Risch shares the opinion of many who feel that this pandemic is not all that different from a variety of pre-corona viruses. Much like numerous other viruses, COVID-19 mainly threatens the elderly and people with preexisting medical conditions.

“By and large, it’s been a very selected pandemic, and predictable. It was very distinguished between young versus old, healthy versus chronic disease people," Dr. Risch told Epoch TV. "So we quickly learned who was at risk for the pandemic and who wasn’t."

“However, the fear was manufactured for everybody. And that’s what’s characterized the whole pandemic is that degree of fear and people’s response to the fear.”

The Yale epidemiologist proposed the idea that people in positions of authority spread a deliberately misleading message about the seriousness of the virus beginning in March of 2020, causing widespread panic.

“People were quite afraid of that message, as anybody would be … with the government, with authorities, with scientists, scientific people, with medical people in authority in the public health institutions, all saying the same message starting in about February, March of last year," said Risch. "And so, we all kind of believe this."

Those mixed messages are a major reason why some still live in fear nearly two years later.

“All of our anxiety levels were raised, and we all made decisions to curtail, to various degrees, our exposures to other people, some more than others, but I think everybody had levels of anxiety that really affected how they carry out their life at that time,” added Risch.

This is more confirmation that it's not the virus that should be feared, but those who deliberately spread misinformation.

Dr. Harvey Risch

Yale Epidemiologist Says COVID-19 Fear 'Manufactured' By Authorities