ScienceToday

Conspiracy theory: COVID-19 is a ruse to distract us from a “doomsday” asteroid

A Facebook post that became viral claimed that NASA and the Vatican were hiding the discovery of an asteroid on its way to destroy our planet. What did people assume would be the best way to hide the discovery of a doomsday asteroid? Allegedly, people believe that it is unleashing a deadly and contagious virus that forces people to stay in their homes. This an utter falsehood, according to Snopes.

Conspiracy theory: Two common FDA-approved drugs can prevent or treat COVID-19

This theory arose when a man from Arizona died after taking chloroquine, a drug he had heard could prevent or cure coronavirus, CNN reports. The man and his wife were “afraid of getting sick” with COVID-19, according to his wife, who also became sick after ingesting the substance. Additionally, it was discovered that the couple didn’t take a pharmaceutical version of the drug but another version of it used to clean fish tanks.

Chloroquine is a well-established, FDA-approved treatment used for treating malaria. In the days before the man’s death, online news had been presenting the possibility that chloroquine drugs could also cure COVID-19 after a press conference in which Trump spoke of it as the no-nonsense solution to the rising mortality rate.

However, he forgot to mention and his words failed to comprehend that this solution is highly theoretical at this point. “There are no FDA-approved therapeutics or drugs to treat, cure or prevent COVID-19,” although studies are underway, the FDA said in a clarification statement.