Coronavirus 2019-2020 thread (no unsubstantiated rumours!)
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They started counting coronavirus deaths at nursing homes
Intrepid
Major
When Covid-19 is through, all the figures have been analyzed, the timelines of assessments and decisions can be looked back at, it will be seen which states have a government that is committed to the common good and far-sighted. And wherever governments are democratically elected, one will see which populations have sufficient education to choose a government that is suitable for strengthening the common good.
Covid-19 is a stress test for governments to see if they are up to globalization and the other challenges of the 21st century.
Covid-19 is a stress test for governments to see if they are up to globalization and the other challenges of the 21st century.
Intrepid
Major
There are already four neighboring countries around Germany, where the number of active cases is decreasing.
Switzerland and Denmark peaked on March 31. In Switzerland, 18 out of 1,000 inhabitants were tested, and 8 out of 1,000 in Denmark.
Luxembourg peaked on April 2, testing 36 out of 1,000 people (only Gibraltar, Faroe Islands and Iceland had more tests per 1,000 people).
Austria reached its peak on April 3, where 12 out of 1,000 inhabitants were tested.
Switzerland and Denmark peaked on March 31. In Switzerland, 18 out of 1,000 inhabitants were tested, and 8 out of 1,000 in Denmark.
Luxembourg peaked on April 2, testing 36 out of 1,000 people (only Gibraltar, Faroe Islands and Iceland had more tests per 1,000 people).
Austria reached its peak on April 3, where 12 out of 1,000 inhabitants were tested.
Quickie
Colonel
Blaming and torching 5G towers for spreading of corona virus? You could never have guessed that this could happen in some developed country, like the U.S. or the U.K.
Coronavirus: Scientists brand 5G claims 'complete rubbish'
Conspiracy theories claiming 5G technology helps transmit coronavirus have been condemned by the scientific community.
Videos have been shared on social media in Birmingham and Merseyside - along with the claims.
The posts have been shared on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram - including by verified accounts with hundreds of thousands of followers.
But scientists say the idea of a connection between Covid-19 and 5G is "complete rubbish" and biologically impossible.
The conspiracy theories have been branded "the worst kind of fake news" by NHS England Medical Director Stephen Powis.
Conspiracy theory
Many of those sharing the post are pushing a conspiracy theory falsely claiming that 5G - which is used in mobile phone networks and relies on signals carried by radio waves - is somehow responsible for coronavirus.
These theories appear to have first emerged via Facebook posts in late January, around the same time the first cases were recorded in the US.
They appear to fall broadly in to two camps:
Image copyrightGETTY IMAGESImage caption
Masts caught fire in Birmingham and Merseyside, prompting investigations
"The idea that 5G lowers your immune system doesn't stand up to scrutiny," Dr Clarke says.
"Your immune system can be dipped by all sorts of thing - 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.
"Radio waves can disrupt your physiology as they heat you up, meaning your immune system can't function. But 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."
It would also be impossible for 5G to transmit the virus, Adam Finn, professor of paediatrics at the University of Bristol, adds.
"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.
It's also important to note another major flaw with the conspiracy theories - coronavirus is spreading in UK cities where 5G has yet to be deployed, and in countries like Iran that have yet to roll out the technology.
There were plenty of scare stories about 5G circulating before the coronavirus outbreak which Reality Check has already looked into, such as this piece:
Earlier this year, a long-running study from the watchdog the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) rebutted these claims, saying
But if anything, the misinformation seems to have escalated.
Trade body Mobile UK has said false rumours and theories linking 5G and coronavirus were "concerning," while the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has reiterated there is "absolutely no credible evidence for the link".
Viruses invade human or animal cells and use them to reproduce, which is what causes infection. Viruses cannot live very long outside a living thing, so they have to find a way in - usually via droplets of liquid from coughs or sneezes.
Genome sequencing of this coronavirus suggests it jumped from animals to humans - and then began to pass from human to human.
Coronavirus: Scientists brand 5G claims 'complete rubbish'
Conspiracy theories claiming 5G technology helps transmit coronavirus have been condemned by the scientific community.
Videos have been shared on social media in Birmingham and Merseyside - along with the claims.
The posts have been shared on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram - including by verified accounts with hundreds of thousands of followers.
But scientists say the idea of a connection between Covid-19 and 5G is "complete rubbish" and biologically impossible.
The conspiracy theories have been branded "the worst kind of fake news" by NHS England Medical Director Stephen Powis.
Conspiracy theory
Many of those sharing the post are pushing a conspiracy theory falsely claiming that 5G - which is used in mobile phone networks and relies on signals carried by radio waves - is somehow responsible for coronavirus.
