On Sunday afternoon, the Department of Health and Social Care tweeted: “News circulating on social media that the first volunteer in a UK coronavirus vaccine trial has died is completely untrue.

“Before sharing unsubstantiated claims online, use the Share checklist to help stop the spread of harmful content.”

A microbiologist who was one of the first people to be injected as part of UK human trials for a coronavirus vaccine has said she is “doing fine” after a fake article about her death was circulated on social media.

The article claimed that Elisa Granato, who took part in the trial in Oxford on Thursday, had died after taking the vaccine.

But both she and the government have since said the article was fake.

Writing on Twitter before making her account private, Dr Granato said: “Nothing like waking up to a fake article on your death … I’m doing fine everyone.”