Coronavirus Outbreak: Conspiracy Theories Floating on Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp About Deadly Virus Spread

New Delhi, January 29: With the death toll rising in China and suspected cases being reported in several parts of the world, coronavirus is a global scare now. The Chinese authorities have so far failed to contain the outbreak of 2019-novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in Wuhan, the epicentre of the epidemic in China. Meanwhile, several conspiracy theories are doing rounds on Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp and similar Chinese platforms regarding the coronavirus outbreak. Instagram Influencers Cash on Coronavirus Outbreak Crisis, Get Slammed For Turning Face Masks Into Fashion Accessories (View Pics).

Bat Soup transmitted coronavirus into humans?

A video is going viral on social media platforms with claims that the coronavirus reached humans due to the eating habits of the Chinese people. The short clip showed a woman eating a dish made of bats. In the video, the woman is heard saying that the cooked bat tastes like chicken meat. However, fact-checking websites found that the video is old and has no link to the coronavirus outbreak. Coronavirus Latest Updates: As Death Toll Crosses 130 in China, India Plans to Evacuate Its Citizens, Symptoms You Should Watch out For.

Chinese scientist stole coronavirus from Canada?

Another conspiracy theory being widely discussed is that Chinese scientists working with the National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg, Canada, stole coronavirus and sent it to a lab in Wuhan. It is being said that the Chinese scientist along with their students had been sacked last year over policy breach. Coronavirus got leaked from the Wuhan lab because the Chinese scientists lacked expertise in dealing with this particular virus. The Canadian government, however, has refuted these claims.

Bio-Weapon Leak:

A former Israeli intelligence officer, Dany Shoham, speaking to Washington Times, suspected that the coronavirus outbreak could be the result of an escape of a biological weapon from a "mystery" lab in Wuhan. That "mystery" lab is the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Shoham claimed that the Wuhan Institute of Virology was secretly making bio-weapons for China and coronavirus may have originated there. However, no authority has backed his claims.

Pharma conspiracy behind coronavirus?

Another popular conspiracy is that the coronavirus outbreak is linked to the Pirbright Institute in England. Social media influencers have claimed that a patent for the coronavirus was filed in 2015. The patent was filed for developing a version of coronavirus for treatment of respiratory infections and diseases. Conspiracy theorists called it a planned outbreak for the gain of pharma companies involved with coronavirus vaccination.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 29, 2020 03:52 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).