On July 10 2020, a number of Facebook users shared posts like the one below — purportedly screenshots from the profile of a user, Richard Rose, who initially adopted the position of a “COVID denier” before dying from it on July 4 202
Publication: covid-19
Snopes→ After Lobbying, Catholic Church Won $1.4 Billion in Virus Aid
Faith-based organizations that promote religious beliefs aren’t usually eligible for money from the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Snopes→ Is This Cat Wearing a Mask During the ‘Spanish Flu’?
This cat wasn't going to risk any of its nine lives.
Truth or Fiction?→ Why Is the Coronavirus Test So Invasive? Would a Cheek Swab Work?
On July 7 2020, Facebook user David D Smith shared the following post, questioning why coronavirus testing was so invasive, particularly when compared to DNA test cheek swabs: Smith included a shiver-inducing image but no citations, writing:
Snopes→ Did Trump Tweet That South Dakota Should Close Its Border with California?
A fake tweet fooled some.
Snopes→ Ex-Trump Lawyer Michael Cohen Back in Federal Prison
Cohen had been released May 21 on furlough as part of an attempt to slow the spread of the virus in federal prisons.
Snopes→ Ivy League Suspends Fall Sports Due to Coronavirus Pandemic
The decision means Harvard and Yale will not play football in 2020, interrupting a rivalry known as The Game for the first time since the two World Wars.
Snopes→ Layoffs Stuck at High Level as 1.3 Million Seek Jobless Aid
The figure has now topped 1 million for 16 straight weeks.
Poynter→ How journalists can respond to shifting scientific consensus
Factually is a newsletter about fact-checking and accountability journalism, from Poynter’s International Fact-Checking Network & the American Press Institute’s Accountability Project. Sign up here Fact-checking a moving target Over the weekend
Snopes→ United Warning 36,000 Workers of Possible Layoffs
Layoffs loom over the airline as restrictions placed on travel by some states dim hopes of the industry's recovery.
Snopes→ Trump Threatens to Cut Federal Aid If Schools Don’t Reopen
Trump's warning drew backlash from some governors who said he has no authority over schools' fall plans.
Snopes→ Doggy Deliveries Help Colombians Shop During Pandemic
A Labrador helps deliver goods to customers as Colombia's COVID-19 cases continue to climb.
Snopes→ Did a Nationwide US Coin Shortage Occur in Summer 2020?
The COVID-19 pandemic was blamed for removing coins from circulation, as well as slowing production by the U.S. Mint.
Health Feedback→ The June 2020 spike in U.S. COVID-19 cases indicates a rising percentage of infections and is not simply an artifact of more testing
REVIEW Dozens of Facebook posts circulated on social media in late June and early July 2020 claiming that the spike in the number of reported COVID-19 cases in the U.S. during the second half of June 2020 was due to increased testing, and not to an
Snopes→ COVID-19 Myths Politicians Have Repeated That Just Aren’t True
The purveyors of these myths, including politicians who have been soft pedaling the impact of the coronavirus, aren’t doing the country any favors.
Snopes→ Did California ‘Forbid’ Christians from Singing in Church?
Safety guidelines for religious and cultural gatherings during the coronavirus pandemic got the political spin treatment.
Snopes→ Did a Florida Teen Die After Attending a Church ‘COVID Party’?
The tragic death of 17-year-old Carsyn Leigh Davis prompted controversy in July 2020.
Snopes→ Is This Meme About Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccinations Accurate?
It's difficult to make a nonexistent vaccine mandatory.
Truth or Fiction?→ Are ‘BLM Convoys’ Threatening to ‘Occupy Atlanta’?
Conspiracy theorist Jerome Corsi reached out for attention from United States President Donald Trump on July 7 2020, all the while regurgitating a long-debunked right-wing internet boogeyman to smear the Black Lives Matter movement. Corsi took to his
Snopes→ No, Dr. Denis Mukwege Didn’t Say Coronavirus Cases Are Being Falsified
Mukwege, a renowned gynecologist, did resign from his position with the task force responding to COVID-19 in the Congo, but not for the reason stated in a meme.
Snopes→ Did Trump’s Tulsa Rally Result in 100% Positive COVID-19 Test Rates in Oklahoma?
An MSNBC analysis of incomplete data resulted in misunderstandings.
Snopes→ Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro Tests Positive for COVID-19
The 65-year-old populist has often appeared in public to shake hands with supporters and mingle with crowds, at times without a mask.
