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
Animals and the origins of the new coronavirus
It is thought that the new coronavirus originated from bats and was transmitted to humans through another animal.
These patents are not for the new coronavirus or its vaccine
The patents are for other forms of coronavirus and show no evidence Covid-19 was manufactured.
Boris Johnson mistakenly said that Covid-19 could be monitored through the water supply
When talking about monitoring Covid-19, Boris Johnson referred to detecting it in the water supply when he meant to say wastewater.
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
Currently, people in independent living housing aren’t automatically eligible for coronavirus testing
Testing for asymptomatic people is currently only available for people in regulated care homes and in the NHS.
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.
Treatment
Hydroxychloroquine is not used as a treatment for radiation sickness
There isn’t reliable evidence that the drug cures Covid-19 patients either.
These patents are not for the new coronavirus or its vaccine
The patents are for other forms of coronavirus and show no evidence Covid-19 was manufactured.
This post about Covid-19 and blood clotting conditions contains inaccuracies
Some people with severe Covid-19 develop blood clotting problems, but this doesn’t mean that pneumonia is a misdiagnosis.
Lockdown
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.
50 French schools have closed due to coronavirus cases, but it is likely these infections happened before schools reopened
It is still too early to know the effect of school openings will have on coronavirus cases in France.
It’s likely that over 100,000 people have entered the UK since the lockdown began
Government estimates on arrivals are opaque, but recent figures suggest 100,000 is an underestimate.
Statistics
It is not clear that 19 million people have already had the new coronavirus
New research claiming that this is the case needs taking with a pinch of salt.
Daily Express diabetes and coronavirus deaths headline is misleading
A quarter of patients who died with Covid-19 in English hospitals had diabetes. But that doesn’t mean that all these deaths were linked to diabetes.
The government says 125,000 workers in care settings and 118,000 care home residents have been tested for Covid-19
In PMQs, Boris Johnson misspoke by saying 125,000 care home staff and 118,000 care home workers have been tested for coronavirus.
Viral posts on social media
50 French schools have closed due to coronavirus cases, but it is likely these infections happened before schools reopened
It is still too early to know the effect of school openings will have on coronavirus cases in France.
A 2019 Dominic Cummings blog post was recently edited to explicitly mention a coronavirus
The Wayback Machine website shows the edit being made in mid-April 2020.
Animals and the origins of the new coronavirus
It is thought that the new coronavirus originated from bats and was transmitted to humans through another animal.
Ask Full Fact
It is not clear that 19 million people have already had the new coronavirus
New research claiming that this is the case needs taking with a pinch of salt.
It’s not right that you’re more likely to drown than die of Covid-19 if you’re under 60 with no health problems
It was claimed on Question Time that you are more likely to drown than die of Covid-19 if you are under 60 with no health conditions.
Currently, people in independent living housing aren’t automatically eligible for coronavirus testing
Testing for asymptomatic people is currently only available for people in regulated care homes and in the NHS.
All Covid-19 fact checks
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.
50 French schools have closed due to coronavirus cases, but it is likely these infections happened before schools reopened
It is still too early to know the effect of school openings will have on coronavirus cases in France.
It is not clear that 19 million people have already had the new coronavirus
New research claiming that this is the case needs taking with a pinch of salt.
Thank you
We are grateful to all our donors for supporting us to tackle dangerously false claims during this global crisis.