Since its outbreak in China in December, the 2019 coronavirus has infected tens of thousands of people worldwide. The World Health Organization declared it an international public health emergency. And misinformation about the virus is rampant online.
Below is a collection of PolitiFact’s ongoing coverage of the coronavirus, which we will continue to update as we research and report. See something you think we should fact-check? Send it to truthometer@politifact.com.
False reports
Claim that 10,000 have died from Wuhan coronavirus is Pants on Fire
FEMA did not propose martial law
No evidence that coronavirus causes sudden death syndrome
No evidence that United Kingdom is preparing for lockdown over coronavirus
Chinese billionaire floats conspiracy about coronavirus victim cremation
China air quality projections used to promote coronavirus cremation hoax
Fact-checking Rush Limbaugh’s misleading claim that the new coronavirus is “the common cold”
Hoaxes about origin
No, a Lysol label doesn’t prove the coronavirus isn’t new
Clorox bottles don’t prove the coronavirus was ‘developed’ before the outbreak
There’s no ‘coronavirus patent’
No, the Gates Foundation did not predict the virus
These plushies do not ‘commemorate’ the 2019 Novel coronavirus strain
Health misinformation site promotes conspiracy about coronavirus
The book ‘End of Days’ described an illness in 2020, but not ‘Wuhan-400’
D’oh, ‘The Simpsons’ didn’t predict the coronavirus
Bioweapon conspiracies
Websites spin unproven link between Canada, China about coronavirus outbreak
No evidence that Chinese officials will say coronavirus was leaked from a lab
Coronavirus was not ‘created in a lab’ as a ‘bioweapon for population control’
Bogus cures
No, drinking bleach will not ward off coronavirus
No, there is no vaccine for the Wuhan coronavirus
Cocaine not shown to treat novel coronavirus
Marijuana not shown to treat 2019 novel coronavirus
Medical masks should be worn with the colored side out
No, millions of Chinese didn’t convert to Islam seeking coronavirus immunity
No, the CDC isn’t recommending men shave their beard to protect against the coronavirus
Political conspiracies
Rush Limbaugh is spreading a conspiracy theory about the coronavirus and Trump’s re-election
RELATED: A reader’s guide to misinformation about the coronavirus
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