Is polypropylene from face masks a major source of microplastics in our lungs? No, that's not true: The benefits of wearing masks outweigh the risks. Microplastics (MPs) can be found throughout the environment. Nearly two-thirds of MPs co
Publication: coronavirus
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Claim Of More Than 4,000 Fetal Or New-Born Deaths Due To COVID Shots NOT Found In US VAERS Data
Do the reported adverse reactions to COVID-19 vaccines in the United States include more than 4,000 fetal or newborn deaths? No, that's not true: A Lead Stories analysis of the numbers found in the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: High Vaccination Rate Explains Why 92% Of English COVID Deaths Are Among Fully Vaccinated — Numbers Only Part Of Full Story
Do fully vaccinated people account for 92 percent of COVID-19 deaths in England? Yes, it's slightly exaggerated but true: However, simple ratio analysis based on that statistic doesn't fully tell the story. The report these figures come f
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Healthy People DO Die From COVID-19
Do only unhealthy people die from COVID-19? No, that's not true: The person posting the statement "Healthy people don't die from COVID" on social media doesn't explain what they meant by healthy, but people of all ages and a wide range of
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: COVID-19 IS A Virus, NOT Snake Venom Being Used To Poison, Turn People Into Satanic Hybrids
Rather than a virus, is COVID-19 instead snake venom being used to poison people or turn them into satanic hybrids? No, that's not true: The claim is part of an elaborate conspiracy theory packed into an anti-vaccine documentary filled wi
Poynter→ A 2004 video of Dr. Anthony Fauci praising natural immunity doesn’t mean he’s ignoring science on COVID-19
An 18-year-old video of Dr. Anthony Fauci talking about the strength of natural immunity is making the rounds on social media, with some users alleging the director of the National […] The post A 2004 video of Dr. Anthony Fauci praising natural i
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: UK Agency Did NOT Publish Data Suggesting People Triple-Vaccinated For COVID-19 Are Developing A New Form Of AIDS
Did the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) publish data suggesting that triple vaccinated people in England are developing a new form of AIDS? No, that's not true: The data does not show immune systems being destroyed by COVID-19 vaccines
Poynter→ Pfizer did not bribe the FDA for approval of its COVID-19 vaccine
Some social media users are falsely describing a document showing a $2.8 million payment from Pfizer to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a “bribe” for approval of the […] The post Pfizer did not bribe the FDA for approval of i
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Pfizer Documents Do NOT Reveal Vaccinated People Transfer COVID Shot To Unvaccinated Through Inhalation, Skin Contact
Do Pfizer documents reveal vaccinated people will transfer their COVID-19 shots to the unvaccinated through inhalation and skin contact? No, that's not true: The claim is based on the standard clinical study protocol used for a wide range
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Irish Examiner Did NOT Report That Referee Whistles Caused Heart Problems For Athletes
Did the Irish Examiner publish a report about a sudden increase in heart problems among sports players due to referee whistles? No, that's not true: A spoof image was created using a fake story and the masthead of the Irish Examiner. This
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Flu and COVID-19 Are NOT Identical Illnesses, So Vaccine Recommendations Vary
Are flu and COVID-19 identical illnesses, meaning that vaccine recommendations for each are the same? No, that's not true: The recommendations may vary as the illnesses are distinct. During an interview in 2004, Dr. Anthony Fauci, directo
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: The U.S. Army Is NOT Dishonorably Discharging Soldiers Who Haven’t Taken COVID-19 Vaccine
Has the U.S. Army officially begun dishonorably discharging soldiers who haven't taken the vaccine for COVID-19? No, that's not true: According to a Pentagon spokesperson, "No US Army Soldier has received a dishonorable discharge solely f
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Canadian Govt Did NOT Publish Data That ‘Suggests’ People Triple-Vaccinated For COVID-19 Developed AIDS, Are 5X More Likely To Die Of COVID Than Unvaccinated
Did the Canadian government publish data suggesting those triple-vaccinated against COVID-19 have developed AIDS and are five times more likely to die of COVID than the unvaccinated? No, that's not true: The data does not show immune syst
Health Feedback→ Fox News article listing alleged mistakes in COVID-19 public health response mixes accurate information with unsubstantiated claims
