Snopes Daily Debunker - The Coronavirus Is Not a 'Bioweapon'

The Coronavirus Is Not a 'Bioweapon' The most persistent conspiracy theory clinging to the COVID-19 pandemic holds that the novel coronavirus didn’t originate naturally, but rather was engineered in a laboratory by scientists who somehow let it “escape” into the outside world. A variant of that theory says the virus was created as a “bioweapon” intended to sicken and/or kill vast numbers of innocent people. Snopes writer Alex Kasprak took a deep dive into the science of the coronavirus’ origins and explains why all the evidence to date points to nature, not humans, as its creator. Read more

Fact Checks Does ‘Tiger King’ Joe Exotic Have Coronavirus? The Netflix documentary subject was put in isolation after he supposedly came in contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19. Mostly false Did the TV Show ‘My Secret Terrius’ Predict Coronavirus? COVID-19 is caused by a coronavirus, but not all coronaviruses cause COVID-19. False Is This a Text from an NHS Worker? A viral hoax warned against going out to buy bread, of all things, during the COVID-19 pandemic. False Does George Soros Own a Lab That ‘Developed’ COVID-19? Somehow, some way, business magnate George Soros gets accused of being involved in almost every politically contentious event. False Was a 5G Tower Torn Down in China To Stop COVID-19? This video is real, but it has nothing to do with 5G or the coronavirus pandemic. Miscaptioned Did Experts and Officials Warn in 2018 US Couldn’t Respond Effectively to a Pandemic? Such individuals have made repeated warnings about U.S. readiness in the event of a pandemic. True

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In the News Governor to Take Ventilators for NYC as Hospitals Buckle With coronavirus deaths surging in New York, the governor announced he will use his authority to seize ventilators and protective gear from private hospitals and companies that aren’t using them. Read more ‘Lean On Me,’ ‘Lovely Day’ Singer Bill Withers Dies at 81 "A solitary man with a heart driven to connect to the world at large, with his poetry and music, he spoke honestly to people and connected them to each other,” the family statement read. Read more Navy Fires Captain Who Sought Help for Virus-Stricken Ship Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly said the USS Theodore Roosevelt's commander, Capt. Brett Crozier, “demonstrated extremely poor judgment” in the middle of a crisis. Read more US Sheds 701,000 Jobs, Ending a Record-Long Hiring Streak The monthly job loss reported by the government, the worst since the depths of the Great Recession in 2009, is still just a small indication of what's to come. Read more NYC Mayor Urges National Enlistment Program for Doctors Mayor Bill De Blasio said on CNN that the country should be on a wartime footing to meet the coronavirus threat. Read more

Staff Pick Was Queen Elizabeth II a Mechanic During World War II? Princess Elizabeth was the first female member of the Royal Family to join the Armed Services as a full-time active member. Read more

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