5G network not responsible for COVID-19 deaths, WhatsApp forward is false

Fact Check:

The text is being forwarded in Telugu and Malayalam languages.

NewsMeter had debunked several claims last year.

Previously debunked claims:

`WHO banned autopsies'

There is no WHO ban on autopsies of persons who died from COVID-19.

`COVID-19 is not a virus but a bacteria'

COVID-19is not a bacterium but belongs to a large family of viruses called Coronavirus.

`COVID-19 patients don't need ventilators'

Though it is true that ventilators are not needed for every patient affected by COVID-19, patients in moderate or severe stages of infection do need ventilators for continuous oxygen support.

Here are the new claims.

Current Claim: COVID-19 is not real and is caused by 'Amplified Global 5G (Electro-Magnetic Radiation) electromagnetic radiation'.

Verification: COVID-19 is real and is not caused by 5G radiation. Many news portals over the past year have repeatedly debunked the claim that COVID-19 is caused by 5G radiation. This claim is quite infamous among conspiracy theorists around the world. According to some news reports, people have believed this theory so much that they have attacked telecom workers and also set 100 mobile masts on fire.

Here are some of the reports that debunked that claim.

https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-factcheck-coronavirus-5g-idUSKBN22P22I

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/covid-19-5g-mobile-network-coronavirus-6351696/

https://fullfact.org/online/5g-and-coronavirus-conspiracy-theories-came/

Research said that one of the reasons for the spread of such claims especially on social media sites such as Twitter is the lack of an authority figure that is actively combating such misinformation.

Current Claim: COVID-19 causes 'Defuse Intravascular Coagulation Thrombosis'

Verification: The claim is misleading as there is no definite claim that deaths by COVID-19 are a result of Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC). But there have been studies that showed that COVID-19 cause can thrombosis (blood clotting).

According to research published in the NCBI (National Centre for Biotechnology Information), research has shown that 'COVID-19 can be regarded as a risk factor for thromboses and they have 'identified various histopathology reports and clinical case series reporting thromboses in COVID-19'.

According to a study by the Harvard Medical School investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital, patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19 infections who have high levels of the blood-clotting protein factor V are at elevated risk for serious injury from blood clots such as deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism.

A report stated that low molecular weight heparin (LMWH), heparin and direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) can be therapeutic agents for patients hospitalized by COVID-19.

Current claim: Aspirin and Paracetamol are enough to treat COVID-19.

Verification: The claim is false as there is no proof that aspirin and paracetamol are enough to cure COVID-19.

Answering some FAQs about COVID-19, Yashoda Hospitals have mentioned on their blog that "this (paracetamol) medicine can be used for conditions that cause fever and by themselves have no proven action or benefit against the Coronavirus disease."

Although, there is has been some research done on 'aspirin use independently being associated with decreased risk of mechanical ventilation' there is no definitive proof about aspirin being a life-saving drug for COVID-19 patients.

Hence, almost all the information in the WhatsApp forward is false and the information about thrombosis is misleading.