One of the consequences of digitalization and fast paced social networking is the spread of fake news. As everyone possesses the ability to create, share, and spread: myths, fake news, and even propagate narratives. And so, the COVID-19 pandemic also comes with the additional crisis of misinformation and disinformation. Both of which can also have adverse effects. Here are three of the myths and false news about the origin of the Coronavirus.
It all started with a lady eating a bat in China
The video that has gotten viral of a lady, Wang Mengyun, eating a bat has no link with the origin of the pandemic. First off, she was not even in Wuhan or even in China while eating that bat. The video is from her online travel show where she was actually eating a dish in Palau, an island country located in the western Pacific ocean.
But more than that, the video is also reported to have been filmed in 2016—well before the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan. And so, sharing this fake news is actually hateful towards the Chinese and more specifically against Wang Mengyun. The poor lady has been facing blame from around the world for being the sole responsible person in the origin of the pandemic.
While it is true that the protein codes of 2019-nCoV exist in bats, there is research that the protein most likely came from snakes. Snakes often hunt bats and snakes are also sold at the seafood market in Wuhan. The research further states that the virus may have spread from bats to snakes and then to humans. However, until further research is conducted, we cannot pinpoint the exact origin of the pandemic.
The Chinese Government created the virus
The story goes as the government was too stressed about the strikes in Hong Kong. Consequently, they decided it was best to fight back with a biochemical weapon. However, it turned out more deadly than they intended and they hadn’t come up with an antidote either. A whistle blower eventually exposed the government by going public with this information.
Yes, it sounds really believable and exactly the sort of a thing we expect the Chinese government to do. Which is exactly where the story originated from. It was actually published on Reddit in the ‘NoSleep’ section where people write scary fiction stories. Sadly, it spread like wildfire and was widely shared on social networks.
Bill Gates Funded the creation of the Virus
Okay, WHAT? Which is exactly how you should react to such information but, the story is even funnier. In a ted talk, around 5 years ago, Bill Gates mentioned how he feared a pandemic. He said that millions of people were not gonna die from missiles and bombs but microbes. Even in 2018, He suggested that the world needs to get ready for a pandemic just like they prepare for wars. Conspiracy theorists have used that as evidence for Bill Gates actually being responsible for the origin of the crisis. In fact, even a ‘fake letter’ of Bill Gates got viral where he wrote about the virus as “the great corrector … sent to remind us of the important lessons that we seem to have forgotten”
It is both funny and sad how one of the most generous people ever can be blamed for starting the pandemic. But that’s not all, a Pakistani local youtube channel, Haqeeqat T.V, even uses his altruism as evidence for the origin of the virus. According to their version of the story, the virus was actually created in a lab in the UK. That lab is sponsored by Bill Gates and he donates millions of dollars to it regularly.
Somehow that correlation that they made on their own is the cause of this pandemic. However, they did say that the lab was not to be blamed bu itt was actually Bill Gates who had ulterior motives.