The coronavirus doesn’t care who you are. It doesn’t discriminate—it targets everyone who isn’t taking the necessary precautions and isn’t being safe.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of iffy “facts” and bits of fake news floating around the internet about Covid-19. Some people wholeheartedly believe these hoaxes and even help spread them. And that can have dangerous (and sometimes even deadly) consequences.
The internet is full of stories about how the same people who claimed that the coronavirus was a hoax ended up catching the virus, got very sick, and some even lost their lives. Scroll down and have a read. Just to make it clear, dear Pandas, we don’t think that anyone “deserves” catching this horrible disease. Read on for Bored Panda’s interview with Dr. Claudia Pastides from Babylon Health about why so many people believe conspiracy theories about the coronavirus and why this is dangerous.
One person who thought that the coronavirus was fake changed their tune after they got sick
According to the Johns Hopkins University coronavirus map, there are over 2.49 million confirmed cases of infected around the globe, at the time of writing. The illness has claimed the lives of more than 171k people and the virus continues to spread, even though some countries are already relaxing lockdown measures.
Despite these numbers, some people still believe numerous hoaxes and dangerous pieces of misinformation. According to the BBC, even educated people can fall prey to coronavirus myths. This has a lot to do with information overload making it very difficult to fact-check every bit of news that we’re bombarded with each day. Another thing to consider is that some people are naturally better at overriding their reflexive reactions to information. That means that some people are better at resisting fake news than others.
Somebody who thought that the coronavirus pandemic was blown out of proportion died from Covid-19
Image credits: sunnmcheaux
Here’s what she posted about the coronavirus before getting sick
Karen’s family created a GoFundMe campaign to raise money after she died
Image credits: sunnmcheaux
“Because the coronavirus is entirely new, there is currently a certain lack of substantial and verified research and evidence to explain why the virus operates as it does. As a result, it is easy to fill this void with untruths about the virus’s effects and the prevention of its symptoms,” Dr. Pastides explained to Bored Panda.
“As people are desperate for more knowledge and information about the virus, they are more prone to believe these misconceptions. It is instinctive in humans to seek solutions to problems, and when there is a crisis, such as this pandemic, they might be willing to believe anything they hear without verifying it first.”
Another person who thought that the coronavirus was a hoax died while receiving treatment for the virus
However, what’s the best way to check if a piece of information is correct? Especially considering the amount of information we’re exposed to every single day.
“The World Health Organization has a dedicated coronavirus myth-busting page on their website, where they sum up the majority of the misconceptions flourishing on the internet at the minute. This is a great place to start to verify whether what you’ve heard is correct,” the doctor pointed out.
“Babylon Health also has a dedicated coronavirus page, which they update daily with information about the virus. This is another trustworthy site to verify information and you can access it here.”
She added: “A third option is to contact a medical professional, who will be able to tell you quickly if the theories you’ve heard are false or not. Do not call the emergency service unless you have Covid-19 symptoms, as they are already overwhelmed, but Babylon Health has medical professionals available to answer questions through their online app. They have a dedicated Covid-19 Care Assistant as part of their app, which also includes a symptom checker.”
According to Dr. Pastides, checking trusted news websites can also help determine whether something is true or false. She recommends reading the BBC or CNN.
“Not only will believing in coronavirus hoaxes not prevent you from catching the virus or cure you of it if you do catch it, but it could potentially be more harmful to your body. Gargling bleach, for instance, can be very damaging to your organs, or taking a scalding hot bath can severely hurt your skin. In turn, this could put more and unnecessary pressure on an already overwhelmed health service,” the health professional warned.
Pastor Spradlin who decried coronavirus “mass hysteria” died after attending Mardi Gras
Pastor Landon Spradlin, who was 66 years old, shared a misleading post on Facebook that compared swine flu and coronavirus deaths and suggested that the Covid-19 “hysteria” was politically motivated to harm President Donald Trump.
However, the pastor’s son Landon Isaac noted that his father didn’t think that the actual virus was a hoax; he thought it was real but believed it was blown out of proportion.
Spradlin died 8 days after being in intensive care when doctors discovered he had double pneumonia (in both of his lungs) and also tested positive for Covid-19. Earlier, he had visited New Orleans for Mardi Gras and it’s likely that he caught the coronavirus there.
Here’s the pastor and his wife
Image credits: Jesse Spradlin
Dr. Pastides debunked 6 common myths about the coronavirus that are flourishing online. According to her, the coronavirus isn’t manmade but originated in animals. What’s more, the doctor pointed out that hand sanitizers that contain at least 60 percent alcohol will kill the coronavirus, despite some hoaxers stating otherwise.
