A false interpretation of new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) spread online in late August 2020, buoyed by both social media and various local television news outlets. The result was a slew of posts and stories pushing t
Publication: coronavirus
Health Feedback→ False claim shared by President Trump that only 6% of CDC-reported deaths are from COVID-19 is based on flawed reasoning
REVIEW The claim that only 6% of COVID-19 deaths officially recorded in the U.S. were actually due to the disease started circulating on social media in late August 2020, and was shared on Twitter by U.S. President Donald Trump. The author of this cla
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: The CDC Did NOT Admit That Only 6% Of Deaths In COVID Toll Were From COVID-19
Did the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention quietly admit this week that only 6% of all people in the COVID-19 death tally actually died from COVID-19? No, that's not true: The chiropractor who made the claim has misstated the
Health Feedback→ Human DNA alone does not produce a positive result on the RT-PCR test for SARS-CoV-2
REVIEW A blog post claiming that the SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid test would give positive results for every test because it also identifies human DNA was published in April 2020 and has received more than 13,000 interactions on Facebook and other social
Poynter→ 5 things to know about convalescent blood plasma as a potential treatment for COVID-19
If your time is short The Food and Drug Administration announced on Aug. 23 it granted fast-track authorization for the emergency use of convalescent plasma as a treatment for hospitalized COVID-19 patients. It’s not a new treatment concept. An inf
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: WHO Tests For Coronavirus Do NOT Automatically Deliver False Positive Every Time
Is it true that the World Health Organization's test for COVID-19 contains a flaw that "should" deliver a false positive on every test, skewing data about the pandemic? No, that's not true. The claim, made by a conservation blogger with n
Logically→ US has the lowest case fatality rates of any major country in the world.
The US case fatality rate at 3.1% is higher than that of Russia, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Norway, and Japan.
Health Feedback→ People infected with SARS-CoV-2 can transmit the virus to others, even if they do not show symptoms of the disease and are not considered sick
REVIEW Hundreds of posts like this one were published on Facebook on and around 23 Aug. 2020 claiming that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has “[convinced] the world that you can be sick without having symptoms.” These
Poynter→ The RNC framed COVID-19 in the rearview mirror. It’s not
PolitiFact and MediaWise are teaming up to debunk misinformation about the coronavirus crisis. To have Coronavirus Facts delivered to your inbox weekly, click here. Hey everyone, Tonight is the last night of the Republican National Convention, whic
Logically→ The United States conducted more than 800,000 COVID-19 tests a day.
Pence implied that the US is consistently conducting over 800,000 tests a day but data shows an average 733,000 tests per day in August.
Health Feedback→ Altered image falsely suggests that restaurant staff in Maine are required to wear dog cone-style face visors to protect against COVID-19
REVIEW A false claim that restaurant staff in Maine are required to wear dog cone-like face shields to protect against COVID-19 in compliance with orders from Governor Janet Mills is circulating on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. T
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: ‘Someone’ Is NOT Lying About The Need To Wear Masks Against Coronavirus Spread; Masks Work
Does a seeming dichotomy of face masks' effectiveness -- if masks work, let families visit loved ones in hospitals and nursing homes; if masks don't work, don't make children wear them -- mean "someone is lying"? No, that's not true. Mask
Health Feedback→ Listicle of “facts” about COVID-19 contains numerous inaccurate and misleading claims
REVIEW An article on a website named Swiss Policy Research, formerly Swiss Propaganda Research, claims to give readers the “Facts about [COVID-19], provided by experts in the field.” Published in March 2020 and updated as recently as August 2020
Logically→ Joe Biden supports a national mandate to wear masks.
