Nine False Claims about COVID-19, World Bank and World Economic Forum

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On November 28, Facebook user Lali Gelashvili published a lengthy post headlined “Pandemic and the New World Order.” Facebook profile Gadea Gadea Guruli is referred to as the author of the post. According to the post, the coronavirus pandemic is a special operation organized by the World Bank, which was plotted several years ago, while the virus was created artificially to realize this plan. To back up this opinion, the author provides nine claims about the World Bank’s archival documents, “secret studies,” PCR tests, face masks and the World Health Organization (WHO) guidance.

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The claim as if the pandemic has been plotted to realize the World Bank’s plan on the New World Order is a conspiracy theory. Among the facts provided in the post to promote this conspiracy theory, seven represent disinformation, one – half-truth and one – manipulation.   

Disinformation No.1: There is a substance that destructs the coronavirus within 24 hours. The WHO is fighting against this substance, though its use has reduced fatalities by 90% in Bolivia.

The substance, which, as the author claims, is successfully used in Bolivia to fight COVID-19, is chlorine dioxide. In June, chlorine dioxide was actively used in Bolivia to avoid or cure the coronavirus, even as the country’s health ministry said people should stay away from it. Bolivia’s new government, however, actively worked to approve chlorine dioxide as treatment for COVID-19.

On August 5, 2020, Pan American Health Organization released a statement, noting that there was no evidence of chlorine dioxide’s effectiveness and the ingestion or inhalation of such products could cause serious adverse effects among both COVID-19 patients and healthy people.

Moreover, the claim that the use of chloride dioxide has reduced fatalities by 90% in Bolivia also represents disinformation. In fact, after the Bolivian government legally allowed the use of chlorine dioxide as treatment for COVID-19, a lot of facts of intoxication with this substance were reported.

As of November 30, 2020, Bolivia has confirmed 144,592 cases of the novel coronavirus. 8,949 patients have died.

Disinformation No.2: Italian post-mortem study shows that COVID-19 patients have died from venous and arterial thrombosis, not the coronavirus. The study was conducted bypassing the WHO restrictions.

The study published on April 22, 2020 is based on the results of 100 autopsies performed on patients with COVID-19 in Northern Italy. The purpose of the study was to determine what processes, besides acute shortness of breath, were leading to COVID-19 complications. The study found that COVID-19 can cause blood clots and thrombosis. It is worth noting that thrombotic occlusions do not happen in all cases of infection and only part of patients may suffer from it.

The information as if the WHO has a rule against autopsies and the Italian study was conducted bypassing this rule is false. The WHO offers an interim guidance for safe management of a dead body in the context of COVID-19, which does not contain any such prohibition.

Disinformation No.3: The novel coronavirus, i.e. SARS-CoV-2 has not been found in any animal species so far; it does not look like any natural virus and contains furin that other viruses do not contain.

The coronaviruses similar to SARS-CoV-2 do exist in the wild nature and they are mainly circulating in animal species. The laboratory research of genetic data shows that the virus evolved naturally and crossed into humans from an animal species, most likely a bat. The research suggests that one of the closest known ancestors of the virus that causes COVID-19 has been circulating unnoticed in bats for decades. This scientific conclusion is further backed up by the previous experience, because MERS and SARS viruses crossed into humans just from bats in the past.

Furin, which, as the author of the post claims, is not met among other viruses proving that the coronavirus was created artificially, actually is the furin protease that plays a key role in facilitating the entry of the SARS-CoV-2 into human cells and causing rapid infection. A similar mechanism by furins is utilized by the avian influenza virus, as well as several other pathogenic viruses including Ebola, HIV-1, measles, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Moreover, questions about the links between the novel coronavirus and furin still exist and scientific research is still underway.

Disinformation as if the novel coronavirus was created artificially had been spread previously as well.

See details in Myth Detector’s earlier publications:

Disinformation No.4:  The documents found in the World Bank archives prove that the issue of exporting COVID-19 medical supplies was raised back in 2017-2018.

As of December 1, 2020, the information about exports and imports of two types of medical products in 2017 and 2018 can really be searched on a website  World Integrated Trade Solution (WITS) developed by the World Bank in collaboration with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The mentioned products are labeled as COVID-19 testing kits. The World Bank explained that these products and product codes predate COVID. They have been used since 2017 – not in relation to COVID-19 but labeled “in much more technical terms that did not mention COVID”. In April 2020, the products were relabeled amid the pandemic and the WITS updated its product descriptions accordingly, including those attached to the data from 2017 and 2018, even if the products had not been used in relation to COVID-19 at the time.

The same disinformation about the World Bank archive was also spread in October. See details in Myth Detector’s article: Three Lies and Two Manipulations about COVID-19 Spread in Facebook Group “Let’s Stop 5G in Georgia.”

