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What are the conspiracy theories around COVID-19?
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Corona started COVID-19

The virus was named after the famous brewery, following accidental contamination of its beer.
Alcohol Conspiracy Coronavirus Health Misleading

Context

(ALERT: Visit the WHO for accurate information about the coronavirus pandemic)[1]

The Argument

The proof is in the name - Corona beer is the cause of COVID-19. Why else would the names be so similar? The beer was accidentally contaminated and subsequently spread from there. The similarity of corona beer and coronavirus made people begin to believe that the two may be linked when coronavirus started to reach the United States in mid-March.[2] This has led to people distancing themselves from the drink.[3] Corona beer can no longer continue to be a successful business due to its relation and role in the coronavirus pandemic. Grupo Modelo, which is the producer of corona beer, halted production in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Modelo claimed that these actions were done, as their production is not deemed to be essential work. They did in a statement say that if their work was deemed to be essential then they would continue production. They also said in another statement that coronavirus has not affected their sales.[4] When a person is intoxicated and exposed to a viral infection such as coronavirus, it can make a person more susceptible. This is because alcohol seems to slow the immune system.

Counter arguments

There is no scientific link between Corona beer and COVID-19.[5] This theory was based solely on the similarity of the two names; this belief was spread through social media. This was not helped by the fact that the Grupo Modelo halted production in April.[4] The name corona however means crown in Latin. The virus received this name, as under a microscope it has a crown-like appearance.[6]

Proponents

Premises

Rejecting the premises

References

  1. https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
  2. https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/28/business/corona-beer-marketing/index.html
  3. https://nypost.com/2020/02/27/americans-are-avoiding-corona-beer-amid-coronavirus-outbreak-survey-finds/
  4. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/03/business/coronavirus-corona-beer.html
  5. https://www.dallasnews.com/food/restaurant-news/2020/02/28/can-you-get-coronavirus-from-drinking-corona-beer-no-but-the-brand-still-takes-a-hit/
  6. https://www.menshealth.com/uk/health/a30763931/coronavirus-corona-beer/
This page was last edited on Monday, 26 Oct 2020 at 13:11 UTC