Covid-19 Myth versus Fact

Isabella Langfield

Can 5G networks really give me the CoronaVirus? Is the government tracking me with a chip from my vaccine? These are just some of the wild myths that have arisen as a result of false information being spread during the height of the pandemic and the recent outbreaks of new variants. To help debunk some of these outlandish myths, a local doctor who will be referred toas Dr. Smith has offered to dispute them.

MYTH: The Coronavirus originated from bat soup.FACT: One of the first myths to crop up during the pandemic was that the coronavirus came from bat soup, but in reality the origins of the coronavirus are still unknown. Dr. Smith says, “We know there is evidence that points to the coronavirus affecting animals, but we don’t have any evidence to prove that coronavirus originated from an animal food source.”
MYTH: When you get vaccinated a chip is implanted into your arm so that the government can track you.FACT: This absurd myth is one of the most well-known and controversial conspiracies, causing some Americans to be deterred from getting their vaccine. Dr. Smith says that there is no evidence to support this claim, and that the medical community is required to know the ingredients and additives in a patient’s vaccine, so a chip would come up as an ingredient in the vaccine.
MYTH: Covid-19 is caused by bacteria.
FACT: One of the lesser known myths, which is more like a misconception, is that the
Coronavirus is caused by bacteria. “Covid-19 is an abbreviation for SARS-Co-V-2, which is a previously known and studied virus,” stated Dr. Smith. While bacteria do not require a living host, and do not always cause harm to humans, viruses do require a living host, and can be more harmful than bacteria because they can cause diseases.
MYTH: Vaccines cause variants.FACT: With the upcoming surge of Omicron cases, there have been some misunderstandings about what causes a variant. Dr. Smith defines a variant as a “naturally occurring gene transposition error in the natural life cycle of the virus,” which means that even if the vaccine did not exist, variants of the Coronavirus still could. Dr. Smith goes on to say that “…vaccination is not the cause of the occurrence of variants.”
MYTH: The invention of 5G networks is connected to the coronavirusFACT: This final fact, as laughable as it might be, is believed by more people than it might initially seem. Many Reddit users have spread this information on the platform, stating thatthe electromagnetic waves used to transmit data onto our phones caused the Coronavirus. Famous tennis player Novak Djokovic’s wife is also invested in this conspiracy when she posted a video to Instagram in April of 2020 spreading false information about 5G networks and how they are linked to the coronavirus. The origins of this myth can be traced back as far as 11years ago when the first 4G network came out, and people theorized that the network caused diseases like SARS and the swine flu. Dr. Smith says that “5G networks and other electromagnetic waves have nothing to do with the virus at all.”
Dr. Smith’s final statement was that “there are lots of rumors about the origins, treatment
and prevention of the virus and all of them are dangerous when taken seriously, and have caused significant difficulty in the medical community in treating the coronavirus.”