FACT CHECK: Viral Video Claims To Show 5G Equipment With ‘COV-19’ Label

Trevor Schakohl | Legal Reporter

A video shared on Facebook more than 1,100 times allegedly shows 5G wireless equipment with the marking “COV-19.”

Verdict: False

The circuit board comes from an old TV box. A spokesperson for Virgin Media said it never had any parts with the “COV-19” label.

Fact Check:

In the video, a man films himself talking while wearing a hard hat and a face mask near what appears to be a telecommunications tower.

“Look, I don’t know the best way to do this, but we’re working erecting 5G masts on towers like the one behind me for the past few weeks while everyone else has been in lockdown,” the man claims. “We don’t crack open these kits because we’re explicitly asked not to, but perhaps the best thing is for me to show you.”

He holds up a circuit board with “COV-19” inscribed on a silver part in the corner and speculates about its purpose, saying that he has “read all that stuff online about coronavirus and COVID-19.” (RELATED: Viral Video Claims To Show People In China Tearing Down A 5G Pole To Stop COVID-19)

However, the circuit board in question is not a piece of 5G equipment, but rather part of an old set top TV box, according to Virgin Media spokesperson Luke Stallard.

“That is a board from a very old set top TV box and which never featured any component parts inscribed/stamped/printed or otherwise with COV 19,” Stallard told the Daily Caller via email. “It has absolutely no relation with any mobile network infrastructure, including that used for 5G.”

Reuters reported that the circuit board comes from an old Virgin Media cable box whose casing can be seen on the hood of the vehicle at the end of the video. The British telecommunications company has since discontinued providing that type of set top box to its customers, according to the Associated Press.

The claim that 5G technology causes COVID-19 has been debunked by the World Health Organization and other experts.

Trevor Schakohl

Legal Reporter
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