Should you ignore the warnings to wear a mask to protect against COVID-19 since the media and government are not also warning you to wear a mask to protect against tuberculosis? No, that's not true: COVID-19 is far more prevalent and deadly th
Publication: coronavirus
Truth or Fiction?→ Is CostCo Requiring Shoppers to Cover Their Faces?
As the CostCo retail chain prepared to implement new requirements for shoppers, a message of support for the policy gained traction among Facebook users. The post is based around a photograph of a sign informing shoppers that members will be required
Hoax-Slayer→ FAKE-NEWS ALERT: Japanese Professor Tasuku Honjo Did NOT Say That Coronavirus Was Made by China
According to a post that is currently circulating rapidly on social media, Nobel Prize-winning Japanese physician-scientist Professor Tasuku Honjo has told media outlets that coronavirus is not natural and that it was made by China. The post FAKE-NEWS
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Elon Musk Tweet ‘If One Day, My Words are Against Science, Choose Science’ Before a COVID-19 Controversy?
As the COVID-19 pandemic progressed in the United States, dueling opinions were politicized and bluntly split between opinions based on hard science versus economics. This ended up leading to the recirculation of a purported tweet from Elon Musk about
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Wear Your Mask: The Urine Test’ Analogy Meme
On April 29 2020, a post titled “Wear Your Mask: The Urine Test” appeared on r/funny (and soon r/all), aiming to explain the purpose of masks during the coronavirus pandemic to pants in the presence of a person uncontrollably urinating eve
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Bill Gates, WHO & World Bank NOT ‘Trumped’ By President Amid Coronavirus
Did Bill Gates, the WHO and the World Bank lose billions as President Trump "Trumped" them amid the coronavirus outbreak? No, this is not true: A blog claiming President Trump got the upper hand on billionaire Gates, the World Health Organizat
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Pelosi NOT In Wuhan, China, Six Days After Impeachment
Was U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in Wuhan, China, six days after the impeachment proceedings against President Trump ended? No, that is not true. Not even close, according to government records.. She was in California six days after the Hou
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Coronavirus Mortality Rate NOT Proven To Be 0.03% By Bakersfield Doctors
Has the coronavirus mortality rate been proven to be 0.03% -- far less deadly than previously thought? No, that's not true: It is one theory put forward over the last week by two doctors in Bakersfield, California, whose comments stirred contr
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: The Flu Did NOT Kill 80,000 People In the United States Last Year
Did the flu kill 80,000 people in the United States last year? No, that's not true: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that during the 2018-2019 flu season, there were 34,200 influenza-associated deaths. Still, the f
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: The CDC DOES Recommend That People Who Are Healthy Wear Facemasks
Does the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that healthy people not wear facemasks to prevent the spread of the novel coronavius? No, that's not true: The CDC revised its facemask guidelines in early April after studies indic
Truth or Fiction?→ Is There ‘No Scientific Proof’ That Social Distancing Prevents the Spread of Coronavirus?
