Sunday 17 May 2020
There are some who think 5G is the problem (sarayut)
Now I know. I have a 37% chance of catching Covid-19 and a 3.621% chance of dying from it. This must be true as my computer says so. It also says, to make me feel optimistic and with my glass half full, that I have a 98.66% chance of survival. I think I will go with that. The Covid-19 survival calculator is seeing big business, as the nation decides its chances of popping off. The tool has been designed by University College London and has used data from 3.8 million health records. Its conclusions are based on the assumptions that in England there will be an infection rate of 10%, and that 20% of people have a high-risk condition. I am unsure about either of these assumptions but at least I know I have more chance of staying alive than of popping off.
It is sad that I even worry when I read some quotes a good friend sent me today that he found on the internet:
If World War 2 happened today…
- Can I have more clarity on the “Your country needs you” slogan, it’s too ambiguous.
- Why aren’t you doing enough to prevent these air raids?
- Does the siren apply to everyone?
- There are only male and female toilets in the air raid shelter, and I don’t identify as either.
- This respirator haversack has a leather strap and I’m a vegan.
- Why can’t I have almond milk on my ration card?
- I find the term “black out” offensive.
- I find the lack of colour options within military uniforms oppressive.
- Why didn’t we have stockpiles of spitfires at the start of this conflict?
I thought it was just me who felt this, but others do as well.
Tarot cards say I am meant to be pregnant (Alina Vilchenko from Pexels)
I looked at my horoscope today. It is strange what I do in lockdown. The horoscope does not mention death at all. Today, I am supposed to be intrigued by someone from a different culture and I will have the chance to get to know them better. Apparently, I can charm them in a way that no one else can and I have to settle in for a long chat. That was the view from the United States.
If I am to believe the Hindustan Times, and there is something about predictions from India that I trust, today is meant to be special, and investing in property is a good idea. Perhaps just as well, as I take ownership of a new house tomorrow. And in China, the land that I believe started everything I see around me at the moment, for some reason I am associated with the snake. I am meant to stick with things through thick and thin but, for some reason, China is also saying I should cut my losses and move on. One says the opposite of the other. At least there is no word about popping off.
And as for my Tarot card reading, which I also tried today, I am completely lost. I am supposed to be pregnant, which is physiologically impossible, grasp new opportunities instantly, and if I am unsure about a decision, I should take my time. Again, these readings do not appear to match.
My safest conclusion is that I cannot rely on today’s predicitons and must read into them what I can. All I can say is that it looks as if I am up for a change, and will survive a while longer, even without giving up chocolate.
It is more than I can say for care homes, which remain under a continuing spotlight. This is no bad thing, as they have been ignored for so long. Campaigners for the welfare of elderly people and their relatives are calling on the UK government to be more transparent. Especially so, after authorities have declined to reveal the number of deaths from Covid-19 in individual care establishments. Reuters has attempted to obtain more detailed information under the UK’s Freedom of Information Act, but the request has been declined. All sorts of reason have been given. None, to me, holds water.
BBC Radio had me worried recently, as they are having to recycle plenty of classics. One of them, a programme about country walking, has been massively popular for many years. There were old favourites being broadcast and each was a delight. Until one, when the presenter had a streaming cold and announced that she was feeling fine for walking but might sound a little croaky.
“Not good,” I mumbled to myself as I listened to the broadcast through tiny headphones. “You are announcing to the world that it is alright to turn up for work when you are unwell.” These days that is a no-no. I picked it up, I wager the world did as well, and in mid-Covid-19 it was not a good thing to broadcast.
Piers Corbyn is led away by police (Sky News)
Yesterday afternoon I was continually disturbed by a police helicopter flying above me. Hyde Park is nearby, and a mass gathering had been planned for it. The event turned out to be a damp squib, as it did in other parts of the country as well. In Hyde Park, about 50 people gathered near Speaker’s Corner and declared that they thought the pandemic was a fake. The police made 19 arrests, including one Piers Corbyn. He is the brother of the former leader of the Labour party. I would guess the two brothers are high risk for Covid-19. It was either brave, or daft, for Piers Corbyn to turn up.
Some of the gathering attendees were convinced that the symptoms of Covid-19 were nothing to do with a virus, but linked to the deployment of 5G radio antennae in different parts of the country. I imagine that is why a 5G phone mast was set alight near Bradford yesterday, too. There were other blazes in different parts of the country as well but the turnout for mass gatherings was not impressive, so the majority of the British public still seems to be on side with social distancing. There will always be dough heads who follow a different view. But are they dough heads? They had me thinking.
The situation this morning – 17 May 2020 (courtesy Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University)
The theory goes that 5G degrades the immune system, making affected people more susceptible to Covid-19. This simply does not compute, when many of the countries that have been hardest hit by the virus, Iran for example, have no 5G infrastructure at all. The same fears were also expressed when 2G, 3G, 4G and WiFi were introduced. It is true that 5G is part of the electromagnetic spectrum and it is also true that higher frequency radiation at the end of this spectrum can be dangerous. This is because high-frequency waves are ionising and can cause damage to the human body if exposure is too great. However, 5G is low frequency and non-ionising.
Science like this can sometimes be very helpful, and it would certainly support the case that 5G is not related to Covid-19. My worry? Cumbria’s Barrow-in-Furness, which presently has the highest density of Covid-19 infections anywhere in the country, had a 5G service launched to its mobiles not very long ago.
That has me thinking.
