The Coronavirus Collection: Memes and Misinformation II

22 Articles

Snopes investigates the memes, rumors, jokes, and misinformation spreading on social media in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, cont.

Snopes Staff

Published 7 April 2020

No matter what the news event is, we’ll always see memes. COVID-19 is no exception. In this collection, Snopes investigates the memes, rumors, jokes, and misinformation spreading on social media in the wake of the 2020 coronavirus outbreak.

Check out the other categories to read the rest of our COVID-19 fact checks.

What questions do you have? Help Snopes investigate rumors around the novel coronavirus by sending us your tips.

Have Plagues Repeated Exactly Every 100 Years? The predictive value of cherry-picked data is generally low to insignificant.

Did Pat Robertson Blame Oral Sex for COVID-19? A routine review of content labeled satire.

Was This Pandemic Poem Written by Kathleen O’Mara in 1919? A global pandemic did indeed inspire this poem. But that's as far as it goes.

No, This Is Not a Phone Number for Tracking Your Coronavirus Stimulus Payments The IRS has not announced if Americans will be able to track the status of...

Are Thieves Handing Out Masks With Chemicals That Make You Pass Out? Memes exploiting fear over the ongoing coronavirus pandemic have been widespread on social media.

Did Uninsured Teen Die of COVID-19 After Being Denied Treatment? A story that went viral was later clarified with regard to key details.

Is This a Text from an NHS Worker? A viral hoax warned against going out to buy bread, of all things, during the...

Did Dolphins and Swans ‘Return’ to Italian Waterways Amid COVID-19 Lockdown? A few wildlife sightings were excitedly shared across social media as a note of sunny...

malabar civet covid coronavirus lockdown

Was a Rare Malabar Civet Spotted During COVID-19 Lockdown? Shelter-in-place orders amid the coronavirus pandemic may have given wildlife ⁠— and our imaginations ⁠—...

Did an Orangutan Start Hand-Washing During COVID-19 Pandemic? Sandra the orangutan loves to wash her hands. We should all be more like Sandra.

Did Empire State Building Display ‘Siren’ Lights During COVID-19 Pandemic? A strange sight for strange times.

Is This a C. S. Lewis Quote from 1942? A "quote" shared widely during the COVID-19 pandemic may have felt timely, but that is...

COVID-19 Is a Serious Threat … But So Are Memes Claiming It’s NOT The story of a Texas woman who reportedly shared a Facebook post claiming the coronavirus...

Kosovar Facebook Pages Use Coronavirus Fears, ‘Blue Lives Matter’ Memes To Trick American Followers Networks from the Balkans nation are deploying divisive content and patriotic nostalgia, echoing past foreign...

Is This ‘Shaun of the Dead’ Meme Mocking Real Ohio Protesters? A viral photograph from a protest against stay-at-home orders during the COVID-19 pandemic was likened...

Was March 2020 the First March Since 2002 Without a US School Shooting? The definition of a "school shooting" varies depending on whom you ask.

Did Lack of Social Distancing in 1918 Pandemic Cause More Deaths Than WWI? A viral meme about the "Spanish flu" pandemic gets some general points right, but the...

Did Bill Mitchell Tweet ‘Let Me Know’ When COVID-19 Kills 55,000? The right-wing commentator received backlash on social media when the tragic benchmark was met.

Does This Restaurant Receipt Show a COVID-19 Surcharge? The COVID-19 pandemic has caused prices for meat and proteins to climb across the board.

Did Giuliani Correctly Tweet That Wuhan Lab Got $3.7M from US in 2017? Giuliani tacitly echoed President Donald Trump's assertion that the COVID-19 coronavirus came from a lab...