Conspiracy theories are nothing new, however since the start of this pandemic, an excessive abundance of extreme conspiracy theories have flooded the interwebs. From the hard-to-fathom to the deceptively believable, they have taken over most social media feeds and sparked furious debates. I wanted to write about some of the theories floating around and the scientific evidence to disprove their claims and explain why some of these are unfounded.

First of all, why do conspiracy theories gain so much traction so quickly? As humans, we fear the unknown and despise any form of uncertainty. When we lack a foundation of knowledge we feel vulnerable and marginalized in some way. It’s the same reason why dogs get aggressive in strange places unfamiliar to them. Think about it. If you are in a group of people at a party and they are talking about something you don’t know anything about, you feel uncomfortable and sometimes threatened intellectually. In that situation what do we do? We try to find something relatable that we understand or try to steer the conversation towards something within our wheelhouse (if not, we leave). I know if I’m in a group of people who are talking about the latest sports game (not recently of course) and start talking players and stats, I’m clueless. I feel uncomfortable and out of place. It makes you want to walk away or remove yourself from the situation. If someone calls you out on it, you become defensive and upset. Notice that if someone else who feels marginalized by that conversation notices your discomfort or shares your lack of knowledge, they come in and start siding with you and your discomfort with the subject. We do this as a defense mechanism, forming a group of like-minded individuals to support each other. When we lack understanding, we try to gravitate to what makes sense to us and those with similar intellectual beliefs and domains of knowledge.

So how does this fit into conspiracy theories? When something cannot be easily explained by a person’s own understanding, they strive to create a reason to fill that gap in knowledge. There is a principle called Ockam’s razor which states “entities should not be multiplied without necessity” or most commonly interpreted as “the simplest explanation is almost always the correct one.” Many of the world’s greatest mysteries which remain unsolved likely have a simple explanation that has yet to be discovered; however conspiracies exist to explain this phenomenon. For example, the pyramids are thought by some to have been built by aliens using advanced technology because there is “no way humans back then could have ever built such architectural marvels.” This is a very far-fetched theory and likely has a simpler explanation. However, some lay people without archeology degrees, historical education, anthropological knowledge, and engineering backgrounds hear how difficult of a feat this would have been back then with primitive construction methods and create theories to solve this question. When someone proposes this theory, they tend to link a few details which could explain the answer that make sense to them. Those with a similar level of understanding or even less, feel these details make logical sense to them and accept it as their truth. The Dunning-Kruger effect notes someone’s lack of knowledge in a certain capacity causes them to perceive themself to be smarter or more capable than they truly are in a given subject.

Now a conspiracy theory such as aliens building the pyramids is harmless. Other conspiracies are much more dangerous, especially to the general public. One such conspiracy theory is that vaccines cause autism or are the government’s way of controlling the population. Scientific evidence has refuted the theory that vaccines cause autism over and over again yet thousands of people cling to an outdated, poorly designed study which has since been rescinded. Unfortunately, celebrities with limited scientific and medical understanding who have a massive fan-base push the idea of vaccines being harmful to the general public. Those who are even less educated in the subject matter than the celebrity who brought it to their attention, then take their claims and run with it. Dunning-kruger in full effect. The result is dangerous. This is evidenced by the fact that we have seen measles outbreaks of unprecedented proportions since it was considered eradicated decades ago in 2000 until the past few years when the anti-vaccination movement became “a thing.” I have had countless, lengthy conversations with patients and their loved ones regarding vaccines and their safety. Many of their concerns or preconceived notions are scientifically inaccurate and after understanding their hesitations, I educate them using scientific evidence and data. After they are properly educated with the facts, usually they agree to have the vaccines.

