Does an ICU nurse give proof that ivermectin is effective at treating COVID-19? No, that's not true: Ivermectin, which is frequently used to treat or prevent parasites in animals, is not approved for treating or preventing COVID-19 in hum
Publication: coronavirus
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Masks Are NOT As Ineffective At Blocking Virus As Chain-Link Fencing Is At Blocking Mosquitoes
Is wearing a face mask to prevent the transmission of an airborne virus as ineffective as building a chain-link fence to keep mosquitos out of a yard? No, that's not true: This is a misleading analogy, but it was made as a joke. The gapin
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: French Protests Against Vaccine Mandates Are NOT Accurately Represented With Captions And Photos In Online Posts
Does this collection of photos together with this caption accurately portray protests against COVID-19 vaccine passports and mandates that took place for several weeks in July and August of 2021 in France? No, many of the photos currently
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: ‘867-5309’ Is NOT A Number To Call To Report Maskless People — It’s From An Old Pop Song, And The Post Is A Joke
Can people wanting to report someone for not wearing a mask do so by phoning "867-5309"? No, that's not true: The number that appears in the claim is the title of a popular 1980s song, "867-5309/ Jenny" by Tommy Tutone. This number has be
Poynter→ Science shows mask-wearing is largely safe for children
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is one of a handful of GOP governors trying to block school districts from requiring masks in the classroom. Under DeSantis’ direction, the state health department adopted a rule that gives families the ability to opt out
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show ‘What Vaccines Are Doing Inside Peoples Bodies’ — It Shows A Simple At-Home Magnetic Slime Experiment
Does this video show graphene oxide? Does it show something that is happening inside people after they have had a COVID-19 vaccine and does this purportedly demonstrate why magnets and metal objects stick to people? No, that's not true: T
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: There Is NO Article On Military Times Website Saying COVID-19 Vaccines Cause Heart Disease — Just A Fake Screenshot
Did Military Times publish an article that revealed a new study saying people who have gotten the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccination were susceptible to heart disease? No, that's not true: The article does not exist, the claim is pos
Health Feedback→ U.S. prison releases complemented other strategies to limit the spread of COVID-19 in jails and prisons, including face masks
REVIEW It’s been over a year since the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) began advising individuals to wear masks in public to help limit the transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus respons
Poynter→ Could President Biden challenge Florida and Texas on mask policies? Probably not.
Amid a resurgence of coronavirus cases in the United States, the White House has expressed concern about efforts by some Republican-led states to prevent school districts from requiring masks. But the question is: Can they turn that concern into some t
Poynter→ Cities are requiring restaurants to ask staff and customers for proof of vaccination. Will this be a trend?
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 it delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. If there is one ci
Poynter→ Conservative pundits say Biden and Democrats want more lockdowns. That’s not accurate
Some right-wing commentators are warning that the White House and Democrats around the country are plotting another round of stay-at-home orders and business closures, public-health measures that devastated the economy and divided the nation in 2020, e
Health Feedback→ Family physician Daniel Stock repeated previously debunked misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines, treatments, and control strategies in a Mount Vernon School Board Meeting
REVIEW A viral Youtube video featured a speech by Daniel Stock, self-described as a functional family medicine physician, at a 6 August 2021 Board Meeting of the Mount Vernon Community School Corporation in Hancock County, Indiana. The video receive
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Marine Gen. Berger Did NOT Rebuke Defense Secretary, Did NOT Say ‘No Mandatory Vaccinations for My Marines’
Did the commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. David H. Berger, reject Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin's announcement that COVID-19 vaccinations will soon be a requirement for all service members, saying, "There will be no mandatory va
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: ‘Vaccine Bandits’ Are NOT Taking Over Los Angeles’ Streets — It’s A Joke
