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

The ongoing coronavirus outbreak has evidently taken over the world and put a strain on millions of lives. As of now, over a million cases of the coronavirus have been registered globally with over 50 thousand death. Amidst this pandemic, various fake messages surrounding coronavirus and its development across the globe have also started going around the internet. 

Claim - 

Various theorists are suggesting that the tradition caused because of 5G towers in China resulted in the global pandemic. Many people have shared a video on the internet where Chinese people are supposedly breaking down a 5G tower. It is claimed that people in China tore down a 5G tower to control the spread of coronavirus pandemic. 

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

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Rating - False

Actor Woody Harrelson shared the video of people tearing a tower down but it was not done in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. This video was initially released in 2019 when anti-surveillance protestors broke down a smart lamp post in Hong Kong which they suspected could collect personal data. It was then reported that smart lamp-posts were meant to collect air quality and weather data. 

Also read: Fact check: Is the monumental Eiffel tower visible from London?

Origin -

One of the biggest conspiracies revolving around the coronavirus pandemic is that the installation of 5G towers across the globe has resulted in the outburst of COVID-19. Various communities online now believe that the coronavirus is actually a manmade bioweapon which has been caused the 5G radiation. But, there is no evidence which links the establishment of 5G towers to the spread of coronavirus. 

The bioweapon argument can be countered by various proven medical studies which state that COVID-19 is caused by the coronavirus which is present in different species of animals. It is rare for such viruses to infect another species but it has happened previously with MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV. The third example of this virus transmission between species has been the ongoing coronavirus outbreak which is specifically named SARS-CoV2.

Also read: Fact Check: Did Italy actually set up roadside ICUs to treat Coronavirus patients?

Google Trends analysis - 

The rumours about 5G being the reason behind the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has made various people to search the same themselves. People are interested in knowing whether COVID-19 is an outcome of 5G radiation which resulted in a surge of Google searches. Check it out below - 

Also read: Fact Check: Video of man committing suicide due to COVID-19 in NYC proved to be fake