Q: Can 5 G cause corona virus infection?

Krishna: "Cause corona virus infection?" NO!

There is 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. It started circulating in January in social media and  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.

A Change.org petition used pseudo-science to support false claims about the health risks of 5G, which allegedly range from cancer to coronavirus. The petition’s founder, who goes by the name Delroy Chin, writes that radiation emitted from 5G towers sucks the oxygen out of the atmosphere and disrupts the regular functioning of the human body (1). Symptoms of 5G exposure include respiratory problems, flu-like symptoms (temperature rises, fever, headaches), pneumonia. Very much like the effects of the coronavirus. “Our bodies are 85 per cent water and the shortwave radiation increases the breakdown in our natural biology causing cancers and other serious health conditions,” it states. 

The petition 's now removed (2).

Phone masts across the UK have been torched or otherwise vandalised (4). Some celebrities are supporting this claim too (5).  

These notions are "complete rubbish", according to scientists. 5G uses an electromagnetic waveform that emits non-ionising radiations. The idea that 5G lowers your immune system doesn't stand up to scrutiny.

The difference between 5G and previous generations of mobile services (4G, 3G) is that the latter uses lower radio frequencies (in the 6 gigahertz range), whereas 5G uses frequencies in the 30–300 gigahertz range. In the 30-300 gigahertz range, there’s not enough energy to break chemical bonds or remove electrons when in contact with human tissue. Thus, this range is referred to as “non-ionising” electromagnetic radiation.

Your immune system can be dipped by all sorts of things:  by being tired one day. If you had a disease recently, that too influences your body's fighting ability. Certain medicines you take also can dip your immune system's ability to fight infections. So does chemotherapy. It can also happen to people after organ transplants who take medicine to prevent organ rejection. Also, infections such as the flu virus, mono (mononucleosis), and measles can weaken the immune system for a short time. HIV, which causes AIDS, is an acquired viral infection that destroys important white blood cells and weakens the immune system. People with HIV/AIDS can become seriously ill with infections that most people can fight off. These infections are called “opportunistic infections” because they take advantage of weak immune systems. Your immune system can also be weakened by smoking, alcohol, and poor nutrition.

Those fluctuations 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.

Have a look at this image...

Photo source: CNN  | Graph showing where the higher range 5G frequencies land on the electromagnetic spectrum

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  x-rays used in medical technology.

It would also be impossible for 5G to transmit the virus. The present epidemic is caused by a virus that is passed from one infected person to another. It originated in animals first and then crossed over to human beings. The new coronavirus is a respiratory virus which spreads primarily through droplets generated when an infected person coughs or sneezes, or through droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose. 

Moreover, in countries like Iran, where 5G tech hasn't been deployed yet, the virus is causing havoc. 

Radiation can come into contact with the skin, for example, when we put a 5G mobile to our ear to make a call. This is when we’re most exposed to non-ionising radiation. But this exposure is well below the recommended safety level.

5G radiation can’t penetrate skin, or allow a virus to penetrate skin. There is no evidence 5G radio frequencies cause or exacerbate the spread of the coronavirus.

Also, the protein shell of the virus is incapable of hijacking 5G radio signals. This is because radiation and viruses exist in different forms that do not interact. One is a biological phenomenon and the other exists on the electromagnetic spectrum.

The WHO site also has  page that says 'a large number of studies have been performed over the last two decades to assess whether mobile phones pose a potential health risk. To date, no adverse health effects have been established as being caused by mobile phone use' (3).

However, if you share your phones, you might catch infection. 

COVID-19 spreads through small droplets released from the nose or mouth of an infected person when they cough, spit, sneeze, talk or exhale. Transmission occurs when the droplets come into contact with the nose, eyes or mouth of a healthy person.

So if an infectious person speaks through a phone held near their mouth, enough infectious droplets may land on its surface to make it capable of spreading the virus. This is why it’s not advisable to share mobiles during a pandemic. You should also regularly disinfect your mobile.

