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.
No evidence for link between AIDS epidemic and smallpox vaccine
An article in a 1987 edition of the Times claimed a possible link between the smallpox vaccine and AIDS. There is no evidence for such a link.
Monkeypox isn’t shingles in disguise
A tweet claims shingles is ‘being termed as monkeypox’.
Monkeypox is not ‘vaccine acquired’ shingles
They are caused by completely different viruses.
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.
Betty White did not get a Covid-19 booster vaccine three days before she died
Multiple social media posts falsely report actress Betty White had her third Covid vaccine three days before she died.
Social media post appears to overstate risk of vaccine blood clots
A Facebook post implies the risk of developing a blood clot or heart problem from a Covid-19 vaccine outweighs the benefits.
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.
Mirror wrong to say catching Covid in warm weather cuts risk of long Covid
Surveys on the prevalence of long Covid did not measure the difference between groups of people based on when they caught Covid in the first place, nor necessarily based on when they experienced long
Washington Post overstates prevalence of long Covid
The Washington Post claimed at least 50% of people who survive Covid-19 have debilitating health issues in the months afterwards. Official estimates are far lower.
Vaccinated Brits won’t have AIDS by the end of February 2022
An article posted on Facebook makes baseless claims that vaccines cause AIDS and will lead to a huge number of deaths in children.
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.
Express publishes misleading article about safety of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine
A recently published US document listing adverse events does not show “side effects” of the vaccine. Nor is it the first time the public have been able to see data from its clinical trials.
Maajid Nawaz got Covid-19 facts wrong on the Joe Rogan podcast
The former LBC broadcaster made misleading claims about vaccines, infection rates and death tolls.
Estimating vaccine effectiveness by comparing case rates is seriously flawed
A common form of misinformation in recent months, comparing case rates does not give a reliable estimate of vaccine effectiveness.
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.
News clip doesn’t prove Queen is being treated with ivermectin
Screenshots and clips of an Australian news segment about Queen Elizabeth II have been shared widely online.
Vaccinated Brits won’t have AIDS by the end of February 2022
An article posted on Facebook makes baseless claims that vaccines cause AIDS and will lead to a huge number of deaths in children.
Video filmed at police station is filled with Covid-19 vaccine misinformation
A video shared on Facebook of police speaking to vaccine sceptics is littered with unfounded claims about a non-existent investigation into Covid vaccinations.
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.
There were not 65,000 flu deaths in the winter of 2017/18
We’re not sure where this number comes from, but official estimates suggest it’s more than double the true figure.
Number of death certificates with only Covid-19 is a bad estimate of the death toll
To the end of 2021, over 150,000 deaths in the UK had been registered with Covid-19 as the underlying cause.
GB News interview features misleading claims about Covid-19 and vaccines
Mark Steyn and Dr Guy Hatchard made a number of misleading claims about unreviewed studies, excess deaths and underlying risk factors.
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.
NASA Mars mission would cost much more than two years of NHS Test and Trace
£37 billion was the original budget for Test and Trace over two years.
Monkeypox isn’t shingles in disguise
A tweet claims shingles is ‘being termed as monkeypox’.
The US military did not find traces of pesticides in Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine
A claim that members of the US special forces found traces of pesticides in vials of Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine is false.
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.
Pregnancy, vaccination and going to work - what does the guidance say?
Readers have asked us what the guidance says on going into work while pregnant, and what employers need to do to ensure safety.
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.
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.
RMT exaggerates money ‘wasted’ on PPE and NHS Test and Trace
Funding the NHS for years would cost far more than the total amount spent—let alone “wasted”—on PPE and Test and Trace during the pandemic.
NASA Mars mission would cost much more than two years of NHS Test and Trace
£37 billion was the original budget for Test and Trace over two years.
A US federal agency did not say that Covid-19 was a planned ‘scamdemic’
A retired neurosurgeon expressed this opinion in a journal article, which can be found by searching PubMed on the agency’s site.
Thank you
We are grateful to all our donors for supporting us to tackle dangerously false claims during this global crisis.