STAT+: The hantavirus outbreak is prompting Covid flashbacks — including the conspiracies
Why this matters: health reporting relevant to everyday decisions and well-being.
WASHINGTON — The deadly outbreak of a rare strain of hantavirus on a cruise has generated echoes of the pandemic era, including a reprise of a familiar drumbeat of questionable theories from social media personalities prominent for their Covid-19 skepticism. At the moment, ironically, the public health establishment and the conspiracists challenging it actually seem to agree on the big picture: Hantavirus is not like the Covid-19 virus, and for now, the risk to the general public remains low. But the speed at which a handful of people who became influential amid Covid-19 have begun recycling theories, from baseless suggestions about the origin of the current outbreak to unproven treatments, illustrates a new reality for any emerging public health threat.Continue to STAT+ to read the full story…