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Coronavirus: Where did it all start?

Last Updated 20 February 2020, 19:43 IST

Conspiracy theories are doing the rounds with the spread of the coronavirus. They are fuelled by half-facts and a general sense of paranoia. Officially, the virus is traced to an animal market in Wuhan in China, the epicentre of the outbreak. But the rapid spread of the virus and the high mortality rate are encouraging outlandish conspiracy stories. Almost everyone talking about the virus believes it is man-made and not a genetic mutation.

A popular theory is that the virus was leaked from the Wuhan centre of Virology, just a few metres away from the animal market. Many on Twitter are convinced the virus is a biological weapon. They are debating who released it, and with what intent. A 1981 novel, ‘Eyes of Darkness’, seems to have predicted the coming of the virus. A paragraph in the book refers to “Wuhan-400”, a biological weapon created in the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak.

The Chinese government faces much criticism. Some say the virus was meant as a sly method to control population, while others say it was meant to wipe out political dissidents.

Donald Trump hasn’t been spared either. Conspiracy theorists say the American president orchestrated the biological attack to get an upper hand in the global trade war. With multiple supply chains being affected and production plants being affected, some say this was done to trigger a global economic crisis.

Religiosity is also coming into play. Some say the virus is a reaction to the “sins” committed by the Chinese people. These sins range from eating animals to destroying churches. A proposed cure includes the ever so popular cow urine.

Inaccurate information does nothing but hamper the efforts to contain the virus. And what is more, much of the discussion around the virus is coloured by racist and cultural-supramacist overtones

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(Published 20 February 2020, 14:32 IST)

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