REVIEW On 16 March 2022, Fox News published this opinion article by Marty Makary, a surgical oncologist at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. In the article, Makary listed what he considered the “10 biggest COVID mistakes” that health authorities
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: COVID Booster Shots Do NOT Cause Rapid Cancer Growth — Case Cited Looked At One Patient, Came To No Conclusion
Do COVID-19 booster shots cause rapid cancer growth? No, that's not true: Michel Goldman, one of the authors of a paper misused on social media to make the claim, told Lead Stories in a March 21, 2022, email, "This is an abusive and unacc
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: U.S. Military Did NOT Arrest ‘Dr. Fauci’s NIH Assistant’
Did U.S. Marines arrest "Dr. Fauci's NIH Assistant, Patricia L. Conrad" on March 17,2022, after obtaining a military arrest warrant signed by a "Deputy Judge Advocate General"? No, that's not true: The story is "false," a Pentagon duty of
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: UK Agency Did NOT Publish Data Confirming People Triple-Vaccinated For COVID-19 Are Weeks Away From Developing AIDS
Did the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) publish data confirming the triple vaccinated are weeks away from developing AIDS? No, that's not true: The data does not show immune systems being destroyed by COVID-19 vaccines but instead how v
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Documents Were NOT Published Confirming Moderna Created COVID-19 Virus
Were documents published that confirm Moderna created the COVID-19 virus? No, that's not true: Bala Ambati, a University of Oregon research professor and one of the authors of those documents, told Lead Stories, "We are not casting aspers
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: US Government Did NOT Secretly Pay Major Media Outlets To Promote COVID Vaccines, Suppress Negative Coverage
Did the U.S. government secretly pay major media outlets to promote COVID-19 vaccines and suppress negative coverage? No, that's not true: The public education campaign via ads was announced by the White House and the Department of Health
Health Feedback→ Pfizer’s confidential document shows adverse events reported following vaccination; it doesn’t demonstrate that the vaccine caused the events or is unsafe
REVIEW On 23 August 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted the first approval for a COVID-19 vaccine to Pfizer and BioNTech. The information contained in the Biological License Application was confidential and unavailable to the p
Health Feedback→ Claim that COVID-19 deaths have been “vastly overcounted” is baseless; the evidence suggests the opposite
REVIEW On 1 March 2022, The Epoch Times published a piece by Joseph Mercola, the biggest purveyor of anti-vaccine disinformation according to a report by the Center for Countering Digital Hate, where he claimed that COVID-19 “deaths have been vast
Health Feedback→ Study by Lund University researchers didn’t show that COVID-19 mRNA vaccines change our DNA
REVIEW A study published by researchers at Lund University in Sweden made the rounds in late February 2022[1], with many social media users sharing it as evidence that COVID-19 mRNA vaccines change our DNA (see examples here and here). Articles, lik
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: CDC Did NOT Change COVID Map Ahead Of Biden’s State Of The Union Address — Maps Show 2 Different Things
Did the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) change a COVID-19 risk assessment map ahead of President Joe Biden's State of the Union address on March 1, 2022, to make it look better for the administration? No, that's not true:
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Pfizer Document Does NOT List Thousands Of Side Effects From COVID Vaccine — It’s Required List Of Potential Side Effects
Does a Pfizer document list thousands of side effects from its COVID-19 vaccine? No, that's not true: The nine pages of potential side effects are part of a government-required adverse event (AE) report prepared by the pharmaceutical comp
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: High Vaccination Rate Explains Why 9 In 10 English COVID Deaths Are Among Fully Vaccinated — Numbers Are Only Part Of The Full Story
Do fully vaccinated people account for nine in every 10 COVID-19 deaths in England? Yes, it's slightly exaggerated but true: However, simple ratio analysis based on that statistic doesn't fully tell the story. The report that these figure
Health Feedback→ Short identical gene sequence in SARS-CoV-2 and a gene sequence patented by Moderna can be found in other organisms; not evidence that virus was engineered
REVIEW Claims that the virus responsible for COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, was engineered in a lab went viral again in February 2022, after a Daily Mail article reported the findings of a study published in the journal Frontiers of Virology on 22 February 2
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Ottawa Will NOT Euthanize Truckers’ Pets As Punishment For Convoy Protest
