Do PCR tests have an accuracy of 0% when more than 35 amplification cycles are used? No, that's not true: Multiple infectious disease experts confirm polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, ac
Publication: coronavirus
Health Feedback→ German study did not find wearing face masks harms children; study wasn’t designed to accurately test these effects
REVIEW An article published on 2 January 2021 by GreenMedInfo, promoting “a German study” that purportedly found wearing face masks causes “major negative impacts” on children, went viral on Facebook in early January 2021 and received more t
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: There Is NOT A New York Bill Intended To Round Up COVID Patients, Put Them In Camps, Or Forcibly Vaccinate, Projected To Pass On January 6
Is there a bill projected to pass on January 6, 2021, that will allow the state of New York to round up COVID patients and put them in camps? No, that's not true: The hype surrounding this bill is not supported by evidence. The New York S
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: U.S. Will NOT Spend Tax Dollars On ‘Gender Studies’ In Pakistan As Part Of COVID-19 Relief And Government Funding
Does the recent legislation that funds aid to Americans economically hard-hit by the coronavirus pandemic also provide tax dollars for "gender studies" in Pakistan? No, that's not true: Though they were voted on as one package, the COVID
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: There Were NOT Fewer Deaths In 2020 With COVID-19 Versus 2019 Without The Virus
Were there fewer deaths in 2020, despite the COVID-19 pandemic raging, versus 2019 when there wasn't the virus? No, that's not true: A meme went viral with the false claim that the number of deaths in the United States in 2020 was approxi
Health Feedback→ Nashville bomber died in the explosion, not from COVID-19
REVIEW On 25 December 2020, 63-year-old Anthony Quinn Warner exploded a bomb in a recreational vehicle in downtown Nashville, Tennessee, injuring eight people. A few days later, the claim that Warner died from COVID-19 started circulating on social
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: COVID-19 Hospital Surges Are NOT Just Like Flu Season Hospital Surges
Are COVID-19 hospital surges just like flu season hospital surges? No, that's not true: The COVID-19 burden is significantly higher. At least 758,261 hospitalizations for COVID-19 have occurred so far in the United States, and that figure
Health Feedback→ Asymptomatic and presymptomatic people can spread COVID-19
REVIEW The respiratory disease COVID-19, which is caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2, spread around the world in 2020. COVID-19 has caused more than 85 million confirmed cases and more than 1.8 million confirmed deaths globally as of 4 January 2020. In
Health Feedback→ The virus that causes COVID-19 exists and was identified and isolated multiple times by independent research groups
REVIEW Numerous posts claiming that the virus causing COVID-19 does not exist and has never been isolated in laboratories went viral on social media platforms like Facebook in December 2020. One example can be seen in this Facebook post, which appea
Health Feedback→ COVID-19 antigen tests are highly accurate, but incorrect use on food items such as fruits or Coca-Cola can produce false positive results
REVIEW During a 10 December 2020 parliamentary speech, Michael Schnedlitz, a member of the National Council of Austria, shared a live video showing how Coca-Cola tested positive in a COVID-19 antigen test. Based on this result, Schnedlitz claimed in
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: All Washington, D.C. Residents Can NOT Now Register to Receive The COVID-19 Vaccine
Can all Washington, D.C. residents now register to receive the COVID-19 Vaccine? No, that's not true: Washington, D.C. is in Phase 1A of its vaccination program, where priority is given to health care workers, including those in acute ca
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Tennessee Registered Nurse Did NOT Claim She Suffered From Bell’s Palsy After COVID-19 Vaccination
Did a registered nurse in Nashville, Tennessee claim in a video that she develop Bell's Palsy three days after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine? No, that's not true: The name the woman gave in a video making the claim is not listed in the o
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Cornell Professor Did NOT Say ‘COVID-19 Does Not Exist And Is Fictitious’
Did a Cornell professor say "COVID-19 does not exist and is fictitious?" No, that's not true: A diatribe has gone viral that credits Robert Oswald, a real person and a Cornell professor, as claiming coronavirus is "just another flu strain
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: President Trump Invoking The Impoundment Control Act Does NOT Force Congress To Repeal Section 230, Cut Wasteful Spending, Add $2k Stimulus Checks
