
For many readers, the sheer premise of this article might seem ridiculous.
But it's becoming harder and harder to ignore the very loud minority that believe the pandemic that's infected 19 million people worldwide, killing 710,000 - including 255 in Australia - is a hoax.
There are a small number of people who wholeheartedly think COVID-19 is a 'scamdemic' that has been conjured up by the world's governments to control us. They're in groups all over the internet, and they're getting sucked deeper and deeper into rabbit holes that 'explain' the reasons behind the conspiracy.
In this article, we're going to debunk the COVID-19 misinformation theories that are being shared right now, to give you the arsenal you need to have a conversation with a loved one or friend who just won't let these bizarre - not to mention dangerous - explanations go.
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First, it's important to consider why your mum/uncle/best friend might be buying into these conspiracy theories.
The marriage of pandemics and conspiracies actually have a long history together, and as Chris Fleming, Associate Professor at the School of Humanities at Western Sydney University and author of Modern Conspiracy: The Importance of Being Paranoid, told the ABC, "there's a sense of inevitability about this stuff".
For example, in the 14th century the Black Death killed tens of millions of people. It also led to the persecution of the Jews, who were blamed for the plague. Why? They needed a scapegoat to explain the tragedy.
When something terrifying is happening that's difficult to process and explain, we naturally feel the need for answers. As humans, it seems we're determined to find a "reason", even when there isn't one.
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