Busting coronavirus myths

Copyright AFP 2017-2020. All rights reserved.

Rumors, myths and misinformation about Covid-19 have spread as quickly as the disease itself. AFP Factcheck has been debunking disinformation as it emerges along with new cases across the world.

Here is a list of our 638 fact-checks in English so far, starting with the most recent:

(AFP Graphics)

638. Countries were not buying Covid-19 test kits in 2018

Facebook posts feature images of tables from a World Bank-linked website alongside the claim that they prove countries were purchasing Covid-19 test kits in 2018. The claim is false; the tables actually list the imports and exports of medical devices that existed in 2018 and which were classified as “Covid-19 products” in April 2020 because of their use fighting the pandemic, according to the World Bank.

10 September 2020

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637. Kentucky governor did not attend state’s 2020 Derby

Facebook posts claim Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear attended the 2020 edition of the state’s famous horse race, and didn’t wear a mask for protection during the Covid-19 pandemic. This is false; the 2020 Kentucky Derby took place without spectators except for necessary staff, and the photo illustrating the claims dates from 2017.

10 September 2020

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636. Experts dismiss claim that holding your breath helps test for COVID-19

A video purporting to be from an Indian hospital alleges you can find out if you have COVID-19 by simply holding your breath. But the claim is false; the WHO and a pulmonologist told AFP Fact Check that the technique cannot diagnose the illness caused by the novel coronavirus. The Indian hospital mentioned in the post has also denied any link to the video.

7 September 2020

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635. Saudi medical staff celebrate the closure of the hospital’s isolation rooms

A video has been viewed thousands of times on Facebook alongside a claim that it shows Russian healthcare workers celebrating a new vaccine for the novel coronavirus. The claim is false; the video shows medical staff celebrating the closures of isolation rooms at King Saud Medical City Al-Shumaisi Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

7 September 2020

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634. This video shows a Seoul rally in October 2019, months before Covid-19 was first reported in South Korea

A video of a large protest has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times in multiple posts on Facebook and Twitter in August 2020 alongside a claim it shows a rally against coronavirus restrictions in the South Korean capital of Seoul. The claim is false; the video was first published online in October 2019, nearly four months before the first case of Covid-19 was reported in South Korea in January 2020.

4 September 2020

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633. This image shows Liverpool fans celebrating their team’s UEFA Champions League win in 2005

An image has been shared hundreds of times in multiple Facebook posts alongside a claim it shows a protest against coronavirus restrictions in the British capital of London. The claim is false; the image shows football fans celebrating in the English city of Liverpool after Liverpool Football Club won the UEFA Champions League in 2005.

4 September 2020

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632. False claim circulates online comparing SARS and Covid-19 outbreaks in the Philippines

Multiple Facebook posts shared tens of thousands of times purport show an accurate comparison between the Philippine government's responses to the 2003 SARS outbreak and the 2020 novel coronavirus pandemic. The posts claim a prompt travel ban in 2003 resulted in zero SARS cases in the country, whereas a delayed ban in 2020 led to the Philippines recording the highest Covid-19 cases in Asia. The claim is false; Philippine government records show no travel ban was implemented in 2003; World Health Organisation (WHO) data shows the Philippines recorded 14 SARS cases that year; several Asian countries have recorded higher numbers of Covid-19 cases than the Philippines as of September 4, 2020.

4 September 2020

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631. This photo shows a 1997 music festival in Berlin

A photo has been shared hundreds of times in multiple posts on Facebook which claim it shows millions of people protesting against coronavirus restrictions at a rally in Berlin in late August 2020. The claim is false; the image shows a music festival in Berlin in 1997; thousands of people, not millions, protested against Covid-19 restrictions in Berlin on August 29, 2020.

2 September 2020

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630. Outdated guidance on masks circulates on Facebook in Manitoba

Facebook posts shared hundreds of times in Manitoba claim that the official guidance from Canada’s central province on mask-wearing states it is ineffective at preventing illnesses like the novel coronavirus. The posts feature an image of a document from February 2020 and do not reflect the provincial health department's current advice on wearing masks to help slow the spread of Covid-19.

1 September 2020

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629. This video actually shows an anti-government protest in Belarus

A video has been shared thousands of times in multiple posts on Facebook alongside a claim that it shows a rally against coronavirus restrictions in the British capital of London. The claim is false; the footage shows an anti-government protest in Belarus in August 2020.

1 September 2020

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628. Trump retweets false claim that CDC cut Covid-19 death toll by 94%

Social media posts shared thousands of times and retweeted by President Donald Trump claim the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cut the national Covid-19 death toll by 94 percent, citing a CDC comorbidity chart. The claim is false; the head of the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) said everyone included in the fatalities died from Covid-19 but the disease usually causes additional conditions, which are also listed.

31 August 2020

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627. This image shows an Italian artist's illustration of a futuristic vehicle, not a prediction of what 2022 would look like

An illustration of people driving single-occupancy vehicles has been shared thousands of times in multiple posts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram alongside a claim it was created by an Italian artist in 1962 to show what he imagined the world would look like in 2022. The claim is false; the image shows an illustration by the Italian artist of a futuristic vehicle he imagined could improve traffic in big cities.

27 August 2020

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626. This video does not show a Covid-19 patient who was nearly buried alive

A video viewed thousands of times claims to show a Covid-19 patient in a Kenyan village who was “nearly buried alive” during his own funeral. The claim is false; county officials confirmed to AFP Fact Check that while the video was indeed taken during a burial ceremony, the man seen lying on the ground wearing protective gear had fainted and is a relative of the deceased.

27 August 2020

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625. Covid-19 poses risks to children, and health authorities recommend they wear masks

A flyer shared on Facebook claims children have little chance of dying of Covid-19, they have essentially no chance of spreading the disease asymptomatically, and that they face a series of risks from wearing face masks. This is misleading; doctors say children can die from the disease and can also spread it, and US health authorities recommend that most youngsters over the age of two wear masks.

27 August 2020

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624. This image shows an Italian artist's illustration of a futuristic vehicle, not a prediction of what 2022 would look like

An illustration of people driving single-occupancy vehicles has been shared thousands of times in multiple posts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram alongside a claim it was created by an Italian artist in 1962 to show what he imagined the world would look like in 2022. The claim is false; the image shows an illustration by the Italian artist of a futuristic vehicle he imagined could improve traffic in big cities.

27 August 2020

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623. All grades in South Africa are scheduled to complete the school year, not repeat it

Facebook posts shared in South Africa claim that some grades will be repeating the current school year in 2021. However, this is false; no such announcement has been made, and the school year calendar has in fact been amended by the education department in an attempt to recover the time lost due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

27 August 2020

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622. CDC program involves Covid-19 vaccine distribution, not injection, in North Dakota

Facebook posts claim Native Americans in North Dakota will be the first subjects to receive a novel coronavirus vaccine, in one case citing a local news article as “evidence.” This is false; North Dakota was selected by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to be part of a project preparing for vaccine distribution -- not injection -- once Covid-19 shots are approved.

26 August 2020

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621. Taking your temperature with an infrared thermometer does not damage the pineal gland

A Facebook post shared thousands of times claims that taking a person’s temperature with an infrared thermometer near their head risks damaging the pineal gland, which is located in the brain. This is false, said neuroscience experts, who explained that this type of thermometer does not emit infrared radiation but captures wavelengths from the body.

25 August 2020

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620. Posts criticize Democrats for not wearing masks at a time when they weren’t recommended

Facebook posts shared tens of thousands of times during the Democratic National Convention criticize Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and other top Democrats for appearing in a crowd without masks. This is misleading; the photos in the posts are from a Democratic event held weeks before US health authorities began recommending that the general population wear face coverings to help curb the spread of COVID-19.

24 August 2020

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619. The World Health Organization has not been kicked out of Tanzania

An article claiming that the Tanzanian government has kicked the World Health Organization (WHO) out of the country has been shared hundreds of times on Facebook. The claim is false; there is no evidence of any such directive and a WHO representative in Tanzania confirmed that the office is still operational.

21 August 2020

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618. This video shows a mock funeral procession during an anti-citizenship law protest in India in 2019

A video has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times in multiple posts on Facebook and Twitter which claim it shows a mock funeral procession to "celebrate" Indian Home Minister Amit Shah testing positive for the novel coronavirus. The claim, however, is false; the video shows a mock funeral procession staged during an anti-citizenship law protest in the east Indian state of West Bengal in 2019.

21 August 2020

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617. Misleading claims about COVID-19 vaccine spread by ‘Plandemic’ video

A six-minute clip from the film titled “Plandemic: Indoctornation” seeks to raise fears about the vaccines that could help address the COVID-19 pandemic, and it makes misleading claims about the vaccines currently in clinical trials.

20 August 2020

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616. Fake WHO document shared in anti-mask posts

An image appearing to show an official World Health Organization (WHO) publication highlighting scientific research has been shared on social media in an attempt to prove the global health body does not recommend mask-wearing during the COVID-19 pandemic. But the WHO said the document did not originate from them and includes “cherry picked” studies. The agency -- like numerous other health bodies -- recommends mask wearing to help curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.

20 August 2020

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615. Misleading claim circulates on Facebook about dangers of face masks alongside photos of skin conditions

Five images have been shared hundreds of times in multiple Facebook posts which claim they show images of people suffering from skin problems that have been caused by wearing face masks. The claim is misleading; three of the images show cases of chickenpox, eczema, and rosacea unrelated to wearing face masks, while the other two relate to wearing face masks.

20 August 2020

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614. New ‘Plandemic’ film promotes coronavirus conspiracy theory

A film titled “Plandemic: Indoctornation” promotes the idea that the coronavirus pandemic ravaging countries around the world is the result of an elaborate conspiracy. It makes multiple unfounded claims, including that the deadly virus was designed in a lab and global health leaders knew the crisis would occur, and also seeks to stoke fears about vaccines.

