Things really escalate quickly sometimes. A few baseless claims here, some conspiracy theories there, and boom — people start burning 5G telecommunication towers.
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5G
At least that’s what’s happened in the UK in recent weeks. A perfect-storm combination of public disinformation and fake news has prompted some citizens to link 5G to COVID-19.
The theories are as varied as they are full of nonsense.
Some say 5G is making the effects of the virus worse. Others believe that there is no coronavirus at all, that governments are making it all up to hide the real cause of the symptoms: 5G. A good reminder of how important it is to communicate technological advances properly.
News from the frontlines…
Another week has gone by, bringing with it new tech initiatives to fight the spread of COVID-19. Here are some of this week’s most note-worthy new developments:
A team of researchers created an AI tool capable of predicting the chance of a patient developing acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). This promising algorithm provided 80% accuracy during initial tests, opening new possibilities to identify potentially critical patients early on.
Other efforts are also leveraging data and computation to find a solution to our current situation. AI and public health researchers at MIT and Harvard have pointed at the importance of Big Data in the fight against the coronavirus.
Finally, the big names in tech keep announcing pandemic-related initiatives.
Intel pledged $50 million to accelerate access to technology at the point of patient care. Meanwhile, the CEO of Twitter and Square, Jack Dorsey, offered $1 billion (roughly 28% of his wealth) to fund global COVID-19 relief efforts.