04 October 2023 , 15:15
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As the US prepares for an emergency alert test, Anti-Vaxxers are voicing their concerns that the planned broadcast will trigger a "zombie apocalypse."
A post shared by a QAnon influencer in a Telegram channel called 'The Patriot Voice', which is followed by more than 50,000 people, asked: "Is there a zombie apocalypse activated by 5G towers on the way?!?!" Their message cited an apparent military expert's claim that the Covid-19 vaccines contained "sealed pathogens," including E.coli bacteria and the viruses Marburg and Ebola which could be released by an "18 Gigahertz 5G frequency."
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is planning a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) for 2.20pm Eastern time today, October 4. The influencer behind the Telegram channel advised to "turn OFF ALL 5G devices."
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Claims that the alert will trigger physical and mental health risks have been debunked by experts (Getty Images)There have also been similar claims that the test alert will "activate" deadly diseases within those who have been vaccinated posted across X, formerly Twitter. One user wrote: "Turn off your cell phones on October 4. The EBS is going to "test" the system using 5G. This will activate the Marburg virus in some people who have been vaccinated. And sadly turn some of them into zombies."
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None of the claims being made so far are accurate, with X going so far as to flag misinformation in tweets, adding a fact box reading: "There is no scientific basis whatsoever for the claim that a radio signal could activate a virus, and the Covid-19 vaccines do not contain pathogens." There is then a link to the Full Fact website beneath which debunked similar claims made when the UK tested its own Emergency Alerts on April 23.
According to FEMA, the national test will be made up of two portions, testing both WEA and EAS capabilities. The WEA portion will be directed to mobile phones and be the third nationwide test, and the second to all WEA-compatible cellular devices.
People will receive an emergency alert message with a unique tone and vibration during the test (Universal Images Group via Getty Images)The EAS portion of the test will be sent to radios and televisions, and be the seventh nationwide EAS test. FEMA said: "The purpose of the test is to ensure that the systems continue to be effective means of warning the public about emergencies, particularly those on the national level."
Phone users who have their phone switched on at the time and within range of an active cell tower in a geographic area where the wireless provider participates in WEA will receive a message saying: "THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed" along with a unique tone and vibration - aimed at ensuring the tests are accessible to those with disabilities.
Online conspiracists have jumped onto the relatively straightforward announcement, saying that this kind of bland, bureaucratic announcement can only heed some kind of disaster. The exact nature of what will happen depends on who's predicting it, but most theories tend to centre around the alleged dangers and vaccines and 5G signals.
Some people on social media are warning people to turn off their phones, saying that a massive electromagnetic power surge could be caused which they say poses dangers to physical or mental health. Others compared it to the plot of 'The Cell' by horror author Stephen King, where a cellphone signal turns millions of people into mindless, violent zombies.
A test was previously carried out in 2013, with Congress passing a law in 2015 stating tests should be carried out at most every three years (Getty Images)Experts have been quick to debunk claims of detrimental impacts to health, both physical and mental, as a result of the alerts. Swarun Kumar, a Carnegie Mellon University electrical and computer engineering professor who leads the school's Emerging Wireless Technologies lab, told PolitiFact: "There will be no additional power consumption or health risk that this would entail."
Since the beginning of their implementation in 2019, conspiracy theorists have associated 5G cellular networks with Covid and vaccines throughout the pandemic. Jeannette Sutton, a University at Albany, State University of New York associate professor in the College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security, and Cybersecurity, debunked the claim.
"There is a lot of misinformation about harm to message receivers from the emergency alert test. However, they are inaccurate," she said. "They are no different from a typical text message one would receive."
In a video explaining the tests, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said that promptly sending alerts during emergencies will save lives. She said: "We want to make sure that when it counts, we can keep you informed."
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In 2015, Congress passed a law requiring that the national test is carried out at most every three years. During the wildfires in Maui in August, local emergency alerts were sent, but people reported not receiving them, exposing a potential weakness in the system and backing up the need for testing.