Health
GPs and other frontline medical workers will be among the first to receive a Covid-19 vaccine
The government has published plans on who will be vaccinated first. Read
Fact check
Covid-19 fact checks
This page brings together Full Fact’s fact checks on Covid-19, covering common claims, vaccine safety and efficacy, symptoms, treatments, government policies, and misinformation. We review evidence, correct errors, and monitor evolving science to help you make informed decisions.
Health
Danish study on mask efficacy only tells us half the story
A Spectator article suggests a new study which found mask-wearing didn’t lower Covid-19 infection rates is proof masks don’t work. But the study didn’t look at whether masks help others. Read
Fact check
Health
Research suggesting increased Covid-19 risk for dog-owners may be barking up the wrong tree
The research claims dog walkers have a higher risk of catching Covid-19 but it has a number of methodological flaws. Read
Fact check
Health
The Daily Mail’s chart of Covid-19 death figures doesn’t use the real numbers
The chart of weekly deaths claimed to show that deaths were barely higher than previous years, but the figures are wrong. Read
Fact check
Health
This picture of a vaccine vial from March 2020 is real
The Oxford vaccine has been in development since January 2020. Read
Fact check
The government plans to monitor potential adverse reactions to a Covid-19 vaccine, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be safe
The government needs a system for logging any medical problems that people encounter at the same time as the vaccine. Read
Fact check
Health
The number of deaths from flu and pneumonia is about what you would expect this year
Although there are fewer of these deaths than usual, the fall is neither unexpected, nor extreme Read
Fact check
It’s too early to say how many suicides have happened during the pandemic
A post on social media claims without evidence that suicide deaths have been higher than coronavirus deaths in the last two months. Read
Fact check
Baseless claims about vaccine safety go viral on Facebook
The post claims that the Covid-19 death rate is much lower than the estimated 0.5%-1% and makes baseless claims that a vaccine would kill more people than the virus. Read
Fact check
Health
It’s misleading to compare the effectiveness of Covid-19 vaccines and the death rate
Vaccines don’t just prevent death. Read
Fact check
Evidence you can rely on
Fact checking claims made by politicians, public figures and viral online content can give you the full picture backed by the evidence.
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