As if the coronavirus outbreak wasn’t devastating enough, a lot of fake news is spreading around social media. Over the past month or so, people have been claiming that 5G is causing people around the world to fall ill.
There are many variations on this theme, but most falsely claim that it is not a virus, but the impact of exposure to the new 5G signals.
From Whatsapp messages and Facebook posts to even online sermons, people are falling for these conspiracy-type arguments and sharing it with their friends.
Is 5G linked to coronavirus?
One particular YouTube video, which was supposedly created by a former Vodafone boss, claims that 5G is causing cell poisoning.
The anonymous video claims (and this quote, complete with typos, is taken from the video’s description) “Our cells try to kick out this poisoning by excreting RNA/DNA proteins which are called a virus. These excreted fluids eventually leave our body through our nose/mouth.”
“So it’s not the corona virus causing this pandemic but the radiation of the 5G satellites, towers and cells that were rolled out firstly half a year ago in Wuhan, than Spain and Italy, etc… “
To be clear, this is pure fantasy.
5G cannot generate a virus
Regardless of the risks of 5G, a cellular reaction, poisoning or otherwise, does not result in the generation of a virus, or any other form of infective agent.
The claims have also been dealt with by UK fact-checking agency Full Fact.
5G, like 4G, 3G and all previous generations of mobile phone technology use radio waves for communication. And the higher the frequency, the harder it is for those waves to penetrate objects.
This is exactly why the 5GHz signal from your home router doesn’t reach as far as the 2.4GHz signal in your home: it is less effective at penetrating walls, windows and other obstacles.
5G uses a mixture of frequencies, either below 6GHz or in the case of mmWave, up to around 60GHz. There is barely any rollout of mmWave yet, even in major cities, and in any case the higher frequencies are even less effective at penetrating body tissue.
For those waves that do, they cause a small rise in temperature where the waves have had an effect. This is precisely how microwaves are able to heat food.
5G did not cause the coronavirus, and coronavirus is not a cover-up for the effects of 5G signals.
If you read any posts on social media which deny that COVID-19 is a virus, consider them fake news and please don’t share them with friends.
False claims are only one of the things to watch out for: there are also lots of coronavirus scams which could cost you dear.
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Author: Jim Martin, Executive Editor
Jim has been testing and reviewing products for over 20 years. His main beats include VPN services and antivirus. He also covers smart home tech, mesh Wi-Fi and electric bikes.