© Provided by Daily Mail Actress and environmentalist Isabel Lucas has been slammed for claiming she 'does not trust the path of vaccination' in response to the COVID-19 pandemic

Home and Away actress Isabel Lucas and surfer Taj Burrow are the latest celebrities to be slammed for promoting alternative medicines as an answer to COVID-19.

Lucas, 35, said she 'didn't trust the path of vaccination' while Burrow, 41, claimed that vaccines are 'not needed' despite some countries being unable to stop the spread of coronavirus.

Their comments came in response to an Instagram post by controversial TV chef and alternative medicine supporter, Pete Evans.

Earlier this week Evans claimed that a special lamp - which costs $15,000 - could aid in stopping coronavirus, comments that were promptly rubbished by the Australian Medical Association.

Lucas and Burrows' latest claims follow them spruiking conspiracy theories on how the 5G network - which is being rolled out globally - has direct links to COVID-19 and other illnesses.

© Provided by Daily Mail In response to celebrity chef Pete Evans' own criticism of potential vaccines against COVID-19, Lucas said: 'Freedom of choice is every humans right. I don't trust the path of vaccination'

© Provided by Daily Mail Australian surfing champion Taj Burrow is another to be criticised for his skepticism of the need for a vaccine for COVID-19

YouTube videos linking the ultra-fast technology to the virus have gained momentum in recent weeks, racking up hundreds of thousands of views and comments online.

Lucas has an entire subcategory on her Instagram account dedicated to the theories, and has voiced her criticism for the network to her 189,000 followers.

In pictures: The most ridiculed celebrity responses to coronavirus

She compared the movement questioning the safety of 5G technology to the #MeToo movement for sexual harassment.

'Why has it been proven that microwave radiation (EMF) is a powerful immune suppressant, harmful to humans, animals, plants - yet telco companies are installing the towers on top of schools, hospitals and near our homes... whilst we are in lockdown?' she asked her followers.

The dangers of not being vaccinated Immunisation is an effective way of protecting people from harmful, contagious diseases. Before vaccination campaigns in the 1960s and 70s, diseases like tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough killed thousands of children. Immunisation also protects the whole community, preventing the spread of the disease - known as 'herd immunity'. Vaccination can cause a disease to die out altogether - as was the case when smallpox was eradicated in 1980 after a vaccination campaign led by the World Health Organisation. Vaccination rates are at over 93 per cent for five-year-olds in Australia. Source: Australian Department of Health

These claims have been debunked by medical experts and technological experts.

Australian Medical Association federal councillor Dr Antonio Di Dio described both Lucas and Burrow's actions as irresponsible.

'Individuals who have a voice such as celebrities have a responsibility to use that voice appropriately at all times, but especially at a time like this,' Dr Di Dio told The Daily Telegraph.

But he pointed out that despite their support of each other, there was a significant difference between the actions of Lucas and Burrow, to those of Evans.

Lucas regularly encourages her social media followers to 'make their own choices'.

'(Lucas and Burrow are) not claiming to be something that they are not; they're not claiming to be scientists or doctors or researchers or professors of medicine,' he said.

© Provided by Daily Mail Pete Evans has been criticised for spruiking a $15,000 lamp for curing coronavirus

© Provided by Daily Mail Isabel Lucas is encouraging people to keep an open mind while explaining that she doesn't trust the new 5G network

'What Pete Evans is doing is claiming that he has a product that works to cure coronavirus and that is a whole different level of responsibility, and carries with it a whole different burden of what he needs to prove.'

The My Kitchen Rules chef promoted his BioCharger NG Subtle Energy Platform on Instagram last week, describing it as a 'hybrid subtle energy revitalisation platform'.

Evans claimed he and his family use the 'non-invasive' lamp 'pretty much every day'.

'It works to optimize your health, wellness, and athletic performance by aligning and balancing the energy of every cell in your body,' he said.

Evans also said the lamp is programmed with thousands of recipes with 'a couple on there for Wuhan coronavirus that you may be interested in'.

There is no evidence it has any effect on the virus.

The Therapeutic Goods Association (TGA) has since announced it would investigate the device and how it has been promoted online.

Evans was slammed by the Australian Medical Association for spruiking the machine.

'This guy just doesn't get it. Pete Evans is trying to sell a $15,000 fancy light machine to vulnerable and frightened people to protect them against COVID-19,' a spokesman for the AMA said on Twitter.

'He is not a doctor. He is not a scientist. He is a chef.'

There is currently no known cure for COVID-19, with more than 1.9 million confirmed cases globally, including 119,000 deaths.

In Australia, 6,394 people have been diagnosed with the deadly respiratory infection, including 61 people who have died.

WHAT IS THE 5G NETWORK AND WHY ARE PEOPLE CONCERNED? Globally, telco's are beginning to transition from the standard 4G network onto a faster, superior 5G server. Conspiracy theorists have linked the new technology to the coronavirus since it first spread from China in late 2019. It will allow devices to be tuned into the network, from 'smart homes', to 'smart refrigerators' and even 'smart cars'. According to the International Appeal to Stop 5G On Earth and in Space, the technology will detrimentally increase exposure to radio frequency radiation and could have harmful impacts on humans, the planet and animals. 'RF radiation has been proven harmful for humans and the environment. The deployment of 5G constitutes an experiment on humanity and the environment that is defined as a crime under international law,' the appeal reads. So far, more than 234,000 people have signed to ban 5G towers from being erected. Byron Bay council became the first in Australia to halt plans to build a 5G tower in town as a result of community backlash. A moratorium to the construction remains in place.



