Get the facts on the new coronavirus
Our fact checkers are fighting to protect people from bad information about Covid-19.
How you can fact check claims about the new coronavirus
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.
What we know, and what we don’t, about the true coronavirus death toll
And why it’s too soon to compare the UK’s with other countries
Has the government really hit 100,000 tests a day, and what happens next?
Full Fact has looked into the reality behind the government’s testing target.
Causes
Covid-19 study that links deaths to low vitamin D levels is flawed
This study has been removed from the online research library it was published on.
What do we know about Covid-19 inequalities among people from minority ethnic groups?
There are stark inequalities in Covid-19 outcomes in the UK.
Facebook post about Italy, coronavirus and 5G is almost all false
The post wrongly claims Italian doctors have found Covid-19 is caused by a bacteria.
Symptoms
What did the lockdown rules say when Dominic Cummings travelled to Durham?
Some of his choices were not specifically permitted, and it appears that he did not fully explore the alternatives, as was required.
Can children transmit the new coronavirus to other people?
The evidence to date suggests that it is uncommon for children to transmit the new coronavirus. Widespread antibody testing is required to fully understand this issue.
Testing positive for Covid-19 doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get ill
A headline in the Times conflated testing positive with Covid-19 to being “ill” with the disease.
Prevention
Alcohol-based hand sanitiser cannot catch fire, without a spark, just because it's in a hot car
Hand sanitiser can only ignite at temperatures found in a hot car if there is a spark.
Does any country have 'a functioning track and trace app'?
Boris Johnson claimed no country currently has a functioning Covid-19 track and trace app.
The Covid-19 track and trace app has not been automatically downloaded onto people’s phones
“COVID-19 exposure notifications” is not an app—it is an API that can work with tracing apps if they are downloaded.
Treatment
Facebook post about Italy, coronavirus and 5G is almost all false
The post wrongly claims Italian doctors have found Covid-19 is caused by a bacteria.
A viral post on autopsies, Italy and the new coronavirus has many inaccuracies
Covid-19 is not caused by bacteria.
New antibody tests are not 100% accurate on all measures
It was reported that new antibody tests were 100% accurate, but evaluation of the tests by Public Health England shows this is not the case.
Lockdown
What did lockdown rules say when these Labour MPs are claimed to have broken them?
These Labour MPs have either apologised for or defended their actions during lockdown.
The limits of what we can say about early lockdowns
Analysis comparing countries’ excess deaths tallies based on when they locked down needs to be put into context.
Two metres is a little better than one
New research shows that keeping your distance does protect against coronavirus
Statistics
What do we know about Covid-19 inequalities among people from minority ethnic groups?
There are stark inequalities in Covid-19 outcomes in the UK.
The UK has had one of Europe’s worst Covid-19 outbreaks
But it is not the only country with a high death rate.
Covid-19 is the underlying cause of death for most people who die with it
ONS data suggests Covid-19 is the underlying cause of death for 94% of people who die with it.
Viral posts on social media
Viral illustration shows one type of Covid-19 sampling method
There are different ways to take samples to test for Covid-19.
Bill Gates doesn’t own the vaccine for or patent of the Covid-19 virus
A viral Facebook post claims he is a partner in a Wuhan lab, which he isn’t.
Facebook post about Italy, coronavirus and 5G is almost all false
The post wrongly claims Italian doctors have found Covid-19 is caused by a bacteria.
Ask Full Fact
Yes, patients were discharged to care homes without Covid-19 tests
Until 15 April there was no requirement to test patients being discharged from hospitals to care homes for Covid-19 in England.
What are the new lockdown rules on social distancing?
Rules about who you can meet and what you can do outside have been updated by the government.
Covid-19 may not be a “high consequence infectious disease”, but it is a real emergency
The new coronavirus can cause many thousands of deaths even though Covid-19 is no longer considered a “high consequence infectious disease”.
All Covid-19 fact checks
How medical staff found themselves at the centre of an information battle during the pandemic
Over the past months, as the coronavirus pandemic gripped the country, medical staff have found themselves – often unwillingly – at the centre of a parallel information crisis.
Covid-19 study that links deaths to low vitamin D levels is flawed
This study has been removed from the online research library it was published on.
Viral illustration shows one type of Covid-19 sampling method
There are different ways to take samples to test for Covid-19.
Thank you
We are grateful to all our donors for supporting us to tackle dangerously false claims during this global crisis.