Former Bachelorette star Bill Goldsmith has joined the ranks of D-list celebrities sharing misinformation about the coronavirus pandemic.
The 32-year-old mechanical plumber incorrectly claimed this week that the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine could be a cure for COVID-19 – even though there is no strong scientific evidence to support this.
Bill was also seemingly tricked into thinking that 5G will ‘go into a coronavirus vaccine’ after one of his followers made the false claim, presumably as a joke.
Not another one! Former Bachelorette star Bill Goldsmith (pictured) has joined the ranks of D-list celebrities sharing misinformation about the coronavirus pandemic
Bill accompanied his dangerous and misleading conspiracy theories with a totally unrelated photo of himself.
He claimed that ‘Google, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook all dictate what the majority of the population get to watch’, which makes them ‘powerful’.
While he didn’t state it explicitly, he implied that technology companies were trying to hide evidence that hydroxychloroquine is an effective treatment for COVID-19 in order to facilitate the development of a coronavirus vaccine.
Jumping the gun: The 32-year-old mechanical plumber incorrectly claimed this week that the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine could be a cure for COVID-19 – even though there is no strong scientific evidence to support this
He wrote: ‘Hydroxychloroquine has been doing the rounds as a cure for covid. @realdonaldtrump has even come out saying it works.
‘I’m not anti vaccine, it’s worked very well for some diseases, but it’s got me thinking, is what we are being allowed to see correct?
‘As it would be in the big pharmaceutical companies’ best interest to come up with a vaccine for covid and make millions in the process.
‘Do you think hydroxychloroquine is the cheaper cure to covid?’
In the comments section beneath the post, one follower caught Bill’s attention when they said they’d ‘heard they’re going to put 5G in the vaccine’.
‘Where’d you hear that?’ Bill replied, which prompted the follower to write: ‘I think someone posted it on Insta.’
This was clearly enough solid evidence to convince Bill, who asked the fan: ‘What’s your opinion on it?’
‘Not thrilled,’ the follower responded, adding: ‘It’s exactly what Bill Gates wants.’
Bill, who seemingly agreed with these concerns, replied: ‘Oh yeah it’s f**ked hey.’
While it’s possible the follower was being serious, it seems more likely they were subtly trolling Bill by encouraging him to reveal his ill-informed views.
‘Oh yeah it’s f**ked hey’: Bill was also seemingly tricked into thinking that 5G will ‘go into a coronavirus vaccine’ after one of his followers made the false claim, presumably as a joke
‘It’s exactly what Bill Gates wants’: While it’s possible the follower was being serious, it seems more likely they were subtly trolling Bill by encouraging him to reveal his ill-informed views
In a statement to Daily Mail Australia on Friday, Bill said that he wasn’t ‘claiming anything’, but simply ‘asking questions’.
‘I’m just asking the question if Hydroxychloroquine might be a treatment,’ he said.
‘I’m also pointing out that Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Google have a lot of power over what we all see. What we see and hear about is what we think about which becomes our reality.’
Bill clarified that wasn’t anti-vaccine, but did say he was opposed to the 5G cellular network.
‘5G? I’m not sure we need quicker Internet do we? We have been sold it because they pray on people being time poor,’ he said.
‘I’m not sure there is a direct link between 5G and COVID-19. All I know is that never in the history of humanity have so many people had so many rules and restrictions on how they can live.’
His views: In a statement to Daily Mail Australia on Friday, Bill said that he wasn’t ‘claiming anything’, but simply ‘asking questions’
Vaccinations are a simple, safe and effective way of protecting people against harmful diseases before they come into contact with them.
There is no scientific evidence to support the conspiracy theory that 5G technology is harmful to humans, or has any relation to the coronavirus.
In May, it was reported that more than 6,000 tablets of hydroxychloroquine had been seized by the Australian Border Force since January.
Hydroxychloroquine is used to treat malaria and and certain auto-immune diseases but there is no evidence that it is an effective treatment for COVID-19.
Australians have been warned not to use the anti-malaria drug that was once hailed by U.S. President Donald Trump as a coronavirus ‘game-changer’.
Conspiracy theories: Bill clarified that wasn’t anti-vaccine, but did say he was opposed to the 5G cellular network
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has issued a warning to Australians not to consume the drug.
If incorrectly used, the drug can cause sudden heart attacks, irreversible eye damage and severe depletion of blood sugar, leading to comas.
TGA issued an alert to medical professionals on March 24, advising them of the increased restrictions when prescribing the drug.
Trump has repeatedly hyped the prospects of hydroxychloroquine – although he notably toned down his comments boosting the drug recently.
There is no vaccine for COVID-19 yet. A World Health Organization expert, Mike Ryan, head of WHO’s emergencies program, said the first use of a COVID-19 vaccine cannot be expected until early 2021.
He noted that several vaccines are now in phase-three trials and none have failed so far in terms of safety or the ability to generate an immune response.
His comments come after Oxford University – one of the front-runners in a race for a vaccine – claimed there was still a chance it could deliver its experimental jab by Christmas if tests keep going according to plan.