Amid jarring scenes of metropolitan hospitals dangerously strained by COVID-19 during the coronavirus pandemic, two naval hospital ships (the USNS Comfort and USNS Mercy) were docked in New York City and Los Angeles respectively in late March 2020
Publication: covid-19
Snopes→ Do Photos Show Las Vegas Homeless Sleeping in ‘Social Distanced’ Parking Lot?
"Las Vegas is now packing people into concrete grids out of sight," one critic proclaimed.
Snopes→ Did the House Give Itself a $25M Raise in Coronavirus Aid Bill?
Rumors claimed that U.S. representatives were using coronavirus aid legislation to give themselves a pay raise.
Snopes→ Did Empire State Building Display ‘Siren’ Lights During COVID-19 Pandemic?
A strange sight for strange times.
Snopes→ No, Cinchona Bark Is Not a Cure for Coronavirus
Posts touting the curative effects of cinchona, or fever tree, bark promise a “natural” source of the prescription-only drug chloroquine.
Snopes→ Were Ventilators Found ‘Stashed’ in a Warehouse in New York?
Social media posts painted a misleading picture about the plan for distributing ventilators amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Snopes→ Has Dr. Zelenko Successfully Treated 669 Coronavirus Patients?
A blog post asserting that people responded well to an experimental COVID-19 treatment is in no way an evidence-based contribution to science.
Snopes→ Did Former Wells Fargo CEO Say ‘Some May Even Die’?
Richard Kovacevich didn't deny he said this about employees returning to work amid the coronavirus pandemic; however, he did point out some context was left out.
Truth or Fiction?→ The COVID-19 Chloroquine Controversy, Explained
On March 30 2020, a number of outlets reported that the Food and Drug Administration had given a limited go-ahead for the use of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine in medical settings in the latest development in what has become a bizarrely (but not e
Truth or Fiction?→ Were Florida Residents Spotted Packing Beaches During the COVID-19 Pandemic?
A photograph of beachgoers ignoring social distancing guidelines concerning the COVID-19 pandemic prompted local officials to close their gathering place to the public. The photo, attributed to Clay Archer of Jacksonville Beach, was shared thousands o
Truth or Fiction?→ Is a $1,200 Coronavirus Stimulus an Advance on 2020’s Tax Credit — or a Loan You Have to Pay Back in 2021?
In the early evening of March 27 2020, news that Americans would receive COVID-19 stimulus checks of $1,200 or higher was a flashpoint of discussion in the reporting of the passage of the the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, also
Snopes→ Is This a C. S. Lewis Quote from 1942?
A "quote" shared widely during the COVID-19 pandemic may have felt timely, but that is probably because it was written in 2020.
Snopes→ No, UK Is Not Texting Fines for Leaving the House
Scam text messages purporting to be from the U.K. government informed recipients they had been issued fines for leaving the house during a coronavirus lockdown.
Snopes→ Did Johns Hopkins Publish This ‘Excellent Summary’ of COVID-19 Advice?
If you're looking for reliable COVID-19 information from Johns Hopkins University, please check the university's website.
Truth or Fiction?→ Was There a ‘March to End COVID-19’ in Cleveland?
A social media user playing on real-world ignorance over the COVID-19 pandemic succeeded in making a stir on March 26 2020 with a photograph he claimed at the time was an ill-advised gathering. The user’s post, which has been shared more than 6,
Snopes→ Trump Campaign Threatens TV Stations Over Coronavirus Ad
A cease-and-desist letter from the Trump-Pence campaign committee accuses stations of "airing a patently false, misleading, and deceptive advertisement."
Snopes→ Did Trump Suggest Stopping Public Officials’ Pay During Pandemic?
It appears something got lost in translation here.
Snopes→ Was a Rare Malabar Civet Spotted During COVID-19 Lockdown?
Shelter-in-place orders amid the coronavirus pandemic may have given wildlife — and our imaginations — a little extra room to roam.
Snopes→ Did Trump Say Governors Had To Treat Him Well To Get COVID-19 Supplies?
A statement by the president was misleadingly represented in a quote meme.
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Yelp and GoFundMe Create COVID-19 Fundraisers for Restaurants Without Telling Them?
A push from business owners forced two tech companies to modify an unprompted response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Andy McMillan, owner of a bar in Portland, Oregon — where bars and restaurants were ordered to close down as part of efforts to slow
Snopes→ Does This Video Show Mass Graves in Italy?