Did President Trump invoke the Impoundment Control Act of 1974 as he signed the Covid-19 Relief Bill, forcing Congress to rescind section 230, cut wasteful spending, and to add $2,000 stimulus checks for all Americans? No, that's not true
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Vaccines Are NOT Primarily Designed To Improve Survival Rates Of Those Already Infected — They Work By Reducing The Risk of Infection
Are coronavirus vaccines primarily designed to improve survival rates of those already infected? No, that's not true: Vaccines are designed to reduce the risk of infection in the first place. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archive
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Birthmarks NOT Caused By MTHFR Gene Variants, Which Rarely Cause Disease, Are NOT Harmful For Those Receiving Vaccines
Do variants of the MTHFR gene cause disease and increase the likelihood of vaccine reactions? No, that's not true: In rare circumstances, a MTHFR (methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase) gene variant causes neural tube defects in newborn bab
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Congress Did NOT Give Itself A Pay Raise In The Pandemic Relief/Stimulus Bill
Did the members of Congress give themselves a pay raise as part of the spending bills aimed at stimulating the economy and providing relief to those harmed by the COVID-19 pandemic? No, that's not true: The claim is posted without evidenc
Logically→ Brazilian President warns Coronavirus vaccines could turn people into crocodiles.
Though the Pfizer Coronavirus vaccine does have some minor side effects, the claims made by President Jair Bolsonaro are baseless.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: HIV Is NOT In COVID-19 Vaccines
Do COVID-19 vaccines contain the HIV virus? No, that's not true: The Food and Drug Administration briefing documents for the recently approved Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines do not list HIV as an ingredient in either prod
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: ‘New Stimulus Bill’ Does NOT Include Funding For The Smithsonian, Kennedy Center And More — That Funding Is Part Of $1.4 Trillion Government Spending Deal
Does the "new stimulus bill" include funding for the Smithsonian, Kennedy Center and more? No, that's not true: Funds for the Smithsonian and other cultural institutions were not part of the $900 billion COVID stimulus and relief package.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: The CDC Did NOT Post A Tweet Encouraging Shoplifting
Did the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) post a tweet encouraging people to shoplift to slow the spread of COVID-19? No, that's not true: This is a fabricated image of a tweet. tweet "does not come from our Twitter account
Poynter→ The second round of Coronavirus Fact-Checking Grant recipients report back on their projects
A little less than a month after the International Fact-Checking Network and Facebook distributed more than half a million dollars in grant funding to 13 fact-checking organizations fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, the pair awarded an additional $300,00
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Canada’s COVID Relief Programs Do NOT Pay Everyone $900 A Week And Give A $40,000 Loan To All Small Businesses
Do all Canadians get $900 a week and all small businesses in Canada get a $40,000 loan, of which they only have to pay back $10,000 over five years? And did all Canadians previously receive $2,000 a month? Those claims are partially true,
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Tennessee Nurse Tiffany Dover, Who Fainted After COVID-19 Shot, Is NOT Dead
Did Tennessee nurse Tiffany Dover, who fainted after receiving a COVID-19 vaccination, die? No, that's not true: The hospital where she works tweeted on December 19, 2020, that Dover was "doing well" and asking for privacy. The claim appe
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Photo Does NOT Show Mother With COVID-19 Holding Child With Cancer
Does a photo of a mother in protective gear holding a baby show a mom hospitalized with COVID-19 holding a child with cancer? No, that's not true: The image was taken in 1985, 35 years before the COVID-19 pandemic. A photo agency website
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Chiropractor NOT Correct In Saying COVID Vaccine Is Supposed To Lessen Symptoms, But Not Stop Spread
Is the COVID-19 vaccine only supposed to lessen symptoms, but not stop the spread of infection? No, that's not true: The claim is made without evidence nor reference to scientific research and is being spread by a chiropractor. Chiropract
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Needle Cap Was On For London Mayor’s Flu Shot Publicity Photo In September, NOT For COVID-19 Vaccine Injection In December
Does a photo show London Mayor Sadiq Khan getting a COVID-19 vaccination with the cap still on the needle? No, that's not true: This photo was posted to Twitter by the Mayor London on September 28, 2020 with a message about how to book an
