Amid the surge in COVID-19 cases in Singapore, Thailand, and Hong Kong in May 2025, a viral post (here, here, & here) attributed to the Singapore Ministry of Health has been widely shared on social media. The post claims that Singapore discovered COVID-19 is caused by bacteria rather than a virus after conducting an autopsy on a deceased patient, allegedly in violation of World Health Organisation (WHO) protocols. It further claims that Singapore authorities changed WHO-recommended treatment guidelines and began using aspirin and paracetamol to treat COVID-19 patients.
Claim: The Singapore Government discovered that COVID-19 is caused by bacteria and used aspirin and paracetamol to treat COVID-19 patients.
Fact: COVID-19 is caused by a virus called SARS-CoV-2, not by bacteria. The Singapore Ministry of Health has confirmed it did not do any autopsy that found a bacterial cause, nor did it change treatment to include aspirin or paracetamol as a cure. The viral post making these claims is false and wrongly linked to the Singapore government. WHO has clarified that COVID-19 is a viral illness and cannot be cured with antibiotics or painkillers like aspirin. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
First, we reviewed the websites of Singapore’s Ministry of Health (MOH) and its Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA), both of which confirm that COVID-19 is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Moreover, the Singapore Ministry of Health issued a clarification in June 2021, stating that the viral post is misattributed and entirely false. The ministry confirmed that no such autopsy had been conducted and that there was no change in treatment protocols based on any such discovery. They also clarified that the post spreads misinformation about the disease’s pathophysiology, which is not supported by scientific evidence.
In addition, the Singapore government published a detailed fact-check article addressing the viral claim. In it, they reiterated that COVID-19 is a viral infection, not bacterial, and that aspirin has no direct effect on the virus. They also made it clear that their treatment guidelines remained consistent and had not been altered due to any findings related to autopsies.
WHO has also debunked the myth that COVID-19 is caused by bacteria. According to the WHO, while there is no single definitive cure for COVID-19, some antiviral treatments can help reduce the severity of the disease, especially when used early and in high-risk patients. Research is still ongoing to develop better treatments and improve outcomes. WHO has also clarified that COVID-19 is caused by a virus, not bacteria. Antibiotics do not treat viral infections, though they may be prescribed for secondary bacterial infections in COVID-19 patients.
Moreover, contrary to the viral claim, the WHO never banned autopsies on COVID-19 victims. Instead, WHO released detailed safety guidelines for performing such procedures in September 2020.
Furthermore, PIB Fact Check has clarified (here & here) that aspirin and paracetamol do not cure COVID-19.
Earlier, when the same message was falsely attributed to Italy’s Health Ministry, FACTLY published a fact-check article. It can be read here.
To sum it up, the claim that Singapore conducted autopsies on COVID-19 victims and discovered that the disease is caused by bacteria is entirely false. COVID-19 is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, not bacteria.