There’s also no evidence that the coronavirus can be spread by your pets. Dr. Pastides also pointed out that hot baths or hot drinks won’t kill the virus because it’s inside the cells of your body. But if you’ve come into contact with the virus and it’s on your skin, wash it off with soap and warm water or use hand sanitizer.
There’s also a very dangerous myth out there that gargling bleach can stop the spread of the coronavirus. This is wrong and you should not do this. Ever. Gargling bleach can lead to internal burns and land you in the hospital.
Much the same way, garlic isn’t a cure-all for the coronavirus. Dr. Pastides explains that eating a healthy and balanced diet is important, but there’s nothing to suggest that garlic can prevent you from catching the virus.
!["Karen Complains To HR About My Body, I Uno-Reverse Her Complaint, [And Now] Everyone Hates Her"](https://www.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/coworker-complains-to-hr-about-womans-body-revenge-latest.jpg "\"Karen Complains To HR About My Body, I Uno-Reverse Her Complaint, [And Now] Everyone Hates Her\"")
I can't wish people dead, but I'm also struggling to find my normal compassion for people who risk their lives and everybody else's at the same time, and then die from the thing they refuse to acknowledge as real.
Kind of like antivaxxers.
I do feel absolutely horrible for the little kids who get sick or die because of their PARENTS' decisions.
Oh yeah haha, you're so clever. When we started life on this earth we needed to be pumped full of mercury filled unnatural chemical, cancer causing vaccines just to stay alive! Bet you still believes there's a pandemic too? Thought so 🐑🐑
People make their own decisions, but I resent when those decisions endanger first responders and require exhausted medical personnel to expose themselves to more disease.
I wish one of these doorknobs would french kiss the Orange Menace.
You my friend are AWESOME!
SAME
Hey, don't feel bad for wishing them dead. Would you feel bad if a terrorist was killed? Those people endanger everyone around them on purpose, it's ok if they die.
You are one cold hearted mo fo. Remind of me.
thank you
Wow that is a dumb thing to say 🤪 you've been scared in to thinking everyone needs to be safe and they're "risking others lives and blah blah blah... Well I bet you never did that for the flu when millions were dying annually. Thought so, it's because you weren't brainwashed to do so. So keep complying to ridiculous rules like you probably already are doing 🐑🐑
same
I can't stand Trump supporters, anti-abortion activists and the like. However, I still had the same amount of compassion for them when reading this. People come from all walks of life, have different education/experiences. Though they might act like total knobcheese's, they are still entitled to compassion upon death.
You are a kinder, nicer person than me. Maybe because I'm a cold hearted a*****e, or maybe because of the things I've seen, or perhaps both. I have little to no compassion for adults, who have ALL the relevant information, and choose to ignore said information, and because of their ignorance/stupidity/beliefs they cause their own deaths. F**k them, they basically asked to die with their stupidity and arrogance. The ones I feel sorry for are the children of these self deluded people. They will pay the ultimate price, the loss of a parent.
Yes, it’s just going to be hard to garner from the anger, anxiety, and madness slowly taking us over. Unfortunately, these individuals aren’t just endangering themselves.
It's not education to think a government is faking a disease to control you. Especially when it's a worldwide reported phenomenon.
I want to agree with Bumble, but there is so much WILLFUL delusion amongst these people, like Trump supporters and religious people. When they harm OTHERS with their willful delusions, it is very hard to feel empathy for them. Sometimes some sympathy, because they were raised by parents, etc. who conditioned and indoctrinated them against critical thinking.
This comment needs to be framed in a museum.
Your compassion does not rest on other's reception of it. Frustrating? Yes. Harden your heart? No.
This comment has been deleted.
1 million % agree.
The ultimate Darwin Award.
The Nobel of Darwin awards. Sadly all the vulnerable people they infected.
And to top it off, the families of these conspiracy theorist ranters—-at least the ones who share and fully support their views—-now have the nerve to ask for donations after they die of the disease they called a hoax or conspiracy or fake news.
While funny especially for these cretins, it saddens me a bit that this is the default "comeback." The Darwin Award is only meant to be a joke --although overly used and about as common of a saying as "at the end of the day" (can't we come up with a new comeback to these types of posts, like wow you really got us with that one). Ergo, in actuality the saying has nothing to do with genetic inheritance because there is not a gene for "doing stupid things". Not to mention that "smart" people do stupid things all the time, for example our sad-excuse-for-a-president of MURICA
Trump isn’t smart. The people who voted for him are also not smart. This is systemic ignorance, willful delusion, and self-interest. None of which is smart for a species that lives socially and requires society.
