No, people actually do believe that - even people who are literally being treated for COVID-19 at the time they make those claims.

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2020/11/a-wave-of-covid-pati...

> He mentions hating “fake news”. He says, “I don’t think covids is really more than a flu.“ I clarified, “Now you think differently though?”

> He replies, “No the same. I should just take vitamins for my immune system. They (news) are making it a big deal.”

> I’m at a loss for words. Here I am basically wrapped in tarp, here he is in a Covid ICU. How can you deny the validity of covid? How is this possible?

Some people believe flat earth theories. It's still unreasonable to paint that as a widely held belief of those who disagree with you.

Fact is, the theories are widely held.

And in a democracy, that goes a long way.

What theories? And how widely?

Huge groups of people are being generalized as equivalent to people who genuinely believe COVID-19 isn't real. It makes reasoned discourse impossible.

Though I don't think I'm letting the cat out of the bag here.

Essentially half of the surveyed Republican voters say they'll refuse the vaccine: https://www.wpr.org/gop-men-are-most-likely-say-theyll-refus...

That's enough to elect a President and change the direction of the entire Federal government.

The time when these people could be ignored, laughed at, or otherwise dismissed is unfortunately over.

Refusing the vaccine is not the same as believing COVID-19 doesn’t exist. You are proving my point.

From the point of view of the rest of society, there is no difference at all. The coronavirus doesn't care if you believe in it or not, it only cares if you're vaccinated.

Sorry--the goalposts are moving too fast for me in this discussion.

Some people definitely believe stuff like that, and it's not even only uneducated people. My mother-in-law went to the doctor for an annual checkup, and the doctor told her that it's pointless to get the vaccine because covid is man-made, and whoever created it will just release a new variant that is immune to the vaccine. Luckily my wife convinced her otherwise.

But which country are you living in ?