Twenty-twenty didn’t start out as a normal New Year. Rather than a wish for peace and New Year’s resolutions, the headline of the New York Times flared out at its readers: “As Coronavirus Spreads, So Does Anti-Chinese Sentiment.” This was a call to arms for the conspiracy theorist and other misinformation from various factions that would cause the SARS COV-2 virus to spread rapidly and infect tens of thousands of Americans with the COVID-19 disease.

The Conspiracy Theorist

The first giant rumor to hit the internet is that the virus is the result of the 5G network that became active simultaneously with the COVID-19 infections. The result of this theory is that citizens of some countries are working to destroy the 5G network. The NPR network headlines read: “U.K. Cellphone Towers Ablaze As Conspiracy Theories Link 5G Networks To COVID-19 (4 April 2020).” The article by Jason Slotkin states that:

Conspiracy theories tying 5G networks to the coronavirus pandemic are troubling telecom authorities in the United Kingdom and are being cited as a possible motivation for multiple cellphone tower fires this week.

Fires on at least three towers have been reported over the past few days. In at least two instances, accompanying videos and online posts are raising concerns that the attacks may be linked to conspiracy theories that cast 5G networks as the actual cause of COVID-19. (Jason Slotkin)

It appears that citizens in the United Kingdom are taking action to eliminate the perceived threat of 5G as the harbinger of COVID-19. There are no facts to substantiate this theory.

Africans Don’t Get COVID-19

The second disservice to the world’s citizens is that Africans are immune to COVID-19. This theory is the root cause for many African Americans who believe that they are immune to the disease and therefore need not take the necessary precautions as advised by the World Health Organization and local health authorities. This deficit of caution has proven to be one of the reasons that the COVID-19 numbers are high in black communities. There are other social logistics involved for this higher percentage of contagion in the African American community, but this was one of the first reasons that black Americans failed to quarantine and social distance in the face of the SARS COV=2 virus.

COVID-19 is a Political Ploy to Implement Martial Law

Refusal to quarantine is a form of rebellion against political powers in America. The POTUS is not trusted by a vast number of Americans. As a result, nothing he or other politicians is viewed as truth or a logical reason to follow directives. As a result, more conspiracy theories erupted which are readily believed by many and become the rationale used for not quarantining or using social distance.

During the spring break, Florida beaches were crowded with the college students and those that enjoy the annual spring break. Unaware, they became infected with COVID-19 and spread it among their groups. These participants were geotracked (using GPS coordinates to track the movement of those who participated in spring break) by the government. David Montgomery and Manny Fernandez in their New York Times article that “44 Texas Students Have Corona Virus after Spring Break.” While this article was published on 1 April 2020, this is no April fool’s joke. These students did not only take their own lives in their hands but risk the exposure of everyone in Austin, Texas as they took the virus home.

Racism is One Side-effect of COVID-19

It doesn’t take a lot for people to become fearful of each other. With a president who calls COVID-19 the “China virus” and the pronounced genetics of Asians which make them visually identifiable, it’s not difficult for hate and fear-filled people to target the Asian community as the source of COVID-19. While it may be true that Wuhan, China is ground zero for COVID-2, it does not mean that all Asians are carriers of the SARS COV-2 virus that produces COVID-19.

Evan Gerstmann’s article “Irony: Hate Crimes Surge Against Asian Americans While They Are on the Front Lines Fighting COVID-19” on the Forbes website tells us why we need to remember we are all in this together and fighting for our lives.

Asians and Asian Americans are also at the forefront of America’s efforts to find a vaccine. As of now, one of the most promising efforts has just been reported out of the University Of Pittsburgh School Of Medicine. On April 2nd, the University reported:

“scientists today announced a potential vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, the new coronavirus causing the COVID-19 pandemic. When tested in mice, the vaccine, delivered through a fingertip-sized patch, produces antibodies specific to SARS-CoV-2 at quantities thought to be sufficient for neutralizing the virus.”

Ignorance is Not Bliss

As many of us blissfully go about our daily routines amid job, school, and business shutdowns, we roam around in the stores, go to parties, hang out with friends and families, and fail to self-quarantine and social distance. Our ignorance is proving to be our undoing as we contract SARS COV-2 and become infected with COVID-19. We spread it to our loved ones and some of us have lost those we love to COVID-19 all because of our ignorance, rebellion, and failure to heed the warnings and follow the World Health Organization’s guidelines. While we’re still perceiving this COVID-19 scare as a conspiracy theory, political ruse or some other non-physical threatening theory for the COVID-19 pandemic, people are dying. It is mandatory that we take heed and implement the necessary actions to slow down the transmission of the SARS COV-2 virus which causes COVID-19.

(Next: What is COVID-19)

Works Cited

Gerstmann, Evan. “Irony: Hate Crimes Surge Against Asian Americans While They Are On The Front Lines Fighting COVID-19.” Forbes, 5 Apr. 2020, www.forbes.com/sites/evangerstmann/2020/04/04/irony-hate-crimes-surge-against-asian-americans-while-they-are-on-the-front-lines-fighting-covid-19/#219787e3b709.

Rich, Motoko. “As Coronavirus Spreads, So Does Anti-Chinese Sentiment.” The New York Times – Breaking News, World News & Multimedia, 30 Jan. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/01/30/world/asia/coronavirus-chinese-racism.html. Accessed 5 Apr. 2020.

Slotkin, Jason. “U.K. Cellphone Towers Ablaze As Conspiracy Theories Link 5G Networks To COVID-19.” NPR.org, 4 Apr. 2020, www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/04/04/827343675/u-k-cellphone-towers-ablaze-as-conspiracy-theories-link-5g-networks-to-covid-19.