19 August 2020

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613. Misleading claim circulates online about Philippine Health Department's guidelines for face shields

An image has been shared repeatedly on Facebook and Twitter alongside a claim it shows guidelines issued by the Philippine Department of Health about appropriate face shields to protect from the novel coronavirus. The claim is misleading; the Philippine health authority said it did not issue the image in its guidelines; no official government statement on face shields features the image in the misleading posts.

19 August 2020

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612. False claim circulates on Facebook that Australians 'will be fined if they discuss COVID-19 conspiracies'

Multiple Facebook posts shared hundreds of times claim that “Aussies will be fined if they are found to be talking about conspiracies to do with [COVID-19]”. The posts included a screenshot of a segment from an Australian breakfast television show as evidence for the claim. But the claim is false; an Australian legal expert said as of August 18, 2020, he was not aware of any legislation that banned discussions of COVID-19 conspiracy theories; the Attorney General's Department also said it was not aware of any legislation banning such discussions; the television show pictured in the posts, Nine Network’s Today Extra, said it had been reporting the results of a viewer poll about conspiracy theorists, rather than a piece of legislation.

19 August 2020

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611. This photo shows Vladimir Putin meeting a young patient from an oncology centre in 2012

A photo has been shared hundreds of times in multiple posts on Facebook alongside a claim it shows Russian President Vladimir Putin sitting at a table with his daughter, who he announced in August 2020 had taken part in a novel coronavirus vaccine trial in Russia. The posts go on to claim that the COVID-19 vaccine developed in Russia will “save the world from corona”. The claims are misleading; the photo in fact shows the Russian leader sitting next to a young patient from a Moscow medical centre during a visit to the Kremlin in 2012; on August 12, the World Health Organization (WHO) said it was looking forward to reviewing clinical trials of a potential coronavirus vaccine developed in Russia, which it listed as being in the first stage of development.

17 August 2020

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610. Misleading claim circulates online that Singapore has 'banned' sale of US produce due to coronavirus

A claim has been shared repeatedly on Line Messenger and Facebook that states Singapore has “banned” people from buying fruit and vegetables imported from the US over fears it could be contaminated with the novel coronavirus. The post goes on to allege the US has been transporting produce in trucks that also carry “dead bodies infected with COVID-19”. The claim is misleading; Singapore's government said it had “not issued any statement discouraging consumption of imports from the US"; health experts say there is insufficient evidence that COVID-19 can be transmitted to humans through food.

17 August 2020

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609. This woman is an ordinary volunteer in Russia’s coronavirus vaccine trial, state media reports

Shortly after President Vladimir Putin declared Russia the first country to approve a vaccine for the novel coronavirus, a photo began circulating in Facebook, Twitter and Instagram posts that claimed it showed Putin’s daughter receiving the jab. The claim is misleading; the woman in the image has been identified by Russian state media as Natalia, a volunteer in the vaccine trial; the images in the misleading post correspond to video of the vaccine trial that has circulated online since June; Natalia’s features do not correspond to publicly-available images of Putin’s two daughters.

17 August 2020

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608.Face mask use does not lead to Legionnaires’ disease

Posts shared thousands of times on social media claim Legionnaires' disease, a serious type of pneumonia, can be contracted through reusable face masks, implying that it could be mistaken for COVID-19. This is false; experts say Legionnaires’ disease cannot be caught or spread via masks, and that it is not related to spikes in COVID-19.

14 August 2020

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607. No tourists have been allowed to visit New Zealand since March 2020 -- this photo has circulated online since 2016

An image has been shared hundreds of times in multiple Facebook posts in August 2020 which claim it shows “Chinese tourists allowed to go out of the Auckland bubble”. The posts were shared after New Zealand's government reimposed a coronavirus lockdown on the city of Auckland after it recorded the country’s first local transmissions of COVID-19 in more than 100 days. The claim in the posts is false; the image has circulated online in news reports since at least 2016; New Zealand health officials said no tourists have been allowed into the country since March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

14 August 2020

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606. Canadian children with COVID-19 symptoms can quarantine with a parent or guardian

Facebook posts shared thousands of times in Canada claim that parliament has passed a law that would allow the government to quarantine a child who showed COVID-19 symptoms at school separately from a parent. This is false; Canada’s legislature has not passed any such law during the pandemic, and an expert said such legislation, federal or provincial, would easily be struck down as unconstitutional in the courts.

14 August 2020

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605. US far from reaching herd immunity for COVID-19

A Facebook post shared thousands of times claims the United States has reached herd immunity for COVID-19. But experts say this is false, and that the country is far from the point where enough people have the immunity necessary to curb the disease’s spread.

13 August 2020

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604. False claim circulates online that Australian government paid nursing homes to register deaths as caused by COVID-19

Multiple Facebook posts shared thousands of times claim the Australian government paid nursing homes AUS$25,000 for “labelling [COVID-19] as the main cause of deaths on death certificates”. The posts cite a purported broadcast with an unidentified man on an Australian radio station as evidence for the claim. The claim is false; the local radio station that broadcast the segment with the anonymous caller from the general public said the claim was “immediately recognised as potentially inaccurate information” and was not aired again after the initial live broadcast; in response to the misleading posts, Australia’s Department of Health said the claim was “false” and that only registered doctors can issue death certificates.

13 August 2020

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603. Misleading claim circulates online about New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's visit to Hindu temple

A video has been viewed tens of thousands of times in multiple posts on Facebook and Twitter alongside a claim it shows New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern visiting a Hindu temple after declaring the country had reached its 100th consecutive day of no local coronavirus transmissions. The claim is misleading; the video shows Ardern visiting the temple on August 6, 2020, three days before the country hit its 100-day milestone; on August 11, New Zealand recorded four new locally transmitted COVID-19 infections after 102 consecutive days of no community infections.

13 August 2020

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602. This photo was taken in China almost ten years before the novel coronavirus pandemic

A photo has been shared hundreds of times in multiple Facebook posts that claim it shows Japanese officials paying tribute to frontline workers during the novel coronavirus pandemic. The claim is false; the photo shows a group of workers in China in 2011.

13 August 2020

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601. Hoax circulates online that vaccines have caused deaths in the Philippines

Multiple Facebook and Twitter posts shared thousands of times in August 2020 claim that five people in the Philippine city of Tarlac died after receiving vaccine shots. The claim is false; the Tarlac City government and the Philippine Department of Health said the claim was “fake”; the World Health Organization (WHO) said the polio vaccine that was administered across the Philippines in August 2020 was safe.

11 August 2020

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600. Comments on coronavirus measures falsely attributed to Fox News host Tucker Carlson

Social media posts shared thousands of times attribute comments criticizing coronavirus measures to Fox News host Tucker Carlson. But a Fox spokeswoman said Carlson did not say or post them, and they have also been credited to multiple other people by name as well as to an anonymous author.

11 August 2020

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599. False claim circulates online in the Philippines that Canada is ‘free’ of the novel coronavirus

Multiple Facebook and Twitter posts shared thousands of times in August 2020 claim that Canada is “free” of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. The claim is false; as of August 9, 2020, the Canadian government reported it had 6,742 active COVID-19 cases; on August 6, the country's top public health official urged Canadians to "learn to live with the virus".

August 10, 2020

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598. No evidence flu vaccines make children more vulnerable to coronavirus infections

Social media posts claim children vaccinated against the flu are at a significantly higher risk of contracting other respiratory infections, including coronaviruses. This is false; large studies in British Columbia and the US found no evidence that the influenza vaccine increases the risk of contracting a coronavirus, and health officials throughout North America recommend the flu vaccine for children during the COVID-19 pandemic.

7 August 2020

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597. Discredited scientific paper behind false claims on COVID-5G link

Social media posts say that 5G technology creates coronavirus in human cells, but the false claim originated from a discredited paper later retracted by a scientific journal. The claims are not based on scientific evidence, experts say, and the paper was withdrawn after its publisher found “manipulation of the peer review” process.

7 August 2020

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596. Hoax circulates online that Fauci ‘knew’ about effective coronavirus treatments in 2005

Multiple posts shared hundreds of times on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and on various websites claim that US top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci “has known for 15 years” that chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine are effective treatments for coronaviruses, citing a 2005 academic paper. The claims are false; one of the authors of the 2005 study said the findings were based on laboratory tests for SARS-CoV, not clinical trials; the study was published by the Virology Journal, which belongs to a for-profit publisher and is not associated with Fauci or the US National Institutes of Health; as of August 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) says there is "no proof that hydroxychloroquine or any other drug can cure or prevent COVID-19".

7 August 2020

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595. False claim circulates on Facebook that 'viruses do not harm or kill' people

Multiple Facebook posts shared hundreds of times claim “viruses do not harm or kill [people]” and that any “harm and death” caused by a virus can be attributed to "the overreaction of a weakened and dysfunctional immune system". The claim is false; viruses can kill people and a dysfunctional immune system does not cause death, experts say.

6 August 2020

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594. Tips on safe sex during COVID-19 pandemic misrepresented in Canadian Facebook post

Facebook posts claimed that British Columbia’s top health officer warned about the risks of asbestos poisoning from boards used as barriers against COVID-19 transmission during sex. This is false; health authorities in the Pacific province did include “glory holes” in online virus-prevention tips, but they did not mention asbestos. That warning was satire shared out of context, its author told AFP.

5 August 2020

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593. False claim circulates online that the United States is testing a COVID-19 vaccine on Ukrainian soldiers

Multiple posts shared hundreds of times on Facebook and Twitter claim that four Ukrainian soldiers died after participating in American COVID-19 vaccine trials in the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. The claim, published in several languages across different posts, was attributed to a police spokesperson in the self-proclaimed Lugansk People's Republic. The claim is false; Ukraine military and Kharkiv medical officials said the posts were “fake news”.

