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.
Viral video spreads misinformation about ethylene oxide and Ivermectin
There is no evidence that using something that has been sterilised with ethylene oxide, such as a Covid-19 swab, is harmful.
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.
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.
Letter to MHRA is filled with false Covid-19 claims
These include falsehoods that all people who die after a positive Covid test are registered as having died of Covid and that the Covid vaccines are experimental.
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.
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.
Letter to MHRA is filled with false Covid-19 claims
These include falsehoods that all people who die after a positive Covid test are registered as having died of Covid and that the Covid vaccines are experimental.
Viral video includes lots of false claims and half truths
These include claims that there is a blanket approach to do not resuscitate orders on elderly and disabled people, that the Covid-19 vaccines are experimental and genocidal, and that the Covid-19 pandemic was planned.
Mike Yeadon wrong again on lockdowns and face masks
Claims that lockdowns and face masks don’t work are false.
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.
Honey, ginger and pepper isn’t approved treatment for Covid-19
This home remedy has not been approved by the World Health Organisation. The WhatsApp message it’s been widely shared through is very similar to Facebook posts which have already been debunked.
Letter to MHRA is filled with false Covid-19 claims
These include falsehoods that all people who die after a positive Covid test are registered as having died of Covid and that the Covid vaccines are experimental.
Viral video includes lots of false claims and half truths
These include claims that there is a blanket approach to do not resuscitate orders on elderly and disabled people, that the Covid-19 vaccines are experimental and genocidal, and that the Covid-19 pandemic was planned.
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.
Letter to MHRA is filled with false Covid-19 claims
These include falsehoods that all people who die after a positive Covid test are registered as having died of Covid and that the Covid vaccines are experimental.
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.
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.
Viral video spreads misinformation about ethylene oxide and Ivermectin
There is no evidence that using something that has been sterilised with ethylene oxide, such as a Covid-19 swab, is harmful.
Letter to MHRA is filled with false Covid-19 claims
These include falsehoods that all people who die after a positive Covid test are registered as having died of Covid and that the Covid vaccines are experimental.
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.
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.
A mistake in the New York Post has been misconstrued as a sign of Covid-19 conspiracy
The paper used a picture of scenes from a gas leak in India in 2020, not the Covid-19 crisis in 2021. But this seems to be a simple mistake, which has since been corrected.
Honey, ginger and pepper isn’t approved treatment for Covid-19
This home remedy has not been approved by the World Health Organisation. The WhatsApp message it’s been widely shared through is very similar to Facebook posts which have already been debunked.
Viral video spreads misinformation about ethylene oxide and Ivermectin
There is no evidence that using something that has been sterilised with ethylene oxide, such as a Covid-19 swab, is harmful.
Thank you
We are grateful to all our donors for supporting us to tackle dangerously false claims during this global crisis.