World Bank Didn’t Document COVID-19 Since 2017
The Claim
The World Bank documented the existence of COVID-19 test kits since 2017.
News posted on
Emerging story
On his Facebook page, Ben Swann, the host of an RT show, claimed that the World Bank website proves COVID-19 test kits were sold worldwide as early as 2017.
His Facebook post read:
The post was shared and liked by thousands of users.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar’s investigation didn’t find any "COVID-19" or "novel coronavirus" references on the World Bank’s public website since 2017. They were added this year in response to the pandemic.
The World Bank put the "COVID-19" label on existing virus test kit components to help disease-fighters find equipment to test for the latest coronavirus outbreak. The first case of COVID-19 documented by medical scientists was in November of 2019 in Wuhan, China. Our investigation didn't find any evidence to support Swan's claim.
