The Death Of The 5G/COVID-19 Conspiracy Theory Is A Small Country In Southern Africa

The death of a bogus theory

Along with Vatican City and San Marino which are both located inside Italy, Lesotho is the only other country located within another country. Home to just over 2 million people, the enclaved Kingdom of Lesotho is surrounded by South Africa.

Some would say it is an actual country within a country since it is bordered on all sides by the home country of the famous Nelson Mandela of blessed memory.

But lessons in history and geography aren’t really what this is about. This is about debunking a theory propounded by both famous celebrities and respected clergymen that the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has something to do with the rollout of fifth-generation (5G) technology.

Recently, during a particularly crazy one-week period, social media was pretty much a conduit for claims that 5G is evil. There were also videos and messages flying around alleging that the technology is dangerous and that it was somehow behind the global pandemic.

To put that absurd theory six-feet under, one would have to look no further than Lesotho which has been using commercial 5G since 2018 and yet has not even a single COVID-19 case to date.

South Africa’s Vodacom launched what it described as Africa’s first commercial 5G internet service in Lesotho in August 2018.

Vodacom, South Africa’s biggest mobile operator by market value, said the rollout of the 5G standards-based service would provide subscribers in the land-locked mountain kingdom with “fibre-like” internet speeds.

The company said its operation in Lesotho had been assigned spectrum in the 3.5GHz band, enabling the launch of a commercial 5G service.

So, Lesotho has pretty much been using 5G technology for the past two years, with the upgraded technology offering faster connections with speeds up to 50-100 times faster than current 4G networks and serving as critical infrastructure for a range of industries.

The “Lesotho example” effectively rubbishes the 5G/COVID-19 conspiracy theory as the country is one of two African countries that haven’t recorded a single case of the novel coronavirus to-date.

Comoros is the other African country yet to record any case on the continent where at least 52 nations have officially recorded infections and over 800 deaths seen from more than 15,000 confirmed cases. Across the globe, there are now over 1.8 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and more than 117,000 deaths.

In a video that was widely shared on social media, Chris Oyakhilome, a Nigerian clergyman who is the founder and President of Believers’ LoveWorld Inc. popularly known as “Christ Embassy,” had insisted that the creation of 5G technology and its deployment to parts of the world was responsible for the outbreak of COVID-19.

The 5G Conspiracy theories is complete and utter rubbish, it’s nonsense, it’s the worst kind of stupidity have ever seen displayed by idiots.
How can a grown-up believe they locked FCT and Lagos down to install 5G?
The sawdust in Chris Oyakhilome’s head needs a refill. ??‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/r4QBvdq4ns

— sαℓмαη سلمان‎ ∂υкε ? (@SalmanDuke) April 6, 2020

According to him, the new technology was part of the new world order by the antichrist, who is bent on establishing a single religion, economy, and government for the entire universe.

Oyakhilome went on to imply that the Nigerian Government ordered the lockdown of Lagos and Abuja so that 5G can be deployed while people are trapped in their houses. And the unfortunate truth is that there are many who believed this and still do.

Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, one of the biggest Pastor in Africa and probably in the world is also pushing this 5G “New World Order” #COVID19 conspiracy. Its going to get people killed, & he’s also pushing anti vaccination. WTF pic.twitter.com/vuy44eJDm2

— Wale Gates ???? (@walegates) April 4, 2020

As he put it: “5G is the reason the Federal Government has to lockdown Abuja and Lagos so it could be installed. And there are other cities planned for and as I said before, what killed people in Wuhan, China is not the virus, it was the 5G. If you say it is not, tell us how you discovered yours.”

In the United Kingdom, there were reports of several 5G installations getting destroyed by individuals who believed the conspiracy theory. The obviously bogus and absurd theory escalated so much that the World Health Organisation (WHO) even had to officially debunk it at some point.

But for real, can 5G harm us?

Short Answer: Absolutely not!

5G technology is expected to support applications such as smart homes and buildings, smart cities, 3D video, work and play in the cloud, remote medical services, virtual and augmented reality, and massive machine-to-machine communications for industrial automation. 3G and 4G networks currently face challenges in supporting these services.

The WHO has categorically stated that viruses cannot travel on radio waves or mobile networks and that COVID-19 is a respiratory disease. Plus 5G technology has approval from the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) — the body that pretty much okayed whatever devices you are using to access this content.

FACT: #5G mobile networks DO NOT spread #COVID19

More: https://t.co/TdKoGmWrIr#coronavirus #KnowTheFacts pic.twitter.com/c56tToalZF

— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) April 9, 2020

ITU plays a leading role in managing the radio spectrum and developing globally applicable standards for ICT. Its activities support the development and implementation of international regulations and standards to ensure that 5G networks are secure, interoperable, and that they operate without causing or receiving harmful interference to or from adjacent services.

Addressing the alleged health risks from 5G, the WHO documented that “to date, and after much research performed, no adverse health effect has been causally linked with exposure to wireless technologies.”

However, the WHO is further conducting a health risk assessment from exposure to radio frequencies, covering the entire radiofrequency range, including 5G, to be published by 2022.

The WHO will review scientific evidence related to potential health risks from 5G exposure as the new technology is deployed, and as more public health-related data become available.

On exposure levels, the WHO further establishes that currently, exposure from 5G infrastructures at around 3.5 GHz is similar to that from existing mobile phone base stations.

The GSM Association (GSMA), the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP), and several renowned medical experts are among other institutions/individuals who have attested to the safety of 5G technology.

Featured Image Courtesy: News4Jax