Snopes→ Protective Gear for Medical Workers Begins to Run Low Again
The lack of equipment when the coronavirus crisis exploded this spring forced states and hospitals to compete against each other, the federal government and other countries in desperate, expensive bidding wars.
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘This is the Beach Today in Raleigh, NC! Covid is Never Going Away!’
In early July 2020 ,the following screenshot circulated on Facebook, showing a post from an accout by the name of “Kal El” who said that “Covid is never going away” alongside a purported picture of a beach in Raleigh, North Ca
Snopes→ Is This Queen Elizabeth Wearing a Yellow Face Mask?
Numerous celebrities reminded their followers to mask up amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Health Feedback→ Videos use gas sensors to misleadingly claim that wearing a face mask causes oxygen deficiency
REVIEW Different videos have been circulating on Facebook showing people wearing face masks measuring oxygen levels using a gas sensor and claiming that the measurements show that masks create an oxygen-deficient environment, based on the definition
Snopes→ Trump-Connected Lobbyists Reap Windfall in Federal Virus Aid
Many of the 40 lobbyists identified by watchdog group Public Citizen either worked in the Trump executive branch, served on his campaign, were part of the committee that raised money for inaugural festivities or were part of his presidential transition.
Health Feedback→ COVID-19 cases in the U.S. are mainly detected by highly specific molecular testing, not antibody testing
REVIEW A claim that people can test positive for COVID-19 if they have antibodies for the common cold, with the implication that COVID-19 cases in the U.S. are mainly due to false-positive antibody test (serological test) results, began circulating
Snopes→ Broadway Veteran Nick Cordero Dies from COVID-19 Complications
Cordero died at Cedars-Sinai hospital after more than 90 days in the hospital, according to his wife, Amanda Kloots.
Health Feedback→ Internet memes based on hearsay claim that hospital laboratories falsify COVID-19 tests to inflate numbers without evidence
REVIEW This Facebook meme posted on 27 June 2020, claims that a San Francisco hospital lab intentionally falsified COVID-19 tests to inflate the number of positive results. Robert Tayman tweeted on 29 June a viral version of this claim and afterward
Snopes→ Trump’s ‘Strong Wall’ to Block COVID-19 from China Had Holes
Nearly 8,000 Chinese nationals and foreign residents of Hong Kong and Macao entered the U.S. on more than 600 commercial and private flights in the first three months after the travel "ban" was imposed.
Snopes→ MLB Cancels All-Star Game for First Time Since 1945
Because of the pandemic, opening day had already been delayed from March 26 to July 23 or 24.
Snopes→ July Fourth Weekend Will Test Americans’ Discipline
With confirmed cases climbing in 40 states, governors have ordered the wearing of masks in public, and families were urged to celebrate their independence at home.
Snopes→ Texas Governor Issues Mask Order to Fight Coronavirus
The order requires “all Texans to wear a face covering over the nose and mouth in public spaces in counties with 20 or more positive COVID-19 cases, with few exceptions,” the governor’s office said.
Snopes→ What Role Does Air Conditioning Play in the Spread of COVID-19?
Most scientists argue that ACs do not increase the risk of COVID-19 transmission and some say they reduce the risk. We spoke to a fluid mechanics expert in search of answers.
Snopes→ Did Dr. Fauci Say NIH Was Told To Cancel Grant for Coronavirus Emergence Research?
The comment was made during testimony before a congressional committee.
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘In Case You’re Wondering What Utter, Abject Failure Looks Like’: Are These USA, France, Italy, and Spain COVID-19 Charts?
In late June 2020, a series of four COVID-19 charts began spreading across social media, captioned: “In case you’re wondering what utter, abject failure looks like,” purportedly contrasting COVID-19 infection rates in the United Stat
Snopes→ US Adds 4.8 Million Jobs as Unemployment Falls to 11.1%
The nation has now recovered roughly one-third of the 22 million jobs it lost to the pandemic recession.
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Teenager Get Pleurisy From Wearing a Face Mask for Work?
On May 31 2020, Facebook user Lena Kovacs shared the following screenshot of a redacted post, in which a person claimed their neeninet-year-old daughter developed pleurisy solely due to her use of a face mask in her job at “a huge grocery store
Health Feedback→ Contrary to popular claim on social media, RNA vaccines do not alter our DNA
SUMMARY A claim that RNA vaccine technology, which is being used to develop a COVID-19 vaccine candidate, will “permanently alter your DNA” was published in an article by Waking Times in May 2020, forming the basis for many viral posts on social