The CDC defines an Epidemic as a sudden increase in cases of a disease, while it defines a pandemic as an event in which a disease spreads across multiple countries and affects a large number of people. While for the vaccinated it may feel like the pandemic has almost ended, the reality is it hasn’t. The CDC reports that there have been four previous pandemics in the U.S, without counting COVID-19, and 15 endemics in total, counting those pandemics plus COVID-19. 

       Misinformation has permeated all of history. In fact, during the Spanish Flu (H1N1) many countries which participated in WWI suppressed health data such as death counts. The reasoning for low reporting on the pandemic was out of fear of mass hysteria. The idea to blame other nations for the creation of a virus isn’t new either. For example, the Germans were blamed for the creation of the Spanish Flu and its spread across Europe. 

Despite misinformation having been an issue in the past, the amount of misinformation that exists and is widely accepted nowadays is unprecedented.

         The origin of the virus is still in question. Virologists, researchers, and investigators have been attempting to find its inception. The consensus amongst experts is that the virus crossed over from the bat population via another animal who may have acted as the middleman, evidence suggests it originates from horseshoe bats.

          The widely believed conspiracy is that the virus escaped from the Wuhan Institute of Virology. However, the consensus amongst virologists is that this theory is unlikely due to any lack of solid evidence. Pew Research Center found that one in three Americans believe that the coronavirus was bioengineered. Of course, the most harmful part of this theory is that it led to a distrust of Asian Americans and caused anti-Asian sentiment to rise. The complexity of this conspiracy runs deep even including a Hong-Kong scientist named Li-Meng Yan claiming the virus was modified. Her paper was reviewed and then found to be a conspiracy, not based on fact. It was also found to be funded by two non-profit organizations which are linked to Steve Bannon, a former political strategist who worked with President Trump. There’s also The Epoch Times which is known for its anti-Communist Party of China rhetoric, and it also claimed the virus was made by the CCP, calling it the “CCP Virus.” This isn’t even covering all the theories: there are ones that claim Dr. Fauci created it, or that it spread due to an accidental infection in a lab, and another claims that it was stolen from a lab in Canada. China claims it was invented by the CIA, and Russia also spread similar misinformation. Iran and other Arab media have claimed that Jewish people are to blame for the start of the virus. There are many lesser-known conspiracies such as the idea that American intelligence sold it to the Chinese, or that it came from a meteor. This is all to prove the point that it is impossible to cover all my bases here.

        It should be evident that there is an apparent political slant to most of these theories. When it comes to America, it’s those who belong to the Q-anon movement, an alt-right conspiracy group, which most notably believe that America’s elite are all part of a child trafficking from which they harvest a life-extending chemical known as adrenochrome. They claim the vaccination process is all a long-term plan to control the population. 

        Due to all the events that happened over the last year and a half, it’s very easy to forget one of the first conspiracies: that 5G network towers were a cause of the coronavirus. Online conspiracy theorists claimed that the virus was a cover-up for the illness 5G towers were causing. Like most conspiracies, this only snowballed so much further, especially after Thomas Cowan, who practices alternative medicine and was on probation with the Medical Board of California, claimed that this conspiracy was true! His evidence? It was that Africa had not been affected by the virus significantly, information which is blatantly false as the WHO in Africa reports that Africa had around 6 million cases. His explanation as to how 5G caused illness? It was caused by waste from cells that were poisoned by electromagnetic waves. Since there was a pattern of viral pandemics occurring alongside radio communication advancements, it just had to be true. Of course, it didn’t help that these pseudo-scientific claims were circulated by celebrities like Woody Harrelson, John Cusack, and Keri Hilson. In the U.K., these conspiracy claims were picked up causing arson attacks and vandalization of phone towers. 

        There have been arguments about under or over-reporting across the board when it comes to the pandemic. Most infamously regarding the U.S., President Trump claimed in a tweet that the morbidity rate the CDC had been reporting was inflated, that it was only 6%. The issue is this 6% number is only related to COVID-19 being the direct cause of death, when 92% had COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause of death, after all, it is a respiratory disease capable of inflicting other conditions. 

         One can criticize The White House's communication of their masked rhetoric. First, they dissuaded the public from wearing masks, but this was later cleared up as their reasoning was they wanted to avoid PPE shortages for front-line workers. People claimed that wearing a mask caused lower blood oxygen levels. But this claim was disproved especially after researchers in Canada (Alberta Health Service.) compared people’s oxygen levels before and after wearing masks, finding no difference. Some were also concerned with possible heightened blood carbon dioxide levels, and while a study found that to be true, they also said it would be of no harm. 

        A false belief across Latin American Communities is that drinking warm drinks will get rid of the virus. The misinformation mainly seems to stem from the president of Argentina, Alberto Fernandez. But the WHO and scientists reject that this claim has ever been made (Lucia Martinez, Chequado). 

Treatments against the virus have been an entirely separate ordeal. No herbal treatments have had medical or scientific evidence to support their success in treating the virus. An Indian political activist Swami Chakrapani claimed that drinking cow urine and using cow dung would cure coronavirus. The WHO actively criticized this practice. Everyone is well aware of former President Trump's recommendation to use hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malarial medication used for some auto-immune diseases. “Emergency use status” was granted to it by the FDA before the drug stopped being used when studies found that it wasn’t effective against the virus. Ivermectin was another drug championed by conservative media, and anti-parasitic. The drug isn’t even authorized to treat the virus. Silver is not a treatment for the virus despite what televangelist Jim Bakker would have you believe, he received a cease and desist from the FDA. Notable conspiracy theorist Alex Jones also received a cease and desist. Another notable televangelist Kenneth Copeland claimed he could cure the virus of the TV. 

       It’s difficult to argue against these conspiracy theorists and pseudo-scientists because they have layers on top of layers of niche and specific information. And if you can’t disprove it, they block you out. Most of this stems from the “do your own research” mindset, but the “research” they provide you with isn’t peer-reviewed or even scientifically accurate. If you want to do the research, the CDC website, WHO website, or websites like Politifact/Factcheck.org also prove useful. The FDA even has a list of what’s in the COVID-19 vaccine. If you don’t like reading there are also various science communicators on youtube willing to explain these topics in a more accessible manner such as Ted-Ed, Asap Science, Simply Explained, and SciShow. It’s also important to understand that science is never final. In the scientific world things are constantly changing. But as non-scientists, all we can really do is rely on someone else to relay the information to us.