Hey, everyone! How was your weekend?

Mine was great! Went to a Michelin restaurant on Friday, then to a gala at the Hilton Towers Saturday and Sunday went to see the newest Avengers movie.

Then I woke up, and realized I wasn’t doing shit this weekend, and neither are you, so read this.

It occurred to me today that given my blog is called “Health Care Mythologies”, maybe I should sit my ass down and a address a few of the Covid-19 myths.

Let me begin by saying I do not intend on regurgitating the 10 million news articles dealing with this, rather I’ll point you to a couple here and here.

Rather, I’d like to just focus on how and why myths about disease are so prevalent, so easily swallowed by people (even those I would not have considered uneducated or naïve) and why they simply cannot not be put to rest.

The first reason is that in dealing with something unknown (hence the moniker “novel” Corona virus), people flock towards any explanation, regardless of how ludicrous. In fact, I sometimes think the more ludicrous it is, the more people believe it.

A simple example is the myth that 5G wireless signals propagate the virus. This is pure unmitigated bullshit, and anyone with even the most rudimentary knowledge of physics and biology would immediately see that. Yet, the theory persists, because some people like the “technology is killing us” concept.

Kind of like HAL in 2001: A Space Odyssey. If you haven’t seen it, may as well do it now.

Another is the conspiracy theory myth about this being created in a lab with the intent of killing us all.

Clearly, the visual is of a “Mad Scientist” wanting revenge for how she was treated in medical school.

(That’s right, I said “she”. I am tired of the old derogatory stereotype that only men can be crazy scientists. I firmly believe that women can be too!)

First, we found this in other species, and second, you can usually identify humanmade (NOT Manmade) creations. Again, it brings a strange degree of comfort thinking this is not natural, because, if it is (and it is), well, then it could happen again.

Yep, that’s right. And it most assuredly will.

Finally, this is a wonderful opportunity for all the whackos with their home made elixir recipes to climb out of the woodwork.

“Why I had eye of newt, and toe of frog, and I NEVER got sick!”, the hags of Macbeth will all brag.

But you know the next step in the recipe?

“Wool of bat, and tongue of dog.” Yep, the bat, where this most likely originated. Damned hags.

So, in the end, I sincerely beg of everyone to set aside the panicked reactions and listen to the scientific community. Not that they won’t make mistakes or be wrong, but, overall, less so than anyone else on the news and in politics.

The ultimate solution will be a vaccine (and I CANNOT WAIT for the anti-vaxxers to turn that one down), or spread through enough of us, that it’s essentially run its course.

Until it mutates and kills us all.

Ha, just kidding!

And, if anyone else comes up with some bat-shit crazy myth, just remember-Stay Skeptical!

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