5 August 2020

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592. Members of Congress did not receive quarantine exemption for John Lewis’s funeral

Facebook posts shared thousands of times claim Washington’s mayor exempted members of Congress from a 14-day quarantine after they traveled to the funeral of civil rights icon John Lewis in Georgia, which the city considers a “high-risk” state for the coronavirus. But this is misleading, as there was no special exemption; rather, government activity is considered an essential service and the US Capitol is not covered by the mayor’s order, her office said.

5 August 2020

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591. These photos are not of a large protest against COVId-19 restrictions in Germany

A photo collage has been shared hundreds of times in multiple posts on Facebook alongside a claim the images were taken during a protest against coronavirus restrictions in Germany in August 2020. The claim is false; all four photos have circulated in reports about Black Lives Matter protests across Germany in June 2020.

4 August 2020

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590. This photo does not show a massive protest against COVID-19 restrictions in Germany

A photo has been shared thousands of times in multiple posts on Facebook and Twitter which claim it shows a protest against coronavirus restrictions in the German capital of Berlin in August 2020. The claim is false; the photo, which has circulated online since at least 2018, shows a street parade in Switzerland before the COVID-19 pandemic.

4 August 2020

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589. Misleading claim circulates online comparing severity of COVID-19 with swine flu

Multiple Facebook posts shared tens of thousands of times claim the novel coronavirus, which causes the disease COVID-19, has infected far fewer people than the H1N1 virus, or swine flu, but “media hysteria” has prompted an overblown response. The claim is misleading; in April 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) said that COVID-19 is “10 times more deadly than swine flu”; health experts say COVID-19 has a higher death rate than swine flu, which could in turn put more pressure on healthcare systems.

3 August 2020

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588. Fit people are not immune to COVID-19

A post shared thousands of times on Facebook claims the novel coronavirus does not affect people who are very fit or thin. This is false; the pandemic has shown that nobody is immune to COVID-19, and experts called the claim "dangerous."

31 July 2020

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587. Social media posts misquote face mask advice from international health authorities and academics

A claim has been shared repeatedly in multiple posts on Facebook, Instagram and other websites in July 2020 that top medical experts from the World Health Organization (WHO), US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and The New England Journal of Medicine have warned against wearing face masks because they can cause “severe health issues”. The claim is false; the health authorities did not issue the purported statement, and in fact advocate universal mask-wearing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

31 July 2020

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586. Wearing a face mask does not put you at risk of developing pleurisy, health experts say

Multiple posts shared tens of thousands of times on Facebook and Twitter claim that a woman contracted pleurisy, a lung inflammation condition, after wearing a face mask for an extended period of time. According to the posts, the unidentified woman caught the disease because she was breathing in carbon dioxide and her own bacteria. The claims are false; pulmonologists say wearing a face mask does not put you at risk of developing pleurisy, nor does it deprive users of adequate oxygen or cause a surge in carbon dioxide levels.

31 July 2020

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585. Misleading claim spreads online that New Zealand has authorised troops to enter homes to enforce COVID-19 quarantine

A video shows a candidate in the upcoming New Zealand elections claiming that the country's prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, authorised the military to enter private residences in order to enforce COVID-19 quarantine measures. It has been viewed tens of thousands of times in multiple posts on Facebook in July 2020. The claim is misleading; in response to the posts, the New Zealand Defence Force, the Ministry of Health and legal experts said the military had not been given the purported powers.

31 July 2020

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584. Hoax posts offer hazard pay to US pandemic workers

Facebook posts shared thousands of times claim that the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is offering hazard pay compensation to individuals who worked during the novel coronavirus pandemic. But the posts lead to a hoax website with a picture of an ape, and economic relief payments are overseen by the US Treasury Department, not FEMA, and are not tied to hazardous work.

30 July 2020

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583. Experts say corpses infected with COVID-19 do not get more infectious over time

A post shared more than a thousand times on Facebook claims that a corpse of a COVID-19 positive person is 100 times more “toxic” 72 hours after death -- and that because undertakers are not burying bodies within this prescribed period, funerals have become hotspots for further infections. The claim is false; according to experts, corpses do not get more infectious over time and the rise in infections after funerals is a result of mourners infecting one another.

30 July 2020

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582. Holy communion has not been banned in Toronto

Articles shared hundreds of times on Facebook in multiple countries claim that holy communion has been banned in Toronto as part of the Canadian city’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. These claims are false, according to Toronto Public Health, Ontario’s Health Ministry and the Catholic and Greek Orthodox Archdioceses of Toronto.

30 July 2020

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581. Misleading claim circulates that the Philippines has cancelled school classes until 2021 due to COVID-19

Multiple Facebook posts shared tens of thousands of times claim that Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte announced in his recent national address there would be “no classes for all in 2020-2021”. The claim is misleading; in his July 27, 2020, address, Duterte banned face-to-face teaching until a COVID-19 vaccine is created, but called for the implementation of online learning as a temporary measure.

29 July 2020

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580. This video does not show an assault at a McDonald's restaurant in Singapore

A video of a man attacking a cashier at a McDonald’s restaurant has been viewed thousands of times in multiple posts on Facebook alongside a claim it happened in Singapore. The claim is false; the video shows an assault at a McDonald’s restaurant in Hong Kong.

29 July 2020

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579. Wearing a face mask does not compromise your immune system, health experts say

Facebook and Twitter posts shared tens of thousands of times claim that wearing a face mask compromises a person's immune system. The claim is misleading; wearing a face mask does not negatively impact the immune system, according to health experts. As of July 2020, international health authorities and governments around the world recommended wearing face masks as part of efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19.

July 29 2020

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578. US social media users still mischaracterize Canada’s COVID-19 aid

A text outlining Canada’s alleged response to the coronavirus pandemic with lengthy school shutdowns and universal relief payments was shared thousands of times in the US. The claims are misleading; schools are expected to reopen in September, only individuals directly affected by COVID-19 are eligible for financial aid, mortgage relief is granted by banks on a case-by-case basis, and rent is still due.

July 29 2020

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577. Rodrigo Duterte says there is not yet a vaccine for COVID-19 in this video, not that there is one already

A video has been viewed thousands of times in multiple YouTube and Facebook posts that claim it shows an announcement from Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte about a successful COVID-19 vaccine. The claim is false; the video shows Duterte stating that a successful vaccine had not yet been created for COVID-19, during a government press conference aired on July 21, 2020.

July 29 2020

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576. Trump spreads video of doctor who falsely claims hydroxychloroquine cures COVID-19

US President Donald Trump used Twitter to spread footage of a doctor who claims a combination of medicines including hydroxychloroquine will cure COVID-19. But there is currently no cure for the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, and the false information the video contains has left social media companies scrambling to remove it.

July 29 2020

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575. Aardvark logo on COVID testing trucks mistaken for an Egyptian god of death

A series of photos shared tens of thousands of times claims that mobile testing facilities for COVID-19 carry a depiction of the Egyptian “god of death” Anubis as their logo. This is false; the logo features an aardvark according to the company that runs the testing facilities.

July 28 2020

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574. False claims circulate that global COVID-19 fatalities have surpassed 1.6 million

A Facebook post that made an exaggerated claim in May 2020 about the global death toll from the novel coronavirus has been amplified across the world, especially on social media accounts posting religious content. The most recent versions of the post claim that more than 1.6 million people have died from COVID-19, but this is false; the real number of deaths counted is currently less than half of that.

July 28 2020

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573. Hoax circulates that the WHO has approved Indian student's ginger juice 'COVID-19 remedy'

Multiple posts shared repeatedly on Facebook and Twitter claim that the World Health Organization (WHO) has approved an Indian student's ginger juice “home remedy” for COVID-19. The claim is false; the WHO's spokesperson for India said the posts were “fake news”; as of July 28, 2020, the WHO states “there are no medicines that have been shown to prevent or cure [COVID-19]”.

July 28 2020

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572. Misleading claim circulates about WHO's advice on COVID-19 transmission from cats and dogs

Multiple Facebook posts shared hundreds of times claim the World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a statement that cats and dogs do not “carry” COVID-19. The claim is misleading; a WHO spokesperson told AFP they have published no such statement; in July 2020, experts said there was “little evidence” that animals can transmit the virus to humans, but there was some evidence of human-to-animal transmission.

July 27 2020

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571. This photo claiming to show supporters of a Philippine television network circulated online in February 2020, weeks before the government imposed COVID-19 restrictions

A photo has been shared repeatedly in multiple Facebook posts alongside a claim it shows supporters of ABS-CBN, the largest television network in the Philippines, gathering in violation of the country's COVID-19 restrictions. The posts were shared after the government refused to renew ABS-CBN's operating licence. The claim is false; the photo has circulated online since February 2020, weeks before the government imposed COVID-19 restrictions and made mask-wearing mandatory in public.

27 July 2020

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570. False list of 'home treatments' for COVID-19 circulates online

A list of purported treatments for COVID-19 at its “different stages” has been shared hundreds of times in multiple Facebook posts. The posts recommend that people with breathing problems should use an oxygen cylinder and monitor their oxygen levels before going to a hospital. The claims, however, are false; health experts have said there is no scientific evidence to suggest the list of purported treatments are effective; they also advised people with breathing difficulties due to suspected COVID-19 to seek immediate medical help.

22 July 2020

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569. Flawed experiments exaggerate risk from CO2 concentration in masks

A video shared online aimed to prove that face masks are dangerous to children by showing that toxic levels of CO2 concentrate inside a mask. This is misleading; experts dismissed the experiment as faulty science whose data is the opposite of what should be expected, and said there are no serious health effects to wearing a mask.

