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Unsubstantiated speculation and conspiracy theories related to this topic have gained popularity during the pandemic. Common conspiracy theories state that the virus was intentionally engineered, either as a bio-weapon or to profit from the sale of vaccines. According to the World Health Organization, genetic manipulation has been ruled out by genomic analysis.<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Liu SL, Saif LJ, Weiss SR, Su L |title=No credible evidence supporting claims of the laboratory engineering of SARS-CoV-2 |journal=Emerging Microbes & Infections |volume=9 |issue=1 |pages=505–507 |year=2020 |pmid=32102621 |pmc=7054935 |doi=10.1080/22221751.2020.1733440}}</ref><ref name="Hakim" /><ref>{{Cite web |vauthors=Van Beusekom M |date=12 May 2020 |title=Scientists: 'Exactly zero' evidence COVID-19 came from a lab |url=https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/05/scientists-exactly-zero-evidence-covid-19-came-lab |access-date=16 February 2021 |work=[[Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy]] |publisher=University of Minnesota}}</ref> Many other origin stories have also been told, ranging from claims of secret plots by political opponents to a conspiracy theory about mobile phones. In March 2020, the [[Pew Research Center]] found that a third of Americans believed COVID-19 had been created in a lab, and a quarter thought it had been engineered intentionally.<ref name=AP20210215>{{Cite web |vauthors=Kinetz E |url=https://apnews.com/article/pandemics-beijing-only-on-ap-epidemics-media-122b73e134b780919cc1808f3f6f16e8 |title=Anatomy of a conspiracy: With COVID, China took leading role |date=20 April 2021 |website=AP NEWS}}</ref> The spread of these conspiracy theories is magnified through mutual distrust and animosity, as well as nationalism and the use of propaganda campaigns for political purposes.<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Nie JB |title=In the Shadow of Biological Warfare: Conspiracy Theories on the Origins of COVID-19 and Enhancing Global Governance of Biosafety as a Matter of Urgency |journal=Journal of Bioethical Inquiry |volume=17 |issue=4 |pages=567–574 |date=December 2020 |pmid=32840850 |pmc=7445685 |doi=10.1007/s11673-020-10025-8}}</ref>
The promotion of misinformation has been used by American far-right groups such as [[QAnon]], by rightwing outlets such as Fox News, by former US President Donald Trump and also other prominent Republicans to stoke anti-China sentiments,<ref name="Bannon" /><ref name="TrumpMuddled">{{cite magazine |vauthors=Elliott P |title=How Distrust of Donald Trump Muddled the COVID-19 'Lab Leak' Debate |url=https://time.com/6051414/donald-trump-wuhan-laboratory-leak/ |magazine=Time |access-date=7 June 2021}}</ref><ref name=AP20210215 /> and has led to increased anti-Asian activity on social media and in the real world.<ref>{{cite news |vauthors=Alba D |title=How Anti-Asian Activity Online Set the Stage for Real-World Violence |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/19/technology/how-anti-asian-activity-online-set-the-stage-for-real-world-violence.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=19 March 2021 |url-access=limited}}</ref> This has also resulted in the bullying of scientists and public health officials, both online and in-person,{{refn|<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Mello MM, Greene JA, Sharfstein JM |title=Attacks on Public Health Officials During COVID-19 |journal=JAMA |volume=324 |issue=8 |pages=741–742 |date=August 2020 |pmid=32777019 |doi=10.1001/jama.2020.14423 |s2cid=221099095 |doi-access=
The resurgence of the lab leak and other theories was fueled in part by the publication, in May 2021, of early emails between National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) director [[Anthony Fauci]] and scientists discussing the issue. Per the emails in question, Kristian Andersen (author of one study debunking genomic manipulation theories) had heavily considered the possibility, and emailed Fauci proposing possible mechanisms, before ruling out deliberate manipulation with deeper technical analysis.