Residents of New Jersey and the broader tri-state area claim they have mysteriously become ill after seeing drones in the sky.
After witnessing or reading about the devices, residents revealed how they started coughing, experienced a stuffy or runny nose, or experienced swollen, watery eyes.
A woman in New Jersey said she got so sick it felt like she was “coughing up my lungs,” while a second in New York City said her blocked sinuses must have been the result of the drones over Staten Island.
DailyMail.com heard from another New Jersey resident who said they were left with a stuffy nose and swollen runny eyes after the drones flew over their home.
But doctors told DailyMail.com after reviewing the symptoms that it was ‘extremely unlikely’ these illnesses were linked to the drones.
They pointed out that this is now the start of flu season and other diseases such as Covid, RSV and norovirus are becoming more common around this time.
Dr. Thomas Moore, an infectious disease expert, said: ‘It’s entertaining to try to blame illness on the contrails of planes or drones, but the actual explanation is much more mundane.
“It’s the season for respiratory viruses, and being around people this time of year can make you sick.”
Dr. Bill Schaffner, also an infectious disease expert, added: “This is not being beamed down from above, it is spreading among us, and it is not too late to get vaccinated.
Some people report getting sick after viewing the drones
In New Jersey, firefighters have been asked to wear hazmat suits when dealing with a downed drone
“I don’t think we need to worry about a relationship between the drones and the symptoms of people below.”
‘We are at the beginning of respiratory virus season and many people will coincidentally start coughing, sneezing and feeling unwell.’
People’s reports come amid unexplained drone sightings across the Northeast, spotted over military bases and airports in recent weeks.
The FBI, White House and officials from other agencies have said there is no evidence the drones pose a threat to public safety.
An FBI official added, “I think there’s a slight overreaction.”
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas added: “If there is any concern, if we identify any foreign involvement or criminal activity, we will communicate with the American public accordingly.”
In one case, a woman in the tri-state area posted about her illness on TikTok with the caption, “I’m not saying it has anything to do with the drones, but I’m also not saying NOT it has anything to do. with the drones.’
In the video she said: “Do you live in the tri-state area and are sick like me?
‘My illness started with pain like everywhere, my whole body hurt, my hair hurt… and then it kept changing in different stages.
Swarms of drones have been seen in New Jersey skies for weeks, prompting officials to call for a ‘limited state of emergency’
“I had the water line dripping out of my nose, where I went through two boxes of tissues in as many days, all I could do was go from the couch to the bed and back again… and then we moved on to the clogged sinuses.”
In another video posted yesterday, Andrea – an artist in New York City’s Lower East Side – also linked her illness to the drones.
“I’ve been having these sinus congestion because of the drones over New Jersey and Staten Island, it’s pretty close here. I think that’s it.
“Every night I feel worse and worse, and last night was the worst night of all, and it turns out the drones were shooting, they were shooting, I think that’s what caused my sinus infection.”
And in a third video, New Jersey resident Shawna postedshe said, “Is anyone else really sick and coughing up a lung just before Christmas, and it only started happening when the drones showed up?”
Illnesses tend to increase around this time of year as people tend to stay indoors to brave the cold and mingle more during the Christmas and New Year period.
The latest surveillance shows that around 5.4 per cent of Covid tests revealed the virus in the week to December 7, up from 3.9 per cent a month ago.
State Governor Phil Murphy has said the drones do not pose a risk to public safety
Hospital admissions for flu-like illnesses are also rising, up from 14 percent to 3.3 percent of patient admissions in the week to December 7, compared to 2.9 percent two weeks earlier, according to data.
And similar increases are also being seen in cases of RSV and norovirus.
New Jersey is also one of eight U.S. states now recording “moderate” levels of flu-like illnesses, a sign that the state’s flu season is starting to get underway.
Dr. Moore added: ‘Just breathing can cause a person to exhale invisible droplets that can travel at least 18 inches from a person’s face, while speaking can cause the droplets to travel up to three feet.
‘These droplets can carry respiratory pathogens such as viruses, and can then be inhaled by others, causing an infection.
‘At the same time, the cold weather is causing people to spend more time indoors, increasing the chance of inhaling the droplets and contracting an infection.’
He said the symptoms people described were similar to flu or another respiratory infection.
The drones first appeared over New Jersey skies over a month ago and are now spotted every night – sometimes more than fifty at a time.
Biden has tasked the federal government with determining the cause of the apparent “swarms,” and has struggled to provide an explanation.
The planes have been spotted in coastal areas, around the Picatinny Arsenal and over Donald Trump’s golf course in Bedminster.