Does the seasonal flu kill more than 100,000 U.S. residents some years and is it more lethal than COVID-19, as President Trump claimed in a tweet? No on both counts: The CDC estimates that over the past decade yearly totals for U.S. flu d
Publication: coronavirus
Logically→ Adults are drinking more since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
Various reports state staying at home due to the pandemic has to lead to an increase in high-risk alcohol consumption among adults in the U.K.
Poynter→ No, evidence is not mounting that doctors are trying to kill President Trump
If your time is short President Donald Trump has received several medications and vitamins, including experimental drugs whose efficacy and safety haven’t been proven but that have been shown to help some COVID-19 patients. Some doctors have been cri
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Sen. Thom Tillis Contracted The Coronavirus And WAS Unmasked During Part Of The SCOTUS Rose Garden Event
Did Sen. Thom Tillis contract the coronavirus despite wearing a mask at the White House Rose Garden event announcing President Trump's Supreme Court nominee? No, that's not true: Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina, was seen wearing
Health Feedback→ The flu shot is an effective measure to protect people from flu, and enhances protection when used with face masks
REVIEW Facebook posts questioning why people need a flu shot if they always wear face masks began circulating as early as 21 September 2020 and went viral on Facebook (see example). These posts describe a person’s purported conversation with a nur
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Incarcerated People CAN Receive The $1,200 Stimulus Check Behind Bars
Can incarcerated people receive the $1,200 economic stimulus check behind bars? Yes, that's true. Prison inmates were previously banned by the IRS from receiving a check from the federal government because they were in jail or prison. A S
Poynter→ Fact-checking misinformation about President Trump’s COVID-19 diagnosis
In the early morning hours after Donald Trump tweeted that he and first lady Melania Trump had tested positive for the coronavirus, misinformation about the president’s condition ballooned on social media. Facebook users falsely claimed that “
Health Feedback→ COVID-19 vaccines are not expected to be available for the public before several months, contrary to viral claim on social media
REVIEW An article published by SHTFplan.com on 16 September 2020 and reposted on the website Beforeitsnews.com, titled “the [U.S] government has released their initial plans to force a [COVID-19] vaccine on everyone”, has gone viral in early Oct
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: The Trump COVID Vaccine Plan for the U.S. Does NOT Rely On Forced Inoculation
Is forced vaccination of the unwilling part of the COVID-19 vaccination plan released by the Trump administration? No, that's not true: Both the vaccination plan itself and public statements by U.S. health officials emphasize free vaccine
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the Trump Campaign Use His COVID-19 Diagnosis in a Fundraising Message?
As speculation circulated online following United States President Donald Trump’s announcement late on October 1 2020 (or early on October 2 2020, depending on your time zone) that both he and First Lady Melania Trump had tested positive for CO
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the Trump Campaign Use His COVID-19 Diagnosis in a Fundraising Message?
As speculation circulated online following United States President Donald Trump’s announcement late on October 1 2020 (or early on October 2 2020, depending on your time zone) that both he and First Lady Melania Trump had tested positive for CO
Poynter→ How to find reliable information about Trump’s COVID-19 diagnosis
In the past 12 hours, there has been a crushing amount of speculation and reactions circulating across social media platforms related to President Donald Trump’s positive coronavirus test. This is a historic moment with emotions running high and it
Poynter→ Here’s what we know about President Trump’s health and COVID-19
If your time is short Trump is 74 years old and slightly obese. Both put him at greater risk of severe illness, with his age being the more important factor. Based on broad studies, 8% to 12% of people like him became severely ill with the disease. Pre
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence Mask-wearing Killed A German Schoolchild
Did a German schoolchild die as a result of wearing their required mask in school? No, there's no evidence: The person making the claim provided no evidence, not even the place, age or date of death. Police in the Lower Franconia region o
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Other Countries Have NOT Proved U.S. FDA Was Wrong to Withdraw Approval Of Hydroxychloroquine as COVID Drug
Have other countries proved the U.S. Food and Drug Administration endangered thousands of lives by withdrawing approval of hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for COVID-19? No, that's not true: The findings of clinical studies in the U.S. a
Health Feedback→ COVID-19 is at least an order of magnitude more deadly than seasonal flu, according to current estimates
REVIEW An Instagram post by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. claiming that COVID-19 is less deadly than flu started circulating on 27 September 2020. The post replicates a table included in a 10 September 2020 update from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control a
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Covid 19 Will NOT Go Away If You Stop Getting Tested, It’s NOT Just The Elderly Dying and NO ONE Is Being Intentionally Infected
Does not getting tested for Covid 19 make the disease disappear? Are the elderly the only people dying? Are Democratic governors intentionally infecting them? No, no and no. Those are not true: You will have the disease regardless of whet
Health Feedback→ There have been more COVID-19 deaths than abortions worldwide over two days since June 2020
REVIEW Facebook posts comparing the total number of deaths from COVID-19 with the number of abortions worldwide have circulated since at least March 2020 (see example). Similar posts once again went viral in September 2020, albeit in a slightly diff
Logically→ The billionaires got $300-400 billion richer during the COVID-19 pandemic.