21 July 2020

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568. Face masks do not cause fungal lung infections if handled correctly, health experts say

Multiple posts shared thousands of times on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram claim that face masks can cause fungal lung infections. The claim is misleading; wearing face masks will not cause fungal lung infections or harm human health if they are handled correctly, an epidemiologist said; the World Health Organization (WHO) states wearing face masks for long periods is safe providing wearers regularly change or wash their masks if they become wet or soiled.

21 July 2020

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567. There is no evidence that budesonide asthma inhalers can cure COVID-19, experts say

Multiple posts shared repeatedly on Facebook claim that budesonide, a steroid used in asthma inhalers, can "cure" COVID-19. The claim is misleading; as of July 2020, health experts say there is no scientific evidence that budesonide can cure or treat COVID-19; the Philippine health department dismissed the claim as "fake news" and warned the steroid should only be used with a doctor’s prescription.

21 July 2020

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566. This footage has circulated in reports about unattended bodies at a hospital in south India in 2013, and does not show Covid-19 victims

A video has been viewed tens of thousands of times in multiple Facebook posts alongside a claim it shows COVID-19 victims at a hospital in the south Indian city of Hyderabad. The claim is misleading; the footage was published in reports about unclaimed bodies at a Hyderabad hospital in 2013, more than six years before the novel coronavirus pandemic.

20 July 2020

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565. No ban to end the use of face masks in Tanzania

An article claiming that Tanzania has banned the wearing of face masks to guard against the new coronavirus because they “caused anxiety among Tanzanians” has re-emerged in South Africa after first circulating online in May 2020. According to the piece, which has received thousands of interactions on Facebook, the order was issued by Tanzanian President John Pombe Magufuli. However, this claim is false; no such order was issued, and a government spokesperson has urged citizens to observe guidelines issued by experts to safeguard against COVID-19.

17 July 2020

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564. This video shows Amitabh Bachchan praising healthcare workers two months before he tested positive for COVID-19, not afterwards

A video has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times in multiple Facebook, YouTube and Twitter posts alongside a claim it shows Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan expressing gratitude to healthcare workers at a Mumbai hospital in July 2020 after he was hospitalised for COVID-19. The claim is misleading; Bachchan recorded the video in April 2020, more than two months before he tested positive for COVID-19.

15 July 2020

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563. False social media posts purport to share coronavirus guidelines from Sri Lankan hospital

An image has been shared repeatedly on Facebook and WhatsApp alongside a false claim it shows a list of COVID-19 preventive measures issued by Sri Lanka's Infectious Diseases Hospital (IDH).

15 July 2020

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562. Fake pharmaceutical ad urges viewers to ‘take the shot’

Facebook posts shared more than 1,000 times appear to show a billboard advertisement from US pharmaceutical giant Merck encouraging viewers to take a novel coronavirus vaccine. This is false; there is no vaccine yet, a company spokesman said the advertisement is not legitimate, and a reverse image search shows the picture was created using clip art and a stock photo of a blank billboard.

14 July 2020

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561. A video of Tanzania's leader celebrating was taken years before the novel coronavirus emerged

A video showing Tanzanian President John Pombe Magufuli in a celebratory mood has been viewed more than 200,000 times on social media alongside claims that he was marking the country's eradication of COVID-19. The claim is false: an online search reveals that the clip was filmed in 2016, years before the novel coronavirus pandemic began.

14 July 2020

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560. This photo shows South Korea during the COVID-19 pandemic, not new cases of bubonic plague in China

A photo of four people wearing protective clothing on a street has been shared hundreds of times alongside a claim it shows Chinese authorities responding to new cases of bubonic plague detected in Inner Mongolia in July 2020. The image has been shared in a misleading context; it is actually an AFP photo that shows soldiers spraying disinfectant in South Korea during the coronavirus pandemic; the other three images in the post do not directly relate to the recently detected cases of bubonic plague.

14 July 2020

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559. This video does not show Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn chanting an Islamic invocation to get rid of coronavirus

A video has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times in multiple posts on Facebook and YouTube alongside a claim it shows Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn chanting an Islamic invocation to get rid of coronavirus. The claim is false; the video has previously circulated in reports about the Thai king presiding over a celebration of the Prophet Muhammad's birthday in Bangkok in April 2019, months before the first coronavirus case was reported in Thailand.

13 July 2020

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558. Health experts say COVID-19 swab tests are safe and do not damage the blood-brain barrier as claimed

An illustration has been shared hundreds of times in multiple Facebook and Instagram posts which claim it shows that nasal swab tests for COVID-19 can harm the blood brain-barrier, a semipermeable membrane separating blood from other fluids in the brain. The claim is misleading; experts say COVID-19 swab tests are not placed near the blood-brain barrier and do not pose a risk to human health.

13 July 2020

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557. This image was created using only photos of healthcare workers who died of coronavirus in Mexico, not worldwide

A photo mosaic has been shared repeatedly in multiple Sinhala-language Facebook posts alongside a claim it was created using photos of “all doctors and nurses” who have died of COVID-19. The claim is misleading; the image was produced by a Mexico-based newspaper to honour 198 healthcare workers who died in Mexico after being infected with COVID-19.

10 July 2020

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556. Misleading claim spreads online about detection of bubonic plague in China

Multiple posts shared thousands of times claim the World Health Organization (WHO) has said a case of bubonic plague detected in China in early July 2020 is likely to trigger a "severe epidemic". The posts also claim that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has said bubonic plague can be spread through cough droplets. The claims are misleading; the WHO has said the bubonic plague case is not high-risk and is “being well managed”; the CDC states bubonic plague is usually caused by flea bites.

9 July 2020

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555. Post falsely claims that image shows a family who died after eating food served on virus-contaminated banana leaf

An image has been shared thousands of times on Facebook alongside a claim that it shows a family who died after eating food served on virus-contaminated banana leaf. The claim is false; similar photos of the same group of people circulated in Indian media articles about a family who were reported to have taken their own lives in India in 2017.

8 July 2020

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554. This 1998 photo shows young polio patients in Sierra Leone, not the aftermath of vaccine trials on Africans

A purported image of children with limb deformities has been shared hundreds of times in multiple Facebook posts published in 2020 alongside a claim it shows the aftermath of vaccine trials on Africans. The claim is false; the photo, taken in 1998 in the West African country Sierra Leone, actually shows unvaccinated children who contracted polio.

8 July 2020

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553. Nokia latest to be hit by Facebook scam claiming phone giveaway for students during the pandemic

Facebook posts shared thousands of times claim Nokia is handing out phones to help students during the pandemic. However, the company said it has nothing to do with the scheme. Dozens of scam pages promising free phones have sprung up in recent weeks, a common ploy to boost follower numbers.

3 July 2020

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552. This Pakistani doctor was wounded by a police officer, not the family of a heart patient who died after being misdiagnosed with COVID-19

Two photos have been shared thousands of times in multiple posts on Facebook with a claim they show a Pakistani doctor who was attacked by the family of a heart patient who died after being misdiagnosed with COVID-19. The claim is misleading; the doctor was wounded at a Karachi hospital by a police officer after he was denied sleeping medications, according to police and the hospital.

3 July 2020

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551. Fake police bulletin about 'face mask scam' circulates worldwide

A purported "police bulletin" warning of a new burglary scam has been shared thousands of times by Facebook users.

2 July 2020

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550. False claim circulates online that China is no longer hospitalising COVID-19 patients

Multiple Facebook and Twitter posts shared hundreds of times in June 2020 claim that people in China have stopped going to hospitals for COVID-19 treatment and instead "kill the virus with heat" through "steam inhalation"; "hot gargles" and "hot tea".

1 July 2020

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549. Mask misinformation spreads in the US as COVID-19 cases spike

Social media posts shared thousands of times in the United States contain multiple false or misleading claims about face masks used to stop the spread of COVID-19, including that they violate federal standards for oxygen supply, cloth masks “do not filter anything” and trap carbon dioxide, surgical masks spread germs, and N95 masks expel unfiltered air.

30 June 2020

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548. This is not a genuine photo of a baby girl who died after contracting COVID-19

A blog post has been shared thousands of times in multiple Facebook posts which claim it shows a video of a baby who died after being infected with the novel coronavirus, which causes the disease COVID-19. The claim is false; the blog post in fact shows a photo that has circulated online since 2014 in reports about a man who killed his wife and children in New York City.

30 June 2020

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547. Misleading claim circulates about the accuracy of COVID-19 tests in Australia

A purported screenshot of an Australian Department of Health webpage has been shared repeatedly on Facebook alongside a claim it is evidence that COVID-19 tests “cannot distinguish covid from a cold or measles or ebola”. The claim is misleading; Australian health authorities told AFP the image contains “selectively chosen information taken out of context”, and clarified that tests designed for SARS-CoV-2, the new coronavirus that causes the disease COVID-19, would not detect any other kinds of pathogens.

30 June 2020

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546. List of unsubstantiated COVID-19 treatments circulates online

A photo of a list of purported symptoms and treatments for the novel coronavirus, which causes the disease COVID-19, has been shared hundreds of times in multiple posts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The purported remedies include a daily dose of vitamins; exposure to sunlight; and a diet of alkaline foods. The claims are false; as of June 29, 2020, experts say there is no known cure for COVID-19; AFP has previously debunked hoax claims about the purported coronavirus symptoms and remedies.

29 June 2020

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545. These are not photos of throats of coronavirus patients

Two photos which show human throats have been shared hundreds of times in multiple Facebook posts warning about the seriousness of the novel coronavirus, which causes the disease COVID-19. The photos have been shared in a misleading context; both images have circulated online before the COVID-19 pandemic; health experts have clarified that only a small percentage of COVID-19 patients are likely to develop the most severe symptoms.

29 June 2020

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544. Disgraced US researcher makes latest false claims about vaccine safety

A short portion of an interview given by discredited researcher Judy Mikovits, in which she claims that a vaccine for COVID-19 will be deadly, warns against immunization, and advocates for a five-year moratorium to test all vaccines, has been watched tens of thousands of times on YouTube and Facebook. The claims are false; vaccine candidates go through three phases of clinical trials, are carefully monitored for adverse effects, and multiple doctors told AFP vaccines are safe.

