The Coronavirus Collection: Viral Videos

16 Articles

Viral videos on YouTube and other platforms purport to deliver reliable information about COVID-19, but do they? Snopes investigates.

Snopes Staff

Published 20 March 2020

Image via Twitter

Online videos can be a effective medium for disseminating important information, but they can also be used to spread disinformation and conspiracy theories. This collection features the viral videos about COVID-19 our readers have asked us to fact check.

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.

Does Video Show Guns, Violence in Aftermath of Coronavirus Outbreak in China? Speculation does not equal evidence.

Fact Check

Miscaptioned

Are People Collapsing in the Street from Coronavirus? A spokesperson for the World Health Organization said that fainting in this manner from coronavirus...

Fact Check

Unproven

China’s Official Newspaper Mislabels Video Footage in Coronavirus Coverage A People's Daily video claiming to show "full-front disinfection work" in Wuhan included footage taken...

News

Did Video Show Italian Army Trucks Transporting Coffins Amid COVID-19 Pandemic? A stark illustration of the tragic impact coronavirus had on parts of Italy in 2020.

Fact Check

True

Does This Video Show Mass Graves in Italy? So far as we can tell, actress Tiffani Thiessen was not working for the CDC...

Fact Check

False

Is Coronavirus Spreading Faster Than SARS, Ebola, and Swine Flu? A video clip supposedly showing the exponential spread of a new coronavirus misled some viewers.

Fact Check

Mixture

Baskets of summer vegetables: tomatoes, squash, etc.

Is Teens Coughing on Produce a ‘Disturbing Trend’ in the US? A reported instance of "teens doing dumb things on social media" may be something less...

Fact Check

False

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...

Fact Check

Mixture

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.

Fact Check

Miscaptioned

Did MSNBC Reporter Say ‘I Hope Coronavirus Kills People and Hurts Trump’s Reelection’? This false rumor demonstrates how one subtle video edit can achieve a huge deception.

Fact Check

False

No, a Hair Dryer Won’t Stop Coronavirus A viral video that claims breathing hot air from a hair dryer could cure COVID-19...

Fact Check

False

Did CBS News Use Footage from Italy for New York COVID-19 Report? The news outlet acknowledged the error, but that wasn't the end of the story.

Fact Check

True

Was Fox News’ John Roberts Caught on Hot Mic Discussing COVID-19 as a Hoax? A viral video captured an informal exchange between Roberts and New York Times photographer Doug...

Fact Check

Miscaptioned

Snopes Debunks ‘Plandemic’ One viral video has led to a tidal wave of misinformation.

Collection
3 Articles

‘Plandemic’: Was Judy Mikovits Arrested Without a Warrant and Jailed Without Charges? The factually-challenged film “Plandemic” is a social media hit with groups such as anti-vaxxers and...

Fact Check

False

Is This a PSA About Reopening the Economy? Sometimes it is all too easy for us to consider deaths as a mere abstraction...

Fact Check

Miscaptioned