Despite the risk of stirring the pot and potentially causing more divide in my extended family ( yes, this has become a family debate), I can’t help myself but address some of the ridiculous conspiracy theories that have emerged surrounding the coronavirus.

So let’s jump right in and begin with the 5G towers, shall we? If you are unaware of what I’m talking about, I’m sorry that I have to be the one to introduce you the madness, but in the jist of is, there are hordes of conspiracy theorist spreading rumors that 5G towers are to blame for COVID -19 and they simply will not back down.

Let’s imagine for a moment that this theory has any merit at all and is not completely absurd because 5G towers transmit radio waves and not physical pathogens shall we? If this theory were valid, then hypothetically, the first country to get 5G towers would also be where the first cases of COVID- 19 would show up. Now it may be easy for people to assume that the first 5G towers appeared in China because many telecommunication companies who are are in the running for 5G stem out of China, but in fact, the first country to get 5G was South Korea. You can read about it here: (https://www.geospatialworld.net/news/south-korea-becomes-the-first-country-to-launch-5g-network/) So while South Korea had the first 5G towers, China had the first cases of COVID-19.Hmmmm.

Also hypothetically, that would mean that only countries with 5G towers would have confirmed cases. But despite the fact that there are only 40 countries with 5G towers, there are at least 184 countries with confirmed COVID-19 cases; the numbers there don’t quite add up. Now that’s all I have to say on that one, and if it’s not enough for you, I don’t know what to tell you. Do a quick Google search, and you’ll find plenty of experts telling you that 5G towers cannot transmit human viruses.

Now, if you read the title, you also noticed I mentioned Bill Gates. I know what you’re thinking, Bill Gates? One of the leading philanthropists of today who has donated over $36 billion of his wealth to fight global poverty? What does he have to do with any of this? Well my friends, if you’re a rational human being you know he has nothing to do with this, but there are some irrational people out there who think that Bill Gates is behind the coronavirus as part of his plan for depopulation or possibly to inject us with microchips with a vaccine that he is going to make a bunch of money off of.

Now, why have people pinned this on poor Bill Gates? Well, because the man pours much of his money into funding vaccine research for the flu. That’s right, the man donates millions of dollars to help find a universal flu vaccine to stop the spread of influenza and to save lives, and we pin this on him. You can read the article I did here. (https://www.statnews.com/2019/08/29/gates-foundation-grants-universal-flu-vaccine/)

People also are claiming that Bill Gates holds a patent on a vaccine for the coronavirus. And he does, well kind of, a company he funds have it. But it’s not COVID-19, it a vaccine for a coronavirus that affects chickens. Sure, you might not realize this if you look at the first page and just see the word coronavirus, but if scroll down to page three, you will clearly see that it is for “Avian infectious bronchitis virus.” Once again, its for chickens. You can read the patent here https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/1d/4e/4a/ac8914e765d645/EP3172319B1.pdf or you if that sounds boring to you you can read this much nicer article that breaks it down https://factcheck.afp.com/false-claims-patents-fuel-novel-coronavirus-conspiracy-theories-online.

Let me break a few other things down about COVID-19. For one, while it is a coronavirus, it is not the only one. The common cold is also a coronavirus. They have been around for ages. But COVID-19 is a novel coronavirus, which means that it has not been previously identified on humans before. It was spread from animal to person. That means that the virus was not adapted initially to our bodies, and our immune systems do not have the proper equipment to create antibodies because it should never have been there in the first place. There has never been a vaccine for a coronavirus before, and one that originated in animals makes it even less likely we will find one. Meaning that anyone in their right mind would not set off a global pandemic as a business venture because it’s unlikely there will be any money to be made on a vaccine.

But come on, if we’re going to pin this on some billionaire lets at least pick someone like Jeff Bezos who is the only one of the five wealthiest people in the world not to sign The Giving Pledge, doesn’t seem to really care about his employees and may or may not have cheated oh his wife. But that’s neither here nor there.

If you are one of the people who are buying into and spreading these conspiracies, I implore you to stop. We are in a time of uncertainty and panic, and adding to it is shameful and counterproductive. We don’t need to open our eyes or dig under to find some deep conspiracy; we need to band together and get through this. So for all that’s good in the world, wash your hands, stay home and stop saying Bill Gates is behind COVID-19.