Joe Biden called for a national mask mandate after accepting his nomination for President on the final night of the Democratic National Convention.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence That Face Masks Cause Staph Infections
Do face masks worn to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus cause staphylococcus, or staph infections? No, that's not true. While they can reportedly cause pressure ulcers and skin irritation, a skin doctor and infectious disease ex
Poynter→ Bill Clinton is mostly accurate on international unemployment comparison
PolitiFact and MediaWise are teaming up to debunk misinformation about the coronavirus crisis. To have Coronavirus Facts delivered to your inbox weekly, click here. Editor’s note: As a reader of Coronavirus Facts, you understand that 2020 has brought
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: ‘Plandemic – Indoctornation’ Video Contains Several False And Misleading Claims
Does the video "Plandemic - Indoctornation" by Mikki Willis released in August 2020 reveal new facts about the COVID-19 epidemic? No, that's not true: the video repeats the unsubstantiated claim this virus is man-made, edits together unre
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Thousands of Seattle Democrats Did NOT Unsafely Gather To Demand Protection From COVID-19 Risks of In-Person Voting
Does a photo posted on social media show thousands of Seattle Democrats crowded onto downtown streets to demand mail-in voting as a safe alternative to in-person voting during a pandemic?No, that's not true: The photo was taken at Black L
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: C.S. Lewis Did Not Write Satan And Jesus Conversation On Shutting Down Businesses, Schools, Places Of Worship and Sports Events
Did C.S. Lewis write a conversation in which Satan told Jesus he would "shutdown business, schools, places of worship and sports events and "cause economic turmoil"? No, that's not true: The fictional exchange purportedly penned
Health Feedback→ Flawed “study” incorrectly claims that countries adopting hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for COVID-19 experienced reduced mortality rates
REVIEW On 5 August 2020, an “analysis” comparing COVID-19 mortality rates in countries with different practices regarding the use of hydroxychloroquine to treat the disease started circulating in social media posts on Facebook and Twitter. In th
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: The CDC Did NOT Predict An Outbreak Of AFM Cases To Cover Up Anticipated Future Vaccine Injuries
Did the CDC predict an outbreak of AFM (acute flaccid myelitis) cases to cover up anticipated future vaccine injuries from the COVID-19 vaccine and flu shot? No, that's not true: The CDC has been tracking AFM cases since 2014. AF
Health Feedback→ Sweden’s COVID-19 mortality is higher than in most European countries; no evidence whether or how the absence of lockdown impacted this outcome
REVIEW An article published in Newsweek on 3 August 2020 reported on the evolution of the COVID-19 epidemic in Sweden. Based on information gathered from multiple databases, including John Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center and the World
Hoax-Slayer→ ‘Argentina is Doing It’ Hoax Message Still Circulating
According to a message that began circulating via WhatsApp in July 2020, you should not open a video called "Argentina is doing it". Supposedly, opening the video will hack your phone. The post ‘Argentina is Doing It’ Hoax Message Still
Health Feedback→ Vaccines undergo strict safety testing before they are licensed for use in the U.S. and many other countries; no validity to the claim of a 33% “death rate” from COVID-19 vaccine
REVIEW Facebook posts (example) asking the question “Would you take a vaccine with a 33% death rate to feel safe from a virus with a 0.06% death rate?” began circulating in late July 2020, and have received more than 10,000 interactions on Faceb
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: If You Had COVID-like Symptoms In The U.S. Last September, You Did NOT Have COVID-19
If you had a bad cough, high fever, shortness of breath and other COVID-19-like symptoms last September, did you have COVID-19? No: that's not true. The claim provides no evidence, while infectious disease experts relying on mult
Poynter→ Trump’s COVID-19 executive order-palooza explained
PolitiFact and MediaWise are teaming up to debunk misinformation about the coronavirus crisis. To have Coronavirus Facts delivered to your inbox weekly, click here. Editor’s note: As a reader of Coronavirus Facts, you understand that 2020 has bro
Truth or Fiction?→ Will Boston University Begin Awarding Posthumous Degrees in 2020?
A story published by the student newspaper at Boston University attracted attention online on August 12 2020, after revealing the school’s move to formalize the process behind awarding posthumous degrees. The Daily Free Press first broke the sto
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Face Masks DO Work. Period.
