Off Topic Coronavirus
- Thread starter Sooperhoop
- Start date
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The media is bound to make a big deal out of this regardless of how serious it is, particularly if there are no actual facts other than he has been taken to hospital
I will wait for a formal statement rather than a social media speculation fest
I got the information from Sky news and the statement from the London hospital. Although I agree I won't waste my time reading crap from social media.
Sorry - my point was that we don't know his actual condition just the he's been admitted
The media will now be log jammed with speculation from every single "expert" they can lay their hands on
No need to apologize mate... I agree with you. Skynews will be having a 2222fest.
It's a shame that he's had to go to hospital due to this virus, just as much as its a shame that anyone, anywhere does. I wish him a speedy recovery just as much as I wish anyone else a speedy recovery
I'm sure Boris will be fine. He's 'a take it on the chin' type of guy
I’d like to think people are staying the requested 2 metres away from the infected animals......we must practice social distancing......I’d hate to catch it off a tiger
My understanding is that your initial symptoms, cough and temperature, last about a week and then 80% -85% get better. For the others it progresses into breathing problems/pneumonia and they need hospitalising. Would seem that Johnson is in the 15-20%.
Coronavirus: Scientists brand 5G claims 'complete rubbish'
By Rachel Schraer & Eleanor LawrieReality Check
Conspiracy theories claiming 5G technology helps transmit coronavirus have been condemned by the scientific community.
Videos have been shared on social media showing mobile phone masts on fire 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:
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."
While very strong radio waves can cause heating, 5G is nowhere near strong enough to heat people up enough to have any meaningful effect.
"Radio waves can disrupt your physiology as they heat you up, meaning your immune system can't function. But [the energy levels from] 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."
The radio waves involved in 5G and other mobile phone technology sit on the low frequency end of the electromagnetic spectrum. Less powerful than visible light, they are not strong enough to damage cells - unlike radiation at the higher frequency end of the spectrum which includes the sun's rays and medical x-rays.
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: Does 5G pose health risks?
Earlier this year, a long-running study from the watchdog the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) rebutted these claims, saying there was no evidence that mobile networks cause cancer or other illnesses.
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
By Rachel Schraer & Eleanor LawrieReality Check
- 9 hours ago
You must log in or register to see images
Conspiracy theories claiming 5G technology helps transmit coronavirus have been condemned by the scientific community.
Videos have been shared on social media showing mobile phone masts on fire 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.
You must log in or register to see images
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."
While very strong radio waves can cause heating, 5G is nowhere near strong enough to heat people up enough to have any meaningful effect.
"Radio waves can disrupt your physiology as they heat you up, meaning your immune system can't function. But [the energy levels from] 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."
You must log in or register to see images
The radio waves involved in 5G and other mobile phone technology sit on the low frequency end of the electromagnetic spectrum. Less powerful than visible light, they are not strong enough to damage cells - unlike radiation at the higher frequency end of the spectrum which includes the sun's rays and medical x-rays.
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: Does 5G pose health risks?
Earlier this year, a long-running study from the watchdog the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) rebutted these claims, saying there was no evidence that mobile networks cause cancer or other illnesses.
You must log in or register to see images
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
Put an infected lion or tiger in each park
That would keep the picnicers away