Autopsies of COVID-19 victims in Russia have shown that COVID-19 is the cause of death in thousands of cases. This is contrary to reports on social media claiming that these autopsies have revealed that COVID-19 does not exist and that people are more likely to suffer from treatable blood clots caused by bacteria. COVID-19 is caused by a virus, not a bacterium, and although it can cause blood clots, it is not the only effect of the disease.
‘Russia is the first country in the world to dissect Covid-19 corpses (contrary to the WHO’s criminal orders to allow no autopsy (sic) for death in death), and after a thorough investigation it was determined that Covid-NOT AS A does not exist VIRUS, ”says the title of an article presented on various websites (here, here) that is shared here, here and here on social media.
The article and post-captions state: ‘It cannot be assumed that it is a virus, but rather bacteria that cause death and lead to the formation of blood clots in the veins and nerves, from which the patient dies’, and adds that ‘exposed bacteria’ to 5G rays are to blame. They claim that ‘ventilators and intensive care units have never been used in Russia’ and that this disease can be ‘cured’ by ‘antibiotic tablets, anti-inflammatory drugs and the use of anticoagulants (aspirin)’.
A very similar claim circulated in May 2020 in connection with Italy. Reuters dropped this claim here.
AUTO OPTIONS
The WHO does not ban autopsies for COVID-19 victims: in September 2020, they issued guidelines on safety procedures for autopsies of dead people infected with COVID-19 visible here.
Russia relies on a post-mortem to determine if the death of an infected person was caused by COVID-19 (here). Tatyana Golikova, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, stated in December 2020 (tass.ru/obschestvo/10369929) that all COVID-19 deaths, with the exception of religious exceptions, are subject to this post-mortem analysis: “We have autopsies in 100% of cases across the country, with exceptions for religious reasons. In the case of infectious diseases – and coronavirus is considered a particularly contagious disease – we have autopsies in 100% of the cases. ”
Russia is not the only country to have performed autopsies on COVID-19 victims (here). Such post-mortem studies have been conducted in countries including the United States (here), Germany (here), Italy (here) and the United Kingdom (here).
COVID-19 AS CAUSE OF DEATH
Deaths are attributed to COVID-19 in Russia after the post-mortem examination. The Russian Ministry of Health says that as of April 14, 2021, there were 104,000 COVID-19 deaths (covid19.rosminzdrav.ru/). Figures from the Russian Federal Service for State Statistics (Rosstat) seen here on the Reuters COVID-19 tracker show that by this date, 243,084 coronavirus-related deaths have been recorded in Russia since the pandemic began. Authorities have said in the past that Rosstat’s statistics are more comprehensive, including data from autopsy reports that are not available daily (here).
Reuters reported in May 2020 that the deaths of thousands of Russians infected with the new coronavirus were due to other causes, such as a heart attack (here). “Simply put, no one ever dies ‘because of’ a virus. “People are dying from complications due to a virus,” said Alexey Erlikh, head of the intensive care unit at Moscow Hospital 29, which has been assigned to treat coronavirus.
‘But they also die from the complications of a chronic disease caused by the virus. Some people believe that such deaths should not be counted in the death toll from the coronavirus. I believe they should, ”Erlikh (here) said.
THROMBOSIS IN BACTERIA
The reports claim that Russia has discovered that COVID-19 is not a virus, but is caused by bacteria. However, the Russian Ministry of Health website covid19.rosminzdrav.ru/ characterizes COVID-19 as a ‘virus’ and says the disease is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
The World Health Organization has the myth that COVID-19 is caused by bacteria not a virus (here).
Reuters has previously denied that COVID-19 is caused by bacteria and that it is just thrombosis (blood clots) here.
Researchers have noted that one of the many life-threatening effects of COVID-19 is inflammation and abnormal blood clots, which can cause multiple health complications from heart attack to organ damage from stroke, as the U.S. Government National Institutes of Health (NIH) Johns Hopkins Medicine explains here and here and here.
However, blood clots are just one of the many effects that COVID-19 can have, as COVID-19 is not synonymous with thrombosis (here, here).
5G
The reports say that what people are experiencing is that bacteria are exposed to 5G rays, where the radiation causes inflammation and hypoxia.
Reuters has earlier denied false allegations that 5G makes people sick instead of COVID-19 (here, here, here) and claims that COVID-19 is caused by radiation poisoning (here, here).
The World Health Organization says no research has linked exposure to wireless technology with negative health consequences (here).
TREATMENTS
The posts claim that Russia does not need to use intensive care units and fans for COVID-19, which is untrue.
Reuters and Getty Images of intensive care units and ventilators used in Russia during the COVID-19 pandemic can be seen here, here, here and here.
In the articles and postings it is suggested that the use of antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs and blood coagulants (blood thinners) can be used to treat the disease. As this Reuters fact check explains here, the symptoms of COVID-19 can be treated with anticoagulants and anti-inflammatory drugs, but antibiotics are not effective against the virus infection, and are only recommended for COVID-19 patients who also have a bacterial infection.
The WHO explains that ‘antibiotics do not work against viruses’ (here).
In September 2020, the European Medicines Agency endorsed the anti-inflammatory drug, dexamethasone, for the treatment of COVID-19 patients with respiratory problems, after a study by researchers at the University of Oxford in June showed that dexamethasone had the mortality rate with about third in severely ill COVID-19 patients (here).
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), ibuprofen (an anti-inflammatory drug) can be taken to reduce COVID-19-related symptoms, such as fever (here). They add that blood thinners to prevent or treat blood clots can be used for seriously ill hospitals, depending on complications, as outlined here by the NIH.
VERDICT
Partly untrue. COVID-19 is a virus, not a bacterium, that was the cause of death in the pandemic in Russia, just like elsewhere. Anticoagulants and anti-inflammatory drugs are used to treat COVID-19, but antibiotics are only effective if patients also have a bacterial infection. Claims related to the WHO ban on COVID-19 autopsies, lack of ICU use in Russia and 5G, are false.
This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact-checking work at www.reuters.com/fact-check.