Get the facts on Covid-19

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 Covid-19

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.

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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

Vaccines

Vaccine misinformation is dangerous and threatens to prolong the pandemic. Stay informed with our latest fact checks.

29 January 2024

Covid-19 vaccines don’t alter your DNA

Many Facebook posts have falsely described the vaccines as ‘DNA altering technology’.

20 December 2023

Covid vaccines are still available in Iceland

The country has not banned Covid vaccines, despite claims on social media saying it has.

30 November 2023

No graphene oxide in Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine

The substance was used as a tool to study a sample during the vaccine’s development. It is not an ingredient in the vaccine itself.

Causes

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.

10 January 2022

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.

11 November 2021

SARS-CoV-2 does exist

It has now been sequenced over a million times in the UK.

14 October 2021

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

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.

16 January 2023

Instagram post misrepresents study linking climate change and diseases

Research linking climate change to strokes, dementia and migraines is not a cover up for Covid-19 vaccine harms, as Instagram user claims.

6 April 2022

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

18 February 2022

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.

Prevention

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.

30 November 2023

No graphene oxide in Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine

The substance was used as a tool to study a sample during the vaccine’s development. It is not an ingredient in the vaccine itself.

15 November 2023

Instagram post lacks vital context about Covid deaths among the vaccinated

Virtually all the most vulnerable people are vaccinated against Covid, so most of the people who die of it are too.

31 May 2023

5G is not triggering nanotechnology in the Covid vaccines

A video showing people collapsing claims to show deaths due to 5G activating ingredients injected into them.

Treatment

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.

20 November 2023

Covid-19 vaccines did not kill 30 people at one clinic in New Zealand

This claim comes from an activist who supplied no supporting evidence. It is contradicted by data on deaths published by the New Zealand government.

9 February 2023

Egg yolks not shown to fight Covid-19

Social media posts claiming egg yolks could be a key in fighting Covid-19 infections misinterpret the research and falsely link it to egg shortages.

12 September 2022

Russell Brand admits falsely claiming that ivermectin is a Covid-19 treatment

A page of the National Institutes of Health website says that ivermectin is not recommended, and does not work, as a treatment for Covid-19.

Statistics

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.

6 December 2023

Was Boris Johnson right to dispute Covid Inquiry evidence on excess deaths?

Pandemic deaths in the UK were indeed among the worst in western Europe as the Inquiry had heard—but also about in the middle, by the standards of Europe as a whole, as Mr Johnson said.

9 August 2023

Data doesn’t seem to back up PM’s claim that A&E waits are ‘the best in two years’

Rishi Sunak claimed A&E waiting times are at their best in two years. But experts say this is hard to reconcile with public data, which shows that June 2023 was not the best month in the last 24.

16 May 2023

UK’s worst week for Covid-19 deaths far worse than viral post claims

A viral claim on social media that 652 people died in the UK’s worst week of the pandemic is far too low. The true figure is almost 10,000.

Viral posts on social media

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.

22 November 2023

Myocarditis after Covid vaccines doesn’t kill one in five

A video of a man talking to a pharmacist about myocarditis has resurfaced on social media. Claims in the video about the mortality rate of the condition are incorrect.

20 November 2023

Covid-19 vaccines did not kill 30 people at one clinic in New Zealand

This claim comes from an activist who supplied no supporting evidence. It is contradicted by data on deaths published by the New Zealand government.

5 October 2023

Rapid tests for both Covid and flu don’t prove infections are the same thing

Tests with two different wells for samples that can detect three different infections do not prove the infections are the same.

Ask Full Fact

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.

5 November 2021

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.

9 September 2021

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

13 July 2021

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

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.

21 February 2024

The NHS Covid-19 app didn’t cost £37 billion

An old myth that the NHS Covid app cost £37 billion has resurfaced. In fact, that’s the budget for the first two years of the entire Test and Trace programme.

29 January 2024

Covid-19 vaccines don’t alter your DNA

Many Facebook posts have falsely described the vaccines as ‘DNA altering technology’.

20 December 2023

Covid vaccines are still available in Iceland

The country has not banned Covid vaccines, despite claims on social media saying it has.

Thank you

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