Updates: I found a paper that says non-ionising radiation might affect viruses indirectly to 'some' extent ...

Effects of Non-Ionizing Radiations on Viruses

 The EBV genome in latently infected lymphoid cells offers an opportunity to follow effects on the transcriptional and translational product clearly distinguishable from those of the host cell genome. Exposure of Akata cells, a human lymphoid cell line latently infected by the EBV genome, to a 50 Hz EMF resulted in an increased number of cells expressing the virus early antigens. This finding provides additional evidence that DNA can be modulated by a magnetic field.

As if We Needed It, a Major Review Just Confirmed 5G to Be Completely Safe

https://www.sciencealert.com/major-review-still-finds-5g-technology...

Two new scientific reviews have backed up all the previous research we've seen into 5G technology to date, finding that the next-generation connectivity standard doesn't pose any health risks.

The reviews looked back at 138 previous studies and reanalyzed over 100 experiments to look for possible dangers in the millimeter wave frequencies (low-level radio waves above 6 GHz).

While the research and scientific analysis will likely continue, this in-depth look at what we know so far about 5G and its associated technologies points to it being perfectly safe at the kinds of levels that people would be exposed to it.

"In conclusion, a review of all the studies provided no substantiated evidence that low-level radio waves, like those used by the 5G network, are hazardous to human health

While frequencies above 6 GHz have regularly been used in radar, medical instruments, and security equipment – like the airport screening scanners you have probably walked through – they're about to be used much more widely as 5G networks get rolled out worldwide.

Combing through the data and the reported results on genotoxicity (mutations), cell proliferation, gene expression, cell signalling, membrane function, and other biological effects, the researchers could find "no confirmed evidence that low-level RF fields above 6 GHz such as those used by the 5G network are hazardous to human health".

Where some biological effects were noted, they were generally not independently replicated, and they were in studies that lacked rigorous quality control methods, the researchers say – though we can surely expect even more, ongoing assessments into 5G in the years ahead.

Both studies have been published in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology here and here.

Q: Can cell phone towers have health effects because of the radiation?

Krishna: I know some people are worried. 

The widespread use of cell phones in recent decades has led to a large increase in the number of cell phone towers (also known as base stations) being placed in communities. These towers have electronic equipment and antennas that receive and transmit cell phone signals using radiofrequency (RF) waves.

Cell phone towers are still relatively new, and many people are understandably concerned about whether the RF waves they give off might possibly have health effects.

At this time, there’s no strong evidence that exposure to RF waves from cell phone towers causes any noticeable health effects. However, this does not mean that the RF waves from cell phone towers have been proven to be absolutely safe. Most expert organizations agree that more research is needed to help clarify this, especially for any possible long-term effects.

Cell phones communicate with nearby cell towers mainly through RF waves, a form of energy in the electromagnetic spectrum between FM radio waves and microwaves. Like FM radio waves, microwaves, visible light, and heat, they are forms of non-ionizing radiation. This means they do not directly damage the DNA inside cells, which is how stronger (ionizing) types of radiation such as x-rays, gamma rays, and ultraviolet (UV) rays are thought to be able to cause cancer.

The electromagnetic spectrum illustration above shows the possible frequencies of electromagnetic energy, ranging from extremely low frequencies (such as those from power lines) to extremely high frequencies (such as x-rays and gamma rays), and includes both non-ionizing and ionizing radiation.

At very high levels, RF waves can heat up body tissues. But the levels of energy used by cell phones and towers are much lower.

When a person makes a cell phone call, a signal is sent from the phone’s antenna to the nearest base station antenna. The base station responds to this signal by assigning it an available RF channel. RF waves transfer the voice information to the base station. The voice signals are then sent to a switching center, which transfers the call to its destination. Voice signals are then relayed back and forth during the call.

When RF signals are transmitted back and forth to the base station during calls, the RF waves produced at the base station are given off into the environment, where people can be exposed to them.

