Fact check: Did ex-Vodafone boss reveal the connection between 5G towers & Coronavirus?

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has brought upon a rise of a number of fake stories going around on the internet. These unverified pieces of news or information can actually cause harm to society as more and more people getting exposed to fake news can cause issues with people's beliefs about a certain topic or personality. One such piece of information has now come forward. 

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Claim - 

A video titled 'Former Vodafone Boss Blows Whistle On 5G Coronavirus' went viral on the internet. In this video, it is claimed that the ongoing coronavirus outbreak is not a virus at all but cell poisoning caused because of the traditions of the 5G towers. The 38-minute long video talks at length about how the emergence of 5G connectivity has also brought upon with it the rise of a global pandemic. The video also claims that the increase in radioactive frequencies caused by 5G towers is toxic to human cells which is why the current pandemic of the disease has emerged. 

Also read: Fact Check: Is China experiencing a second wave of Coronavirus infection already?

Rating - FALSE

The ongoing coronavirus outbreak has been proven to be a respiratory illness which is likely to have come from animals. Previously, outbreaks with similar respiratory diseases like MERS and SARS had originated from animals. The video claims that the 5G radiation is causing coronavirus across the globe but the rollout for 5G connectivity has only been scarce across the globe with only a few key centres around the world receiving 5G towers. But this isn't the first time conspiracy theorists have brought upon the connection of 5G with coronavirus as a number of people on the internet have been talking at lengths about 5G and its relation to the pandemic. But, no evidence to back that claim has been presented by any of the conspiracy theorists yet. 

Also read: Fact Check: Is Earth's Ozone layer healing? What is the effect of lockdown on ozone layer?

Origin -

The 38-minute long video first debuted on YouTube. Current YouTube algorithm reportedly does not allow fake news to spread and removes videos which showcase baseless conspiracies. The original video was deleted but various others had uploaded the video from their independent YouTube channels till then. The video also caught an eye on social media as people started posting the video on Facebook, Instagram, etc. 

Google Trends Analysis - 

A number of people on the internet are keen to know whether 5G is responsible for the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. This resulted in a number of people searching whether the video had any credibility to it on Google. Check it out below - 

Also read:  Fact check: Does radiation emitted by 5G towers cause coronavirus?

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