Did scientists fraudulently claim that they had isolated and sequenced viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19? No, that's not true: The SARS-CoV-2 virus has been independently isolated and sequenced by multiple scientists ar
Publication: coronavirus
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence Of Empty ATMs, Locked Funds, "Run" On Big 5 Canadian Banks
Were there empty ATMs and locked funds at all of the "Big Five" Canadian banks on February 17, 2022? No, that's not true: The claims are "baseless," the Canadian Bankers Association (CBA) told Lead Stories. The Royal Bank of Canada (RBC)
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Canada Does NOT Discriminate Against Phoneless With Proof-Of-Vaccination QR Code System
Does Canada discriminate against the phoneless by requiring proof of vaccinations with a printed QR code? No, that's not true: Paper copies of the proof of vaccination QR code are acceptable; they do not have to be on a phone to show proo
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: COVID Vaccine Did NOT Cause Fainting Spell For German TV Reporter Clara Pfeffer
Was the on-air spell suffered by German reporter Clara Pfeffer caused by the COVID-19 vaccine, as some social media posts suggest? No, that's not true: Pfeffer became disoriented during a live broadcast of the RTL News morning show, "ntv-
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Medical Professor Did NOT Warn Natural Immunity Has Made Vaccine Mandates ‘Irrelevant’ In Lancet Letter
Did The Lancet publish a medical professor's warning that natural immunity has made vaccine mandates irrelevant? No, that's not true: The professor cited never uses the word "irrelevant" in his letter to the British medical journal but he
Poynter→ Children are at far higher risk of myocarditis from COVID-19 infection than from vaccines
Texas cardiologist Dr. Peter McCullough recently claimed that a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study shows COVID-19 vaccines are causing myocarditis in children. But he took the data out […] The post Children are at far higher risk of
Health Feedback→ Alleged spikes in medical conditions among the military after COVID-19 vaccine rollout are based on faulty data resulting from a glitch in the database
REVIEW As of 15 February 2022, more than 4.8 billion people—almost 62% of the global population— have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Safety monitoring data clearly show that the benefits of COVID-19 vaccines outweigh their ris
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Need For HIV Tests After COVID Shots — Australia’s Vaccine With False Positives Never Mass-Produced
Does everyone who got a COVID-19 vaccine need to be tested for HIV? No, that's not true: A COVID vaccine that produced false-positive results for the virus that causes AIDS was used during clinical trials in Australia but later discontinu
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: There Is NO HIV Or ‘Foreign Bacteria’ In COVID Vaccines
Is there HIV and "foreign bacteria" in COVID vaccines or booster shots?? No, that's not true: The mRNA vaccines made by Moderna and Pfizer deliver biological blueprint material that causes your cells to generate spike proteins, which trai
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Canada DID Invoke Emergencies Act For 1st Time — But It Is Update Of War Measures Act, Last Invoked in 1970
Did Canada invoke its Emergencies Act for the first time ever? Yes, that's true, but Canada has had a similar law in place since Parliament adopted the War Measures Act in August 1914, shortly after the beginning of World War I. The War M
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: State Department Does NOT Forbid Smiles In Passport Photos
Does the U.S. State Department forbid U.S. citizens from smiling in their passport photos? No, that's not true: The State Department's webpage on passport photos features multiple photos marked "acceptable" showing smiling faces. In the s
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence Photos Show COVID Vaccine Or ‘Nanotech’
Do these photos prove someone found nanotechnology in Pfizer Comirnaty COVID-19 vaccine? No, that's not true: The claim is based on use of a home microscope that could not see nanoscale items, which are one-billionth of a meter across. Th
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: 2022 Was NOT The First Time CDC Talked About Blood Clots Ahead Of Super Bowl
Was 2022 the first time the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention talked about blood clots ahead of the Super Bowl? No, that's not true: The CDC also publicized blood clots in connection with the NFL championship on Twitter before th
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Moderna CEO Did NOT Sell $400 Million Worth Of Company Stock, But His Twitter Account WAS Deleted
Did Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel suddenly sell $400 million worth of stock in the company and delete his Twitter account, indicating something suspicious going on with the biopharmaceutical company? Not really: Bancel has steadily sold sh
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: COVID Shots Have NOT Increased ‘Serious Injury’ From Vaccines By Over 2000% In Germany
Have COVID-19 shots increased "serious injury" from vaccines by over 2,000% in Germany? No, that's not true: A press and public relations officer for DKG, the German Hospital Federation, says information was improperly analyzed by a consp
Poynter→ COVID-19 vaccines do not contain HIV
COVID-19 vaccines do not contain harmful substances or introduce disease, though those debunked theories continue to circulate on social media. “The second booster has eight strains of HIV,” says one Feb. 2 post on Facebook. […]
Poynter→ Will parents trust Pfizer’s pediatric vaccine after a new postponement?