RF waves from a cell phone tower antenna, like those from other telecommunication antennas, are directed toward the horizon (parallel to the ground), with some downward scatter. Base station antennas use higher power levels than other types of land-mobile antennas, but much lower levels than those from radio and television broadcast stations. The amount of energy from RF waves decreases rapidly as the distance from the antenna increases. As a result, the level of exposure to RF waves at ground level is much lower than the level close to the antenna.

At ground level near typical cellular base stations, the amount of energy from RF waves is hundreds to thousands of times less than the limits for safe exposure set by regulatory authorities.

 It is very unlikely that a person could be exposed to RF levels in excess of these limits just by being near a cell phone tower.

When a cellular antenna is mounted on a roof, it is possible that a person on the roof could be exposed to RF levels greater than those typically encountered on the ground. But even then, exposure levels approaching or exceeding the FCC safety guidelines are only likely to be found very close to and directly in front of the antennas. If this is the case, access to these areas should be limited.

The level of energy from RF waves inside buildings where a base station is mounted is typically much lower than the level outside, depending on the construction materials of the building. Antennas are pointed away from the side of the building, and the energy level behind the antenna is hundreds to thousands of times lower than in front. On top of this, wood or cement block reduces the exposure to energy from RF waves by a factor of about 10. Therefore, if an antenna is mounted on the side of a building, the exposure level in the room directly behind the wall is typically well below the recommended exposure limits.

Some people have expressed concern that living, working, or going to school near a cell phone tower might increase the risk of cancer or other health problems. At this time, there isn't a lot of evidence to support this idea. Still, more research is needed to be sure.

Based on several studies published between 2008 and 2018, that are described in detail in the report by US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the conclusion is there is insufficient evidence to support a causal association between radiofrequency radiation (RFR) exposure and tumor formation.

So the National Toxicology Program (NTP, US) has not included RF radiation in its Report on Carcinogens, which lists exposures that are known to be or reasonably anticipated to be human carcinogens.

RF waves given off by cell phone towers don’t have enough energy to damage DNA directly or to heat body tissues. Because of this, it’s not clear how cell phone towers might be able to cause cancer. Some studies have found possible increased rates of certain types of tumors in lab animals exposed to RF radiation, but overall, the results of these types of studies have not provided clear answers so far.

Large studies published in 2018 by the US National Toxicology Program (NTP) and by the Ramazzini Institute in Italy exposed groups of lab rats (as well as mice, in the case of the NTP study) to RF waves over their entire bodies for many hours a day, starting before birth and continuing for most or all of their natural lives. Both studies found an increased risk of uncommon heart tumors called malignant schwannomas in male rats, but not in female rats (nor in male or female mice, in the NTP study). The NTP study also reported possible increased risks of certain types of tumors in the brain and in the adrenal glands.

While both of these studies had strengths, they also had limitations that make it hard to know how they might apply to humans being exposed to RF waves from cell phone towers. A 2019 review of these two studies by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) determined that the limitations of the studies didn’t allow conclusions to be drawn regarding the ability of RF energy to cause cancer.

Still, the results of these studies do not rule out the possibility that the RF waves used in cell phone communication might somehow impact human health.

Source: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-causes/radiation-exposure/cell...

Q: Why some young people too are dying because of Corona virus infection?

Krishna: Initially it was thought that only older people 're at risk. But now reality shows even young people could have fatal consequences. 

There can be a few reasons for this.

1. Even young people, because of their careless life styles, can have BP and heart conditions.

2. The amount of virus (microbial dosage or inoculum, the number of viral particles that cause infection) that infects an individual may have crucial outcomes. Small numbers of viral particles are more likely to be contained effectively by the body’s defenses. Then, infection may cause no symptoms or only mild disease. Get a huge dose which can lead to increased viral growth,  and your outcome may be worse. A person with a high viral load has more virus particles than one with a low load. Either your immune system can't cope as it would be overwhelmed  or can cause severe fatal reactions. Viral load is a deciding factor here. 