<ref name="GuardianNewStudies">{{cite news |vauthors=Spinney L |title=In hunt for Covid's origin, new studies point away from lab leak theory |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/18/in-hunt-for-covids-origin-new-studies-point-away-from-lab-leak-theory |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=18 June 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |vauthors=Gorman J, Zimmer C |title=Scientist Opens Up About His Early Email to Fauci on Virus Origins |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/14/science/covid-lab-leak-fauci-kristian-andersen.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=14 June 2021 |url-access=limited}}</ref> These emails were later misconstrued and used by critics to claim a conspiracy was occurring.<ref>{{cite news |vauthors=Greenberg J |title=No, emails to Fauci don't show early agreement that virus was man-made |url=https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2021/jun/02/facebook-posts/no-emails-fauci-dont-show-early-agreement-virus-wa/ |work=[[PolitiFact]] |date=2 June 2021 |quote=The only email that came close to matching that claim noted that while some evidence suggested the virus might be man-made, more work was needed and that opinion could change. The email presented a possibility — a starting point for more research — not a conclusion. The man who wrote that email concluded that the virus developed naturally in a scientific journal article in March 2020.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Covid: White House defends Dr Fauci over lab leak emails |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57352992 |work=BBC News |date=4 June 2021}}</ref> The ensuing controversy became known as the "[[Proximal Origin]]".<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Stolberg |first1=Sheryl Gay |last2=Mueller |first2=Benjamin |date=11 July 2023 |title=Scientists, Under Fire From Republicans, Defend Fauci and Covid Origins Study |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/11/us/politics/covid-lab-leak-fauci.html |access-date=12 August 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Jon |first=Cohen |date=11 July 2023 |title=Politicians, scientists spar over alleged NIH cover-up using COVID-19 origin paper |url=https://www.science.org/content/article/politicians-scientists-spar-over-alleged-nih-cover-up-using-covid-19-origin-paper |journal=Science |doi=10.1126/science.adj7036}}</ref> However, despite claims to the contrary in some US newspapers, no new evidence has surfaced to support any theory of a laboratory accident, and the majority of peer-reviewed research points to a natural origin. This parallels previous outbreaks of novel diseases, such as HIV, SARS and H1N1, which have also been the subject of allegations of laboratory origin.<ref name="LingForeign2021">{{cite news |vauthors=Ling J |title=The Lab Leak Theory Doesn't Hold Up |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/06/15/lab-leak-theory-doesnt-hold-up-covid-china/ |work=Foreign Policy}}</ref><ref name="Gorski revisit"/>
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In March 2020, the ''[[Miami New Times]]'' reported that managers at [[Norwegian Cruise Line]] had prepared a set of responses intended to convince wary customers to book cruises, including "blatantly false" claims that COVID-19 "can only survive in cold temperatures, so the Caribbean is a fantastic choice for your next cruise", that "Scientists and medical professionals have confirmed that the warm weather of the spring will be the end of the Coronavirus {{sic}}", and that the virus "cannot live in the amazingly warm and tropical temperatures that your cruise will be sailing to".<ref name="nmt-cardona">{{cite web |url=https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/coronavirus-norwegian-cruise-line-leaked-emails-show-booking-strategy-11590056 |title=Leaked Emails: Norwegian Pressures Sales Team to Mislead Potential Customers About Coronavirus |vauthors=Cardona AC |date=11 March 2020 |work=Miami New Times |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200312003229/https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/coronavirus-norwegian-cruise-line-leaked-emails-show-booking-strategy-11590056 |archive-date=12 March 2020 |access-date=12 March 2020}}</ref>
