The virus and conspiracy theories

RIGHT now on the planet, Covid-19 is still up like a lion roused from its den. The destroyer of the nation’s peace is still out there, turning land into waste. It wants to ruin our cities. Its techniques are horrendous and dangerous, so much that it’s overwhelming the minds of world governments. We can hear its bellows blow fiercely in China, heaping oppression upon oppression on New York, pulling out Italy like a sheep for slaughter, and setting Africa apart for the day of slaughter. Covid-19 has rendered our health professionals into a scarecrows in a cucumber field. Our wounds are becoming grievous, our cords are almost broken, our governments are forced into locking everything; our places of worships are closed, our markets closed down, our businesses desolate, borders closed, aircrafts grounded, and many other imperatives postponed because the virus deals treacherously with us. Our adversary prowls around day and night,.

The virus that was identified in December 2019 in Wuhan, has extended it pangs of unkindness around the world. Research showed that the corona virus came from a larger family of viruses that are known to cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases. This virus caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2 invades the respiratory tract via the nose. After an incubation period of about three days, it causes the symptoms of common cold, including nasal obstruction, sneezing, runny nose, and cough. The virus then resolves in a few days, during which it is shed in nasal secretions.

It’s also quite intriguing that this same virus didn’t but come with some odd beliefs, propaganda and conspiracy theories.  One of the most common conspiracy theories since the beginning of COVID-19 has been the idea that it is a man-made bioweapon that either escaped a Wuhan research lab or was released intentionally. It was opined that the Chinese city of Wuhan, that hosts a virology institute located near the wet market where researchers have been studying bat coronaviruses for a long time, released the virus. It is suggested that the bats must have escaped from the lab, spreading the virus out on people. Again, another notion was that the Covid-19 virus was created as a biological weapon which was the part of the Chinese masterplan to take control of the world. According to Pew Research, “nearly three-in-10 Americans believe that COVID-19 was made in a lab,” either intentionally or accidentally, with 23 per cent believing it was developed intentionally, and only 6 percent believing it was an accidental.

Furthermore, there is the belief that corona virus doesn’t actually exist. Some famous controversial theorists like David Icke and Alex Jones and many religious leaders have claimed that the virus doesn’t exist but it is a plot by the globalist elite to take away our freedoms. Another prominent claim is the 5G theory. It opines that the virus spreads using the electromagnetic spectrum, comparing waves with common biological proteins and nucleic acids.

How will a virus travel on mobile networks, when it’s not something spiritual? Even the World Health Organization (WHO) testified to the impossibility. I can imagine trying to merge two things which do not correlate. I can go on and on highlighting so many conspiracy theories erupting from Europe and down here in Africa; from the theories using Bill gates as a scapegoat, the one claiming the US military imported the virus into China, the theories of genetic modified crops, the theory claiming Covid-19 is just another malaria fever that is not worth the hype, and lot more. Little did I know why Mark Lynas was forced to conclude that the conspiracy theories behave like the viruses themselves, as they are spreading just as rapidly online as Covid-19 does offline. Isn’t this pathetic? Whether we support or refute the intriguing conspiracy theories has not hindered the virus from spreading it twinges like an Australian wildfire, infecting hundred of thousands, and causing the deaths of thousands. It’s infecting the rich, the richest of the rich, the poor, the poorest of the poor.

In the light of this pandemic rave, the search for vaccines and drugs is ongoing both locally and internationally. Scientists are becoming clueless. They are working hard to develop a vaccine and effective drugs against the disease. In fact, many different vaccines are being developed simultaneously, with one tested in United Kingdom some days ago, and few others in Asia. Innovative strategies are obviously being used in vaccine development are being used,most especially in relation to common and similar viruses. Consequently, the governments of different countries are adopting different strategic measures in containing the virus, measures such as creation of various isolation and epidemic centres, restrictions of movement and enhancement of curfews, banning of large and religious gatherings, manufacturing and distribution of face masks and lot more. Our adversary, the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour, won’t we resist him? Let’s join hands to together, against all conspiracy theories, ensuring the world returns to its normal state.

• Ogungbile is of the University of Ibadan.

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