Are "vaccine bandits" abruptly giving unsuspecting pedestrians COVID-19 vaccines and taking over Los Angeles' streets? No, that's not true: The idea was a joke started by a known satirical account on TikTok. The creator of the original vi
Poynter→ There’s no evidence that vaccines are causing the summer surge in COVID-19 cases
In a video from a school board meeting gone viral, an Indiana family doctor claims that this summer’s surge in COVID-19 cases is caused by COVID-19 vaccines. More specifically, Dr. Dan Stock blames “antibody mediated viral enhancement,”
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Global Deaths Meme Does NOT Accurately Reflect The Severity And Scope Of COVID-19
Does a global deaths meme accurately reflect the severity and scope of COVID-19? No, that's not true: It considers a three-month period at the very start of the pandemic, before deaths from COVID-19 started to skyrocket. By cherry-picking
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Doctor Addressing Indiana School Board Does NOT Accurately Represent Benefit Of COVID-19 Vaccines
Did Dr. Dan Stock present well-reasoned arguments to the Mt. Vernon, Indiana, school board against masking and vaccination as means to mitigate the spread and harm of COVID-19, and should his arguments apply universally as public health m
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Pfizer CEO’s Israel Visit Was NOT Canceled ‘Because He Was Not Vaccinated’– He Was Awaiting Second Dose Of Two-Shot Vaccine
Was a trip to Israel by the CEO of Pfizer canceled "because he was not vaccinated"? No, that's not true: Albert Bourla canceled his trip because while he had had his first shot, he was still waiting for the second shot of the two-step Pf
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: It Is NOT True PCR Test Failed To Distinguish Flu From COVID And That CDC Dropped FDA Application Because Of Errors
Did the CDC's PCR test fail to distinguish flu from COVID and did it cause errors in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tallies by which the agency tracked the spread of SARS-CoV-2 infections? No, that's not true. The claim was ma
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Vaccinated And Unvaccinated People Do NOT Face The Same Risks From COVID-19
Do vaccinated and unvaccinated people face the same risks from COVID-19? No, that's not true: People who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 have substantially better outcomes. They are much less likely than unvaccinated people to get s
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Fully Vaccinated Individuals In Italy Did NOT Burn Their COVID-19 ‘Green’ Certification Passes In Solidarity With Unvaccinated Individuals — There’s No Paper Pass
Did individuals in Italy who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 burn their vaccine "passes" in solidarity with unvaccinated individuals? No, that's not true: Italy's COVID-19 "green" certification is a digital pass -- not a green piece
Poynter→ There’s no truth that VAERS system shows 6,000 ‘died because of’ COVID vaccines
A TikTok video liked more than 936,000 times claims that COVID-19 vaccines have killed some 6,000 people in the United States. “The Vaccine Adverse Event Recording System shows that 5,946 people have died because of the vaccine,” the user s
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: The CDC Did NOT Publish ‘Green Zone Concentration Camp Protocol’ Preparing For Mass Imprisonment
Did the CDC publish "Green Zone concentration camp protocol," preparing for mass imprisonment? No, that's not true: online radio host Stew Peters made the false claim about a set of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines th
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: If Your Employer Requires COVID-19 Vaccination, You Should NOT Make Them Fire You In Order To Receive Unemployment Benefits
If your employer requires you to be vaccinated against COVID-19, should you make them fire you in order to receive unemployment benefits? No, that's not true: in many states, unemployment benefits applicants who are fired are not eligible
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: German Newspaper Bild Did NOT Apologize For ‘Covid Hysteria’
Did Germany's biggest tabloid newspaper, Bild, issue an apology for "Covid hysteria" or "Covid deception" during the coronavirus pandemic? No, that's not true: In a video published in May 2021, Bild's editor in chief Julian Reichelt asked
Health Feedback→ COVID-19 vaccines are a much safer way of acquiring immunity than infection, which requires exposing the person to risks from the disease
REVIEW On 20 December 2020, Israel launched the fastest COVID-19 vaccination campaign seen in the world so far. In only two months, half of the country’s population had received at least one dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. This also
