As the world battles the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, plenty of misinformation and fake news have been predictably thrown into the mix.
The social media space has been suffused with conspiracy theories linking 5G to the pandemic. Mobile phone masts have been set ablaze in Birmingham and Merseyside in the UK no thanks to the conspiracy theories.
A Nigerian pastor who commands millions of followers and who boasts a global audience that can fill several football stadiums, has comfortably linked 5G to the coronavirus and then to the coming of the antichrist–all without flinching.
What began as whispers from the smartphones of the Keri Hilsons of this world, has become a full fledged conspiracy theory with a life of its own.
But is 5G really the reason why we have all been forced to sit at home and avoid contact with everyone else? Let’s walk you through it all in as simple a manner as possible.
What is 5G?
5G is the fifth generation of mobile technology or wireless communication technology supporting cellular data networks
It is an improvement on today’s 4GLTE technology, with enhanced capabilities.
Mobile technology has essentially gone from 1G (voice calls), to 2.5G (when we began experimenting with data services), to 3G (the internet as we know it today grew from here), 3.5G (the birth of apps and all of that), to 4G (Cool and fast internet experience) and then 4GLTE (double data speed).
With 5G, we are talking multiple times our current data speed. That will mean harnessing all the benefits of the three major radio frequency spectrums–low, mid and high–into one smooth spectrum.
5G could change the way we live (Guardian)
With 5G, your internet experience will be a lot faster and of course the bandwidth is a lot more.
Think of 5G as the kind of internet experience that will make you set up an office in Kano from Hawaii and monitor in real time what staff are on about.
Or consider 5G the kind of technology that will make you enjoy a game of football like you were live in the stadium.
5G will positively impact the world’s economies and change the way we live, do business and play.
Can 5G radiation weaken your immune system for coronavirus?
Let’s start by saying all radiations are capable of weakening one’s immune system in excessive doses–even ultraviolet radiation from the sun. But here we are, still breathing and reading this piece.
Remember when we were told that our kpalasa Nokia and Sagem phones were going to kill us all because of their radiations?
Dr Simon Clarke who is an associate professor in cellular microbiology at the University of Reading, says claims that 5G can suppress one’s immune system and make them susceptible to the virus are untrue.
He also says the idea that the virus can somehow be transmitted through 5G technology is “complete rubbish.”
“The idea that 5G lowers your immune system doesn’t stand up to scrutiny,” Clarke tells the BBC.
AFP
The human body replaces millions of cells every day. Here’s how much skin, blood, and saliva it can produce in a lifetime.
“Your immune system can be dipped by all sorts of things – by being tired one day, or not having a good diet. Those fluctuations aren’t huge but can make you more susceptible to catching viruses.”
While very strong radio waves can cause heating, 5G is nowhere near strong enough to heat people up, he adds.
“Radio waves can disrupt your physiology as they heat you up, meaning your immune system can’t function. But [the energy levels from] 5G radio waves are tiny and they are nowhere near strong enough to affect the immune system. There have been lots of studies on this.”
The waves from 5G can’t even penetrate your body
The radio waves involved in 5G and other mobile phone technology sit on the low frequency end of the electromagnetic spectrum.
These waves are less powerful than visible light and they are not strong enough to damage cells – unlike radiation at the higher frequency end of the spectrum which includes the sun’s rays and medical x-rays.
While 5G waves can penetrate walls, the human skin is too tough for them to seep through.
Tyrone Siu/Reuters
The coronavirus has changed the world as we knew it (AFP)
Adam Finn, who is professor of paediatrics at the University of Bristol, adds that it is impossible for 5G to transmit the coronavirus.
“The present epidemic is caused by a virus that is passed from one infected person to another. We know this is true. We even have the virus growing in our lab, obtained from a person with the illness. Viruses and electromagnetic waves that make mobile phones and internet connections work are different things. As different as chalk and cheese,” he says.
Another reason not to believe the conspiracy theorists is that coronavirus is spreading in UK cities where 5G has not yet been deployed, and in countries like Iran that have yet to roll out the technology.
5G has also not been deployed in Nigeria just yet, which is why you shouldn’t believe a former senator who has linked the technology to the virus.
If you’ve learnt one thing today it is this: Viruses are viruses and waves are waves. Waves do not lead to viral infections and cannot cause a pandemic.
BusinessInsider
An illustration of electromagnetic radiation.
And as for the end-time preachers who say the vaccine is a chip for the mark of the beast, that’s just baloney. It will take more advancement in technology to encrypt radio waves in a virus for some kind of identification.
So, yeah, don’t beat up the engineers installing 5G masts in your neighborhood and don’t vandalize the masts. 5G cannot be used as a biological weapon because that’s not what it does.
Pulse
