2018 Talk of Vaccine Passports Does Not Suggest the Pandemic Was Planned

In early April, a range of articles appeared on several conspiracy theory websites with headlines such as “European Plans for ‘Vaccine Passports’ Were in Place 20 Months Prior to the Pandemic. Coincidence?” The articles attempted to claim that the coronavirus pandemic is either a hoax or was created by the government. They highlighted 2018 plans from the European Commission that discuss vaccine passports. Many have claimed that these plans are suspicious, as there was no coronavirus pandemic in 2018. 

These articles have gained tens of thousands of views and hundreds of social media shares, according to some of the sites’ own metrics. Additionally, a range of people on social media have used the articles to support the theories that coronavirus is either a hoax or was government engineered: