The Democratic presidential nominee's critique of the incumbent came amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Publication: covid-19
Health Feedback→ COVID-19 vaccines do not modify the human genome and do not involve hydrogels; Hydrogels are not internet-connecting devices
REVIEW Social media posts started circulating on 16 September 2020 claiming that hydrogels will be used for COVID-19 vaccines and for disease-detecting sensors that connect a person’s body to the internet. Hydrogels are hydrophilic chains of mole
Snopes→ Did Dr. Fauci Criticize Trump’s China Travel Restrictions?
The president was initially skeptical of imposing travel restrictions, though he would later claim that everyone around him had been against the idea.
Snopes→ Is US COVID-19 Case Total Highest Globally Due to ‘Great Testing’?
If the virus was not spreading, the rate of positive COVID-19 test results would not increase. But, unfortunately, the rate did increase.
Snopes→ Late-Stage Study of First Single-Shot Vaccine Begins in US
Johnson & Johnson is beginning a huge final study to try to prove if a single-dose COVID-19 vaccine can protect against the virus.
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REVIEW On 14 September 2020, the Chinese virologist Li-Meng Yan published a a pre-print (an unpublished draft of a science paper) on the website Zenodo claiming to provide evidence that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, was created in a la
Snopes→ CDC Changes, Then Retracts, Its Take on Coronavirus Spread
The top U.S. public health agency has stirred confusion by posting — and then taking down — an apparent change in its position on how easily the coronavirus can spread from person to person on small droplets in the air.
Snopes→ Did Chinese Virologist Dr. Li-Meng Yan Say COVID-19 Was Made in a Wuhan Lab?
It's not the first time the controversial doctor made such claims about the origin of the global pandemic.
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
Snopes→ Does Wearing Glasses Protect You from Coronavirus?
Researchers in China have found that people who wear glasses appear to be at lower risk of catching COVID-19.
Health Feedback→ No vaccine contains strains of both the flu and the virus that causes COVID-19; COVID-19 is not the flu
REVIEW A claim circulated in September 2020 alleging that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is encouraging patients to take an “untested [COVID-19] flu shot”. This claim also suggests that COVID-19 is caused by a strain o
Snopes→ Ohio Limit of 1 Ballot Drop Box Per County Blocked, Appealed
An Ohio judge has temporarily blocked the Republican secretary of state’s order limiting counties to one ballot drop box, and both the state and the Republican Party have appealed.
Health Feedback→ Assessment of the evolution of the number of COVID-19 cases is based on SARS-CoV-2 specific test. No confusion with flu or common cold is possible.
REVIEW Claims circulated in early September 2020 stating that the common cold or flu can be mistaken for COVID-19, suggesting that current and future cases of COVID-19 should instead be attributed to common cold or flu. Posts making these claims pro
Snopes→ US Outlines Sweeping Plan to Provide Free COVID-19 Vaccines
Dr. Robert Redfield, the director of the CDC, said that any vaccine available this year would be in “very limited supply” and wouldn’t be broadly available to most of the U.S. population until the summer of 2021.
Snopes→ Allegations of Mass Hysterectomies at ICE-Contracted Facility Spark Outrage
Most of the whistleblower complaint dealt with general medical negligence at a Georgia facility, particularly around COVID-19.
Health Feedback→ Cloth masks are effective at reducing virus transmission because it spreads in respiratory droplets, which are larger than smoke particles and the pores in fabric
REVIEW Memes appeared on Facebook in late August 2020 claiming that cloth masks are ineffective at reducing virus transmission because smoke particles are larger than virus particles and cannot be filtered by cloth masks (see examples here and here)
Snopes→ Did Kroger Tell Employees They Can Wear BLM Masks, but Not Flag Masks?
Adding a color background to a baseless statement doesn't make it any more factual.
Snopes→ Did CDC Tell Parents To Prepare for ‘Sudden Sleepover’ at Schools Due to COVID-19?
As the coronavirus pandemic dragged on into fall 2020, so did the spread of fearmongering rumors.
Snopes→ Yelling at People Who Aren’t Wearing Masks Won’t Work
People can better convince others to wear masks if they share the fear, loss and uncertainty that motivates their concern rather than use their outrage to shame others.