On April 22 2020, a KUSI News item (“USC Professor Joel Hay says there is no scientific proof social distancing prevents spread of coronavirus”) appeared containing a claim that proved particularly popular among people who opposed COVID-19
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: No Proof Is U.S. Planning to Force Vaccinations With Bill Gates Amid Coronavirus
Is the U.S. government planning to force Americans to take vaccinations during the coronavirus pandemic with the help of Bill Gates? No, there is no proof for that: A video from InfoWars has gone viral, asking if viewers were going to "allow y
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Viruses DO Exist; NOT Just Cell Erosion Caused By Mucus From Food We Eat
Was the late herbalist known as "Dr. Sebi" (real name Alfredo Bowman) correct when he claimed that viruses don't exist? No, this is false. Viruses do exist, as the world is witnesseing now with the novel coronavirus, which is responsible for m
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: News Outlets DID Report On Coronavirus Cases At Walmart, Amazon, Other Retailers
Did Walmart, Amazon, Kroger, Target and Costco "not have any reported cases in the news" of employees contracting the coronavirus and being forced to close, as suggested by a meme shared widely on social media? No, that's not true. There have
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Unemployed Get $600 Per Week While Essential Workers ARE Required To Report Without CARES Assistance
Are people on unemployment due to the coronavirus pandemic getting an extra $600 a week -- while many essential workers are still on the job, not getting that extra money -- yet they are putting their health at risk? Yes, that is true: An act
Truth or Fiction?→ Medical Community Refutes Bakersfield Doctors’ Attempts to Minimize COVID-19
Two California-based doctors’ attempt to compare COVID-19 to the common flu has incurred criticism and debunking from not only their local colleagues, but medical professionals at the state and national level. In a rare step, the American Colleg
Truth or Fiction?→ CNN ‘Global Death Toll Approaches Three Million People’ Chyron Error
On April 27 2020, a screen capture purportedly of CNN showing anchor Wolf Blitzer with a chyron reading “GLOBAL DEATH TOLL APPROACHES THREE MILLION PEOPLE” circulated on social media, often marked with question marks, circles, and an arrow
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Japanese Nobel Prize Winner Did NOT Say Coronavirus Was ‘Manufactured In China’
Did the Japanese doctor who won the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine claim the novel coronavirus was "manufactured in China" and "is completely artificial"? No, that's not true. Dr. Tasuku Honjo never made the comments, and he has di
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Flu Is Not Eradicated, But CDC Says Flu Shots DO Help Prevent It
Is it true that the flu shot did not "eradicate" the flu and, in fact, does "little to nothing at preventing the flu every year?" No, that is not true. The flu shot, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, helps keep the f
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Proof Ultraviolet Radiation Eliminates Coronavirus From The Body
Does exposure of blood to ultraviolet light rid the body of coronavirus? No, there is no evidence that it does. The fact that ultraviolet light has been shown to kill the virus on surfaces does not mean that it does the same thing in people. T
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: The Media And COVID-19 Did NOT Kill The Same Man Twice
Did the media dupe the public by saying coronovirus killed the same man twice? No, that's not true: Lenard "Lenny" Wells had an illustrious career in law enforcement, serving decades with the Milwaukee Police Department in Wisconsin before lat
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: CDC Job Posting For Public Health Advisor (Quarantine Program) Is NOT Proof Of A COVID-19 Conspiracy
Is a November 2019 job listing for a quarantine advisor at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention proof the government knew the COVID-19 health crisis was about to strike the United States? No, that's not true. It appears people have m
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Some Megachurches ARE Giving To COVID-19 Relief
Are megachurches and their preachers failing to contribute to fighting COVID-19 or offer their millions to coronavirus relief efforts? No, that is not entirely true. While it's unclear how much money is being directly donated by these churches
Hoax-Slayer→ COVIDSafe App Hoax Message Being Distributed
News outlets in Australia are reporting on a hoax message that falsely claims to have been sent by the newly released COVIDSafe app. The post COVIDSafe App Hoax Message Being Distributed appeared first on Hoax-Slayer.
Hoax-Slayer→ ‘Coronavirus Vaccine Available in 2001’ – Nonsensical Conspiracy Theory Post
A post that is currently circulating via social media suggests that there was a coronavirus vaccine available as early as 2001. The post ‘Coronavirus Vaccine Available in 2001’ – Nonsensical Conspiracy Theory Post appeared first on
Hoax-Slayer→ Watch Out for COVID-19 Related SMS Phishing Scams
Keep an eye out for fake text messages that appear to be official notifications related to COVID-19. With so much information about… The post Watch Out for COVID-19 Related SMS Phishing Scams appeared first on Hoax-Slayer.
Snopes→ As Fewer People Fly, Rate of Guns Found in Bags by TSA Jumps
With far fewer people flying because of travel restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic, airport security screeners are naturally finding fewer guns in carry-on baggage. But the ratio of guns to passengers seeking to board airplanes has jumped shar
Truth or Fiction?→ Is the Georgia Governor’s Mansion Closed Due to COVID-19, Despite Its Governor ‘Opening’ the State for Business?
As Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) made the controversial decision to “reopen” the state in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic, a Facebook post shared in late April 2020 urged readers to contact the governor’s mansion to request a tour
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: There Was NO Family Of Three Who Died Before Testing Positive For Coronavirus
Did a family of three -- who reportedly died within days of each other before testing positive for the novel coronavirus -- actually exist? No, that's not true: This fictional story featuring the made-up family was presented to audiences in at
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: First Volunteer In UK Coronavirus Vaccine Trial Has NOT Died
Did Elisa Granato, a volunteer in the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine trial, die just two days after receiving the experimental injection? No, that's not true: Granato woke up on April 25, read a fake news story about her own demise, and responded tha
Truth or Fiction?→ Who Is Mark Grenon?
The Florida merchant claiming credit for United States President Donald Trump’s remarks concerning the use of disinfectants as a “cure” for COVID-19 has a history of pushing other conspiracy theories despite legal and journalistic in
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Trump Did NOT Urge People To Inject Disinfectants To Thwart Coronavirus
Did President Trump urge people to ingest or inject disinfectants as a treatment for coronavirus? No, that's not true: He only urged that research be done into the topic. The claim (archived here) originated from comments Trump made on April 2
Truth or Fiction?→ Did H1N1 Infect 1.4 Billion People and Kill Nearly 600,000 Worldwide?
Under “tweets that didn’t age well,” on April 2 2020 pundit Bill Mitchell criticized measures to stop the spread of COVID-19 — claiming that the 2009 H1N1 (swine flu) pandemic infected 1.4 billion people worldwide and killed a
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Trump Did NOT Announce The ‘Biological’ lab In Wuhan Was ‘Funded’ By Obama
Did President Trump announce that the "biological" lab in Wuhan where the "COVID-19 virus was created" was "funded" by President Barack Hussein Obama? No, that's not true. Trump said the allegations were being studied by his administration, bu
Truth or Fiction?→ Does the United States Have 4 Percent of the World’s Population and 25 Percent of the Deaths from COVID-19?
On April 18 2020, Tia Barracini published a tweet claiming that the United States accounted for four percent of the world’s population, but 25 percent of its deaths from novel coronavirus or COVID-19: Why does the US, with 4% of the world'
Snopes→ U.S. States Build Stockpiles of Malaria Drug Touted by Trump
State and local governments across the United States have obtained more than 30 million doses of a malaria drug touted by President Trump to treat patients with the coronavirus, despite warnings from doctors that more research is needed.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: U.S. Did NOT Send ‘100,000 Military’ to South China Sea Amid Pandemic
Did the U.S. Navy send 100,000 military forces to the South China Sea in a move to increase its presence in the region, against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic? No, that's not true. In an emailed statement and interview with Lead Stor
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Countering Video, Doctors Say Drug For High-Altitude Sickness is NOT ‘Missing Link’ In Coronavirus Treatment
Can the drug Diamox, often used as treatment for high-altitude sickness, cure coronavirus? No, that's not true: COVID-19 cannot be cured using the same drug that is often used to treat high-altitude sickness. A viral video raked up more than 4
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the Second Wave of the 1918 Spanish Flu Kill 20 to 30 Million, While the First Wave Killed 3 to 5 Million?
Against the backdrop of spreading (but engineered) COVID-19 anti-lockdown protests in April 2020, a tweet claiming that a “second wave” of the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic was far deadlier than the “first wave” attracted a large n
Truth or Fiction?→ Was There a ‘Canine Coronavirus Vaccine in 2001’?
On April 22 2020, screenshots of an image post featuring a “canine coronavirus vaccine” appeared and was circulated alongside captured text about the vial dating back to 2001 (archived here): Text over a battered vial labeled