America’s billionaires saw their fortunes soar by $434 billion during the US lockdown between mid-March and mid-May, according to a new report by Americans for Tax Fairness and the Institute for Policy Studies’ Program for Inequality. Am
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: The CDC Did NOT Declare COVID Less Fatal Than Flu When Revising Public Health Disaster Plans
Did the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention downgrade COVID-19, rating it less fatal than seasonal flu? No, that's not true: The Sept. 10, 2020, document used as "proof" clearly states it is not a source of COVID data, and tha
Health Feedback→ In spite of its relatively small infection fatality ratio, COVID-19 has led to many deaths due to high virus transmission
REVIEW The claim that the COVID-19 pandemic response has been unwarranted has taken many forms. Some involved misleading comparisons with other respiratory diseases like the flu and tuberculosis, while others relied on misinterpretations of COVID-19
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NY State Assembly Bill A99 Does NOT Aim To Take Children From Homes For COVID-19
Was New York state Assembly Bill A99, sponsored by Assemblyman Nick Perry, drawn up to take advantage of the pandemic, with the purported aim of allowing state officials to remove infected residents -- namely children -- from their homes
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Mississippi Governor Did NOT Sign Executive Order Abolishing Statewide Mask Requirements
Did the governor of Mississippi sign an executive order abolishing statewide mask requirements? No, that's not true: The "formal letter" announcing the alleged order is fake, according to the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency and a
Health Feedback→ Using face masks correctly does not increase the risk of skin or oral infections
REVIEW Facebook posts claiming that face masks promote bacterial and fungal overgrowth and lead to skin and oral infections (see examples here, here, and here) went viral in late September 2020. As we explain below, these claims are unsupported as s
Logically→ The Indian government is planning to reimpose lockdown in some parts of India.
The Prime Minister has asked the 7 most affected states to focus on micro containment zones to stop the spread of the virus.
Poynter→ Airborne or not? What the CDC said about the aerosol transmission of COVID-19
PolitiFact and MediaWise are teaming up to debunk misinformation about the coronavirus crisis. To have Coronavirus Facts delivered to your inbox weekly, click here. Before we check some COVID-19 facts, I want to talk about something really cool I’ve
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: COVID-19 Is NOT ‘The Most Highly Survivable Virus’
Is COVID-19 the most highly survivable virus? No, that's not true: Chickenpox and Epstein-Barr (mononucleosis) are widespread and rarely lethal. Effective vaccines make those and lethal viruses like rabies and smallpox almost 100% surviva
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: The Number 33 Appearing In Many COVID-19 News Reports Does NOT Have Any Special Significance
Does the appearance of the number 33 in a collection of news reports about COVID-19 cases represent anything that needs explaining? No. COVID-19 cases have been counted and reported around the world for hundreds of days. There is nothing
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Joe Biden Did NOT Botch The Pledge Of Allegiance
Did Joe Biden completely botch the Pledge of Allegiance during a campaign speech? No, that's not true and the comments were taken out of context. GOP rapid response director Steve Guest claimed that Biden "completely botches" the pledge d
Logically→ CDC retracted its claim on coronavirus spread.
CDC first posted, and then retracted its take on how the coronavirus spreads from person to person through small droplets in the air.
Health Feedback→ The virus causing COVID-19 most likely evolved in natural wildlife populations before spreading to humans
REVIEW On 14 September 2020, the Chinese virologist Li-Meng Yan published a a pre-print (an unpublished draft of a science paper) on the website Zenodo claiming to provide evidence that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, was created in a la
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Profusa, Others Have NOT Created An Implantable ‘Chip’ To Connect Us To The Internet And Open Door To ‘Brave New World’
Is it true that the government is about to approve an Emeryville, California company's implantable "chip" that will create "transhumans" and allow government to spy on our health and other data? No, that is not true. The sensor awaiting g
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Some Social Security Checks DO Still Go Through U.S. Postal Service
Have no Social Security checks been delivered by the U.S. Postal Service since 2013 because of security issues with the U.S. mail? No, that's not true. While nearly 99% of Social Security and Supplemental Security Income benefits are elec
Truth or Fiction?→ CDC Removes ‘Airborne’ COVID-19 Content
On September 21 2020, several prominent tweets suggested that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention added, then removed guidance indicating that SARS-CoV-2 (the virus which causes COVID-19) was airborne — meaning it could potentially be
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Nevada Did NOT ‘Quietly Reverse’ Its Decision To ‘Block’ Hydroxychloroquine Prescriptions For COVID-19
Did Nevada 'quietly reverse' its decision to 'block' hydroxychloroquine prescriptions for COVID-19? No, that's not true: The emergency regulation simply expired. Also, although the order did put some limits on hydroxychloroquine, it did n
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Posts Claiming States Are Issuing Large Numbers Of Unemployment Fraud Warrants Are A Joke
Has South Carolina (or some other state) issued 723,855 (or some other number) active warrants for unemployment fraud? No, that's not true: There is a joke-hoax trend circulating on social media since late July and the information in thes
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Bill Gates Does NOT Have A Doctorate In Immunology, Virology And Toxicology
Does Bill Gates have a doctorate degree in immunology, virology and toxicology? No, that's not true: Gates dropped out of college to start Microsoft and does not have a conventional degree. He does, however, have honorary degrees in medic
Health Feedback→ Comparisons of tuberculosis and flu with COVID-19 omit important context that explains the different public health responses
REVIEW Claims that the COVID-19 pandemic response is an overreaction because the same measures aren’t being applied to tuberculosis (TB) and other diseases like the flu have circulated online since at least April 2020. These claims continue to be
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: The Spread Of Novel Coronavirus IS A Pandemic
Is it true that COVID-19 is not a pandemic? No, That's not true: The rapid global spread of COVID-19 fits both the dictionary definition of pandemic and has also ticked enough of the boxes necessary for global and national public health o
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: There Are Currently NO Vaccines Available For COVID-19 In the U.S.
Are vaccines available to prevent COVID-19 as of September 18, 2020? No, that's not true: Although the race is on to find a safe and effective vaccine, none has been approved for use in the U.S. The claim appeared in a post (archived here