Pandemic conspiracy theories dismiss science in favor of some extreme, outlandish claims, wrote Ahmed Mahdi in an article titled "Vaccination Conspiracy Theories: The Goofy, the Sad, and the Useful".

The "goofy" conspiracy theories lack solid scientific evidence, but could mislead those who believe in them and mislead society in general, said Mahdi, a political science lecturer at the British University in Egypt.

The article was recently published by Al-Ahram Weekly, a popular weekly English version of Egypt's state-run Al-Ahram newspaper.