Disinformation No.5: The coronavirus pandemic is part of Agenda 2030 signed by the world leaders to obey the World Bank

The document AGENDA 2030 is a strategic document adopted by the United Nations Organization, not the World Bank, in 2015, which not only has nothing to do with the coronavirus, but it says nothing about the global pandemic. The document includes 17 goals to eradicate poverty and achieve sustainable development by 2030 worldwide.

This UN document is frequently mentioned in a conspiratorial context. On October 1, 2020, a Georgian-language Facebook page spread a conspiracy theory referring to the Russian-language source, according to which “Program 30” is a secret document on establishing the New World Order in 2021-2030. See details in Myth Detector’s article: Does UN Secret Document on New World Order Actually Exist?

Disinformation No.6: PCR tests fail to detect COVID-19 and this is noted on the official website of the World Health Organization

PCR tests are especially sensitive towards pathogens; due to high accuracy of the results, PCT testing is even called the gold standard. The World Health Organization (WHO)the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other reliable medical organizations recommend the use of PCR tests to diagnose COVID-19. Like other tests, PCR tests may also give false results; however, the probability of false positives is extremely low. False PCR results may be caused by incorrect getting a smear, violation of transportation and sample storage conditions and a mistake made by a lab researcher. It is worth noting that the World Health Organization also recommended the use of PCR tests to diagnose the coronavirus during the SARS virus epidemic in 2003.

See detailed information about PCR tests in the article How is COVID19 Diagnosed?, prepared by Mary Murtskhvaladze, Associate Professor of Ilia State University, for Myth Detector.

Disinformation No.7: Face masks do not protect us from COVID-19 and their effectiveness is not scientifically proven

It is very difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of face masks, because wearing a face mask will have a positive effect only if it is worn properly. Although a face mask does not completely protect us from getting infected, recent studies suggest that wearing face masks reduces the spread of COVID-19 on a population level and consequently blunts the growth of the epidemic curve.

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), if worn properly, a surgical mask is meant to help block large-particle droplets, splashes, sprays, or splatter that may contain germs (viruses and bacteria). Researchers note that it is especially important that an infected person wears a face mask. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends wearing face masks in public settings, especially when it is difficult to observe social distancing.

See details about the studies and official statements on the effectiveness of face masks in Myth Detector’s articles:

Half-truth: According to the Spanish study, flu vaccine caused the death of elderly COVID-19 patients in Barbastro nursing home.

Three Spanish researchers conducted a study in Barbastro hospital in June 2020 to identify the links between COVID-19 deaths and flu vaccines. The researchers found that 17 out of 20 deceased old people had got flu vaccines. It prompted the researchers to suggest that the use of the synthetic compound Polysorbate 80 in flu vaccines could pose a greater risk to elderly COVID-19 patients. This assumption was picked up by anti-vaxxers prompting one of the authors of the report, Juan F. Gastón Añaños to make explanations:

Juan F. Gastón Añaños: “If you look through the article, it does not say anywhere that vaccination is dangerous or there is some secret information about vaccination. We only suppose that one component included in a flu vaccine may cause complications among patients over 65.”

The claim promoted by anti-vaxxers that a flu vaccine increases COVID-19-related risks is not confirmed by any large-scale, comprehensive and lengthy scientific research. Moreover, scientists clearly state that people can catch flu and COVID-19 at the same time that is extremely dangerous for human health.

Manipulation: The World Economic Forum clearly notes on its website that in the new reality, people should not own any property and still be happy.

This claim is based on manipulative interpretation of the blog published on the World Economic Forum’s website in 2016. The blog discusses a hypothetical future caused by the current technological development. The author notes that people hypothetically living in 2030 “do not own a car, do not own a house, any appliances or any clothes,” because “all these things became free, so it ended up not making sense for us to own much.”

The page ends with a warning that the views expressed in the article written by Danish MP Ida Auken are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

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Spread of the post

Lali Gelashvili refers to Facebook user Gadea Gadea Guruli as the source of the post. However, no such post can be searched on the latter’s profile. As of 9:00, December 2, Gelashvili’s post has 518 shares and 188 comments. The post was shared to the following public groups: საერთო სახალხო მოძრაობა ქართველი ერის გადარჩენისთვის! (Public Movement for Saving Georgian Nation), იტალიის ცის ქვეშ – L’ANIMA GEORGIANAსაქართველო უპირველეს ყოვლისა! (Georgia First of All), 6504 ძვ წ, კორონა მაფია (Corona Mafia) and СТАЛИН ВЕЛИКИЙ УЧИТЕЛЬ სტალინი დიდი მასწავლებელი (Stalin the Great Teacher). On November 28-29, the identical text was shared by Facebook users Vitalia Kardava and გოჩა ჩუმაშვილი (Gocha Chumashvili).


Archive link: https://archive.is/96tQ9


 

The article has been written in the framework of Facebook’s fact-checking program. You can read more about the restrictions that Facebook may impose based on this article via this link. You can find information about appealing or editing our assessment via this link.

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Violation: Disinformation
Country: Bolivia, Italy
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