So what conspiracy theories are there surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and why are they incorrect? First is the theory of 5G wireless networks causing the pandemic. There are multiple musings surrounding this one but the one I have read most commonly is that 5G towers were constructed in Wuhan just prior to the COVID-19 outbreak. These conspirators believe that 5G “radiation” triggers the virus or the virus is used as a cover up for the 5G which will be used for global domination and controlling the population. Why is this dangerous? Well unfortunately in the United Kingdom, dozens of 5G towers were burned down in fits of arson and telecommunication employees are being spat upon or attacked just for doing their job. This is frightening. It has been repeatedly studied and even recently, the International Committee on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection released new guidelines to include the associated frequencies of 5G in their latest studies on effects of 5G electromagnetic frequencies on human health. They concluded that 5G has minimal (if any) effects on human health for occupational exposures and virtually non-existent effects on the general public. People are saying radiation poisoning from 5G has the same symptoms as COVID-19; they are incorrect. While symptoms overlap, they present very differently and depend on the dose of radiation exposed. As a healthcare provider, I can assure you that these are two very different conditions. Many conditions overlap in symptoms. A brain aneurysm can present with dizziness and a headache but so can a sinus infection. Clearly one is more dangerous than the other. Those of us trained in medicine recognize the subtle nuances of how to differentiate between the two. When you don’t understand physics, biochemistry, and cellular biology, it is easy to say that 5G caused the virus because it was installed in Wuhan just before the outbreak and the symptoms of radiation poisoning and COVID-19 overlap. However the most logical, evidenced-based explanation is that Wuhan is larger and more populated than New York City and was installing new infrastructure to accommodate their large population and technocentric culture. Unfortunately, because of their population density and wet markets, transmission of the virus to humans was more likely to occur and spread more rapidly in a densely populated city.

Another conspiracy theory is that the Chinese government created the virus in a lab and is used as biological threat to the United States and its allies. Conspirators pose the question: “why else would there be a prominent virology lab in Wuhan if it wasn’t there to create deadly viruses.” The reason a virology lab exists in Wuhan is because many of the worlds viruses originate in the Wuhan area and it is easiest and best to study these pathogens at their source. The reason why many of these viruses originate in China is because it is one of the most densely populated areas of the world with the most varied wildlife and livestock with frequent exposure to the general public and limited sanitation regulations. This is a recipe for zoonotic transmission of pathogens (germs spreading between animals and people). In this case, it is believed by scientists that SARS-CoV-2 was transmitted from bats and pangolins (a rare asian mammal). Scientific evidence exists that SARS-CoV-2 is a naturally occurring virus, not lab created or modified. This is the consensus among molecular biologists and virologists around the globe. Why is this dangerous? Since the first days of the pandemic, people have been discriminating and attacking Asian Americans and Asians across the globe. These hateful acts are not only physically dangerous, but result in emotional abuse as well. This isn’t fair or just and is rooted in hate and incorrect information. When this conspiracy is being supported by members of our federal government, including our president, it can potentially lead to a war with an evenly matched world power. VERY DANGEROUS.

Next is the conspiracy of Bill Gates and Dr. Anthony Fauci wanting to take over the world. According to those spreading these false claims, they support the idea that Bill Gates created the virus to force people to take his vaccine that he is funding so that he can either gain further wealth or implant microchips in us to control the world’s population. Now it is easy to believe the worst in people and the idea that the rich get richer and just want to run the world. Unfortunately, we have seen this in some people; billionaire slum lords who buy out rent-controlled apartment buildings and kick out tenants to build expensive high rises, oil tycoons who have little regard for the natural world in order to gain profit, and people like Martin Shkreli who jacked up the price of vital medications to turn a profit at the expense of patients’ health. However not all of those who are rich and famous are out to worship the almighty dollar. Bill Gates has done more for the world through his philanthropic efforts than most governmental organizations and other charities combined. A man who is worth about 106 billion dollars (yes, billion with a “B”) has more money than he knows what to do with and uses about a third of that for his Bill and Melinda Gates foundation to help cure diseases and provide research and better quality of life for those around the world. Logically it doesn’t make sense that he would be motivated to make more money or control the population. He simply doesn’t need it. This is dangerous because those who are trying to help and do good things are being discredited for their efforts and if vaccines are funded by Bill Gates and eventually released for COVID-19, people may not take them for fear of this conspiracy leading to the pandemic resurfacing.

