An 86-year-old COVID infected woman's three fingers were cut off after they turned black due to the disease.

The old woman from Europe suffered from dry gangrene in her fingers. There is no evidence to link the cause of tissue damage directly to COVID-19.

The old woman from Europe suffered from dry gangrene in her fingers. There is no evidence to link the cause of tissue damage directly to COVID-19.A viral image of an old woman's hand with three blackened fingers is circulated claiming that it was caused by COVID-19.

The same image is published by the European Journal of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery (ESVS) in August 2020. The research article says that three of her fingers were black due to dry gangrene. She was prescribed blood thinners as there was a lack of blood flow to her fingers. She had acute coronary syndrome and was put on dual antiplatelet therapy. She also went through a swab test, which came out positive for COVID-19. She had no symptoms of COVID-19. After receiving a therapeutic dose of low molecular weight heparin, her fingers were successfully amputated without any complications.

COVID-19 is often more severe in people who are older than 60 years or who have health conditions like lung or heart disease, diabetes, or conditions that affect their immune system.​

World Health Organization (WHO) states that COVID-19 can potentially cause blood clots. WHO does not list blood clots as one of the severe symptoms for COVID-19. However, the infection has been found to activate cells that are involved in the clotting process. The manifestations of post-COVID conditions include a range of physical symptoms, such as severe fatigue and increased risk of damage to the heart, lungs, and brain.

A research article published by Thrombosis Research included a study of 184 people in the ICU of 2 Dutch university hospitals for severe COVID-19 found that 31 percent of those individuals experienced blood clot-related complications.

According to a paper published by the British Journal of Haematology in April 2020, for people detected with COVID-19, the clots that appear to form within the lungs tend to form in other areas of the body before breaking off and traveling to the lungs. Blood clots in people with COVID-19 tend to differ from those present in people without the disease who have strokes or clots in the lungs.

Blood clots occur even in people who suffer from COVID-19. The cause of the blood clots are not always directly linked to COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to a lot of potentially dangerous misinformation. For reliable advice on COVID-19 including symptoms, prevention and available treatment, please refer to the World Health Organisation or your national healthcare authority.