So far as we can tell, actress Tiffani Thiessen was not working for the CDC during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Snopes→ Is Hobby Lobby Refusing To Close Stores Because of a Message from God?
Hobby Lobby reportedly sent a letter to employees explaining its stores were staying open during the COVID-19 pandemic because, in part, CEO David Green's wife had received reassurances from God.
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the President of the United States Tell Governors Seeking Ventilators That Favors Are ‘a Two-Way Street’?
In late March 2020, a quote attributed to United States President Donald Trump involving various state governors and access to ventilators began spread in the form of several text-based status update memes: One of the shares appeared on the page
Snopes→ Was Obama Responsible for N95 Masks Shortage?
As the COVID-19 pandemic ratcheted up in the United States, so did partisan finger-pointing.
Snopes→ Can a Cattle Vaccine Be Used To Fight COVID-19?
The confusion seems to stem from the overuse of the word "coronavirus."
Snopes→ Did Trump Say This About the COVID-19 Pandemic?
Two statements the U.S. president made roughly a week apart in March 2020 came under intense scrutiny.
Snopes→ Will Lemons and Hot Water Cure or Prevent COVID-19?
As cures go, these ones are lemons.
Truth or Fiction?→ Is the Canadian Government Giving Citizens $2,000 a Month Because of COVID-19?
On March 25 2020, social media users quickly drew comparisons between the help Canadian citizens are receiving from their government and a bill passed in the U.S. Senate. On Twitter, the comparison was spread most heavily in a tweet shared more than 1
Truth or Fiction?→ Is a ‘Coronavirus Challenge’ on Social Media Prompting Teens to Infect Themselves With COVID-19?
Amid wall-to-wall reporting on a novel coronavirus and COVID-19 in late March 2020, articles breathlessly claimed that a “coronavirus challenge” or “COVID-19 challenge” was spreading on platforms like TikTok and Twitter, inciti
Snopes→ Does COVID Stand for ‘Chinese-Originated Viral Infectious Disease’?
There are different processes and purposes for naming diseases.
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Gerrity’s Store Discard $35,000 of Food After a Woman ‘Coughed’ on It During the Coronavirus Pandemic?
On March 26 2020, a number of social media posts involved a woman in Pennsylvania who allegedly “coughed” on $35,000 worth of food — forcing a Gerrity’s store to discard all of the items: “Grocery store Gerrity’s Supermar
Snopes→ Did Amazon Solicit Donations to Help Pay Worker Sick Leave?
After being called out for its approach to supporting seasonal and contract workers during times of crisis, the retail giant made some edits.
Truth or Fiction?→ Are Los Angeles Police Conducting ‘Spot Checks’ on ‘Non-Essential’ Driving?
A social media dispute broke out around comedian Ashley Ray on March 25 2020, after she posted what she called an advisory for people venturing outside in Los Angeles amid the city’s stay-in-place order to limit spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Truth or Fiction?→ Is Amazon Seeking Public Donations to Fund Sick Leave During the COVID-19 Pandemic?
On March 24 2020, journalist Judd Legum published a tweet claiming that as the COVID-19 pandemic began ramping up in the United States, Amazon.com (owned by Jeff Bezos) requested public donations in order to pay for employees’ sick leave: 1.
Snopes→ Was COVID-19 Created To Distract Us from a Doomsday Asteroid?
Please stop.
Truth or Fiction?→ Does This Video Show That ‘Tanks Have Arrived in San Diego’?
In another case of social media users and disreputable blogs stoking fear via disinformation amid the COVID-19 pandemic, footage of a routine shipment of tanks in two states has been interpreted — and then disseminated — as an omen of so
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘I Wonder Why the Cameraman Didn’t Need Protective Clothing?’ Facebook Post
On March 19 2020, the following meme (“I wonder why the cameraman didn’t need protective clothing”) was shared to Facebook: A still photograph included the wording about the cameraman lacking any personal protective equipme
Snopes→ In Pandemic, Rumors of Martial Law Fly Despite Reassurances
Despite what you may have read in a text message or on social media, there are currently no plans for a national quarantine, let alone martial law.
Snopes→ Does China Have a ‘New’ Outbreak of Hantavirus?
Hantavirus has been known to exist for decades.
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Phalanx of Corporate Chief Executive Officers Step Down Ahead of COVID-19?
In March 2020, as conspiracy theorists rushed to find “meaning” to the COVID-19 pandemic, one graphic circulating online listed departures from several high-profile companies which suggested that the executives left their positions in adva