DISINFO: The Pentagon spreading COVID-19 in different countries
SUMMARY
The spread of COVID-19 infection in different countries is carried out by the Pentagon through the US-owned military biochemical laboratories in the post-Soviet space and in Africa, including the Lugar Lab in Georgia.
RESPONSE
The article rests on a disinformation narrative based on two conspiracy theories: that there are secret biological laboratories, like the Lugar Lab in Georgia, run by the US around the world and that COVID-19 was supposedly created by the US in these laboratories for nefarious purposes.
The claim is based on the Chinese state media New China TV’s published video on YouTube, which showcases American laboratories seen from the satellite. The video claims that the US owns biochemical laboratories in 25 countries, which conduct dangerous experiments and may even become the source of global pandemics. Linking the COVID-19 spread with the Lugar Laboratory is a conspiracy theory that appeared on Kremlin media REN TV last year. Read the full debunk at Myth Detector.
Pro-Kremlin media have been spreading conspiracy theories about supposed US secret laboratories for years, claiming they are part of a biological and chemical attack against Russia and other countries. Laboratories in Ukraine and Georgia, which take in international cooperation efforts with the US for tackling biological threats, are frequently targeted by Kremlin-controlled media in this context. As evidenced in the database, no evidence exists to support the Kremlin’s allegations, which have been repeatedly debunked by independent fact-checkers and experts who have visited the sites in question and found nothing suspicious. In fact, many of the labs in question are actively engaged in fighting dangerous diseases and viruses, including COVID-19. Read more about Lugar lab on Myth Detector.
The claim that the coronavirus disease is manmade has also been repeatedly debunked by fact-checkers and medical experts. The overwhelming consensus among experts is that the SARS-CoV-2 virus has natural origins. The novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) comes from a family of viruses that includes other viruses such as SARS and MERS.