Covid-19 fact checks

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.

15 July 2021

Acidic foods don’t test positive for Covid

By Tom Norton • 2 mins

Posts on Facebook wrongly claim that high acid foods appear to test positive for Covid-19 on lateral flow devices Read

Fact checks

14 July 2021

The Pfizer vaccine isn’t 99% graphene oxide

By Daniella de Block Golding • 3 mins

The MHRA has said these claims are ‘completely incorrect’, and the study that has been used to back up the claims has a number of inaccuracies and flaws. Read

Fact checks

14 July 2021

New study estimates mask wearing could cut R number by 25%, not 0.25

By Tom Norton • 2 mins

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham appeared to misquote the study on the Today programme Read

Fact checks

13 July 2021

A Portuguese court hasn’t said there have only been 152 Covid deaths

By Abbas Panjwani • 2 mins

This was just the number of deaths recorded by doctors from the Ministry of Justice, who typically only deal with deaths where there is a suspicion of foul play. Read

Fact checks

13 July 2021

No evidence Covid-19 vaccines are 'overwhelming' NHS services

By Tom Norton • 3 mins

A website article misleadingly claims the Covid-19 vaccine drive has “overwhelmed” the NHS. Read

Fact checks

12 July 2021

Video shares falsehoods about face masks and asymptomatic spread of Covid-19

By Daniella de Block Golding • 3 mins

Footage of a meeting in Orange County, California, in 2020 shares a lot of false information about asymptomatic spread of Covid-19 and the use of facemasks. Read