Unpacking plots and conspiracies
Dear Editor,
Recently I had a heated conversation with a colleague about COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and the religious perspective of the mark of the beast as outlined in Revelations 13.
Conspiracies are nothing new, but in the age of social media these are easily amplified and spread from unknown websites which share unverified documents to justify what they believe. I am open-minded enough to listen, but at some point you must ask questions when things don’t make sense.
I am told that there is a new world order, a “one government” system being plotted by wealthy nations (aided by a few billionaires), and the novel coronavirus is a biological weapon developed specifically to wipe out the worlds population.
The aim is to control the Earth’s resources and the few people remaining after the pandemic. If you ask what would be the point of all this, you will not get a clear answer; it is linked to biblical prophecies and references, most of which are written as parables.
I’ve also asked how vast regions in places like Africa, where populations remain largely unvaccinated and densely populated, will fit into this theory of population control.
Some assert that vaccines were rushed and contain toxins, microchips, etc.
There are also theories about White House Chief Medical Advisor Dr Anthony Fauci funding the development of the virus in labs to profit from vaccines. Fauci has debunked these theories, descibing them as “preposterous”.
It is also suggested that President Donald Trump knew about the sinister plot to control the world and, as a result, lost the presidential election, which was rigged, to get him out of the way quickly. President Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama, I was told, are also part of the plot. This is one of the most ridiculous things I’ve ever heard.
So, if Trump knew about “the plot”, why didn’t he disclose this to Americans to help to win the elections? And why did he take both doses of the vaccines plus the booster if he knew they were microchipped and weren’t safe?
The reality is that the death rate and hospitalisation rate from COVID-19 in 2021, when vaccines became available, is significantly lower than in 2020 when there were no vaccines. Fully vaccinated people who get infected have lower risks of dying and developing severe symptoms requiring hospitalisation, and most report mild symptoms and recover from home.
The risks are much higher among the unvaccinated. Trump’s base of anti-vaxers are rattled that he is now a vocal supporter of vaccination.
In 1918 there was another pandemic, the Spanish Flu, which killed 50 million people globally, approximately five times that of COVID-19-related deaths. They were unable to develop vaccines and antivirals for the flu until a decade later.
We are fortunate to benefit from advances in science and technology to fight COVID-19, yet there is hesitancy and conspiracies. It is a myth to suggest that vaccines were created overnight, when research has been ongoing for at least 20 years.
People tend to cling to theories to gain a false sense of hope and security when there is crisis and uncertainty. Nonetheless, we must question what we digest. It is absurd to suggest that foreign governments in differeent geographical areas and time zones, with different languages and cultures are now colluding, when many don’t even get along.
Jamaica still has one of the lowest COVID-19 vaccination rates in the Caribbean and the world, only 19 per cent. This is a concern as highly contageous strains such as Omicron continue to spread.
If COVID-19 vaccines are the Antichrist and the mark of the beast as suggested, isn’t it a paradox that millions of devout Christians around the globe have taken it? In fact, close to 50 per cent of the world’s population is now fully vaccinated, including some of the most brilliant minds.
If we follow baseless theories and rumours, it will spell gloom and doom for the immediate future and threaten our very existence.
P Chin
chin_p@yahoo.com