Covering COVID-19 is a daily Poynter briefing of story ideas about the coronavirus and other timely topics for journalists, written by senior faculty Al Tompkins. Sign up here to have […] The post Will parents trust Pfizer’s pediatric vaccine a
Poynter→ A Facebook post cries foul at Washington Post headline, but COVID-19 data supports the journalism
The omicron variant of COVID-19 has proved to be less severe than previous strains of the virus, but deaths in the U.S. have remained high due to its higher transmissibility, […] The post A Facebook post cries foul at Washington Post headline, bu
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence Nobel Laureate Luc Montagnier Said People Vaccinated, Boosted For COVID Should Test For AIDS, Then Sue Government
Did Nobel Laureate Luc Montagnier say people fully vaccinated and boosted for COVID-19 should be tested for AIDS and then sue their government? No, that's not true: The prominent French virologist, who died on February 8, 2022, did say so
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Canadian Government Did NOT Plant Dumpster Full Of Rocks To Provoke Violence At ‘Freedom Convoy’
Did the Canadian government leave a dumpster full of rocks in downtown Ottawa to provoke violence during the "Freedom Convoy" protests? No, that's not true: The owner of the company that owns the dumpster confirmed with Lead Stories that
Health Feedback→ The COVID-19 vaccines don’t weaken the immune system and are unrelated to the HIV VB variant
REVIEW In February 2022, there was a proliferation of social media posts claiming that the COVID-19 vaccines destroy the immune system (see here, here, and here). On occasion, these posts are accompanied by additional claims stating that the recentl
Poynter→ C.S. Lewis didn’t write, ‘They believed blindly everything they heard or read in the papers. They gave up their freedoms.’
C.S. Lewis, the late author of books including “The Chronicles of Narnia,” has been credited with penning a passage that predates the pandemic by about 80 years but might sound […] The post C.S. Lewis didn’t write, ‘They belie
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: COVID Vaccines Are NOT Experimental Gene Technology — They ARE Fully Authorized
Are COVID-19 vaccines experimental gene technology that is still under development? No, that's not true: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in the United Kingdom says none of the vaccines authorized in the U.K.
Health Feedback→ Claims that a “Johns Hopkins study” showed lockdowns are ineffective at reducing COVID-19 mortality are based on a working paper with questionable methods
REVIEW In early February 2022, multiple social media posts and articles published by various outlets, including Fox News (see here and here) and the Daily Mail, widely touted a “Johns Hopkins study” purportedly showing that lockdowns only reduce
Poynter→ There’s no scientific evidence that vaccines are responsible for strange blood clots observed by embalmers
Embalmers and funeral home workers say they are noticing an increase in unusual blood clots among the deceased. Some of them, without evidence, are attributing it to the COVID-19 vaccines. […] The post There’s no scientific evidence that va
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: There Is NO International Court ‘Grand Jury’ Case About Alleged COVID Crimes By Public Health Officials, Others
Does this video show the first day of an authentic hearing before an international court with recognized and enforceable power to convene a grand jury weighing criminal charges? No, that's not true: It's a fake court proceeding. Although
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Children’s Risk Of Death Is NOT Increased 5,100% By Pfizer Vaccine; UK Agency Says Claim Is ‘Highly Misleading’
Does Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine increase the risk of death in children by 5,100%? No, that's not true: The Office of National Statistics (ONS) in the United Kingdom calls the claim "highly misleading." During the bulk of the time period wh
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Pfizer Document Does NOT Admit Shots May Cause Vaccine-Associated Enhanced Disease — Real-World Data Do NOT Support It
Does Pfizer admit in confidential documents that its COVID-19 vaccine may cause vaccine-associated enhanced disease (VAED)? No, that's not true: The document, called 5.3.6 CUMULATIVE ANALYSIS OF POST-AUTHORIZATION ADVERSE EVENT REPORTS OF
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Fully Vaccinated Are NOT 80% Of Serious COVID Cases In Israel
Are 80% of serious COVID-19 cases in Israel fully vaccinated people? No, that's not true: As of February 6, 2022, just over 49% of those severely ill from COVID in Israel were fully vaccinated, according to the nation's Ministry of Health
Poynter→ What to know about a study on lockdowns and COVID-19 deaths by economists affiliated with Johns Hopkins
Fox News and other outlets are touting a new study that looked at how early COVID-19 lockdowns impacted mortality of the disease. The stories come with bombshell headlines that say […] The post What to know about a study on lockdowns and COVID-19
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Government Data Do NOT Reveal COVID-19 Vaccines Killed, Injured 946,000
Do government data reveal that more than 946,000 people suffered injuries or death from COVID-19 vaccines? No, that's not true: The so-called revelations are misused and misquoted material from a list of unverified vaccine reaction report
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Of Trucks With Brazilian Flags NOT Linked To Canadian ‘Freedom Convoy’
Is a video of several trucks driving on a road and displaying Brazilian flags linked to the Canadian "Freedom Convoy" held in 2022? No, that's not true: The video was taken in May 2021 and shows a rally in support of Jair Bolsonaro, presi
Health Feedback→ Majority of ten countries listed in viral chain message haven’t dropped all COVID-19 restriction measures and aren’t considering COVID-19 as a seasonal flu, despite claims
REVIEW On 2 February 2022, a screenshot was shared on Facebook of a Telegram message from Christiane Northrup who claimed that ten countries had “announced the cancellation of all quarantine procedures, Corona tests, and compulsory vaccination”
Poynter→ Spikevax and Comirnaty are brand names for existing COVID-19 vaccines, which are widely available
Referring to COVID-19 vaccines by their brand names, an article headline misleads about their availability. “Few, If Any, Doses of Spikevax or Comirnaty Available in United States, Despite FDA Approvals,” […] The post Spikevax and Com
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Mennonites In Photos Were Going To Church, But Some Hutterites DID Cook Dinner For Canadian Trucker Convoy
Did a large group of Amish people in Manitoba, Canada prepare a barbecue supper for 800 people to support the "Freedom Convoy" and was this plan disrupted by Winnipeg police? That's partially true: But this photo does not show that event
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Johns Hopkins Does NOT Confirm You Can Be Vaccinated With A COVID PCR Test
Did Johns Hopkins University confirm you can be vaccinated with a COVID-19 PCR test, even without knowing it? No, that's not true: Johns Hopkins Medicine says details about one of its devices have been "inaccurately used for disinformatio
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Photo Is From Pre-COVID Times, NOT A Reaction to Canada’s Trucker Protest
Does a photograph showing tractors blocking a highway depict a demonstration in reaction to Canada's trucker protest? No, that's not true: The photo is from pre-COVID times, not a 2022 trucker protest against COVID-19 vaccine mandates. Th
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Bill Gates Did NOT Say His Company Was Trying To Make Coronavirus Outbreak — Video Is Altered
Did Bill Gates say that he has a company trying to make a coronavirus outbreak and that they were successful? No, that's not true: This video is an altered fabrication. While Gates did say these words and phrases in an interview, several
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Thrombosis Deaths In UK Are NOT 500-600% Greater Than In Any Of The Last 14 Years
Are thrombosis deaths in the United Kingdom 500% to 600% greater than in any of the last 14 years? No, that's not true: The UK's Office of National Statistics (ONS) says there's no evidence of an increase in thrombosis deaths in 2021. In
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Jen Psaki Did NOT Imply That Government Wants To Prevent People’s Ability To ‘Exercise Their Fundamental Rights’
Did White House press secretary Jen Psaki imply that the Biden administration was interested in suppressing people's ability to "exercise their fundamental rights"? No, that's not true: When Psaki said the administration was "looking at e