These theories appear to have first emerged via Facebook posts in late January, around the same time the first cases were recorded in the US.
They appear to fall broadly in to two camps:
- One claims 5G can suppress the immune system, thus making people more susceptible to catching the virus.
- The other suggests the virus can somehow be transmitted through the use of 5G technology.
Masts caught fire in Birmingham and Merseyside, prompting investigations
"The idea that 5G lowers your immune system doesn't stand up to scrutiny," Dr Clarke says.
"Your immune system can be dipped by all sorts of thing - 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.
"Radio waves can disrupt your physiology as they heat you up, meaning your immune system can't function. But 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."
It would also be impossible for 5G to transmit the virus, Adam Finn, professor of paediatrics at the University of Bristol, adds.
"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.
It's also important to note another major flaw with the conspiracy theories - coronavirus is spreading in UK cities where 5G has yet to be deployed, and in countries like Iran that have yet to roll out the technology.
There were plenty of scare stories about 5G circulating before the coronavirus outbreak which Reality Check has already looked into, such as this piece:
Earlier this year, a long-running study from the watchdog the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) rebutted these claims, saying
But if anything, the misinformation seems to have escalated.
Trade body Mobile UK has said false rumours and theories linking 5G and coronavirus were "concerning," while the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has reiterated there is "absolutely no credible evidence for the link".
Viruses invade human or animal cells and use them to reproduce, which is what causes infection. Viruses cannot live very long outside a living thing, so they have to find a way in - usually via droplets of liquid from coughs or sneezes.
Genome sequencing of this coronavirus suggests it jumped from animals to humans - and then began to pass from human to human.
Is that their excuse for not having 5G and stoping others from trusting China's 5G business? This just reaks of malicious intent.Blaming and torching 5G towers for spreading of corona virus? You could never have guessed that this could happen in some developed country, like the U.S. or the U.K.
Coronavirus: Scientists brand 5G claims 'complete rubbish'
Conspiracy theories claiming 5G technology helps transmit coronavirus have been condemned by the scientific community.
Videos have been shared on social media in Birmingham and Merseyside - along with the claims.
The posts have been shared on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram - including by verified accounts with hundreds of thousands of followers.
But scientists say the idea of a connection between Covid-19 and 5G is "complete rubbish" and biologically impossible.
The conspiracy theories have been branded "the worst kind of fake news" by NHS England Medical Director Stephen Powis.
Conspiracy theory
Many of those sharing the post are pushing a conspiracy theory falsely claiming that 5G - which is used in mobile phone networks and relies on signals carried by radio waves - is somehow responsible for coronavirus.
These theories appear to have first emerged via Facebook posts in late January, around the same time the first cases were recorded in the US.
They appear to fall broadly in to two camps:
Both these notions are "complete rubbish," says Dr Simon Clarke, associate professor in cellular microbiology at the University of Reading.
- One claims 5G can suppress the immune system, thus making people more susceptible to catching the virus.
- The other suggests the virus can somehow be transmitted through the use of 5G technology.
Image copyrightGETTY IMAGESImage caption
Masts caught fire in Birmingham and Merseyside, prompting investigations
"The idea that 5G lowers your immune system doesn't stand up to scrutiny," Dr Clarke says.
"Your immune system can be dipped by all sorts of thing - 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.
"Radio waves can disrupt your physiology as they heat you up, meaning your immune system can't function. But 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."
It would also be impossible for 5G to transmit the virus, Adam Finn, professor of paediatrics at the University of Bristol, adds.
"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.
It's also important to note another major flaw with the conspiracy theories - coronavirus is spreading in UK cities where 5G has yet to be deployed, and in countries like Iran that have yet to roll out the technology.
There were plenty of scare stories about 5G circulating before the coronavirus outbreak which Reality Check has already looked into, such as this piece:
Earlier this year, a long-running study from the watchdog the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) rebutted these claims, saying
But if anything, the misinformation seems to have escalated.
Trade body Mobile UK has said false rumours and theories linking 5G and coronavirus were "concerning," while the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has reiterated there is "absolutely no credible evidence for the link".
Viruses invade human or animal cells and use them to reproduce, which is what causes infection. Viruses cannot live very long outside a living thing, so they have to find a way in - usually via droplets of liquid from coughs or sneezes.
Genome sequencing of this coronavirus suggests it jumped from animals to humans - and then began to pass from human to human.
manqiangrexue
Brigadier
This isn't even worth talking about. Do you know how low someone's IQ needs to be to believe that 5G can cause coronavirus? I can't even imagine meeting someone like that. This person can't be smart enough to operate a smartphone in the first place...