5G towers do not spread COVID-19

Various chain messages on social media, WhatsApp and Telegram, based mainly on the fact that the 5G network was rolled out in the Chinese city of Wuhan just a few weeks before the first COVID-19 reports, are fueling misinformation and destructive behavior by gullible citizens in South Africa. These chain messages are based on false information, stating that infected passengers on the Diamond Princess cruise ship had been using the technology, and that the electromagnetic fields (EMF) emitted by wireless communications networks are to blame for the spread of the virus. This is not only wholly untrue, but also impossible by any standard.

Various reports of citizens in South Africa destroying cellular towers have come to light, with the vandals seeing themselves as unsung heroes. However, Premier Sihle Zikalala has warned that the destruction of 5G, or any cellular towers, will be treated as an act of criminality. “We should all be united against COVID-19, and such things detract us from the main focus now, which is to deal with COVID-19. If you vandalize such networks, you are affecting the communication and therefore services of the community are undermined. It would be irresponsible of any leader to peddle misinformation, and it is uncalled for any leader to mislead the people.” the premier stated.

The vandalism of towers belonging to major network companies has come in the wake of viral social media posts which have eluded to a link between 5G and the spread of COVID-19 .Zikalala added that community leaders who misinform the public regarding the 5G networks and COVID-19 will also face the law. Other articles containing false information are also doing the rounds, and are most distressing. Antibiotics work against bacteria, not viruses, therefore taking antibiotics to treat or prevent COVID-19 could prove harmful by reducing a person’s vigilance. Vaccines against pneumonia don’t provide protection against COVID-19 either. The potential efficacy of chloroquine is currently being studied but doesn’t look particularly promising. Hand dryers and UV lamps don’t effectively guard against the virus, and the WHO has also discredited the idea that cold weather and snow can kill COVID-19. In more unorthodox approaches, some wrongly maintain that people can protect themselves against COVID-19 by washing their hands with children’s urine, applying sesame oil all over their body or consuming cannabis. These are simply examples of false advertising or clickbait.

Excessive digestion of garlic, beetroot and ginger also holds no scientific merit. Another great fallacy is that you can get infected by parcels arriving from China. Although the lifespan varies depending on the environment and temperature, pathogenic germs can only survive on objects such as parcels, coins and credit cards for a few hours. Products imported from China to Africa have been traveling for too long to transmit the virus. A huge misconception is that youthfulness offers immunity to the virus. The virus doesn’t just impact the elderly, although being in a fragile state influences the body’s ability to fight infection.

Lastly, just as conspiracy theories proliferated about HIV, theories peddled by gullible individuals claim that COVID-19 is a bioweapon engineered by the Chinese government, the US government, and most laughably, the Bill Gates Foundation, and that it was either deliberately released. Fake rumors also claim that Bill Gates himself is waging a one-man war against humanity, and using humans as guinea pigs with a supposed immortality drug he is developing for himself. Residents are urged to refrain from spreading panic and false information regarding COVID-19, as such acts could land you in very, very hot water.