It's been five years since Covid-19 was declared a pandemic, and since then there has been a lot of misinformation and fake news about the virus, the vaccine and how it spread.
The lockdown announcement that followed on 23 March 2020 saw many turn to social media to find answers, with TikTok app downloads increasing by 34% in the UK. There are now more than 44 million posts on Instagram using the hashtag #covid19.
From stories about Covid originating in a lab to claims about the vaccine being untrustworthy, we explore some of the posts that went viral and look into whether there's any truth behind the claims they made.
Claim #1 - “5G was responsible for the Covid outbreak” - False
Social media posts claiming that 5G was responsible for Covid went viral in 2020, with some posts on X gaining nearly 500,000 views. Some were shared by verified accounts with hundreds of thousands of followers and the claims even led to protests and attacks on mobile phone masts around the world.
A now deleted video shared on YouTube and Facebook in April 2020 claimed that 5G was linked to the Covid outbreak and showed a telecommunications box on fire in Liverpool.
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said at the time on Twitter that there was "absolutely no credible evidence" of a link, while trade body Mobile UK said such rumours and conspiracy theories were "concerning".
Claims about the connection between 5G and Covid tended to fall into two categories. The first suggested that 5G can weaken the immune system, making the virus easier to catch, while a second claimed the virus could be transmitted through the use of 5G technology.
Scientists say the idea of a connection between Covid and 5G is “complete rubbish” and biologically impossible, with Adam Finn, Professor of Paediatrics at the University of Bristol stating, “it would also be impossible for 5G to transmit the virus”.
Conspiracy theories and fake news can spread quickly online and gain thousands of views amongst people who want to believe what they are reading. When reading news online, you should consider how there are different types of bias that could have influenced the article, and ensure what you are reading has factual evidence to back it up.
Claim #2 - “Covid originated in a lab” - Inconclusive
Ever since Covid first hit the headlines, people have speculated about the origin of the virus – with even high-profile public figures such as Donald Trump and Elon Musk commenting on the claims.
One of the most popular theories is that Covid may have escaped from a lab in the Chinese city of Wuhan. The Wuhan Institute of Virology, which is only 40 minutes away from where the first known cases of Covid started, had been studying coronaviruses in bats for over a decade before the pandemic.
Back in May 2020, Donald Trump was asked if he had any evidence to back up claims the virus originated in a Chinese laboratory and said, “Yes, I have”. However when asked to clarify, he said “I can’t tell you that”.
When looking into claims about the origins of the virus, BBC Reality Check found that various Chinese officials had spread the idea that the virus didn't originate in China. They also found that Chinese state media had amplified some false claims including that Covid had been created by the US military, but there was nothing to suggest that any of this is true. They concluded that scientists believe the virus first jumped from animal to humans in Wuhan in China towards the end of 2019.
More recently, in January 2025, the CIA released a new assessment on the origin of the Covid outbreak, saying it was “more likely” to have leaked from a Chinese lab than to have come from animals.
This revised assessment was one of the first made by the CIA’s new director John Ratcliffe, who was appointed by Donald Trump. However, officials told the US media that it is not based on any new intelligence, and the review is “low confidence” which means it is based on intelligence that is inconclusive.
Stories that are backed by political figures can be tempting to believe and share across social media platforms, however you should always do your own research. Using reliable sources, can help you understand the full story and get multiple points of view.
Claim #3 - “The Covid vaccine shouldn’t be trusted” - False
The Covid vaccine has sparked much debate on social media, with more than 355,000 posts on TikTok and a further 400,000 on Instagram.
Many of these posts contained misinformation such as claims that the vaccine was being used to insert microchips and that it could alter DNA.
The claim that microchips were being inserted into humans via the Covid vaccine is believed to have started in March 2020. The theory gained momentum after an interview with Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates where he said he believed that eventually "we will have some digital certificates" to show who'd recovered, been tested and received a vaccine. However, he did not mention microchips in the interview.
Claims that the vaccine was being used to chip humans spread quickly and global fact checking network IFCN found versions of the fake news in at least 14 countries, with some videos racking up more than 2.9 million views.
At the time, BBC Reality Check found that there was no evidence to support the claim and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation told them the claim was “false”.
Another popular rumour on social media was that the vaccine alters DNA. One video posted on YouTube in June 2020 with 300,000 views stated that, "The Covid-19 vaccines are designed to make us into genetically modified organisms." However, BBC Verify spoke to three different scientists who said the vaccine would not alter human DNA.
Similar to many vaccines or medications, some people can experience side effects after having the Covid vaccine, with a small number experiencing severe allergic reactions. Additionally, there have been a small percentage of deaths registered involving COVID-19 vaccinations.
Stories with sensationalist headlines are tempting to share and can spread quickly. This type of content is referred to as clickbait, and there is often no evidence to back it up.
If you are unsure whether or not something you see online is true, why not use reliable sources to learn more.
Find out how Covid impacted the lives of young people who were at school and college in 2020.
Not sure if the news you’re seeing on social media is true or false? Can you always tell if the things you see online are real or fake? Learn how to get the other side of the story with our quizzes, videos and explainers.
