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.
Covid-19 vaccines still don’t contain graphene oxide
The claim has been going round since a Spanish professor got a vial of what claimed to be Pfizer vaccine in the post, and said it looked like graphene oxide through a microscope.
No evidence you shouldn’t breastfeed after Covid-19 vaccination
An Instagram post takes a tragic story of an infant’s death and uses it to make baseless claims about vaccine safety.
An Australian professor didn’t say Covid-19 vaccines aren’t vaccines
She actually said the Covid-19 vaccines aren’t live vaccines.
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.
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.
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”.
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.
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.
Chemical used to sterilise Covid-19 tests won’t turn into deadly antifreeze
A video incorrectly suggests a gas used to sterilise lateral flow tests can cause cancer and its use is being hidden from the public.
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
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.
The Covid-19 vaccines do protect against severe disease
There are more vaccinated people in hospital with Covid because the vast majority of vulnerable people have now been vaccinated.
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.
An Australian professor didn’t say Covid-19 vaccines aren’t vaccines
She actually said the Covid-19 vaccines aren’t live 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.
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.
Nebulised hydrogen peroxide shouldn’t be used to treat all respiratory illnesses
The MHRA told Full Fact that it has ‘significant concerns that this practice is not safe’.
Chemical used to sterilise Covid-19 tests won’t turn into deadly antifreeze
A video incorrectly suggests a gas used to sterilise lateral flow tests can cause cancer and its use is being hidden from the public.
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.
Teen deaths up since last year, but no evidence vaccines responsible
2020 saw lower than average teen deaths due to various factors, and so isn’t a “normal” year to compare 2021 against.
Vaccines do not raise your risk of catching Covid
The headline of a Daily Sceptic article misinterpreted the data in a PHE report— even though the report specifically warned against this.
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.
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.
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.
No evidence you shouldn’t breastfeed after Covid-19 vaccination
An Instagram post takes a tragic story of an infant’s death and uses it to make baseless claims about vaccine safety.
mRNA vaccines aren’t gene editing and don’t alter your DNA
A video claiming vaccines are part of the ‘fourth industrial revolution’ uses footage of World Economic Forum founder Klaus Schwab to claim vaccines edit your genes.
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.
The Covid-19 virus has been isolated many times in Spain—and elsewhere
The fact that the Spanish Ministry of Health doesn’t have its own viral cultures doesn’t mean it thinks they don’t exist.
The Covid-19 vaccines do protect against severe disease
There are more vaccinated people in hospital with Covid because the vast majority of vulnerable people have now been vaccinated.
Study doesn’t prove that statins ‘cut’ the risk of dying from Covid
A headline in the Daily Express was wrong to say that statins actually caused a lower death rate among people taking them.
Thank you
We are grateful to all our donors for supporting us to tackle dangerously false claims during this global crisis.