As for the certain YouTube “documentary” regarding a previous researcher who worked with Dr. Fauci, will not be named in fear of spreading its lies further. This researcher was arrested for stealing from her lab and her research paper was pulled from scientific journals due to falsified data and poor study design. Other scientists could not repeat her experiments and get the same findings which is a clear sign that her data was falsified (a big research no no). She claims that Dr. Fauci and other health policy officials have sinister motives to create and spread viruses in order to sell vaccines and control the population. She claims that masks make the effects of COVID-19 worse which is untrue as I hope most of you know already. When it comes to strong conspiracy theories, it is usually led by an agenda of some kind and when I first viewed the “documentary” I noticed she mentioned her book and it became clear this was sensationalism to sell her book. Dr. Anthony Fauci has led the response for multiple outbreaks in the past including HIV, H1N1, SARS, and Ebola. The man is respected throughout the infectious disease, medical, virology, and epidemiology circles throughout the world. Since day one, Dr. Fauci has played a very non-political role in this pandemic and has only stated facts and unbiased information without an opinion one way or another other than that based on scientific evidence. It is easy for someone who is uneducated in the matter or who does not understand what is truly happening to believe a sinister motive is at play within the health policy world. We’ve all seen movies of crooked government officials with coverups or a bad episode of “House.” But those are exactly that…fiction. This mode of thinking is dangerous because people will not heed the advice and warnings of Dr. Fauci causing the pandemic to worsen and put the general public in harms way.

The last and most important conspiracy to debunk is the fact that the virus is a hoax. From Donald Trump to major news networks such as Fox News, it was touted at the beginning that this virus was a hoax. This quickly spread among Trump supporters, Fox News fans, and the general public who don’t know otherwise. To this day, some people believe it is a hoax. So much so, people are driving to hospitals and taking pictures and videos of the parking lot and lobbies showing how “empty” the hospitals are at this time. They also postulate that if the virus is so straining on the healthcare system, why are hospitals laying off nurses and staff? First, many people don’t realize that lobby foot traffic and parking lots are typically from outpatient procedures, office visits, or visiting those who are sick. All outpatient clinics are using Telehealth to visit with patients from their homes. Elective procedures are cancelled at the moment, and visitors aren’t allowed in the hospital at this time. That is why the lobbies and parking lots are empty. If you saw what many of my colleagues are dealing with, you will quickly believe the stress on our system. As for furloughs and lay offs for hospital staff including nurses, there is a perfectly logical yet sad explanation for this. Many hospital staff including doctors and nurses, are not trained or have experience in treating patients with COVID-19. For instance, nurses or doctors who work in a very specific specialty such as orthopedic surgery may not have any experience in treating patients with COVID-19, therefore are non-essential for certain hospitals given their patient volume. Video clips from the anti-lockdown protests show people yelling at nurses protesting saying they are paid actors further propagating “the hoax.” I can promise you from first hand experience, this virus exists and it is as bad as it reported to be. People say its just like the flu. This is incorrect. We don’t know anything about this virus and its effects on the body. It is doing things to the body that the flu does not do and not responding to usual treatments for respiratory infections. Also, we have a vaccine and treatment for influenza that people choose NOT to take. That is the reason why you cannot compare the two. Also, the flu causes 40,000-80,000 deaths per year, this virus has already caused 80,000 deaths in the US in the past two months. People who continue to claim this is a hoax are choosing to ignore the science and trying to follow the crowd they best relate to because they don’t understand this area of knowledge. Like at a party, they are siding with the people in the room who don’t understand the conversation just like themselves. This is dangerous because people will ignore the advice of scientists and public health officials causing a worsening pandemic and more lives lost. Ignorance is not bliss in this situation.

So as you can see, there are plenty of conspiracies which have been born out of this pandemic. It is hard to put yourself in the other person’s shoes with something so polarizing. However, I implore you to just remind yourself before engaging an internet troll, skeptic friend, or hoax-believing family member on social media that they are scared, don’t understand the facts and science behind all of this, and are responding on primitive instinct. Instead of arguing or resort to name-calling, derogatory remarks, or fact-less shaming, put forth cited evidence to help them understand. Like a scared dog in a strange place, show them that it is safe instead of just telling them to trust you. If they don’t believe you, tell them to talk to someone they trust and respect like their primary care provider if they are truly concerned about these conspiracies in relation to their health. And if they cannot be persuaded, understand that you cannot change the way someone else thinks, only the way you do. Provide facts, not opinion. Don’t believe everything you see or hear. Do your own research (and not on google, social media, or YouTube).

Be safe and stay well!