“Human Coronavirus” on back of disinfectant bottles proof cover-up? Fact Check

Videos spreading on social media show various people looking at the small print of anti-bacterial or disinfectant products and highlighting the fact that “human coronavirus” is included in the list of bacterial viruses to which the product should protect against.

The conclusion of such videos is typically promoting some type of government conspiracy or cover-up, specifically that the government (or “deep state”) must have known about coronavirus for a number of years if it appears on anti-bacterial products, and as such there should be a “cure” or vaccine available.

In one such video, someone examines a bottle of Lysol, and concluded that because the bottle contains the term “human coronavirus”, then a cure must be available.

FALSE

A screenshot of such a video is below.

While the videos themselves are genuine and really do show the term “human coronavirus” on the list of bacterial viruses on the information label of disinfectant products, the conclusion that this is proof of some type of cover-up are hinged on a very fundamental misunderstanding about coronavirus. Specifically, the misconception that coronavirus is a new type of virus and that it refers to one specific virus.

Coronavirus is not new. It refers to a group of related viruses that were discovered and diagnosed in the 1960s. The virus can result in respiratory conditions in both animals and humans. Coronavirus, just like the flu, comes in different strains.

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Most strains of coronavirus are not dangerous to humans and result in symptoms similar to the common cold. However, in 2019 and 2020, a more dangerous strain of coronavirus, originating in China, was discovered. This strain of Coronavirus is called SARS-CoV-2, and it causes the COVID-19 disease.

Those basic facts have been overlooked by those creating these videos. Those behind the videos apparently misunderstand the pertinent fact that “human coronavirus” actually refers to a group of viruses that date back many decades, and does not specifically refer to the new strain of coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) which was discovered in late 2019 in China.

Again, just like the flu, there is no catch-all cure for coronavirus. Different strains of the virus would require different vaccines. At the time of writing, there is no vaccine for the SARS-CoV-2 strain of coronavirus.

Of course none of this is to mention the absurd premise of this alleged conspiracy which claims that government has known about “human coronavirus” for many years but has kept it secret from the public – but have also simultaneously allowed disinfectant companies to print the name of the “secret” virus on their product’s warning labels.

As such, since the term “human coronavirus” isn’t a new term, it is not unusual for the term to appear on disinfectant and anti-bacterial products. It is certainly not indicative of some type of cover-up or conspiracy.