26 June 2020

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543. This is not a video of a protest in the US during the COVID-19 pandemic

Aerial footage of a large procession of people has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times on Facebook alongside claims that the video shows protests in the US during the COVID-19 pandemic The claim is false; the video has circulated in media reports about people in Iran attending a funeral procession for military leader Qasem Soleimani in January 2020.

26 June 2020

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542. This is not a video of a Brazilian politician furious over nonexistent COVI-19 patients

A widely shared video claims to show Brazilian lawmaker Filippe Poubel erupt in anger as he breaks into a field hospital that had claimed to have 5,000 novel coronavirus patients and finds it empty. In reality, the clip depicts the politician expressing his displeasure over a delay in opening a new COVID-19 hospital.

25 June 2020

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541. Scientists warn against 'bogus' COVID-19 removal cards

South Sudan's president and senior ministers have appeared in public in recent weeks wearing so-called “virus removal cards”, clip-on tags marketed as prevention against infectious diseases. AFP Fact Check found the items for sale online in various countries, including Lebanon, Malaysia and the Philippines. However, scientists warn the cards, which have been banned in the US and elsewhere, do not prevent COVID-19.

25 June 2020

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540. Hoax circulates about a supposed plan by Bill Gates to 'microchip the vaccine'

Multiple Facebook posts shared hundreds of times claim that Bill Gates’ “ultimate goal” is to “microchip the [COVID-19] vaccine” to create “virtual IDs”. The posts also claim the billionaire philanthropist was in New Zealand in May and June 2020 “to test and trial the COVID-19 vaccine”. Both claims are false; a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation spokesperson dismissed the purported link between Gates and microchips; as of June 24, New Zealand authorities say there is no record of Gates visiting the country in 2020.

25 June 2020

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539. Scams of phones being given out for pandemic education circulate in Nigeria

Multiple posts shared thousands of times on Facebook in Nigeria claim to be giving out smartphones to help students attend online classes during the novel coronavirus pandemic. However, this is one of a growing number of scams aimed at increasing followers of social media pages and accounts.

25 June 2020

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538. This is not a photo of a baby who contracted COVID-19 after heart surgery

The image of an intubated baby with a large chest scar has been shared tens of thousands of times on Facebook, with claims that the infant had recently survived heart surgery before testing positive for the novel coronavirus. This is misleading: the pictured baby had heart surgery in 2012 and the now seven-year-old child does not have COVID-19, his parents say.

25 June 2020

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537. CDC does not add flue and pneumonia deaths to COVID-19 toll

A Facebook post shared thousands of times claims the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lied about the number of deaths caused by COVID-19 by combining the count with pneumonia and influenza fatalities. This is false; the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) only records those who died from COVID-19 in its toll for the disease.

24 June 2020

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536. Map used to make misleading comparison of COVID-19 spread in US, Canada

A post shared thousands of times on Facebook claims to show a map comparing the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States and Canada. This claim is misleading according to the map’s creators because it is comparing cumulative cases between countries with very different populations and population densities.

24 June 2020

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535. Hoax circulates about 'Latin translation' of COVID-19

Multiple posts shared repeatedly on Facebook and Twitter claim COVID-19 means “see a sheep surrender” in Latin. The claim is false; Latin language experts dismissed the claim as “nonsense”; the World Health Organization (WHO) states COVID-19 refers to “coronavirus disease 2019”.

24 June 2020

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534. This video does not show a COVID-19 nurse raped and murdered

A video that appears to show a woman being attacked has been viewed tens of thousands of times in multiple YouTube posts and on various websites alongside a claim the footage shows a COVID-19 frontline nurse who was raped and stabbed to death. The claim is false; the footage was in fact taken from a sexual harassment awareness campaign video in India that circulated online years before the coronavirus pandemic.

23 June 2020

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533. Israel has not reported zero deaths from COVId-19 due to baking soda remedy

Multiple posts shared repeatedly on Facebook and Twitter since March 2020 claim that Israel has reported zero deaths from the novel coronavirus, which causes the disease COVID-19. The posts also claim Israeli citizens have protected themselves from COVID-19 by drinking a remedy of hot water, lemon and baking soda, which purportedly “kills” the virus. Both claims are false; as of June 21 the World Health Organization (WHO) states Israel has reported 305 deaths from COVID-19; health experts say there is no evidence the baking soda concoction can cure or prevent COVID-19 infections.

23 June 2020

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532. This is not a genuine prescription issued by a Delhi hospital doctor for a COVID-19 patient

A photo of a handwritten letter which shows an Indian hospital's letterhead has been shared in multiple Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp posts alongside a claim that it is a genuine prescription issued by a doctor at the hospital for a COVID-19 patient. The claim is misleading; the hospital denied that the prescription was issued by one of their doctors and said the signature was forged.

22 June 2020

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531. This video does not show an overflow of coronavirus patients at a hospital in Pakistan

A video showing people in hospital beds on a street has been viewed thousands of times on Facebook alongside a claim it shows coronavirus patients who were moved outside a hospital in Pakistan because of an overflow of patients. The claim is false; the video in fact shows patients who were evacuated from a hospital in the Pakistani city of Lahore after a fire broke out.

22 June 2020

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530. This video shows a Berlin mosque broadcasting a call to prayer during the COVID-19 pandemic

A video has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times in multiple posts on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube alongside a claim it shows an Islamic call to prayer in Berlin after black clouds appeared in the sky. The posts claim the call was heard despite there being “no mosque” in the area. The claim is false; the video shows a call to prayer that was broadcast by a mosque in Berlin; the call was staged as a nearby church rang its bell in April 2020 as a sign of unity during the coronavirus pandemic.

22 June 2020

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529. Rwandan government rejects claim leader Paul Kagame opposed WHO over virus tonic

Articles shared thousands of times on Facebook and Twitter claim Rwandan President Paul Kagame censured the World Health Organization (WHO) for rejecting a herbal tonic touted by the Madagascan government as a cure for COVID-19. However, a presidential spokesperson dismissed the claim as “fake news”. No evidence was found to show Kagame made the comments. In fact, he has said his government is avoiding untested remedies.

22 June 2020

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528. Fresh false claims about COVID-10 vaccine and 5G technology spread online in the Philippines

Multiple Facebook posts shared thousands of times by Filipino Facebook users make several false claims about a future vaccine for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. The posts also make claims about a link between a potential vaccine and the rollout of 5G technology. The claims are all false, according to health experts.

19 June 2020

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527. Hoax circulates that India's capital region will be placed under new four-week lockdown

A claim that the entire Indian capital region including New Delhi will be placed under a “complete lockdown” for four weeks beginning June 18 has been shared in multiple posts on Facebook and Twitter. The claim is false; as of June 19 no fresh lockdown has been announced in India, and government officials have said that no such plan was under consideration.

19 June 2020

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526. Nobel winner Denis Mukwege rejects 'fake patients' quote circulating online

Viral posts circulating in Africa claim Nobel Peace Prize winner Denis Mukwege resigned from the leadership of two COVID-19 task forces in DR Congo because he was told to manipulate patient numbers. The claim is false; Mukwege's resignation statement cited frustration at how the crisis was being managed, but nothing about fake patients. He has rejected the quotes attributed to him in the viral posts.

19 June 2020

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525. Not all of these photos show life during the 1918 flu pandemic

Facebook posts claiming to show vintage photographs taken during the Spanish flu pandemic more than 100 years ago have been shared thousands of times in Africa, Asia and the United States. While most of the images do depict life in various parts of the world during the pandemic, some are unrelated to the event and either were taken years earlier or later.

19 June 2020

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524. This is not a photo of South Africa's president flouting virus laws at a birthday party in 2020; the images are from events long before the COVID-19 epidemic

A meme posted on Facebook claims South Africa’s president and ruling party politicians recently celebrated a high-profile birthday and flouted lockdown rules in the process. However, the images were taken in previous years. A secondary claim that COVID-19 is a bacteria -- and that this therefore would explain the lack of masks in the pictures -- has been refuted by experts.

19 June 2020

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523. Meme misleads about danger of long-term mask use

A meme shared thousands of times on Facebook claims people can suffer from reduced oxygen to their blood and brain, possibly leading to death, if they wear a disposable mask for too long. This is misleading; only a marginal decrease in oxygen saturation can sometimes be measured in people wearing a disposable mask, and several experts agree there is no evidence of long-term effects from breathing through a mask.

18 June 2020

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522. South Sudan leaders have not flown abroad for COVID-19 treatment

South Sudan President Salva Kiir and his first deputy Riek Machar recently became targets of tit-for-tat claims on Facebook alleging they had flown to foreign countries for COVID-19 treatment. For four days, rumours about the two men -- bitter rivals since the 2013 civil war -- flew thick and fast on social media. Allegations that they were abroad (and even dead in the case of Kiir) were finally put to bed with television appearances from their respective homes in the capital, Juba.

18 June 2020

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521. False claim circulates that Android users in Australia have been automatically signed up to COVIDSafe app

Multiple posts shared repeatedly on Facebook state Android users in Australia have been automatically signed up to COVIDSafe, the government's COVID-19 contact tracing app, through an application programming interface (API) operated by Google. The claim is false; a cybersecurity expert said the API is “not an app”, and that the use of it is optional; the Australian government said the COVIDSafe app is available for voluntary download and cannot operate without being downloaded.

18 June 2020

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520. As US faces COVID-19 spike, outdated mask information spreads online

A Facebook post shared more than 25,000 times says face masks should only be worn by medical professionals or people who have become ill during the coronavirus pandemic. This is misleading; the World Health Organization guidance cited in the post is out of date, and US health authorities have long recommended that the general public wear masks.

