This page brings together Full Fact’s fact checks on Covid-19, covering common claims, vaccine safety and efficacy, symptoms, treatments, government policies, and misinformation. We review evidence, correct errors, and monitor evolving science to help you make informed decisions.
Health
A collection of articles reporting on possible links between certain factors and heart attacks do not show “you can’t do anything without risking a heart attack”. Read
A satirical article in 2020 claimed that St Thomas’ Hospital made staff sign the Official Secrets Act when Mr Johnson was admitted, and sent home those who refused—but none of this was true. Read
Health
There’s no evidence the vaccines affect fertility. Read
Health
Certain measures of male fertility in sperm donors was found to temporarily drop between 2.5 and five months after vaccination. Read
Claims that cases of sudden, unexpected deaths are actually the result of Covid-19 vaccines are unevidenced. Nor is there currently any evidence that these deaths have become more common in the UK. Read
Health
Funding the NHS for years would cost far more than the total amount spent—let alone “wasted”—on PPE and Test and Trace during the pandemic. Read
Health
£37 billion was the original budget for Test and Trace over two years. Read
Health
A retired neurosurgeon expressed this opinion in a journal article, which can be found by searching PubMed on the agency’s site. Read
Health
An article in a 1987 edition of the Times claimed a possible link between the smallpox vaccine and AIDS. There is no evidence for such a link. Read
Claims that the use of a modified chimpanzee virus in the AstraZeneca Covid vaccine are the cause of monkeypox are untrue. Read