Going to be a long ceremony this year.
Don't you mean the dumb darwin award because you have to be an idiot to believe in that nonsense? Nothing but propaganda to try to prove white people are superior, Hitler loved that book.
The "I want to live my life, I'll do what I want" --> "Where are the tests I have a RIGHT to be tested" shift says it all.
The same people who point at millennials, calling their progressive political ideas “entitled”, are the most self-entitled a******s themselves.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Giorno?
"was that a god damn JoJo reference?"
I can't wish people dead, but I'm also struggling to find my normal compassion for people who risk their lives and everybody else's at the same time, and then die from the thing they refuse to acknowledge as real.
Kind of like antivaxxers.
I do feel absolutely horrible for the little kids who get sick or die because of their PARENTS' decisions.
Oh yeah haha, you're so clever. When we started life on this earth we needed to be pumped full of mercury filled unnatural chemical, cancer causing vaccines just to stay alive! Bet you still believes there's a pandemic too? Thought so 🐑🐑
People make their own decisions, but I resent when those decisions endanger first responders and require exhausted medical personnel to expose themselves to more disease.
I wish one of these doorknobs would french kiss the Orange Menace.
You my friend are AWESOME!
SAME
Hey, don't feel bad for wishing them dead. Would you feel bad if a terrorist was killed? Those people endanger everyone around them on purpose, it's ok if they die.
You are one cold hearted mo fo. Remind of me.
thank you
Wow that is a dumb thing to say 🤪 you've been scared in to thinking everyone needs to be safe and they're "risking others lives and blah blah blah... Well I bet you never did that for the flu when millions were dying annually. Thought so, it's because you weren't brainwashed to do so. So keep complying to ridiculous rules like you probably already are doing 🐑🐑
same
I can't stand Trump supporters, anti-abortion activists and the like. However, I still had the same amount of compassion for them when reading this. People come from all walks of life, have different education/experiences. Though they might act like total knobcheese's, they are still entitled to compassion upon death.
You are a kinder, nicer person than me. Maybe because I'm a cold hearted a*****e, or maybe because of the things I've seen, or perhaps both. I have little to no compassion for adults, who have ALL the relevant information, and choose to ignore said information, and because of their ignorance/stupidity/beliefs they cause their own deaths. F**k them, they basically asked to die with their stupidity and arrogance. The ones I feel sorry for are the children of these self deluded people. They will pay the ultimate price, the loss of a parent.
Yes, it’s just going to be hard to garner from the anger, anxiety, and madness slowly taking us over. Unfortunately, these individuals aren’t just endangering themselves.
It's not education to think a government is faking a disease to control you. Especially when it's a worldwide reported phenomenon.
I want to agree with Bumble, but there is so much WILLFUL delusion amongst these people, like Trump supporters and religious people. When they harm OTHERS with their willful delusions, it is very hard to feel empathy for them. Sometimes some sympathy, because they were raised by parents, etc. who conditioned and indoctrinated them against critical thinking.
This comment needs to be framed in a museum.
Your compassion does not rest on other's reception of it. Frustrating? Yes. Harden your heart? No.
This comment has been deleted.
1 million % agree.
The ultimate Darwin Award.
The Nobel of Darwin awards. Sadly all the vulnerable people they infected.
And to top it off, the families of these conspiracy theorist ranters—-at least the ones who share and fully support their views—-now have the nerve to ask for donations after they die of the disease they called a hoax or conspiracy or fake news.
While funny especially for these cretins, it saddens me a bit that this is the default "comeback." The Darwin Award is only meant to be a joke --although overly used and about as common of a saying as "at the end of the day" (can't we come up with a new comeback to these types of posts, like wow you really got us with that one). Ergo, in actuality the saying has nothing to do with genetic inheritance because there is not a gene for "doing stupid things". Not to mention that "smart" people do stupid things all the time, for example our sad-excuse-for-a-president of MURICA
Trump isn’t smart. The people who voted for him are also not smart. This is systemic ignorance, willful delusion, and self-interest. None of which is smart for a species that lives socially and requires society.
Going to be a long ceremony this year.
Don't you mean the dumb darwin award because you have to be an idiot to believe in that nonsense? Nothing but propaganda to try to prove white people are superior, Hitler loved that book.
The "I want to live my life, I'll do what I want" --> "Where are the tests I have a RIGHT to be tested" shift says it all.
The same people who point at millennials, calling their progressive political ideas “entitled”, are the most self-entitled a******s themselves.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Giorno?
"was that a god damn JoJo reference?"