Since the World Health Organization designated the omicron variant of the coronavirus a “variant of concern” last Friday, right-wing media have rushed to spread unfounded conspiracy theories, raising suspicion about the variant’s origin and denouncing the public response as a money and power grab.
Last week, news of the omicron variant’s many mutations began to cause concern among public health experts and government officials, prompting travel restrictions in numerous countries. While knowledge of the variant remains limited, research suggests that its mutations indicate a potentially increased risk of reinfection. As of now, the scientific community simply doesn’t know key pieces of information, like whether the illnesses caused by the variant are milder or more severe than earlier variants, or whether it can evade current vaccines. According to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the process of answering these questions could take another two or three weeks.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, President Joe Biden said that the new variant was “a cause for concern, not a cause for panic,” and that the public response would be done “not with shutdowns or lockdowns but with more widespread vaccinations, boosters, testing, and more.”
Right-wing media responded to the news by pushing narratives which suggest that the mere announcement of omicron’s existence has sinister motives driven by money and power. They also used the new development to ramp up their opposition to basic public health measures.
Throughout the pandemic, right-wing media have repeatedly undermined public health measures by attacking vaccines and masks and by downplaying the risk of previous coronavirus variants. With research on omicron still ongoing, conservative media took the opportunity to mislead their audiences about both the new variant and the emerging public health response. Here are some of the ways right-wing media continue to spread unfounded skepticism in response to the omicron variant:
