Covid-19 fact checks

Health

Are 3 in 10 people failing to isolate?

By Pippa Allen-Kinross • 3 mins

Keir Starmer’s claim about self-isolation comes with many caveats. Read

Economy, Business & Finance

Guardian report on public opinion about job losses needs context

By Abbas Panjwani • 2 mins

A survey found 47% of the population think job performance is an important factor in recent job losses, not necessarily the main reason. Read

Health

The link between vitamin D and Covid-19 is complex

By Daniella de Block Golding • 8 mins

Some studies have shown an association between vitamin D and coronavirus infections. Read

Government advise special precautions for disposing of infectious PPE

By Daniella de Block Golding • 2 mins

In some places such as hospitals PPE is also disposed of as clinical waste. Read

A fake Metro cover shares false vaccine information

By Leo Benedictus • 2 mins

The real front page of the Metro on 16 February was completely different. Read

There is evidence vaccines reduce risk of Covid-19 illness

By Grace Rahman • 2 mins

Being ill with Covid-19 and getting infected by the virus that causes it are not the same thing. Read

There are no human cells in the AstraZeneca vaccine, and it won’t give you a chimpanzee virus

By Daniella de Block Golding • 3 mins

A post on social media makes claims about viruses from chimpanzees and human foetal cells in AstraZeneca vaccine. Read

Health

The NAO didn’t claim there was never a national PPE shortage

By Abbas Panjwani • 3 mins

Health secretary Matt Hancock made this claim during an interview with the Today programme. Read

We can’t say if Test and Trace has cost more than the Channel Tunnel—yet

By Leo Benedictus • 3 mins

£22bn is the budget for the first year of NHS Test and Trace, but we don’t know how much has actually been spent. Read

Mask wearing doesn’t cause bacterial pneumonia

By Abbas Panjwani • 5 mins

Evidence shows mask wearing may reduce the risk of bacterial infection. Read