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: Half of the UK’s imported Covid-19 cases are from Pakistan. Fact: The majority of imported Covid-19 cases in the UK are from European countries. Soch Fact Check received a screenshot of an article published on The Telegraph for verification on Whatsapp. The article’s headline stated that half of the United Kingdom’s imported Covid 19 […]
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 mob interrupted Antim Sanskar or cremation of a Hindu trader from Dadu who passed away from Covid-19 claiming it could lead to the spread of the virus. Fact: Although dead bodies of Covid-19 patients aren’t infectious in general according to WHO, even if the virus was present it would have been destroyed during […]
Claim: The “GOP Health Department” issued a notice announcing an immediate ban on poultry due to the presence of Covid-19. Fact: Various official sources clarified that no such notification has been issued. Covid-19 cannot spread to poultry. The following image of an alleged government notification dated 4 June 2020 was received by Soch Fact Check […]
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: A viral message forwarded on Whatsapp shared pictures allegedly from a Pakistani mall and warned potential mall-goers that the mould in the pictures could cause serious respiratory infections. Fact: The pictures are from a Malaysian store called Metrojaya in Kuala Lampur, not a Pakistani mall. The pictures were originally posted to Facebook by the […]
Claim: Liquor shops have been directed to reopen by the excise and taxation department Islamabad under lockdown. Fact: Deputy Commissioner Islamabad M Hamza Shafqaat clarified on Twitter the notification is fake. Liquor shops have been shut since lockdown began in Islamabad. On 20 May 2020, the following image of an alleged government notification dated 19 […]
Claim: The Ozone layer is recovering after a larger than usual hole formed above the Arctic in April 2020 due to a reduction in aerosol pollutants caused by Covid-19 lockdowns. Fact: The polar vortex is a system of strong and cold circular winds in the Arctic which caused the formation of the hole, and when […]
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 […]