17 June 2020

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519. Misinformation spreads online about reimposing a strict COVID-19 lockdown in Metro Manila

A purported government resolution has been shared in multiple Facebook posts in June 2020 claiming that the Philippine government has approved a motion to reimpose strict lockdown measures in Metro Manila, Cebu and Laguna. The claim is misleading and has been branded by the government as “fake news”; on June 15, authorities announced Metro Manila and Laguna would remain under its current, loosened lockdown restrictions until at least the end of June.

17 June 2020

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518. This video shows Dr. Anthony Fauci emphasizing the importance of clinical trials for a COVID-19 vaccine, not claiming that 'vaccines make you worse'

A video has been viewed tens of thousands of times in multiple posts on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter which claim it shows US infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci admitting vaccines are “toxic” and can “make you worse” during a press conference about the novel coronavirus. The claim is misleading; in the video, Fauci explains the importance of clinical trials to ensure potential vaccines against COVID-19 are effective. AFP has previously debunked multiple claims that vaccines are harmful.

17 June 2020

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517. This is not a photo of the 1918-1920 influenza pandemic

A photo has been shared hundreds of times in multiple posts on Facebook and Twitter alongside a claim it was taken during the “Spanish flu” pandemic between 1918 and 1920. The claim is misleading; the photo has circulated in reports about fashion in 1913, about five years before the 1918 influenza pandemic; a spokesman for German photo agency Süddeutsche Zeitung Photo told AFP the photo shows “nose veil” fashion in 1913 after the Balkan war.

16 June 2020

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516. This video does not show police in India beating a man to death for violating COVID-19 lockdown; the footage has circulated in reports about police assaulting an intoxicated man in an inciden unrelated to the novel coronavirus

A video has been viewed tens of thousands of times in multiple posts on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube alongside a claim it shows police in India beating a man to death after he violated a nationwide coronavirus lockdown by "venturing out for food". The claim is false; the video has circulated in reports about police beating an intoxicated man in India’s Madhya Pradesh state in an incident unrelated to the ongoing lockdown; police said two officers had been suspended over the incident for "assaulting" a man.

15 June 2020

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515. Misleading claim made about Indonesian governor being lauded for his handling of COVID-19 pandemic

A video has been viewed thousands of times in multiple posts on Facebook and YouTube alongside a claim it shows that Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan received an international award for “the best governor” in handling the novel coronavirus pandemic. The claim is misleading; the clip shows the governor taking part in a global online summit with other city leaders from around the world about responses to the COVID-19 crisis.

15 June 2020

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514. Video of nurse giving misleading advice about face masks spreads on social media

A video of a nurse shared thousands of times on Facebook during the coronavirus pandemic warns the public against continuously wearing face masks. Her claims that wearing a face mask could harm the body are misleading, according to medical experts.

12 June 2020

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513. Nigerian government did not say schools would reopen on July 13

An article circulating on Facebook and Twitter claims that Nigerian schools will reopen on July 13, 2020, according to a government official. However, the claim is false; the author of the report admitted it was incorrect and Nigerian authorities have dismissed the claim.

11 June 2020

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512. Coronavirus testing is not an excuse to implant Gates-funded microchips

Facebook posts shared thousands of times claim the coronavirus pandemic is a cover for a Gates Foundation-funded effort to implant microchips when patients’ noses or throats are swabbed during COVID-19 testing. This is false; the pandemic is real, the foundation denied the claim, and experts say there is a medical reason for the way swabs are used when testing for the disease.

11 June 2020

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511. France has not announced a ban on Africans travelling to Europe if they refuse 'the European vaccine' for COVID-19

Facebook posts circulating in Africa claim France has announced a ban on Africans travelling to Europe if they refuse “the European vaccine” for COVID-19. However, France’s foreign ministry rejected the claims and AFP Fact Check found no trace of such an announcement.

10 June 2020

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510. Misleading image used to claim vaccines are dangerous

An image shared on social media claims vaccines are dangerous because they contain potassium chloride, the chemical used to stop the heart in lethal injections. This is misleading; it is a salt that is necessary for organs to function properly, and medical experts say the minimal amount used in vaccines will not harm recipients.

10 June 2020

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509. Italy's health ministry rejects online 'hoax' about virus origin

Facebook posts shared thousands of times claim that the novel coronavirus disease is caused by bacteria and can be cured with household painkillers. The posts also claim that Italian doctors found a cure for COVID-19. Both claims are false; Italy's health ministry told AFP Fact Check that the posts were “a hoax”. No cure has been found for the disease.

9 June 2020

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508. Empty body bags were used in protests and not part of 'fake' pandemic plot

Facebook posts shared thousands of times accuse authorities of lining the streets with empty body bags in a bid to fool people about the “fake” novel coronavirus pandemic. But the claim is false: the photo was taken at a US protest against the government’s handling of the novel coronavirus crisis.

9 June 2020

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507. List of unproven COVID-19 treatments debunks by health experts

A message shared on WhatsApp and Facebook purportedly by a recovering COVID-19 patient in Britain makes several claims on ways people can prevent or treat the novel coronavirus. However, experts and health agencies have refuted most of the claims.

8 June 2020

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506. This video does not show migrant workers stopped at Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border during the COVID-19 lockdown

Footage of a large crowd has been shared in multiple Facebook posts claiming to show migrant workers who were stopped at the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh state border during India's nationwide COVID-19 lockdown in May 2020. However, the claim is false; the video has circulated online since at least October 2019 and corresponds with local news reports about an Indian Army recruitment drive in Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh.

8 June 2020

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505. Woman in viral video makes misleading claims about face masks

A viral video shared on multiple social media platforms shows a woman outside a US store making several misleading claims about the use of face masks including that they do not protect from COVID-19 and that their use makes you sick. Research backed by leading academic institutions and international health bodies recommends they be used along with other measures to help limit the spread of the novel coronavirus.

5 June 2020

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504. This video does not show conditions in a COVID-19 hospital ward in Delhi

A video purporting to show several dead bodies lying beside coronavirus patients in a hospital ward has been viewed thousands of times in multiple posts on Facebook and Twitter alongside a claim it was filmed in the Indian capital of Delhi. The claim is misleading; the footage in fact shows the King Edward Memorial Hospital in Mumbai; it has circulated in several reports about the hospital’s COVID-19 ward.

5 June 2020

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503. Business grant scam in Uganda resurfaces

A Facebook post claiming that the Ugandan government is offering grants to local businesses in an effort to cushion its citizens against the effects of COVID-19 has been shared hundreds of times. The claim is false; the Facebook post appears on a page impersonating Uganda’s finance ministry. The ministry has flatly denied partnering with any organisation for purposes of offering grants to Ugandan entrepreneurs in the ongoing pandemic.

5 June 2020

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502. Myth circulates online that Italy has discovered that COVID-19 is a bacteria, curable by paracetamol

Mulitple Facebook posts shared thousands of times claim the Italian health ministry has discovered COVID-19 is caused by bacteria. The posts go on to claim the health ministry discovered COVID-19 is exacerbated by 5G technology and can be cured using painkillers and antibiotics. The claims are false; the Italian health ministry said the posts were “a hoax”; the claims have also been widely refuted by international experts, who have found COVID-19 is caused by the novel coronavirus.

4 June 2020

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501. This is not a photo of a Pakistani official violating social distancing rules in May 2020

A photo of a Pakistani provincial chief minister has been shared thousands of times in multiple Facebook posts in May 2020 alongside a claim that it shows him violating social distancing rules during the coronavirus pandemic. The claim is false; the photo was taken in 2018 during a procession on Ashura, a Muslim holy day.

4 June 2020

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500. Lesotho has not created a COVID-19 herbal remedy (as of June 4)

Facebook posts shared thousands of times claim that people in Lesotho are "immune" to COVID-19 because the country apparently created a remedy for the disease. The claim is false; a health ministry spokesman denied the southern African state had endorsed such a treatment while the head of the company that makes the tonic featured in the posts said it has not been tested to treat COVID-19.

4 June 2020

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499. Nigeria did not give cash donations to all its citizens

An article shared more than 14,000 times on Facebook claims the Nigerian government gave N20,000 ($52) to “everyone” across the country’s 36 states. This is false; the article in question shares a true story but uses an unrelated and misleading headline. Nigeria has a social investment programme to help the poor and handed out cash and food during the lockdown, but not to all citizens.

4 June 2020

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498. Video of fake 5G technology spreads on social media

A video has been shared thousands of times on social media, claiming that circuit boards with “COV-19” inscribed on them are being fitted to 5G towers. The claim is false; Virgin Media, the company that distributes these boards, and an independent expert confirmed that the equipment is an aged satellite TV component unrelated to 5G technology.

3 June 2020

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497. Misleading social media posts claim adverse health effects of face masks

Posts shared thousands of times on social media list a number of adverse health effects linked to wearing face masks. Some of these claims are false, while others are misleading, public health experts tell AFP.

3 June 2020

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496. This is not a photo of a daughter of the late Sri Lankan politician violating quarantine to attend a funeral

A photo from the funeral of a recently deceased Sri Lankan politician, Arumugam Thondaman, has been shared thousands of times in multiple Facebook posts. The posts claim the image shows one of Thondaman’s daughters violated Sri Lanka's mandatory coronavirus quarantine policy for travelers by attending the ceremony shortly after returning to the country from overseas. The claim is false; the image shows Thondaman’s other daughter, who resides in Sri Lanka and did not travel from abroad to attend the funeral.

3 June 2020

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495. This is not a video of an Italian church that lost many of its congregants to COVID-19

A video has been viewed thousands of times in multiple posts on Facebook and YouTube alongside a claim it shows an empty church in Italy after almost all of its congregants died from the novel coronavirus. The claim is false; the video shows a church in the US state of Mississippi during an online Easter service in April 2020.

