FACT CHECK: Does 5G cause Covid-19 pandemic and increase death rate?

Claim

Study finds 5G technology a ‘significant factor’ in higher COVID case and death rates

Conclusion

False. The two studies mentioned in the article do not expressly say that 5G is a significant factor in higher Covid-19 cases and death rate. Rather, research shows that areas with 5G technology have grown exponentially with regards to the advancement in medical practices.

Full text

Since the heat of the pandemic, many rumours have been made by different people or organisations with regards to 5G being the main cause of Covid-19 Pandemic although they have been fact checked and debunked by fact checking organisations worldwide, but the misinformation continues likewise the danger that follows it such as the anti-5G protesters in Australia or the damage done to telecom broadband in UK.

The latest of the misinformation released into the internet space says scientific studies find 5G technology a ‘significant factor’ in higher COVID cases and death rate.

Verification

The article which was traced to lifesitenews.com, a Canadian blog, revealed two articles were consulted before writing the piece.

Read also: FACT CHECK: Does Buhari deserve credit for tackling insecurity, as claimed by his aide?

The two study links were followed. The first one published on public medicine, a US based research organisation, the study was titled: Assessment of cytogenetic damage and oxidative stress in personnel occupationally exposed to the pulsed microwave radiation of marine radar equipment.

While the article talked about radiation from wireless connection. It never mentioned Covid-19 nor 5G technology.

The second one was published in the European society of medicine, medical research archive and titled Covid-19 attributed cases and deaths are higher in states and counties with 5th Generation millimeter waves wireless telecommunications in the United States.

Although this article involves research around Covid-19 and 5G. It was mostly in comparison between Covid-19 cases between states with 5G and states without. It did not conclude that 5G was directly responsible for higher cases nor increase in deaths.

Also, in the article on lifesitenews.com, the author made it known in the last paragraph that none of the authors could confirm that 5G was directly responsible for Covid-19 and it’s death which was significantly different from the headline.

Further research by Ripples Nigeria showed that 5G had an important role to play in maintaining digital healthcare against Covid-19 Pandemic.

The research jointly written by researchers from Ireland, Finland and Switzerland published by science direct mentioned that 5G could assist digital healthcare through Telehealth, contact tracing and even supply chain especially during the Covid-19 Pandemic.

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