Flu is seasonal (becoming less frequent in the summer) in some countries, but not in others. While it is possible that COVID-19 will also show some seasonality, this has not yet been determined.<ref name="newsweek-02-11-2020">{{cite web |url=https://www.newsweek.com/could-coronavirus-really-killed-hot-weather-scientists-weigh-1486709 |title=Could Coronavirus Really Be Killed by Hot Weather? Scientists Weigh In |vauthors=Gander K |date=11 February 2020 |magazine=Newsweek |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200310145434/https://www.newsweek.com/could-coronavirus-really-killed-hot-weather-scientists-weigh-1486709 |archive-date=10 March 2020 |access-date=12 March 2020 |quote=Ravinder Kanda, senior lecturer in evolutionary genomics at Oxford Brookes University, U.K., told Newsweek: 'Little is known about the seasonal dynamics of this particular virus—we cannot take it for granted that the warmer weather will simply drive the virus out of existence.'}}</ref><ref name="time-gunia">{{cite news |url=https://time.com/5790880/coronavirus-warm-weather-summer/ |title=Will Warmer Weather Stop the Spread of the Coronavirus? Don't Count on It, Say Experts |vauthors=Gunia A |date=28 February 2020 |magazine=Time |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200309112416/https://time.com/5790880/coronavirus-warm-weather-summer/ |archive-date=9 March 2020 |access-date=12 March 2020 |quote=Nancy Messionnier of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, warned against assuming the number of cases will slow as the weather warms. 'I think it's premature to assume that,' she said during a call with reporters on February 12. 'We haven't been through even a single year with this pathogen.'}}</ref><ref name="fox-farber">{{cite web |url=https://www.foxnews.com/health/coronavirus-die-out-warm-weather-trump |title=Will the coronavirus die out as the weather warms? |vauthors=Farber M |date=20 February 2020 |publisher=Fox News |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200305173144/https://www.foxnews.com/health/coronavirus-die-out-warm-weather-trump |archive-date=5 March 2020 |access-date=12 March 2020 |quote='We hope that the gradual spring will help this virus recede, but our crystal ball is not very clear. The new coronavirus is a respiratory virus, and we know respiratory viruses are often seasonal, but not always. For example, influenza (flu) tends to be seasonal in the US, but in other parts of the world, it exists year-round. Scientists don't fully understand why even though we have been studying [the] flu for many years,' William Schaffner, the medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, told Fox News in an email.}}</ref>{{medical citation needed|date=April 2020}} When COVID-19 spread along international air travel routes, it did not bypass tropical locations.<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Venkatesh S, Memish ZA |title=SARS: the new challenge to international health and travel medicine |journal=Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal |volume=10 |issue=4–5 |pages=655–62 |date=25 January 2004 |doi=10.26719/2004.10.4-5.655 |pmid=16335659 |s2cid=20070843 |doi-access=free }}</ref> [[COVID-19 pandemic on cruise ships|Outbreaks on cruise ships]], where an older population lives in close quarters, frequently touching surfaces which others have touched, were common.<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Browne A, Ahmad SS, Beck CR, Nguyen-Van-Tam JS |title=The roles of transportation and transportation hubs in the propagation of influenza and coronaviruses: a systematic review |journal=Journal of Travel Medicine |volume=23 |issue=1 |pages=tav002 |date=January 2016 |pmid=26782122 |pmc=7539332 |doi=10.1093/jtm/tav002 |s2cid=23224351}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Mallapaty S |title=What the cruise-ship outbreaks reveal about COVID-19 |journal=Nature |volume=580 |issue=7801 |pages=18 |date=April 2020 |pmid=32218546 |doi=10.1038/d41586-020-00885-w |bibcode=2020Natur.580...18M |doi-access=
It seems that COVID-19 can be transmitted in all climates.<ref name=WHO_myths>{{cite web |title=Myth busters |url=https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public/myth-busters |publisher=World Health Organization}}</ref> It has seriously affected many warm-climate countries. For instance, [[Dubai]], with a [[Climate of Dubai|year-round average daily high of 28.0 Celsius (82.3 °F)]] and [[Dubai International Airport|the airport said to have the world's most international traffic]], has had [[COVID-19 pandemic in the United Arab Emirates|thousands of cases]].{{medical citation needed|date=February 2021}}
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