3. For some genetic susceptibility may be involved: in other words,  there are individuals whose genetic makeup leaves them more vulnerable to the virus as it spreads through their bodies. Viruses often gain access to host cells via surface proteins, which vary in presence and nature from person to person. Someone with no such surface proteins may be resistant to infection. In the case of HIV, for example, some people lack the receptors needed for viral infection and are not susceptible to the virus. So your genetic make up is responsible for the danger here. 

4. The route by which a virus enters the body also influences infection outcome. It’s possible that virus inhaled in the form of aerosolized droplets triggers different immune defenses than does virus acquired by touching contaminated surfaces and then touching one’s face. The nose and the lung differ in local defenses, so the route of infection could significantly affect the outcome.

5. The virulence of the virus.  Viruses differ in virulence — their capacity to damage host tissues or immunity — even when they are all the same species. This is why flu seasons vary in severity from year to year. The varieties of a virus such as coronavirus differ depending on small genetic characteristics and how these affect the interaction with human hosts. As the coronavirus spreads from person to person, it may undergo unique changes in its genetic structure that enhance or attenuate its capacity to do harm. Strains that are more virulent could lead to more severe disease.  How deeply into the lungs the viral particles penetrate is also a factor.

6. Which infections the immune system has fought in the past.   People’s immune status — especially their history of prior infectious diseases — crucially determines how they respond to a new infection. The immune system remembers previous encounters with microbes, and that affects how it fights and responds to new ones. In the case of dengue, infection with one type of the virus can make the individual more susceptible to infection with a different type of the same virus. In other situations, a recent infection with a virus can affect susceptibility to an unrelated new infection. For example, having had the flu before coronavirus infection could change the course of Covid-19 disease in unpredictable ways. When a person’s immune system has no memory of an infectious agent, it may be unable to rapidly respond, and this may allow the invader to escape detection, giving it more time to cause damage.

7. Gender: Men are more vulnerable than women and die more.

Taken together, these variables create a complex picture. The amount of virus, our genes, the route of infection, the variety of the virus and our immunological history combine to produce outcomes ranging from asymptomatic infection to death. And because these parameters can vary so much from infected person to infected person, it’s impossible to predict who will live and who will die. Therefore, despite accumulating evidence that most who acquire the coronavirus will not develop severe disease, the uncertainty of who is at grave risk enhances the pandemic’s terror.

So youngsters don't be so confident and careless.

Why Some COVID-19 Cases Are Worse than Others

Why Covid-19 infections affect people differently

Coronavirus: Why Men are More Vulnerable to Covid-19 Than Women?

Why are more men dying from COVID-19?

PS: Human lung proteins can advance or thwart SARS-CoV-2 infections

Researchers have taken an important step toward understanding the microscopic battle that plays out between our lung cells and the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19. A UC Berkeley-led study has identified specific proteins within our bodies that can promote or protect us from SARS-CoV-2 infections, potentially opening the door to new antiviral therapies.

New work  revealed new pathways that the virus relies on to infect cells, as well as the antiviral pathways that help protect against viral infection. Notably, they showed that mucins—the main component of mucus found in the lungs—seem to help block the SARS-CoV-2 virus from entering our cells. The data suggest that mucins play a key role in restricting SARS-CoV-2 infection by acting as a barrier to viruses that are attempting to access our lung epithelial cells. It suggests that mucin expression levels in an individual's lungs may impact COVID-19 disease progression. Both the type and amount of mucus that each person produces may result in different outcomes for SARS-CoV-2 infection—and lead to different treatment strategies

Scott B. Biering et al, Genome-wide bidirectional CRISPR screens identify mucins as host factors modulating SARS-CoV-2 infection, Nature Genetics (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41588-022-01131-x

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-07-human-lung-proteins-advance-...

Q: Can people without any symptoms transmit the disease?

Krishna: There are reports about both asymptomatic and presymptomatic transmissions. 

The first confirmation that the novel coronavirus could be transmitted by asy..., when a case study described a 20-year-old woman from Wuhan, China, who passed the coronavirus to five family members but never got physically sick herself.