Poynter→ Why the COVID-19 survival rate is not over 99%
With COVID-19 infections surging in the United States because of the more contagious delta variant, some have downplayed the number of deaths from the virus and the effectiveness of vaccines. To minimize the importance of vaccination, an Instagram pos
Health Feedback→ New York Magazine article on children’s risks from COVID-19 is accurate, but more context regarding difference in risk between young and older children would be helpful
REVIEW On 12 July 2021, New York Magazine published an article by journalist David Wallace-Wells, titled “The Kids Are Alright: Why now is the time to rethink COVID safety protocols for children — and everyone else”. The article discussed the
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Alberta Man Did NOT Prove COVID-19 Is Hoax, Restrictions NOT Dropped Because Of Him
Did Alberta, Canada resident Patrick King prove that COVID-19 is a hoax, causing an end to COVID restrictions in Alberta? No, that's not true: King's attempt to subpoena the province's chief medical officer for his COVID-19 ticket was den
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: U.S. Schools Will NOT Be Closed From August 9 To August 13, 2021
Will schools in the United States be closed from August 9 to August 13, 2021? No, that's not true: The claim came from channel45news.com, a known prank website. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) published on August 4,
Poynter→ Getting fired over a vaccine mandate may cost you unemployment aid
Some people opposed to the COVID-19 vaccines say they have a workaround for dealing with businesses that require employees to get the shots. “If your employer is mandating any pokes, do not quit,” said one user in an Aug. 4 Facebook post.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: A Beachgoing Social Media User Did NOT Predict ‘The Virus’ Back In 2013
Did a man enjoy some time at the beach back in 2013 knowing that the coronavirus pandemic would be coming in seven years and did he post about it in a status update on his Facebook timeline? No, that's not true: When this photo was first
Poynter→ Fauci did not say there was a COVID-19 variant that can evade detection
With the United States in the midst of a COVID-19 surge driven by the delta variant, a post on Facebook claims that the nation’s top infectious disease expert said that a coronavirus variant can evade detection. The Aug. 1 post looks like a screensh
Logically→ Two doses of Pfizer or AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine are effective against the Delta variant.
Researchers have estimated that the Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca vaccines are up to 95 percent effective against the Delta variant.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: It’s NOT True That Whether Vaccines Work Or Don’t Work For Others, You Don’t Need One
Is it true that whether a vaccine works or doesn't work for other people, you don't need one? Paradoxically, neither of these claims is true: You need protection even if others are vaccinated and especially when the vaccine, like many oth
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: The ‘Lovers And Friends Festival’ Lineup Is NOT A Fake — It’s Scheduled For May 2022
Is the "Lovers and Friends Festival" lineup a fake? No, that's not true: The music festival is scheduled to take place in Las Vegas in May 2022 with the artists listed on the festival's website. The claim of a fake appeared in a July 30,
Poynter→ What’s happening with the federal eviction moratorium and rental assistance?
The eviction moratorium that gave millions of households a cushion as the pandemic upended their lives expired July 31. Now top Democrats are at odds over how to get it started again. President Joe Biden said neither the White House nor the Centers for
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Amish Do NOT Universally Avoid Vaccines OR Escape Outbreaks Of Vaccine-Preventable Disease
Do Amish people never vaccinate their children? Have there never been any outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases in Amish communities? No, neither is true. While a meme uses the sarcastic hyperbole of the Amish being "wiped out by a pl
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Natural Immunity Is NOT Far Superior To COVID-19 Vaccines
Is natural immunity "far superior" to COVID-19 vaccines? No, that's not true: Published data show that contracting COVID-19 when unvaccinated can be very dangerous and deadly while getting a vaccine can greatly reduce or prevent serious i
Poynter→ George Washington mandated Revolutionary War troops be inoculated against smallpox
President Joe Biden recently said he asked the Defense Department to explore “how and when they will add COVID-19 to the list of vaccinations our armed forces must get, drawing the criticism of people opposed to vaccine mandates. But those crit