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Post-Thanksgiving COVID-19 Surge Is NOT A ‘No-Show’: Numbers Increased In Most U.S. States
Did the post-Thanksgiving surge in COVID-19 cases after people traveled and gathered in groups -- which was predicted by Dr. Anthony Fauci and other health officials had warned would happen -- end up being a 'no-show'? No, that's not true
FactCheck.org→ Anti-Vaccine Posts Use Deceptively Edited Video Clip
Quick Take Social media pages that share anti-vaccine messages have used a selectively edited news clip that suggests the COVID-19 vaccine is unsafe. The clip shows a nurse fainting after she gets the vaccine, but it doesn’t show her quick recove
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Vaccine Reaction Did NOT Cause Nurse To Faint After COVID-19 Shot – Pain/Stress Triggered Vagal Nerve-Driven Fainting
Did a Tennessee nurse who fainted after getting a COVID-19 vaccination shot do so due to a reaction to contents of the vaccine? No, that's not true. A nurse, who was given the COVID-19 live on television at the hospital where she is emplo
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: The Q-Tip Nasal Swab For COVID-19 ‘Up Someone’s Brain’ Is NOT Equivalent To ‘Drop Of Spit’ From Six Feet Away
Is the Q-tip nasal swab for COVID-19 that is stuck "up someone's brain" equivalent to "a drop of spit" that can infect someone from six feet away? No, that's not true. A single virus can hatch an infection, while a much bigger sample is n
Health Feedback→ A U.S. Food and Drug Administration panel validated Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine; its authorization for emergency use should ensue
On 17 December 2020, the claim began circulating that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the federal agency responsible for authorizing drugs and vaccines in the U.S., authorized the COVID-19 vaccine developed by the U.S. biotech company Mode
Health Feedback→ COVID-19 vaccine candidates are generally safe and effective at preventing disease; ongoing studies investigate whether the vaccine can also reduce transmission
REVIEW The COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer/BioNTech is the first COVID-19 vaccine to be administered to the general population, in particular healthcare workers, having received Emergency Use Authorization from the U.S Food and Drug Administrat
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Six People Died During Pfizer’s COVID-19 Trial But NOT From The Vaccine; FDA Is Monitoring Developments Closely
Did six people die during Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine trial and is the FDA "not concerned"? Yes and no: Six participants died during the trial, but not from the vaccine. Of the six, just two were given the vaccine. The other four participan
FactCheck.org→ Alabama Officials Debunk False Claim of COVID-19 Vaccine Death
Quick Take A false claim that an unidentified nurse died after getting the COVID-19 vaccine in Alabama has been feeding into the anti-vaccine disinformation online. The Alabama Department of Public Health reported that no one who has received the vacci
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: There Is NOT Anything Fake About This Type Of ‘Needle’
Does this video show a fake or faulty leaky syringe? No, that's not true: This style of medical syringe has a retractable needle for safety. It is designed to retract the needle into the barrel of the syringe after use, and this helps pro
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: This Photo of Defense Secretary’s COVID Vaccination Does NOT Show A No-Needle Syringe
Is the Department of Defense photo of Acting Secretary of Defense Chris Miller getting a COVID-19 vaccination faked with a blunt oral syringe instead of a needle-tipped syringe? No, that's not true: Although the needle on the syringe is d
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence A Nurse Was Found Dead Eight Hours After Receiving The COVID-19 Vaccine
Was a nurse found dead only eight hours after she received the COVID-19 vaccine? This is an unsubstantiated rumor. There are no verified reports of a nurse who received the vaccine dying just hours later. This situation has been complicat
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: These 33 ‘professionals’ Are NOT Correct About The COVID Pandemic, Death Rates, Vaccine Safety And Flu Comparison
Is it true that the novel coronavirus has not crossed borders, that 2020 death rates are not higher than an average year, that COVID-19 vaccines are unsafe and ineffective and that COVID is no more lethal and infectious than the flu? No,
FactCheck.org→ Instagram Post Distorts Facts on COVID-19 Death Reporting
Quick Take An Instagram post falsely claims that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reporting all pneumonia and influenza deaths as caused by COVID-19. That’s wrong and is based on a misreading of one type of monitoring the agency