The asteroid which might enter Earth’s atmosphere on 2 November will not “hit” Earth
NASA says it is so small it would burn up in the atmosphere. Read
Fact checks
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.
A video claiming to be from 1956 did not predict Covid-19
The video is modern and was made after the pandemic began. Read
Fact checks
Health
Matt Hancock got the evidence about long Covid wrong
Younger people and those with milder illness seem less likely to be affected, according to data from the Covid Symptom Study app Read
Fact checks
Facebook post about falling flu and pneumonia deaths is wrong
The widely shared Facebook post contains a number of inaccuracies about mortality rates. Read
Fact checks
Health
PTFE in masks does not pose a health risk, unless you get it very hot
PTFE heated to high temperatures can cause sickness, but this is rare, and unlikely to be caused by normal mask-wearing. Read
Fact checks
The inventor of PCR never said it wasn’t designed to detect infectious diseases
Rumours about the inventor of the process of PCR, which is used to test whether someone currently has Covid-19, have been spreading on social media. Read
Fact checks
Dominic Raab did not say Covid-19 tests have a 93% false positive rate
Mr Raab was referring to a PHE report on testing at airports and seems to have misspoken when he mentioned false positives. Read
Fact checks
This post telling healthy people to stop getting tested is full of inaccuracies
The post cites inaccurate claims about how testing and virus levels are measured. Read
Fact checks
This video makes a number of inaccurate claims about the Covid-19 pandemic
We have seen similar claims before about Pirbright, Serco, and the Test and Trace system. Read
Fact checks
Health
Labour’s tweet about Serco is missing some important context
Public and private contact tracers do different kinds of work, so it is difficult to compare their performance. Read
Fact checks
