Health
Viral image about patents for viruses is misleading
Claims about patents existing for AIDS, Zika, SARS, swine flu and Ebola are misleading. 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.
Here’s what the books that “predicted” the Covid-19 coronavirus actually say
One is a sci-fi novel about a disease created in a lab outside of Wuhan, and another is a book of predictions that said a “pneumonia-like” illness would spread in 2020. Read
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Health
The World Health Organisation did not know about the Covid-19 virus before the current outbreak
The World Health Organisation did not know about the Covid-19 pathogen before the current outbreak. Read
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Health
There's no evidence that the 2019 coronavirus originated in a Chinese government laboratory
A new article written by Chinese scientists does not prove that the 2019 coronavirus outbreak came from bats in a government laboratory. Read
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Dettol hasn’t tested its products against the new Wuhan coronavirus yet
Coronavirus is a category of viruses that includes the common cold. Read
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Health
These aren’t satellite images and they don’t show evidence of mass cremations in Wuhan
Images claiming to show high levels of sulphur dioxide above Wuhan are not based on real satellite data. Read
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There is no patent for the Wuhan coronavirus
There is no patent for the Wuhan coronavirus. Claims that Jacob Rothschild owns the patent are untrue. Read
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The makers of Dettol did not know about the new Wuhan coronavirus before the rest of us
Coronavirus is a category of viruses which includes the common cold, as well as the new Wuhan coronavirus. Read
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This company is based in Shanghai, not Wuhan
Authorities have not yet traced the origin of the new coronavirus outbreak. Read
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The Wuhan coronavirus has nothing to do with 5G
Lots of cities in China have 5G coverage, not just the city at the centre of the new coronavirus outbreak. Read
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