CORONAVIRUS and the COVID-19 pandemic were predicted by the 16th-century mystic Nostradamus, conspiracy theorists have claimed online.

The virus which originated in China and caused as much devastation in Italy and other countries was foretold Michele de Nostredame, or Nostradamus. He even predicted it will cause serious devastation in a nation on seven hills (Italy). He also predicted that it would come from China.

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has claimed more than 7,000 lives since it first appeared in China last November. The virus, which has never been seen in humans before, took the world by surprise when it rapidly spread to more than 150 countries.

The dire situation has led the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a global emergency and pandemic. Although the pandemic was triggered by an unknown strain of coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) there are many who believe the world was warned nearly 500 years.

Scores of conspiracy theorists have flooded social media in recent weeks with claims Nostradamus knew of the COVID-19 chaos in 1555.

Nostradamus was a 16th-century physician and writer who is believed by many to have predicted future events including the World War.

Nostradamus’s followers are convinced the mystic predicted the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Great Fire of London in 1666.

The majority of these predictions were published in Nostradamus’ 1555 book Les Propheties.

The predictions took the form of cryptic, four-lined poems known as quatrains.

Although the quatrains are incredibly vague and rarely specify exact locations or people, many believe future events can be divined from the poems.