| From this pandemic I learned that the current internet is far too controlled for information. I got most of my (by now confirmed) information from early leaks. Of course there are ridiculous hoaxes and bad advice floating around, but it pales in comparison to the erroneous information that authorities are putting out, and it is way easier to distinguish as BS. For instance, I have read from official sources: Vitamin C does not help. Garlic (powerful anti-inflammatory and antiviral) will not help. Black and green tea will not help. Chance of infection outside of China is negligible. Human-to-human transmission is unlikely. Coronaviruses don't survive on plastics and metal surfaces. Taking anti-inflammatory drugs is not dangerous. Face masks are not protective against the virus. Gargling and swallowing hot iodized salt water does nothing. The virus is not mutating and not creating more deadly strains. The virus can't be made by humans. The official statistics are real and not a gross undercount. Cities will not go in lockdown or quarantine. Longer than expected incubation periods are not impossible. Sauna's and hot showers don't help. Everything is under control and contained. The flu is more deadly. You should not avoid public transit or large gatherings. We have enough ventilators. We have enough protective equipment for medics. You should not be worried about COVID-19 if you got flu-like symptoms before the first confirmed case on 19 January. The CDC is and was not lying about the number of cases, and warnings circulating online reporting community spread are hoaxes. The virus can not pass the brain-blood barrier. The virus does not increase chance of triggering latent schizophrenia and psychosis. Some national from a different country did not die outside of China before the WHO called a world health emergency. This is not yet a pandemic. Fantasies about coronavirus are more contagious than the disease itself. Not eating in Chinatown restaurants is racist. When hand sanitizer ran out, it's not a good idea to make your own hand sanitizer. Countries in Europe won't follow Italy. The virus started in a wet market in Wuhan. You can't blame China for the pandemic, they did a great job and set an example for outbreak response. Papers discussing HIV inserts and gain-of-function infectiousness are retracted because they are completely false, not for fueling conspiracy theories. This virus is not a viable bioweapon, because the mortality rate is too low. The pope will not have coronavirus. Trump will not have coronavirus. Bolsonaro will not have coronavirus. The stock market is looking good right now. There is no reason for panic. This virus is not expected to calm down around June, only to pick up again in November. The government thinks that shaking hands is ok. Experts are right. Experts give correct projections. It is better to listen to public health officials and experts if you want to stay up to date and predict what will happen. There are no terrible long-term concerns of contracting COVID-19 for young people. I can provide sources upon request if you believe any of these statements. An educated citizenry is a vital requisite for our survival as a free people! Stop managing panic and come clean: You all lost control of a SARS-like virus and containment is impossible. Instead of quarantining subreddits, you may want to take a look at the immense sockpuppetry from China nr. 1 accounts and the trade war driven anti-China propaganda from U.S. intelligence. Even on HackerNews I get multiple downvotes on posts that are long on page 5. There is a gross information warfare going on, but hey, got to protect against my Facebook aunt trying to give (scientifically unproven) well-intentioned advice, in the absence of any certainty. Google prioritizes information such as "How to protect yourself against novel coronavirus? Cough in your elbows!". They are arrogantly acting like the public can't handle the truth. |