If the earliest mobile network-analog voice calls, no SMS, no mobile data or browsing-was the first generation, 5G is its great-great-grandchild. What does 5G mean? Simply put, 5G is short for “5th generation.” You may also see the standard called 5G-NR (the NR stands for “new radio”). Public health interventions including health education strategies to address the myth that 5G was linked COVID-19 pandemic in SSA are needed and such intervention should target participants who do not believe that COVID-19 pandemic will continue in their country, females, those that are unemployed and those from Central African countries in order to minimize further spread of the disease in the region.A new generation of mobile network technology stands ready to go further than its predecessors could have dreamed. Conclusions: This study found that 7.4% of adult participants from SSA held the belief that 5G technology was linked to COVID-19 pandemic. Participants who were younger were more likely to believe in the 5G technology myth but the association between level of education and belief that 5G technology was associated with COVID-19 which was significant in the univariate analysis (unadjusted odds ratio OR 1.69 95CI =1.02, 2.80), was nullified after adjustments for all potential confounders. Participants who felt that COVID-19 pandemic will not continue in their country were 1.59 times (95% CI=1.04-2.45) more likely to associate the 5G technology with COVID-19 compared to those who thought that the disease will remain after the lockdown. After adjusting for potential covariates in the multivariate analysis, Central Africans (adjusted odds ratio, AOR 2.12 95% confidence interval, CI=1.20-3.75), females (AOR 1.86 95% CI=1.20-2.84) and those who were unemployed at the time of this study (AOR 1.91 95% CI=1.08-3.36) were more likely to believe in the myth that 5G technology was linked to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Participants from Central Africa reported the highest proportion (14.4%) while the lowest proportion (5.4%) was among those from Southern Africa. Results: About 7.3% of the participants believed that 5G technology was behind the COVID-19 pandemic. Multiple logistic regression analyses using backward stepwise were used to examine the associated factors. The outcome measure was whether respondent believed that 5G technology was the cause of the coronavirus outbreak or not. Participants were recruited via Facebook, WhatsApp, and authors’ emails. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was administered on 2032 participants between April 18 - May 16, 2020, corresponding to the mandatory lockdown period in some SSA countries (April 18 - May 16, 2020). This study investigated the impact of the myth that 5G technology is linked to COVID-19 pandemic among sub-Saharan Africans (SSA). Background: Globally, the conspiracy theory claiming 5G technology can spread the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is making the rounds on social media and this could have a significant effect in tackling the spread of the pandemic.
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