Snopes→ Did Dozens of Countries Order COVID-19 Tests in 2018?
A friendly reminder that COVID-19 is named so, in part, because the disease was first observed in humans in 2019.
Snopes→ Was Sturgis Motorcycle Rally Responsible for 250K Coronavirus Cases?
A non-peer reviewed paper took off on the internet ... and then came the critics.
Snopes→ In a Year of Social Distancing, Virus Alters Sept. 11, Too
Some victims' relatives say they understand the ground zero observance had to change in a year when so much else has. Others fear that the commitment to "Never Forget" is fading.
Health Feedback→ Misinterpreted New York Times report leads to false claim that the number of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. is inflated by up to 90%
REVIEW The claim that the U.S. has an inflated COVID-19 case count due to the sensitivity of the diagnostic PCR test for the virus that causes COVID-19 has been published in several media outlets including One America News Network, The Blaze, Red St
Snopes→ Did Trump Say in February 2020 That COVID-19 Is Deadlier Than the Flu?
While the president repeatedly downplayed the deadliness of COVID-19 in public, he acknowledged that it is deadlier than the flu in private.
Snopes→ Amazon Seeks to Hire 33,000 People
It's the largest number of job openings it's had at one time, and the Seattle-based online behemoth said the hiring is not related to the jobs it typically offers ahead of the busy holiday shopping season.
Snopes→ AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine Study Paused After One Illness
The company is investigating whether a recipient's "potentially unexplained" illness is a side effect of the shot.
Snopes→ Infrared Thermometers Used for COVID-19 Testing Do Not Pose Risk to Pineal Gland
Infrared thermometers don’t emit radiation into the brain; they sense heat emitted by the body.
Health Feedback→ COVID-19 test kits were not purchased in 2017 and 2018; claim is based on mislabeled data
REVIEW Claims that the coronavirus pandemic was planned has been fanned by online posts showing data tables from the World Integrated Trade Solutions (WITS) website, developed by the World Bank and other organizations, which “allows users to acces
Health Feedback→ Masks offer only partial protection from the virus that causes COVID-19, but their effectiveness can be enhanced with other measures like physical distancing
REVIEW Memes calling into question the effectiveness of face masks in reducing the spread of COVID-19 have been circulating on social media platforms in various forms. Some have asserted that “either masks work or they don’t” and questioned wh
Snopes→ Did Pelosi Visit Hair Salon Closed Due to COVID-19?
This hair appointment engendered widespread controversy in summer of 2020.
Snopes→ Did CDC ‘Quietly Update’ COVID-19 Deaths To Say Only 6% Are Legitimate?
A rumor downplaying the seriousness of the deadly virus was promoted by a group of people that included U.S. President Donald Trump
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Yesterday, 4 Canadians Died of COVID, 7 Italians, 9 Germans, and 1,263 Americans’
On August 20 2020, a Facebook user shared the following post, which purportedly shows the number of deaths due to COVID-19 in Canada, Italy, Germany, and the United States during a single day (“yesterday”): White text against a purple b
Snopes→ Did RNC Attendees Forgo Masks And Social Distancing?
Masks — or lack thereof — at the Republican convention became a point of political partisanship during the 2020 presidential election.
Snopes→ Uber to Require That Passengers Provide Face-Mask Selfies
The additional safety measures are part of Uber’s ongoing efforts to rebuild a service that has seen ridership plunge this year.
Truth or Fiction?→ Were 94 Percent of COVID-19 Deaths Caused by ‘Underlying Conditions’?
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
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
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
Health Feedback→ A vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 would be useful even if the survival rate from COVID-19 is high
REVIEW A misleading claim circulating on Facebook in August 2020 questions whether a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, would be useful because the “survival rate [of COVID-19 is] close to 100% without a vaccine”. This c
Snopes→ Can Ivermectin Cure Coronavirus?
The canine heartworm-preventative joined a long list of drugs touted as possible cures for COVID-19.
Snopes→ More Than 1 Million Americans Applied for Jobless Benefits
Employers added nearly 9.3 million jobs in May, June and July — but that hiring surge replaced just 42% of the jobs lost in March and April.