A new poll has revealed how many Australians have bought into conspiracy theories around the coronavirus pandemic.
There have been loads of thoughts about how the pandemic broke out, the origins of the virus and who is to blame.
The Essential survey found that one in eight Aussies believe Bill Gates and 5G are responsible for the outbreak of Covid-19. any have held signs expressing concern about 5G and the Microsoft co-founder.
It's unclear how Mr Gates is directly implicated in the pandemic, especially considering the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has been tirelessly working for years to help find cures and vaccines for diseases and viruses like malaria.
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But it's believed that because of his work in pharmaceuticals, he must be, in some way, responsible for the outbreak of the virus. That is obviously not true.
Health authorities have also shut down any relation between the coronavirus pandemic and the rollout of the 5G network.
The anti-5G movement has been going on for months and it appears conspiracy theorists have been latching onto the outbreak of Covid-19 as another reason why the faster internet shouldn't be allowed.
New South Wales Health was forced to jump in and dispel any connection between the two.
In a statement on social media, the health authority wrote: "Although conspiracy theories can be fun to talk about, they can also lead to misinformation in the community.
"COVID-19 does not spread via mobile networks or wireless technology. COVID-19 is spread through contaminated droplets by coughing or sneezing, or by contact with contaminated hands, surfaces or objects."
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Federal Communications Minister Paul Fletcher added: "Any suggestions that there is a link between 5G and coronavirus are utterly baseless.
"The Australian government will not tolerate any vandalism of communications infrastructure and I urge Australians to report any suspicious activity to their local police."
The Essential survey also found other interesting tidbits about Australia's attitudes on the pandemic.
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One in eight also believe that the coronavirus is being used to force Australians to get vaccinations while one in five reckon the government is over-exaggerating the coronavirus death toll to scare the population.
Two in five believe the virus was created in a laboratory in China, which goes against the evidence from the World Health Organization.
The WHO said all the available data points to the virus coming from an animal in the wild without any human involvement.
Around 77 per cent of people in the Essential survey also reckon China has understated how many people were infected or died from the virus.
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: News, Coronavirus, Australia