litzow, press secretary at FEMA, told PolitiFact.
Myth: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation profiting from the outbreak
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation spends more on global health every year than most countries. The Foundation finds itself in such posts, after taking part in the October 2019 high-level pandemic exercise in New York.
Claims: The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation predicted the outbreak, and are somehow profiting from it, several Facebook posts, blogs, and YouTube videos said.
Fact: The October exercise was to simulate an outbreak, an exercise done to strengthen the response to a severe pandemic -- instrumental in diminishing large-scale economic and societal consequences. Some conspiracy theorists used this as a fodder to cook up a whole new story. According to PolitiFact, tax records show that the Gates Foundation has supported the Pirbright Institute in the past. The Pirbright Institute owns a patent for SARS, a coronavirus that is different from the Wuhan strain. "But those disparate facts do not prove that the Gates Foundation has somehow profited from the most recent outbreak of the coronavirus," they wrote.
Myth: Wuhan virus death toll is in thousands
The official death toll released by China stands at 106 -- but not everyone agrees.
Claims: According to a few posts on social media, the Wuhan coronavirus has claimed the lives of “thousands” or “10,000” people.
Fact: Again, there is no evidence to support this claim. The official figure of 106 deaths in China was released by the World Health Organization, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention and China’s National Health Commission.
Myth: Use mouthwash and get rid of Wuhan virus
Some people claim that Wuhan pneumonia has a cure, from using easy ingredients found at home to using fireworks to get rid of the virus!
Claims: One article quoted a health expert suggesting that rinsing mouths with saltwater can help fend off the virus. Another said that drinking a mixture of smoked vinegar and the traditional Chinese medicine banlangen could cure pneumonia caused by the virus.
Fact: The expert was misquoted. He never said saltwater was effective. The second claim builds on a respiratory doctor's quote: he said that banlangen was effective against the common cold, but not the coronavirus.