A WHO report about the coronavirus outbreak in China, published in February, found few instances in which a person who tested positive never showed any symptoms. Instead, most people who were asymptomatic on the date of their diagnosis (a relatively small group anyway) went on to develop symptoms later. "The proportion of truly asymptomatic infections is unclear but appears to be relatively rare," the report authors wrote.

In the WHO study, 75 percent of people in China who were first classified as asymptomatic later developed symptoms, ProPublica reported. That means, technically, "presymptomatic transmission" is what's probably common.

Other research has reaffirmed these findings. A CDC study of coronavirus patients in a nursing home in Washington state's King County found that of 23 people who tested positive, only 10 showed symptoms on the day of their diagnosis. Ten people in the other group developed symptoms a week later.

Studies have confirmed that people 're shedding significant virus about 48 hours before symptoms appear. This helps explain how rapidly this virus continues to spread across a region, because we have asymptomatic transmitters and we have individuals who are transmitting 48 hours before they become symptomatic. Recent studies and reports suggest that presymptomatic and asymptomatic transmission are not unusual.

A small study among Japanese ex-pats evacuated from Wuhan in February revealed that 30.8 percent of people who tested positive showed no symptoms. 

An especially troubling aspect of presymptomatic transmission is that people seem to shed more coronavirus in the earlier stages of their infection. But the average symptom onset takes five days.

Don't get disheartened. There is a precaution to check this: Wearing masks could help reduce presymptomatic transmission.

Q: How can we disinfect surfaces? How long can the virus survive on various surfaces?

Krishna: Coronaviruses could be "efficiently inactivated" on surfaces within one minute if they're cleaned with solutions containing  70% ethanol alcohol, 0.5% hydrogen peroxide, or 0.1% sodium hypochlorite.

A recent study found that the COVID-19 coronavirus can survive up to four hours on copper, up to 24 hours on cardboard, and up to two to three days on plastic and stainless steel. The researchers also found that this virus can hang out as droplets in the air for up to three hours before they fall. But most often they will fall more quickly.

But scientists also add this: In a laboratory experiment, the conditions are pretty carefully controlled and constant. By comparison, "in the real world, conditions fluctuate" — conditions like temperature, humidity and light. So the survivability or ability to infect may vary, too. Confusing? Welcome to the Corona world! 

Q: A medical doctor on You Tube says you can touch and read news papers after an hour. Is this true?

Krishna:  Hmmm! One hour is not enough, according to reports.

One colleague reminded me that news papers these days are coming with plastic coats. The shiny things you love. And the virus can stay for three days on plastic! Some papers are porous, some not so much. So the answer should be it depends on the paper! Different coatings and types of paper will give different results. Some say four hours, some 24 hours. Some studies estimate they can survive up to 3 hours to 3 days depending on the type of paper.

Even the WHO is not certain! https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-coronaviruses

So, to be on the safe side, I collect the news paper and put it on the floor in the balcony where the temperature is high and sunlight is abundant, hoping that they would inactivate the virus particles if present,  and thoroughly wash my hands with soap and water.

I will pick it up again after six-seven hours in the evening to read it. 

In these uncertain times, you can't say anything with certainty and  that something is an established fact. Reports and data are getting changed very often. There is confusion all around. Just use the knowledge available through preliminary reports, think what is the best thing to follow, do it and hope that it would work. 

Q: How can a person catch corona virus when they have not been in contact with someone who has it, have not travelled to a country where there is an outbreak, not been to an area where a person with COVID-19 has been?

Q: A doctor asked me this Q - What should be the first priority of a doctor; his/her own safety and health or patient's health?

References: 

1. https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/coro...

2. https://www.change.org/p/christians-stop-the-nwo-and-their-5g-tech-...

3. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/electromagnetic-fi...

4. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/apr/06/at-least-20-uk-p...

5. https://nypost.com/2020/04/05/woody-harrelson-sharing-coronavirus-c...

6. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/coronavirus-covid19-reinfection...