While the COVID-19 infection and death rates in the United States continue to climb, some right-wing media figures are using photos and videos of empty hospital parking lots and waiting rooms to somehow prove that the situation is not as bad as the media is portraying.

Proponents of the conspiracy theory are downplaying the severity of the crisis and claiming that nearly empty hospital parking lots and waiting rooms are signs that the number of coronavirus cases is being exaggerated by the media.They are also encouraging others to investigate local medical facilities and share their videos and photos along with the phrase “empty hospitals” or the hashtag “#FilmYourHospital” (the latter originated from an account that supports the QAnon conspiracy theory). Indeed, two other QAnon conspiracy theorists — Liz Crokin and former congressional candidate DeAnna Lorraine Tesoriero — have pushed the conspiracy theory online as well.