Since the start of the pandemic, readers have been asking us to investigate alleged cures and treatments for Covid-19
10 Jul 2020 | Facts and news from Full Fact
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** FACT CHECK
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** Debunking coronavirus ‘cures’
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Just to be clear, there is currently no approved vaccine for Covid-19. In the UK, only one drug, dexamethasone, has been approved as a treatment, although others are being trialled.
But that hasn’t stopped a host of other remedies being promoted online and in the traditional media:
UV light: Suggested as a potential cure by President Trump, the World Health Organisation (WHO) warns ultraviolet radiation can “cause skin irritation and damage your eyes”, and it should not be used to disinfect hands or other areas of skin. US researchers say that the strongest type of UV, called UVC, probably kills the new coronavirus, but it should not be used on the body.
Vitamin D: Multiple trials around the world are currently studying whether vitamin D can help with prevention or treatment of Covid-19. The government has confirmed that Public Health England is “carrying out a rapid review of recent evidence relating to vitamin D,” but a number of UK scientists and institutions insist there is no strong evidence it will be beneficial for countering Covid-19.
Injecting seawater: Mexican fact checker Animal Politico reported that this ‘cure’ was tried by hundreds of people in Ecuador in a bid to stop Covid-19. This was not authorised by the government, and strongly condemned by physicians. The Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador warned that seawater could have faecal contamination and other pathogens, and there is a high risk of causing serious infection by injecting it intravenously.
Blowing hot air up your nose with a hairdryer: This bogus cure may have been popularised by a politician from Florida, who suggested at a meeting that the heat would kill the virus.
We debunk more ‘cures’ here ([link removed])
Good information helps people take the right precautions in this pandemic. Can you help? ([link removed])
Since the pandemic began, a vast array of false medical tips and bogus cures has led to widespread confusion. In this crisis of information, could you help give people the clarity they need?
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** What we know about the government loan to pay slave owners after the abolition of slavery in 1833 ([link removed])
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In the wake of Black Lives Matter protests, we’ve seen a number of claims made about the Slavery Abolition Act. Here’s what we know.
The British government passed the law in 1833, which set out that freedom should be granted to slaves in most British territories the following year.
There were exceptions to this—in India, for example—and ‘freedom’ didn’t mean former slaves could travel, live and work freely.
As part of this Act, the government took out a £20 million loan to compensate former slave owners. This was not repaid in full until 2015 (although the loan changed form before being paid off).
What happened to the loan? ([link removed])
** FACT CHECK
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** We all deserve a better debate on poverty ([link removed])
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It’s essential we have an accurate picture of poverty in the UK—so leaders can make informed decisions, and we can properly understand the communities in which we live.
But the range of ways of measuring poverty means that participants in the debate can often pick and choose the figures which best suit their arguments.
Watching poverty being talked about at PMQs can be like watching Groundhog Day on repeat—only not funny.
Both the government and the opposition regularly tell contradictory stories on poverty. This almost always comes down to which measure they happen to be looking at.
Full Fact’s Special Projects Editor, Joseph O'Leary, looked back at how we’ve fact checked poverty debates over time, arguing that we all deserve better.
It’s not all relative ([link removed])
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** Also this week...
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* The “Irish slave” myth has been widely discredited ([link removed])
* Covid-19 testing is not as fast as Matt Hancock claimed ([link removed])
* Leicester going back into lockdown had nothing to do with 5G ([link removed])
* The government’s claims about education spending need context ([link removed])
* What was the New Deal? ([link removed])
Read our latest fact checks ([link removed])
** Stop the spread of bad information ([link removed])
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