Get the facts on the new coronavirus
Our fact checkers are fighting to protect people from bad information about Covid-19.
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How you can fact check claims about the new coronavirus
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…How you can fact check claims about the new coronavirus
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.
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.
Influencer video full of untrue vaccine claims
These include false claims that all animals in Covid vaccine trials died and that vaccines can change your DNA.
Covid-19 child vaccine trial paused over clot concerns, not cot death
The study was giving the Covid-19 vaccine to children aged between six and 17, not infants.
Mike Yeadon wrong again on lockdowns and face masks
Claims that lockdowns and face masks don’t work are false.
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.
Covid-19 is not the same as a common cold
Coronaviruses are a family of viruses which include those which cause the common cold, SARS and Covid-19.
The problem with coronavirus transmission in hospitals
Full Fact investigates what we know about Covid-19 transmission in hospitals, and what we don’t.
Covid-19 is an infectious disease, and a video claiming it isn’t is wrong
The woman in this video is wrong to blame radiation—and wrong about other things as well
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.
Facebook post makes misleading claims about Covid-19 passports and death rate
A post on Facebook makes misleading claims about Covid-19 vaccines, Covid-19 passports, infection, transmission and the death rate.
A Bangladesh study doesn’t show that depression follows Covid-19
The Telegraph misreported a scientific study which found that many former Covid-19 sufferers had depression—but did not say whether the virus was to blame.
Matt Hancock got the evidence about long Covid wrong
Younger people and those with milder illness seem less likely to be affected, according to data from the Covid Symptom Study app
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.
Mike Yeadon wrong again on lockdowns and face masks
Claims that lockdowns and face masks don’t work are false.
Error-strewn paper claims face masks are ineffective and harmful
The ‘peer-reviewed paper from Stanford’ is not from Stanford and may not have been conventionally peer-reviewed.
Godfrey Bloom video makes false claims about vaccines
Former MEP Godfrey Bloom has made a number of false claims about Covid-19 vaccines
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.
No evidence rapper DMX had Covid-19 vaccine before his death
There is no evidence that rapper DMX had a Covid-19 vaccine before he died of a heart attack.
Error-strewn paper claims face masks are ineffective and harmful
The ‘peer-reviewed paper from Stanford’ is not from Stanford and may not have been conventionally peer-reviewed.
Godfrey Bloom video makes false claims about vaccines
Former MEP Godfrey Bloom has made a number of false claims about Covid-19 vaccines
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.
This map in the Daily Express uses all the wrong numbers
No UK regions reported zero “new daily cases” of Covid-19 on the day before.
The Express muddles up the dangers of Covid-19 in pregnancy
The study it describes looked at whether Covid raises the risks associated with pregnancy—not whether pregnancy raises the risks of Covid.
Claims that a quarter of all Covid-19 deaths weren’t caused by the virus misinterpret the data
Media reports of the new figures do not make it clear that this figure only relates to one week of data.
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.
Influencer video full of untrue vaccine claims
These include false claims that all animals in Covid vaccine trials died and that vaccines can change your DNA.
Photo of Mike Tyson in ‘Plan-Demic’ t-shirt has been edited
A photo of Mike Tyson wearing a t-shirt promoting the ‘Plan-Demic’ conspiracy theory has been altered
Viewers spot Lorraine Kelly Himalayas gaffe
The TV personality claimed photos showed how visibility of the Himalayas changed after lockdown. The ‘before’ image was edited and not real.
Ask Full Fact
We've asked readers to send in their questions about the new coronavirus, to help sort the good information from the bad. Check out our answers here.
Viral instagram video falsely claims Covid-19 was planned
A video falsely claims Covid-19 has been planned and its vaccine kills.
Many more than 3,000 people have died of Covid-19
The true death toll is currently more than 100,000 in England and Wales.
Millions—not thousands—caught Covid last year
Doctors only report a small fraction of infections through the NOIDs system.
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.
This map in the Daily Express uses all the wrong numbers
No UK regions reported zero “new daily cases” of Covid-19 on the day before.
Influencer video full of untrue vaccine claims
These include false claims that all animals in Covid vaccine trials died and that vaccines can change your DNA.
Boris Johnson promised to publish his Dyson communications—we’re still waiting on “all the details”
The Prime Minister originally said he would share ‘all the details’ with the House of Commons and ‘communications’ would be published.
Thank you
We are grateful to all our donors for supporting us to tackle dangerously false claims during this global crisis.