3 June 2020

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494. This is not a video of Chinese citizens converting to Islam due to COVID-19, it shows an Eid-al-Fitr prayer in northwest China in 2015

A video has been viewed thousands of times in multiple posts on Facebook and YouTube alongside a claim that it shows Chinese citizens converting to Islam as a result of the novel coronavirus pandemic. The claim is false; the footage actually shows an Eid-al-Fitr prayer in the Chinese city of Xining in 2015, years before the pandemic.

3 June 2020

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493. Conspiracy theories circulate about 5G 'microchip implants'

Facebook posts shared thousands of times claim that 5G mobile phones will work off microchips secretly implanted under the skin by vaccination for COVID-19. However, the posts combine various conspiracy theorists previously debunked by AFP Fact Check and experts reject any link between 5G technology and microchips.

1 June 2020

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492. Hoax circulates online that Taiwanese doctors have discovered COVID-19 as a 'combination of SARS and AIDS'

Multiple Facebook posts shared hundreds of times claim doctors from the National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH) in Taipei have found that COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, is a combination of AIDS and SARS. The claim is false; according to a spokesperson from the hospital, the statement was not authored by its doctors; as of May 20, 2020, advisories from global health organisations have not characterised COVID-19 as a disease that is AIDS and SARS combined.

1 June 2020

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491. No evidence salt can treat COVID-19

Multiple posts shared thousands of times on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube claim that salt is an effective remedy against the novel coronavirus. The claim is false; health experts have said there is no evidence that salt can treat the novel coronavirus disease; as of May 2020, the WHO says there is no remedy for COVID-19.

29 May 2020

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490. Vaccines do not violate the Nuremberg Code

Facebook and Instagram posts shared thousands of times claim that vaccines directly violate the Nuremberg Code, a set of research ethics principles for human experimentation established after World War II. This claim is false; medical ethics and legal experts said the principles, named after the Nuremberg trials, are compatible with vaccination.

29 May 2020

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489. Coronavirus 'survival rates' remain unknown, experts say

Multiple posts shared repeatedly on Facebook and Twitter claim that seven countries, including the United States, Spain, Italy and the United Kingdom, have "survival rates" of more than 99.9 percent for people who contract the novel coronavirus. The claim is misleading; as of May 2020, several medical experts said global COVID-19 survival rates remain unknown for various reasons.

29 May 2020

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488. This picture does not show overgrown shrubs at a Malaysian theme park during the novel coronavirus lockdown

An image has been shared thousands of times in multiple posts on Twitter and Facebook which claim it shows overgrown shrubs at a theme park in Malaysia during a coronavirus lockdown. The claim is false; the image shows an abandoned theme park in Japan; it has circulated online since at least May 2019.

29 May 2020

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487. This photo does not show a victim of a deadly insect 'pandemic' during the novel coronavirus outbreak

A photo of a person with several puncture wounds on their arm has been shared hundreds of times in multiple Facebook posts that claim China and Iran were hit by a deadly insect “pandemic" during the coronavirus crisis. The claim is false; this photo has circulated in reports about a series of hornet attacks in China in 2013 -- almost seven years before the novel coronavirus was first detected.

29 May 2020

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486. Misinformation circulates about Japan’s plan to subsidise tourism after coronavirus lockdown is lifted

Multiple online articles and social media posts published in May 2020 claim the Japanese government is set to subsidise trips for foreign tourists visiting the country by up to half of the cost after it lifts its coronavirus lockdown. The claim is misleading; on May 27, 2020, the Japanese government clarified the plan will only apply to Japanese residents making domestic travel, adding the details of the policy are still being finalised.

29 May 2020

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485. No evidence robbers are using chemical-laced face masks on victims in South Africa

Facebook posts shared hundreds of times in South Africa claim that criminals posing as government officials are going around to people’s homes and distributing face masks that are laced with chemicals to knock them out and rob them. However, local police -- like their counterparts elsewhere in the world -- dismissed the claim as a myth.

28 May 2020

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484. US President Donald Trump did not offer Madagascar $2.5 million to developt its COVID-19 herbal remedy

Facebook posts shared hundreds of times claim US President Donald Trump approved a $2.5 million fund for Madagascar to mass-produce a herbal remedy touted by the island’s president as a cure for COVID-19. The claim is false; there is no evidence Trump made any such statement, and while the United States did give Madagascar $2.5 million to tackle the outbreak, government information on the fund’s use does not include producing a remedy.

27 May 2020

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483. Italian politician spreads false claims about Bill Gates in parliament speeches

A video of Italian politician Sara Cunial blasting Bill Gates as a “vaccine criminal” in speeches to parliament has been viewed tens of thousands of times on Facebook and YouTube. But her statements are riddled with misinformation. AFP Fact Check debunks some of the claims.

27 May 2020

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482. Misleading claim circulates about coronavirus contact tracing app in New Zealand

Multiple Facebook and Twitter posts shared thousands of times in May 2020 claim anyone in New Zealand who refuses to use a coronavirus contact tracing app has been banned from entering shops during the COVID-19 pandemic. The claim is misleading; as of May 27, the app named in the posts is not a contact tracing app and is not being used by New Zealand's government as part of its coronavirus strategy; to date, the government's only coronavirus contact tracing app is voluntary for businesses and the public; shops in New Zealand are also not required to record consumer information for contact tracing purposes.

27 May 2020

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481. This is not a photo of buses arranged by an Indian opposition party to transport migrant workers during the COVID-19 lockdown

A photo of a queue of buses in India has been shared thousands of times on Facebook and Twitter alongside a claim they were organised by a leading opposition politician to transport migrant workers who were left stranded after a nationwide coronavirus lockdown. The claim is false; the photo has circulated in reports since February 2019 about a Hindu festival.

26 May 2020

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480. Madagascan president denies Putin ordered herbal drink touted as coronavirus remedy

A Facebook post shared thousands of times claims that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered Covid-Organics, a herbal drink touted by Madagascan President Andry Rajoelina as a cure for COVID-19. The post claims that Putin urged Africans “not to follow” the World Health Organization (WHO), which has warned against untested traditional medicine. However, AFP Fact Check found no official reports from the Kremlin of any order and the Madagascan presidency denied the claims.

26 May 2020

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479. Madagascan president has not called on African states to quit WHO

Facebook posts shared hundreds of times claim that Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina called on African nations to leave the World Health Organization (WHO). Although the leader has criticised the agency for warning against a herbal remedy he recommends to treat COVID-19, AFP Fact Check found no public record of him making such a statement. The Madagascan presidency has also rejected the claim.

25 May 2020

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478. Misleading claim circulates online that China and Japan have re-entered nationwide coronavirus lockdowns in May 2020

Multiple Facebook posts shared hundreds of times claim China and Japan have re-entered a strict coronavirus lockdown in mid-May 2020 following a “second wave” of the virus. The posts were shared as a "breaking news" alert on May 16. The claim is misleading; as of May 22, Japan has begun easing lockdown restrictions; on May 18, China put one city in Jilin Province under total lockdown but it has relaxed restrictions in other parts of the country.

25 May 2020

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477. This is not a real image of Bill Gates in handcuffs, it's a doctored photo of a 2014 mobster arrest

Multiple posts shared with a picture of a hand-cuffed Bill Gates being led away by FBI agents allege the US billionaire has been arrested for biological terrorism. This is false; the image is doctored and actually shows the 2015 arrest of New York mobster Vincent Asaro. The report was first published by a satirical website but was reproduced elsewhere as real news.

22 May 2020

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476. UN falsely accused of demanding Ecuador ‘legalize’ abortions to get COVID-19 aid

An article claims that a nearly $50 million United Nations humanitarian aid package to Ecuador is conditional on the South American country legalizing abortions. This is false; the UN said there was no such condition, and abortion is already allowed under limited circumstances.

22 May 2020

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475. This is not a genuine news report stating that US President Trump has tested positive for the coronavirus -- the footage has been edited and the original said that one of the president's valets had tested positive

A video has been viewed thousands of times in multiple posts on Facebook and Twitter which claim it shows that US President Donald Trump tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The claim is false; the video has been edited from a Fox News report about one of Trump’s valets testing positive for COVID-19 published on May 7, 2020.

22 May 2020

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474. This is not a video of an Italian boy who lost his mother because of COVID-19; the child speaks in Spanish and the footage has circulated since before the first coronavirus death was reported in Italy

A video has been viewed tens of thousands of times in multiple posts on Facebook and YouTube which claim it shows an Italian boy looking up at the night sky calling out for his mother who died from the novel coronavirus. However, the claim is false; the boy speaks Spanish in the video; the footage has circulated online before Italy recorded its first COVID-19 death in February 2020.

22 May 2020

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473. Hoax list of 'COVID-19 safety guidelines' circulates in India

A list of purported COVID-19 safety guidelines has been shared in multiple Facebook and Instagram posts that claim it was issued by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), India’s leading research group on the novel coronavirus. The claim is false; the ICMR said it did not issue the purported advisory; an online search found the list was not included on ICMR's website or in guidelines from India's health ministry.

22 May 2020

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472. Hoax government notice circulates in the Philippines about the civil service exam

A photo of a purported notice announcing that people who were unable to take the Philippine government’s civil service exam due to the COVID-19 pandemic will automatically receive a passing mark has been shared hundreds of times in multiple Facebook posts. The claim is false; the Philippine Civil Service Commission (CSC) denied issuing the notice, and an online search found no such announcement about automatically passing delayed test takers.

22 May 2020

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471. Hoax circulates about new 'COVID-19 vaccine law' in Western Australia

Multiple Facebook and Twitter posts shared hundreds of times claim the Australian state of Western Australia has recently passed a “COVID-19 Emergency Powers Act” that authorises forcible medical examination and vaccination in schools. The claim is misleading; a spokesperson from Western Australia’s Department of Health told AFP no such law has been passed during the pandemic; as of May 2020, the state has no COVID-19 vaccine programme.

