'Bombshell' 5G COVID studies tank upon closer inspection

An extraordinary claim is circulating online that the US government has admitted exposure to 5G radiation induces COVID-19 in humans. The basis of the claim is that "bombshell" new studies on a government agency website confirm the hypothesis. However, the claim is false. The co-author of the main cited "study" told AAP FactCheck his paper was not a scientific article but a "hyperbolic, hypothetically unfounded, controversial and shocking 'Editorial'." The authors of the other cited study conclude "none of the observations discussed here prove this linkage."

No reputable evidence had been found linking 5G to COVID. The claim was made in an article by misinformation website NewsPunch, headlined "U.S. Government Admits '5G Radiation Causes COVID-19' - Stunning Admission." It features an image of former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Anthony Fauci and a tweet allegedly from the US government's National Institutes of Health (NIH), which reads "Exposure to 5G radiation can induce COVID-19 in humans." The tweet is a fake. The article (archived here) has been shared widely on social media - see here, here, here, here and here. NewsPunch presents a "study just published" on the NIH website as evidence the US government has confirmed the link. The paper, titled 5G Technology and induction of coronavirus in skin cells, was published back in July 2020 and was retracted by the authors within hours of release. The document does not feature any studies or primary data to support the hypothesis. Instead it merely suggests there could be a link. Professor Torello Lotti, one of the study's co-authors, told AAP FactCheck the publication was not a scientific paper but a "shocking" and "hypothetically unfounded" editorial aimed at stimulating a discussion. The professor of dermatology and venereology at Guglielmo Marconi University in Rome said he retracted the "provocative editorial" within hours of publication because it was misinterpreted, largely from outside the scientific community. Prof Lotti said via email: "Whatever your opinion will be, please remember that the most visible protagonists in the scientific community (including myself) must always open the door to discussion" NewsPunch's claim that the US government had made the admission appears to be because the NIH is a government agency. The second "brand new" study cited by NewsPunch is titled, Evidence for a connection between coronavirus disease-19 and exposure to radiofrequency radiation from wireless communications including 5G, and dates from September 2021. The study has been the subject of other debunks here and here.

Notably the study authors state: "However, none of the observations discussed here prove this linkage. Specifically, the evidence does not confirm causation." Theories of a link between 5G and COVID have been spread since the early days of the pandemic - see here and here. However, the claim has been debunked numerous times (here, here, here, here, here and here) with no reputable evidence supporting a link. AAP FactCheck has checked NewsPunch multiple times, see here, here, here and here.

The Verdict

The claim that the US government has admitted 5G radiation causes COVID is false. The article cites two studies to support the claim. A co-author of the first told AAP FactCheck his was not a scientific paper but instead a hypothetically unfounded and provocative editorial aimed at stimulating debate. The authors of the second study state that it does not prove any link between 5G and COVID. There is no reputable evidence supporting a link. False The claim is inaccurate. * AAP FactCheck is an accredited member of the International Fact-Checking Network. To keep up with our latest fact checks, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.