On 18 June 2020, the Minister of State for Climate Change Zartaj Gul appeared on PTV News and said, “Covid-19 means that it has 19 points that can be applied in any country in any way.” The minister faced online backlash for her inaccurate claim, however, this wasn’t the only false statement she made in […]
Claim: News headlines portray bubonic plague case in China as a novel occurrence Fact: Cases of the bubonic plague are reported worldwide every year. The disease is curable in most cases. A number of western international media outlets such as CNN, BBC and the New York Times reported over the weekend that a case of […]
Claim: Fumigation of outdoor spaces with a disinfectant is an effective way to curtail the spread of the Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19). Fact: Spraying or fumigation of outdoor spaces is not recommended and is ineffective in preventing the spread of Covid-19. Since the start of the Novel Coronavirus outbreak, we have seen videos and images from […]
Claim: Covid-19 is a bacterium and not a virus. Fact: Covid19 is caused by the novel coronavirus (Sars-Cov-2). A widely circulating WhatsApp message claims that the Italian health ministry has discovered that Covid-19 is caused by bacteria. However, this is not the case. There are multiple kinds of coronaviruses and some of them cause illnesses […]
Claim: A bus caught on fire near Quetta after an accident on the N-25 National Highway claiming 47 lives. Fact: No such incident took place. Pictures and videos shared on social media were taken out of context On 8 June 2020, Soch Fact Check received a Facebook post for verification regarding a fatal bus accident […]
On June 1, Prime Minister Imran Khan addressed the nation after a meeting with the National Coordination Committee (NCC) regarding Covid-19. This address was delivered at a time when Pakistan is seeing the biggest spike in Covid related deaths since the beginning of the outbreak. In his speech, Imran Khan said that the novel coronavirus […]
Claim: Walk-through disinfection gates kill the virus that causes Covid-19 and helps restrict its transmission. Fact: Spraying water, chlorine (bleach) and alcohol over the body does not prevent the spread of Covid-19. In the earliest stages of the pandemic, various methods of discouraging the spread of the virus had been put in place by local […]
Claim: You should wear a surgical mask every time you step out of the house to restrict the spread of COVID-19. Fact: You can wear any kind of mask as long as it covers your mouth and nose. As we learn more about the Covid-19 virus, we get a clearer idea of how to take […]
Claim: The Sindh Government directed law enforcement officers to seal off the Punjab Chowrangi area in Karachi due to a surge in COVID-19 cases Fact: The video was filmed in Bara Kahu, an area in Islamabad, which was locked down last week by the administration after 11 new COVID-19 cases were detected. On 1 April […]
Claim: COVID-19 can be contracted through inanimate objects. Fact: The novel coronavirus does not survive for long on surfaces. The rapid spread of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus has convinced a lot of people that they can contract COVID-19 through inanimate objects as well as through direct contact with humans. Many have taken to social media […]
CLAIM: According to viral posts shared on Facebook and Twitter, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has been ranked 4th best in the world and 2nd best in Asia by the World Health Organization for timely measures taken to combat COVID-19. FACT: WHO Country Representative in Pakistan Dr Palitha Gunarathna Mahipala praised the governments timely […]
Claim: COVID-19 can only be transmitted through people who are showing symptoms. Fact: Those who contract the virus can also infect others while showing no symptoms themselves. On March 1st, the US Secretary of Health and Human Services, Alex Azer said on ABC News that asymptomatic spread is not a major driver of the novel […]