Answer to Question #156718 in Statistics and Probability for Eugine Haweza

Question

The world is currently experiencing one of the most devastating pandemic in modern history. This pandemic is caused by a virus known as corona virus and the disease is referred to as COVID-19. A lot of conspiracy theories and speculations have since emerged and are being spread everywhere. Identify some of the major conspiracy theories and false information regards COVID-19 and argue scientifically why such information is not correct.

Answer 1

Conspiracy 1: The COVID-19 pandemic was planned.

SARS-CoV-2 virus is a brand-new strain of coronavirus that only started circulating in the human population in late 2019.

Conspiracy 2: The virus was engineered by humans or it escaped from a laboratory.

Scientists are now so certain that the origin of the virus is natural, that they teamed up and wrote a statement of support, published in one of the most prestigious medical journals in the world, confirming that the virus jumped from animals to humans.

Conspiracy 3: 5G caused the COVID-19 pandemic.

Non-ionizing radiation is not powerful enough to penetrate and damage our DNA. 5G technology is non-ionizing radiation and its frequency lies between microwaves and remote controls on the electromagnetic spectrum.

Conspiracy 4: Hydroxychloroquine is a miracle cure for COVID-19.

While studies done within cell dishes in labs show that both hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine can inhibit the virus, as with any medicine, studies in humans tend to be much more inconsistent.