Will Ottawa euthanize truckers' pets as punishment for the convoy protest? No, that's not true: Pets were not threatened with death as a punishment for protesters getting arrested in Canada. A message was posted to Ottawa's animal control
Health Feedback→ CDC’s updated developmental milestone checklists don’t mean that standards for children’s development are lowered; they signal a change in the surveillance strategy
REVIEW On 8 February 2022, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its checklist for developmental milestones for children up to five years old. These milestones are specific physical and behavioral skills that infants and
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: CDC Data DO Show Measurable Impact Of Mass Vaccinations On COVID-19 Mortality In US
Do data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show mass vaccinations have had no measurable impact on COVID-19 mortality in the United States? No, that's not true: There are multiple reports and peer-reviewed studies s
Poynter→ CNN didn’t report that Queen Elizabeth II died
Buckingham Palace announced on Feb. 20 that Queen Elizabeth II had tested positive for COVID-19 and was experiencing cold-like symptoms that were mild enough that she planned to continue “light […] The post CNN didn’t report that Queen El
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Provide Factual Data About COVID-19 Vaccines
Does this video provide factual proof that COVID-19 vaccines interfere with human reproduction, cause cancer and are ineffective? No, that's not true: Peer-reviewed and evidence-based information from qualified scientists has disproved th
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: New Mexico National Guard Did NOT ‘Terrorize’ Schoolchildren
Did the New Mexico National Guard "terrorize" schoolchildren? No, that's not true: An official representative of the Estancia School District told Lead Stories, "this event never happened." A New Mexico National Guardsman tells Lead Stori
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: More People ARE Dying In Their Prime Of Life, But Q3 2019 Comparisons Mislead; Also, COVID Causes Rise
Did the death rate of working-age Americans rise 40 percent from the summer of 2019 to the summer of 2021? Yes, there has been a sharp rise. Is the COVID-19 pandemic not the cause? There is no basis to blame it on anything other than the
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Public Health Scotland Did NOT Stop Publishing Weekly COVID Data Because ‘Fully Vaccinated Are Developing AIDS’
Did Public Health Scotland (PHS) stop publishing weekly COVID-19 data to hide that fully vaccinated people are developing AIDS? No, that's not true: The agency said it's because of an "increasing risk of misinterpretation." COVID skeptics
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: CDC Is NOT Collecting DNA Through COVID-19 Test Samples
Is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention collecting DNA through COVID-19 test samples? No, that's not true: The CDC published a tweet on February 16, 2022, that stated that if a person took a COVID nose swab test there was "a 10%
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: News Report Accidentally Used Wrong Clip Featuring Incorrect Medication — Queen Is NOT Being Treated With Ivermectin
Did a news report accidentally reveal that doctors are giving a "banned" COVID-19 treatment to Queen Elizabeth? No, that's not true: Due to an editing error, the Australian program "A Current Affair" featured a clip showing a bottle of St
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Is NOT Correct That Healthy Children ‘Never Ever’ Get Severe COVID-19
Do healthy children "never ever" get severe COVID-19 and do mRNA vaccines against COVID-19 undermine children's immune systems, putting them at risk for other infectious diseases? No, that's not true: Pediatric infectious disease research
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: COVID Vaccines Not To Blame For Blood Clot Risk
Are COVID-19 vaccines to blame for "urgent warnings" about blood clots from Pfizer and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)? No, that's not true: Both the CDC and Pfizer have promoted such campaigns since 2015. Blood clots
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Vaccine-Related Myocarditis Is NOT Harsher Than COVID Infection-Related Myocarditis
Does this article provide a correct comparison between the severity of myocarditis cases caused by COVID vaccines and those resulting from COVID-19 illness? No, that's not true: It gets the comparison backward. Myocarditis experts say cas
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Dr. Anthony Fauci NOT Charged With Murder By A ‘Grand Jury’ About Alleged COVID Crimes
Did a grand jury charge Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, with murder? No, that's not true: No legally recognized grand jury has been convened to indict Fauci on any charges. The