22 May 2020

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470. This video does not show frogs for sale in China after coronavirus lockdown was lifted

A video showing hundreds of frogs being sold from the back of a truck has been viewed tens of thousands of times in multiple posts on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube alongside a claim that it was taken in China after the country lifted its coronavirus lockdown. The claim is false; this clip actually shows frogs being sold in Thailand.

22 May 2020

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469. Post falsely claims there were no US flu deaths during COVID-19 crisis

A Facebook post shared 10,000 times claims no Americans died from the flu in 2020, suggesting that the national count of COVID-19 fatalities is exaggerated. This is false. Data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that more than 7,500 Americans are estimated to have died this year from influenza during the novel coronavirus.

21 May 2020

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468. Gates Foundation targeted with misleading claims about India polio vaccine campaign

Social media posts and online articles shared tens of thousands of times claim that the foundation of billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates tested a polio vaccine in India that left at least 490,000 children paralyzed. The claim is misleading; official statistics show only a tiny number of cases in which the oral polio vaccine directly resulted in Indian children contracting the disease.

21 May 2020

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467. This video shows an annual Hindu ritual and has nothing to do with coronavirus

A video viewed thousands of times on Facebook posts claims to show Indians throwing statues of their gods into a river after they allegedly failed to protect them from the new coronavirus. The claim is false; the clip dates back to at least September 2015, years before the COVID-19 pandemic. It shows a ritual during the closure of a religious festival dedicated to the Hindu god Ganesh.

21 May 2020

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466. Freediver's video about face masks contains misleading claims, experts say

A video shared more than 10,000 times on Facebook features a freediving champion who claims that masks don't offer protection from the novel coronavirus and that the moisture created by breathing into a mask actually offers a fertile environment for the virus. However, experts told AFP that the video makes several misleading assumptions.

21 May 2020

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465. Misinformation circulates about babies contracting Kawasaki disease during the coronavirus pandemic

Two photos have been shared thousands of times in multiple Facebook posts which claim that Kawasaki disease is spreading among babies during the coronavirus pandemic. The claim is misleading; one of the photos has previously circulated in reports about a skin blister caused by a different disease; health authorities are still investigating cases of a Kawasaki-like condition observed in some children with COVID-19, and maintain that children remain “minimally affected” by the virus overall.

21 May 2020

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464. Hoax circulates that Australian $10 notes feature images of coronavirus and Bill Gates

Photos of Australian $10 banknotes have been shared multiple times on Facebook and Twitter alongside a claim that the note features images representing coronavirus and the billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates. The claim is false; the Reserve Bank of Australia said the images on the notes instead show a tree native to Australia and Australian writer Mary Gilmore.

21 May 2020

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463. This is not a photo of Ramadan gift bags in India during the COVID-19 pandemic, it dates from at least 2015

A photo has been shared repeatedly in multiple posts on Facebook and Twitter which claims to show gift bags distributed to Muslims during the holy month of Ramadan by India’s Telangana state government during the coronavirus pandemic. The claim is false, this photo has circulated online since at least 2015; Telangana’s chief minister has announced it will not distribute Ramadan gifts this year due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

21 May 2020

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462. Nigeria imposed a curfew to slow the spread of COVID-19, not to build 5G masts, it has not yet set up 5G networks

A post shared hundreds of times on Facebook claims that the Nigerian presidency imposed a curfew to allow Chinese companies to build 5G masts. This is false; the curfew is aimed at slowing the spread of the novel coronavirus. Authorities say 5G licences have not been issued to any firms in Nigeria -- Chinese or otherwise.

21 May 2020

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461. This is not a video of crows flocking to the US during the coronavirus pandemic, it shows a swarm in Texas in 2016

A video has been viewed thousands of times in multiple posts on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube in May 2020 alongside a claim it shows crows “coming to Texas” after “attacking Wuhan, China”. The posts were shared as countries worldwide continue to fight the spread of the novel coronavirus, which was first detected in Wuhan in December 2019. The claim is false; the video shows black birds swarming the US state of Texas in December 2016; the audio of the video in some of the posts has been manipulated.

20 May 2020

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460. This photo does not show a packed plane in Indonesia during the coronavirus pandemic

A photo showing rows of passengers wearing face masks and shields on board a plane has been shared hundreds of times in multiple posts on Facebook alongside a claim it was taken in Indonesia during the coronavirus pandemic. The claim is false; the photo shows Indian nationals who returned home on a government-chartered flight from Singapore during the pandemic.

20 May 2020

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459. Website falsely claims mask-wearing is mandatory in Canada during COVID-19

Articles claim that not wearing a mask in Canada during the novel coronavirus pandemic can lead to a Can$3,000 fine or jail time. This is false. Masks are required aboard airplanes and by certain stores, but AFP did not find any Canadian jurisdiction where wearing them on the street is mandatory.

19 May 2020

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458. This list claiming to show viral outbreak originating in China from 1950 to 2019 is misleading

Multiple posts shared hundreds of times on Facebook purport to show a list of notable viral outbreaks between 1950 and 2019 which “originated in China”. The claim is misleading; some of the viral diseases listed in the posts were first reported elsewhere in the world.

19 May 2020

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457. Fake 'roadmap' for India's plans to relax coronavirus lockdown circulates online

Multiple Facebook posts have shared a purported roadmap for the Indian government's plans to ease a nationwide coronavirus lockdown alongside a claim that it shows an official government announcement. The claim is false; India’s official Press Information Bureau said the government had not release any such plan and labelled the posts “fake news”; the dates included in the purported roadmap corresponded with the Irish government's "roadmap for reopening society and business" during the coronavirus pandemic.

19 May 2020

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456. Misleading article warns against face masks during COVID-19 pandemic

An article that has been widely shared on social media warns healthy people against wearing face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic, citing alleged risks. But experts say masks can help curb the spread of the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, and that the article contains multiple false or misleading claims.

19 May 2020

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455. US Vice President Mike Pence did not deliver empty boxes to hospital during the coronavirus crisis

A video has been viewed millions of times in multiple posts on Facebook, Weibo and Twitter alongside a claim it shows US Vice President Mike Pence delivering empty boxes to a hospital for a publicity stunt during the coronavirus crisis. The claim gained traction online after the the clip was aired on the US television show Jimmy Kimmel Live!, hosted by comedian Jimmy Kimmel. The claim is false; the clip has been edited from a longer video which shows that Pence made comments about delivering "empty" boxes as a joke; Kimmel issued an apology about the misleading video broadcast on his show.

19 May 2020

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454. Bill Gates did not say that a COVID-19 vaccine could kill almost one million people

An article circulating on Facebook claims that Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said a COVID-19 vaccine could kill almost one million people, citing an interview he gave. This is false; Gates was talking about vaccine safety and the potential for side effects, and gave a hypothetical figure to illustrate the number of people who could possibly be affected by them worldwide.

18 May 2020

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453. Misleading claims about face masks circulate social media

A post on Facebook criticizes the effectiveness of face masks in protecting the wearer from COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. This is misleading; US health authorities recommend they be worn to stop the spread of the disease, not to prevent the wearer from contracting it.

18 May 2020

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452. This photo does not show bodies of euthanised COVID-19 patients -- it is a 2015 image of a deadly hajj stampede in Saudi Arabia

A photo has been shared hundreds of times in multiple Facebook posts that claim it shows bodies of elderly coronavirus patients who were euthanised by their governments as a “practical” response to the pandemic. The claim is false; the photo actually shows bodies of victims in a hajj stampede in 2015; the claim about governments euthanising COVID-19 patients is an old hoax previously debunked by AFP.

18 May 2020

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451. This videos does not show sloth bears roaming a tea estate in Sri Lanka during the coronavirus curfew; it has circulated before the pandemic

A video of three sloth bears has been viewed thousands of times on Facebook and Twitter alongside a claim it was captured in Sri Lanka during a curfew implemented due to the coronavirus pandemic. The claim is false; the clip has circulated in reports about sloth bears in south India since November 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic; a Sri Lankan wildlife activist told AFP it would be "highly unlikely" to see sloth bears in the Sri Lankan town which was cited in the misleading social media posts.

18 May 2020

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450. Misleading claim circulates that Thailand tops global index for COVID-19 reponse and has lowest number of coronavirus cases

Multiple Facebook posts shared tens of thousands of times claim that Thailand has “ranked no. 1 in the COVID-19 fight category” based on an international health security index. The posts add Thailand has the "lowest number of infected cases at present". The claims, however, are misleading; the index cited in the posts, the Global Health Security (GHS) Index, was published months before the COVID-19 pandemic; Thailand also does not have the lowest number of COVID-19 infections in Asia or worldwide, according to multiple international authorities.

18 May 2020

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449. Experts dismiss purported doctor's 'ridiculous' claim that ingesting semen could cure COVID-19

A video has been viewed more than 100,000 times in multiple posts on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter in which a purported Philippine doctor claims ingesting semen could cure a patient infected with the novel coronavirus, citing a 2016 scientific study. The claim is false; the authors of the 2016 study told AFP the claim was "ridiculous" and their findings have “nothing to do with COVID-19”; as of May 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said there is no cure for COVID-19.

15 May 2020

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448. Children did not die from a COVId-19 vaccine in Guinea -- the video misrepresents a news report from March 2019

A YouTube video shared thousands of times claims that two children died from a novel coronavirus vaccine in Guinea. The claim is false; the video misrepresents a news report on children who fell ill in March 2019 after taking anti-parasite drugs. There is currently no vaccine for COVID-19.

15 May 2020

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447. This video does not show a 5G mast in flames in the Italian city of La Spezia

A video has been viewed more than 100,000 times in multiple Facebook posts that claim to show a 5G mast burning in the Italian city of La Spezia. The claim is 