Snopes Debunker - Did Dozens of Countries Order COVID-19 Tests in 2018?

Did Dozens of Countries Order COVID-19 Tests in 2018? ​ A screenshot circulating on social media gave way to an astonishing claim: world governments were already ordering materials needed for COVID-19 tests in 2018, more than a year before the disease was identified in humans.  The screenshots come from the World Bank's World Integrated Trade Solution website, and the data is real, but is that the whole story? Why are COVID-19 test supply orders dated back to 2018? Were governments aware of the disease earlier than they let on?  Snopes reached out to the World Customs Organization for a diagnosis, and Snopes reporter Madison Dapcevich has the results. Read More Fact Checks Is ‘Antifa’ Setting Wildfires in Oregon? Law enforcement pleaded with social media users to stop spreading such hoaxes. ❌ False Did a Black Man Invent the Lightbulb, as Joe Biden Claimed? Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden tried to make a point about Black history in the wake of police shootings. ❌ Mostly False Was Sturgis Motorcycle Rally Responsible for 250K Coronavirus Cases? A non-peer reviewed paper took off on the internet ... and then came the critics. ❔ Unproven Is This a Real Quote by Nelson Mandela? A quote attributed to Mandela, former president of South Africa, said: "Fools divide themselves by race, color, gender, or religion." ❌ Misattributed Did Trump Say in February 2020 That COVID-19 Is Deadlier Than the Flu? While the president repeatedly downplayed the deadliness of COVID-19 in public, he acknowledged that it is deadlier than the flu in private. ✅ Correct Attribution View Latest Fact Checks Are You Mailing Your Ballot? Voting by mail will play a key role in the upcoming 2020 U.S. general election. We’ve got information that can help you and your family make sure your votes are counted, no matter where you are. Visit the Guide News What’s True and False about Kyle Rittenhouse’s Alleged Victims Fans of the 17-year-old, charged in a double killing, launched an online campaign to smear the reputations of his victims. Read More Images of 9/11 Attack, Porn Interrupt Voting Machine Hearing A federal hearing on a challenge to Georgia’s voting machines was interrupted when someone began posting video and symbols during the live Zoom session, including images from the Sept. 11 attacks, a swastika and pornography. Read More St. Louis Zoo Says Python Laid 7 Eggs Without Male Help Experts at the St. Louis Zoo are trying to figure out how a 62-year-old ball python laid seven eggs despite not being near a male python for at least two decades. Read More Officials Squash Rumors of Far Right, Far Left Setting Fires Raging wildfires in the Pacific Northwest have fueled a barrage of false information as unsubstantiated social media posts blamed coordinated groups of arsonists from both the far left and far right for setting the blazes. Read More Dog’s Bark Saved Alabama Family as Fire Swept through Home A dog has been credited with saving an Alabama family’s lives after his bark awakened them to a fire that was sweeping through their rental home. Read More

View Latest News Staff Pick ​ Twitter Bans Account After Trump Amplified Its Racially Charged Videos Trump's promotion of @AlwaysActions provided a fascinating insight into the information (and disinformation) ecosystem of the president's Twitter feed. Read More