Facts in Q&A format

The percentage has varied over time. On 3 June, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) reported that 75% of Covid-19 cases in Nigeria had unknown sources of infection; 2% had a travel history and 23% were contacts of existing patients. “It means that community transmission is happening. It…

Yes, in a letter dated 16 June, health facilities and districts were told to “desist from mass testing” of people unless authorised to do so by the director-general of the Ghana Health Service. More: FACT-CHECK: Mass coronavirus testing halted in Ghana’s Central region

No, a group of researchers held a press conference to announce that they had developed a potential vaccine candidate. It will take months to determine if it’s effective. More: No, Nigeria hasn’t found Covid-19 vaccine yet – but hunt is on

An epidemic occurs when there is a higher than expected number of cases of an illness in a community or region.  A pandemic is the worldwide spread of a disease, usually affecting a large number of people.More: Is the claim of a pandemic every 100 years accurate?

A claim circulating on WhatsApp “assuring” people that chewing raw onions would ensure their recovery, is not supported by scientific evidence.More: FALSE: Chewing raw onions can cure coronavirus

If true, this would have been widely reported. The World Health Organization has not recommended any medication to treat or cure Covid-19 to date.

Dr Elisa Granato, a postdoctoral researcher in the Oxford’s zoology department, received one of the first two jabs administered at the start of a Covid-19 vaccine trial at the University of Oxford. She has denied reports of her death.More: ‘I’m very much alive.’ No, first volunteer in UK Covid-19…

Smoking is known to impair lung function, affect the immune system and can increase the severity of respiratory diseases such as influenza. Although no randomised controlled studies that have directly investigated the effect of smoking on people with Covid-19 are available at present, according to…

In May, the South African Covid-19 Modelling Consortium estimated that the peak in active Covid-19 cases in South Africa is likely to be somewhere between early July (in a pessimistic scenario) and early August (in an optimistic scenario). The initial lockdown measures and social distancing delayed…