An image shared on Facebook nearly 500 times claims the new coronavirus has been found in toilet paper.

Verdict: False

The image was created on a news generator website. There are no credible reports of the novel coronavirus being found in toilet paper.

Fact Check:

The viral claim about COVID-19 being found in bath tissue has circulated on Facebook amid consumers concerned about the coronavirus pandemic stockpiling goods like hand sanitizer, toilet paper and canned foods. (RELATED: Viral Image Claims Rhino Horns Are The Source Of The Novel Coronavirus)

“Breaking News: COVID-19 found in toilet paper,” reads the alleged chyron in a March 9 post. Below the chyron, a ticker also claims, “Strain of deadly virus breeds rapidly in tissue fibres.”

But the supposed screen grab appears to have originated on one of several news generator websites that allow users to create their own breaking news images. Some social media users took the fabricated image as fact amid the global spread of the novel coronavirus.

The disease caused by the new virus primarily spreads from person-to-person through respiratory droplets, though it can also be transmitted through contact with infected surfaces, according to the World Health Organization. A recent study by U.S. government researchers found that the new coronavirus can survive up to 24 hours on cardboard and up to several days on plastic.

“Because of poor survivability of these coronaviruses on surfaces, there is likely very low risk of spread from products or packaging that are shipped over a period of days or weeks at ambient temperatures,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website states.

No credible reports about the new coronavirus being found on or spread via bath tissue could be found online.