Get the facts on Covid-19
Our fact checkers are fighting to protect people from bad information about Covid-19.
Top articles
How you can fact check claims about Covid-19
There’s a lot of misinformation about Covid-19, so Full Fact is sharing its top tips on how to check if a claim is true.
Read more…No evidence Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine affects women’s fertility
The vaccine causes an immune response to a spike protein, but this almost certainly won’t make the body attack the placenta.
RNA Covid-19 vaccines will not change your DNA
Several candidate vaccines use this technology.
The Covid-19 recovery rate is not 99.9%
Posts on social media have overestimated the Covid recovery rate.
Full Fact fights bad information
Bad information ruins lives. It promotes hate, damages people’s health, and hurts democracy. You deserve better.
Vaccines
Vaccine misinformation is dangerous and threatens to prolong the pandemic. Stay informed with our latest fact checks.
Can you have a shorter gap between Covid-19 vaccines in pregnancy?
The official guidance says the main exception to the eight week interval minimum is those about to start immunosuppressant treatment.
What do we know about the long-term effects of Covid-19 vaccines in pregnancy?
We don’t have long-term data on the use of the vaccines in pregnancy, but our knowledge is growing, and the evidence we do have so far is reassuring.
Germany has not stopped using Covid-19 vaccines
A social media post falsely claims Germany’s government no longer recommends Covid-19 vaccination.
Causes
There is more than one “coronavirus” and they’ve existed for years. There’s no evidence anybody manufactured it deliberately, and it has nothing to do with 5G.
Trafalgar Square “Freedom Rally” speech littered with false claims
Speaker Vernon Coleman made a litany of misleading claims to an audience of hundreds in Trafalgar Square
Covid variants weren’t planned
A TikTok video falsely claims the variants of Covid-19 were “made up”.
5G tower with ‘Delta’ power system is not related to Covid-19
Photos of a 5G tower supported by ‘Delta’ power system has nothing to do with Covid-19.
Symptoms
The key symptoms are usually a high temperature and a new, continuous cough. Other symptoms like a runny nose don’t rule it out.
Trafalgar Square “Freedom Rally” speech littered with false claims
Speaker Vernon Coleman made a litany of misleading claims to an audience of hundreds in Trafalgar Square
Covid variants weren’t planned
A TikTok video falsely claims the variants of Covid-19 were “made up”.
Study did not show 82% of pregnancies end in miscarriage after Covid vaccination
Study did not show 82% of pregnancies end in miscarriage after Covid vaccination.
Prevention
There’s no evidence that water or high temperatures will prevent infection, though some are good for your health in general. Washing your hands with soap is best.
An influencer muddled his maths on vaccines for children
The JCVI says that the Covid vaccines would probably do marginally more good than harm, even for healthy children.
Viral video makes incorrect claims about teenagers and vaccine consent
A 2020 court case, known as Bell vs Tavistock, doesn’t mean it’s illegal to vaccinate teenagers without parental consent or a court order
Germany has not stopped using Covid-19 vaccines
A social media post falsely claims Germany’s government no longer recommends Covid-19 vaccination.
Treatment
There’s currently no proven cure for the virus and you should be wary of methods professing to cure it like hot drinks or gargling salt water.
Newspapers report Covid hospitalisations over seven months as over seven days
In the seven months to 29 August, 9,472 people in England stayed in hospital overnight with a confirmed case of the Delta variant.
Germany has not stopped using Covid-19 vaccines
A social media post falsely claims Germany’s government no longer recommends Covid-19 vaccination.
Breastfeeding after Covid-19 vaccine is recommended as safe
The NHS says you cannot catch Covid-19 from the vaccines or pass it on to your baby through breast milk.
Statistics
Use sources like NHS England and the ONS for figures on deaths and testing, but be aware they’re not always up-to-date and may not cover all cases so far.
Covid-19 is almost certainly killing more people than suicide
A Facebook post that suicide deaths are higher provides no evidence. And what evidence we have suggests the opposite.
Newspapers report Covid hospitalisations over seven months as over seven days
In the seven months to 29 August, 9,472 people in England stayed in hospital overnight with a confirmed case of the Delta variant.
An influencer muddled his maths on vaccines for children
The JCVI says that the Covid vaccines would probably do marginally more good than harm, even for healthy children.
Viral posts on social media
If you’re not sure, don’t share. Many posts falsely claim to be from the government or NHS, and you can reverse-search photos online to check they’re accurate.
Germany has not stopped using Covid-19 vaccines
A social media post falsely claims Germany’s government no longer recommends Covid-19 vaccination.
Wetherspoons Covid-19 reopening deal is fake
A Facebook post falsely claims Wetherspoons is offering a meal and drinks voucher to celebrate pubs fully reopening after lockdown.
Video of ‘QR code’ detected in arm is not evidence of vaccine microchips
There are no microchips in Covid-19 vaccines.
Ask Full Fact
We've asked readers to send in their questions about Covid-19, to help sort the good information from the bad. Check out our answers here.
Viral video makes incorrect claims about teenagers and vaccine consent
A 2020 court case, known as Bell vs Tavistock, doesn’t mean it’s illegal to vaccinate teenagers without parental consent or a court order
No evidence Covid-19 vaccines are 'overwhelming' NHS services
A website article misleadingly claims the Covid-19 vaccine drive has “overwhelmed” the NHS.
Viral instagram video falsely claims Covid-19 was planned
A video falsely claims Covid-19 has been planned and its vaccine kills.
All Covid-19 fact checks
It’s vital that everyone receives clear, factual information about Covid-19. We are working to correct misinformation about the virus.
Covid-19 is almost certainly killing more people than suicide
A Facebook post that suicide deaths are higher provides no evidence. And what evidence we have suggests the opposite.
There are ways to identify the Delta variant
It is done through further analysis of positive PCR results.
Can you have a shorter gap between Covid-19 vaccines in pregnancy?
The official guidance says the main exception to the eight week interval minimum is those about to start immunosuppressant treatment.
Thank you
We are grateful to all our donors for supporting us to tackle dangerously false claims during this global crisis.