Has no scientific study demonstrated masks protect people from COVID-19? No, that's not true: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides a list of 19 scientific publications its infectious disease experts rely on whe
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Photo Of Packed Street Does NOT Show Sturgis 2020 Crowd
Does a photo of thousands of people packed shoulder to shoulder without face masks show the crowd at the Sturgis 2020 motorcycle rally? No, that's not true: The photo was taken at a previous Sturgis rally when there was not a COV
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Images in ‘1918 Flu Pandemic’ Photo Post Are NOT All From That Period In History
Are a series of images circulating on social media accurately depicting what life looked and felt like during the 1918 flu pandemic? No, that's not true: While some of the photographs are, in fact, from the time when what was kno
Health Feedback→ Contrary to claim in viral Facebook post, the flu vaccine does work and certain types of cancers can be cured
REVIEW A Facebook post published at the end of July 2020 expressed skepticism at how we could “make a vaccine in 6 months for an illness that [we] STILL don’t understand”—heavily implied to be COVID-19—by claiming that we “can’
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Dropping Percentages of Positive Tests Would NOT Show U.S. Has Reached Herd Immunity to COVID-19
Would a drop in the percent of positive tests for COVID-19 prove the U.S. has reached "herd immunity"? No, that's not true: The doctor overseeing the testing lab at the pandemic's ground zero says so-called 'positivity' data is n
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Prove Face Masks Kill Or That Microchips Will Be Forced Into Everyone Through Vaccines
Are face masks dangerous and deadly, and would a COVID-19 vaccine alter our DNA and be used implant microchips in everyone? No, that's not true. Face masks are proven to be safe, and since there is no current vaccine, it is not p
Health Feedback→ Hydroxychloroquine, alone or in combination with azithromycin, found ineffective for treating COVID-19 in large clinical trials
REVIEW In late July 2020, numerous memes on social media spread the unsupported claim that hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), azithromycin (AZM), and zinc can cure COVID-19. Other versions questioned why the drug is considered unsafe for COVID-19 patients wh
Poynter→ Madonna and Bocelli: COVID-19 also shows that our heroes are not so perfect
One of the unexpected effects of the quarantine is that it equals us. It doesn’t matter where you are, what work you do, what your age is or how much money you have in the bank. Quarantine forces us to be at home, with our fears and thoughts. And
Poynter→ The NBA bubble is keeping the coronavirus contained, but not misinformation
PolitiFact and MediaWise are teaming up to debunk misinformation about the coronavirus crisis. To have Coronavirus Facts delivered to your inbox weekly, click here. This week, I sat down (virtually) with CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: ‘The Most Important Video You’ll Ever Watch’ Is A Rehash Of Misleading Coronavirus Vaccine Claims
Is it true that "the" coronavirus vaccine will alter the DNA of people who receive it, making it a menace to humanity and making future generations not fully human? Or that nanoparticles are going to be injected into humans with
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence That Countries Using Hydroxychloroquine Have Far Fewer COVID-19 Deaths
Have multiple studies shown that countries treating COVID-19 with hydroxychloroquine suffer fewer deaths than those like the U.S. where its use is restricted? No, that's not true: The claim was made without citing any such studie
Poynter→ Why false claims about Nancy Pelosi being drunk keep going viral — even though she doesn’t drink
Editor’s note: PolitiFact, which is owned by the Poynter Institute, is fact-checking misinformation about the coronavirus. This article is republished with permission, and originally appeared here. If your time is short An altered video that makes
Poynter→ The International Fact-Checking Network introduces a Portuguese version of its WhatsApp chatbot
The International Fact-Checking Network is adding a fourth language to its WhatsApp Chatbot — Portuguese. The global alliance of over 90 fact-checking organizations housed at the Poynter Institute has previously launched versions of the free tool in