The claim “5G causes COVID” is a conspiracy claim, not an established fact. People who support it tend to cite a small set of recurring arguments—often drawn from viral videos, misread charts, and misunderstandings about how viruses and radio waves work. Below are the strongest arguments people cite, where they come from, and how they hold up when checked against documented sources.
This article is for informational and analytical purposes and does not constitute legal, medical, investment, or purchasing advice.
The strongest arguments people cite
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Argument people cite: “COVID-19 appeared where 5G was deployed first (Wuhan / big cities), so 5G caused it.”
Where it comes from: Social-media posts and videos that place early COVID-19 outbreaks alongside maps of 5G rollout, often implying a causal link from a timing coincidence. Fact-checkers have repeatedly addressed this framing because it spreads easily and “looks” persuasive as a map overlay.
Verification test: Check whether COVID-19 spread in places with little/no 5G at the time, and whether some “5G” mast incidents involved non‑5G equipment. UK government guidance points out COVID-19 spread in countries without 5G networks and emphasizes viruses do not travel on mobile networks.
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Argument people cite: “Viruses can travel on radio waves / 5G ‘transmits’ the virus.”
Where it comes from: Repeated memes and reposted captions that treat “wireless transmission” as literal biological transmission. This is common because it blends real terms (“wireless,” “transmission,” “signal”) into an incorrect biological claim.
Verification test: Look for clear statements from health/technical authorities about whether radio waves can carry viruses. UK government guidance explicitly states viruses cannot travel on radio waves or mobile networks.
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Argument people cite: “5G weakens the immune system, making people ‘catch COVID’ or making it more severe.”
Where it comes from: A common variation that attempts to avoid the “virus on waves” claim by shifting to an indirect mechanism (“immune suppression”). Full Fact identifies this as one of the two main theories used to argue 5G accelerates coronavirus, while noting it lacks evidential backing.
Verification test: Check whether major RF/EMF expert bodies say there is evidence that 5G exposures cause COVID-19 or alter disease outcomes. ICNIRP states claims that 5G EMFs can cause COVID-19 or increase severity are not supported by evidence and are not feasible, and notes infection requires physical contact with the virus (EMFs cannot carry viruses).
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Argument people cite: “A ‘doctor/scientist’ explained the mechanism—therefore it’s true.”
Where it comes from: Viral video clips, including widely-shared commentary attributed to “Dr. Thomas Cowan,” amplified across platforms in early 2020. Analyses of the content’s spread describe specific upload dates and how quickly view counts rose.
Verification test: Separate the authority signal (“doctor said…”) from the evidence. Track whether claims are supported by reproducible data or by assertions and coincidences. Independent timelines note the video’s rapid circulation and recirculation, which helps explain reach but does not validate accuracy.
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Argument people cite: “There are scientific papers proving 5G induces coronavirus in cells.”
Where it comes from: Screenshots and links shared on social platforms to a paper titled along the lines of “5G Technology and the induction of coronavirus in cells,” circulated as “proof.” Full Fact reported that a widely-shared paper making this kind of claim was removed/withdrawn/retracted and that it provided a proposed mechanism but no proof.
Verification test: Check whether the paper is indexed/retracted and whether it contains empirical evidence (measurements, replication) or only speculation. Full Fact’s reporting emphasizes the absence of proof and the paper’s removal/withdrawal, which undercuts its use as “settled evidence.”
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Argument people cite: “Governments/telecoms deny it, which proves a cover-up.”
Where it comes from: A standard conspiracy pattern: denial is treated as confirmation. It gained traction amid real-world anger and vandalism against telecom infrastructure, reinforcing a sense of “conflict.” Reports and government pages addressed the misinformation partly because infrastructure was being targeted.
Verification test: Check whether denials are purely PR statements or whether they cite basic mechanisms and cross-checkable facts (e.g., viruses not traveling on networks; COVID spread without 5G). UK government guidance provides those mechanism-level claims in plain language.
How these arguments change when checked
When people cite “5G causes COVID,” the arguments often start as pattern-matching (maps, timing, anecdotes) rather than testable causation. After checking, three recurring shifts happen:
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Correlation claims weaken under broader comparisons. Official guidance notes COVID-19 spread in countries without 5G, which directly challenges the idea that 5G rollout is a required cause.
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Mechanism claims conflict with basic infection requirements. ICNIRP explicitly argues that 5G EMFs cannot cause COVID-19 and cannot carry viruses; infection requires physical contact with the virus.
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“Evidence” sources often downgrade on inspection. Material presented as scientific proof may rely on withdrawn/retracted papers or on content criticized for lack of evidence.
None of this proves that misinformation cannot feel convincing. It does show that the strongest commonly cited talking points rely heavily on inference, not on documented causal evidence.
Evidence score (and what it means)
Evidence score: 8/100
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Primary “support” is largely social-media inference (maps, anecdotes, timing), not causal biomedical evidence.
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Direct mechanism claims are explicitly rejected by expert bodies discussing 5G EMFs and COVID-19 feasibility.
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Official guidance states there is no evidence of a link and that viruses do not travel on radio waves/mobile networks.
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Key “paper evidence” cited online includes a reported retraction/withdrawal and lacks proof as described by fact-checkers.
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Virality is documented, but virality is not verification (rapid spread of videos does not establish truth).
Evidence score is not probability:
The score reflects how strong the documentation is, not how likely the claim is to be true.
FAQ
What is the “5G causes COVID” claim, exactly?
It’s a cluster of claims asserting that 5G either directly causes COVID-19, spreads it, or worsens outcomes. Variants include “viruses travel on radio waves” and “5G suppresses immunity.” UK government guidance and RF-safety organizations have rejected these linkages.
Can viruses travel on radio waves or mobile networks?
Documented public guidance in the UK states viruses cannot travel on radio waves or mobile networks.
Did a real “study” prove 5G induces coronavirus in cells?
One widely circulated paper making that sort of claim was reported by Full Fact as baseless, lacking proof, and later removed/withdrawn/retracted by the journal/publisher (as described in their reporting). That doesn’t settle every question about RF research in general, but it does undermine that specific “proof” citation.
Why do people link Wuhan and 5G when talking about COVID-19?
Because Wuhan appears in early-pandemic timelines and also appears in telecom rollout discussions, which makes an easy narrative. Fact-checks and government guidance note that COVID-19 spread widely in places without 5G, which challenges the idea that 5G rollout explains the pandemic’s origin or spread.
Where did the “5G causes COVID” story spread most visibly?
It spread widely online in early 2020, and reporting describes it as a prominent misinformation theme, with real-world consequences including attacks on telecom equipment.
