COVID-19 is a disease caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2, and has been a major part of everyone’s lives since it started in December 2019. So far, around 494,142,283 people have been infected with COVID-19, and of that, around 6,183,510 have died. It has taken up over two years of our life now, and for some reason, some people don't think it's real? Huh?

In December 2019, scientists in Wuhan, China detected several unexplained cases of pneumonia from people who had been to the town's local market, and in January, they determined that it was caused by a new strain of novel coronavirus which was similar to Sars, a disease which caused a small global outbreak in 2003. China quickly released the genetic sequence of the virus, An the 11th of January, China reported the first death. On the 13th, Thailand reported their first confirmed case of this new virus. On January 23rd, Wuhan was put into lockdown to prevent the spread, and on the 11th of February, the World Health Organisation named the disease "coronavirus disease 2019", or for short, COVID-19.

While the virus started spreading, some people started not believing the virus was real, believing it was a hoax made to suppress the population. Despite the fact that the virus was spreading very fast, some people didn’t believe it.

Fast forward to 2022, after having almost no cases throughout all of 2020 and 2021, New Zealand's active cases and deaths in one day are higher than all of 2020, the virus has been through several sever variants, such as Delta, and currently Omicron, an incredibly safe vaccine has been made, 6 million people have died worldwide, and yet people are still denying the virus’s existence, people are acting in violent protest against the mandates. Covid has caused many generally rational people to believe blatantly false information, because it helps them feel better. In fact, some people have taken this belief to the grave, after dying, from COVID. The problem is, irrational beliefs don’t usually cause the death of other people.

The main beliefs of Covid deniers are: Covid is a conspiracy, and vaccines aren’t safe. All of these are untrue. If Covid were really a conspiracy, then it would be one that almost everyone in the world is in on, including almost every scientist and doctor across the entire world. As well, the belief that vaccines are unsafe is wrong, the Covid vaccine is almost completely safe, with the only truly dangerous side effects being caused not from the vaccine itself, but from allergies. Both of these beliefs are conspiracy theories, they are not grounded in reality, and almost all arguments against the existence and danger of COVID-19 are as well.

The reactions of people as a result of COVID-19 are a saddening reflection of humanity as a whole. If we seriously react this way to things that are as dangerous and deadly as COVID, how are we going to react to things worse than this? COVID is just one thing going on at the moment, and sadly, there are people who don’t believe those either. The same people who don’t believe in the existence of COVID also don’t believe that Russia is invading Ukraine! Imagine what would happen when a truly catastrophic event happens, something like an upcoming mass extinction by our own ha- OH WAIT. Climate change is affecting everyone, and is causing the death of a lot of things, and there are still people who believe it’s a lie.

If we continue not believing established facts, like COVID’s existence, the invasion of Ukraine, and climate change, we are completely doomed.