Misinformation shared on social media encouraging people to simply turn up for a Covid-19 vaccination has highlighted the issue of so-called 'fake news'.

A misleading post suggesting anyone over the age of 18 from a black, Asian or minority ethnic group could just arrive at the Tonbridge vaccination hub at the Angel Centre and receive their jab was circulating on Facebook this week.

It went on: "The Angel Centre's amazing team would like to vaccinate as many people as possible today from this more at risk group before the Centre closes for a few weeks. Please help spread the word."

However there was no such policy in place this week. We asked the NHS if anyone had to be turned away from the vaccination centre after acting on this misinformation, but they did not provide an answer.

A spokesperson for NHS Kent and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group said: "Unfortunately false information can spread very quickly and easily on the internet but we always advise checking official NHS websites for accurate information - the web address will end in nhs.uk.

"Make sure you are also viewing official NHS social media channels, rather than posts from individuals, for the most up-to-date and fast changing information."

The NHS will contact you when it is your turn to have the jab - and people are urged to check the source of the invitation as a number of scams are operating.

However you do not need to wait to be contacted if you fall into a number of groups currently eligible, for example if you are aged 50 or over, or are considered clinically extremely vulnerable.

The Covid-19 pandemic has proved to be fertile conditions for the transmission of the virus of fake news.

At the start of the crisis the NHS announced it was working with the likes of Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to verify or 'blue tick' more than 800 accounts belonging to health service organisations including hospital trusts and local commissioning groups.

Speaking at the beginning of the pandemic, NHS chief executive Sir Simon Stevens said: "It's right that social media platforms and search engines take any action so they can help ensure the public are directed to NHS advice first."

The California-based social media giants, long under fire for their role in facilitating the spread of misleading content, have put in place measures they claim help reduce the amount of misinformation about coronavirus on their platforms.

Facebook has said it is "committed to providing more transparency" when it comes to tackling incorrect claims, and in a corporate blog post in February the company said: "Since December, we've removed false claims about Covid-19 vaccines that have been debunked by public health experts.

"Today, following consultations with leading health organisations, including the World Health Organization, we are expanding the list of false claims we will remove to include additional debunked claims about the coronavirus and vaccines."

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