A San Francisco television station’s story about an “endemic” phase to the COVID-19 pandemic alarmed disability experts and advocates. The story, aired by KGO-TV on May 22 2023, features Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, a professor of medicine an
Publication: medical
Snopes→ US Pediatricians’ Group Moves to Abandon Race-Based Guidance
For years, pediatricians have followed flawed guidelines linking race to risks for urinary infections and newborn jaundice.
Truth or Fiction?→ Florida Judge Kathryn Mizelle Overturns CDC’s Public Transportation Mask Mandate
On April 18 2022, U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle vacated a Centers for Disease Control (CDC) mask mandate for public transportation, a reversal with broad implications. Forbes was one of the first outlets to cover the ruling, prefacing the
Snopes→ US Man Who Got 1st Pig Heart Transplant Dies After 2 Months
David Bennett, 57, died at the University of Maryland Medical Center.
Snopes→ Strained US Hospitals Seek Foreign Nurses Amid Visa Windfall
With American hospitals facing a dire shortage of nurses amid a slogging pandemic, many are looking abroad for health care workers.
Snopes→ COVID Hits One of the Last Uninfected Places on the Planet
When the coronavirus began spreading around the world, the remote Pacific archipelago of Kiribati closed its borders, ensuring the disease didn't reach its shores for nearly two full years.
Snopes→ 100%: Chief Medical Officer Says All US Olympians Vaccinated
All of the 200-plus athletes heading to Beijing for the Winter Games next month are fully vaccinated, and not a single one asked for a medical exemption.
Snopes→ Medicare Limits Coverage of $28,000-A-Year Alzheimer’s Drug
For Medicare to pay, patients taking Biogen’s Aduhelm medication will have to be part of clinical trials to assess the drug’s effectiveness.
Snopes→ Djokovic: Not Isolating After COVID Infection Was ‘Error’
Novak Djokovic knew he'd tested positive for COVID-19 when he attended a newspaper interview and photo shoot in Serbia last month.
Snopes→ Omicron May Be Headed for a Rapid Drop in Britain, US
Scientists are seeing signals that COVID-19′s alarming omicron wave may have peaked in Britain and is about to do the same in the U.S.
Snopes→ In 1st, US Surgeons Transplant Pig Heart into Human Patient
A Maryland hospital said that he's doing well three days after the highly experimental surgery.
Snopes→ Home COVID Tests to Be Covered by Insurers Starting Saturday
Private health insurers will be required to cover up to eight home COVID-19 tests per month for people on their plans.
Snopes→ Sheep, Goats Join in German Efforts to Encourage Vaccination
Tasty bits of bread did the trick for about 700 sheep and goats to join Germany's drive to encourage more people to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Snopes→ Pentagon Chief Austin Says He Has Tested Positive for COVID
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Sunday he has tested positive for COVID-19 and was experiencing mild symptoms while quarantining at home.
Snopes→ FDA Expands Pfizer Boosters for More Teens as Omicron Surges
The U.S. is expanding COVID-19 boosters as it confronts the omicron surge, with the Food and Drug Administration allowing extra Pfizer shots for children as young as 12.
Snopes→ CDC Warns Against Cruises, Regardless of Vaccination Status
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned people not to go on cruises, regardless of their vaccination status, because of onboard outbreaks fueled by the omicron variant.
Snopes→ US Children Hospitalized with COVID in Near-Record Numbers
The omicron-fueled surge that is sending COVID-19 cases rocketing in the U.S. is putting children in the hospital in close to record numbers, and experts lament that most of the youngsters are not vaccinated.
Snopes→ New COVID-19 Cases in US Soar to Highest Levels on Record
More than a year after the vaccine was rolled out, new cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. have soared to their highest level on record.
Snopes→ US Officials Recommend Shorter COVID Isolation, Quarantine
U.S. health officials cut isolation restrictions for asymptomatic Americans who catch the coronavirus from 10 to five days, and similarly shortened the time that close contacts need to quarantine.
Snopes→ UK Data Suggest Hospitalization is Less Likely with Omicron
Preliminary data suggest that people with the omicron variant of the coronavirus are between 50% and 70% less likely to need hospitalization than those with the delta strain.
Snopes→ Trump Tested COVID-Positive Pre-Debate, Ex-Aide Says in Book
Trump called the story “Fake News.”
Snopes→ US Regulators Lay out Plan for Over-The-Counter Hearing Aids
Health regulators unveiled their proposal to allow Americans to buy hearing aids without a prescription
Truth or Fiction?→ Anti-Vaccine Disinformation Campaign Echoes ‘Doctor’s Plot’ Rhetoric
An ongoing medical disinformation campaign took a sharp turn in July 2021, when right-wing commentators and politicians pivoted to direct attacks against continued efforts by the Biden administration to get more Americans vaccinated against COVID-19. T
Snopes→ Cold Weather Virus in Summer Baffles Docs, Worries Parents
RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, is a common cause of cold-like symptoms but can be serious for infants and the elderly.
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Doctor Erase $650,000 in Medical Debt for 200 People?
A retiring doctor’s act of generosity earned him national media attention and created an online buzz — while also inadvertently underlining gaps in reporting from some of the news organizations telling his story. Dr. Omar Atiq’s deci
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘COVID-19 Had Us All Fooled, but Now We Might Have Finally Found Its Secret’ Medium Post
In early April 2020, a post published to Medium.com circulated on social media, titled “Covid-19 had us all fooled, but now we might have finally found its secret.” The post went viral in archived and replicated form even after the site re
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Medical Journal List ‘The Notorious H.R.T.’ as a Nickname for Hormone Replacement Therapy?
An image that purports to show a screengrab from a medical journal was featured on a tweet that gained traction on January 15 2020. The tweet contains a capture of this citation: It says: Hormone replacement therapy has many nicknames among transfe
Truth or Fiction?→ Comparing the Cost of Insulin Pens in the United States with Other Countries
A graphic spreading online apparently attempts to advocate for people with diabetes by listing several claims related to the price of insulin pens in the United States and other countries: However, efforts like this can do more harm than good. “
Snopes→ Does This Picture Show a Case of Hyperdontia?
Hyperdontia is a genuine medical condition, but take a close look at these images.
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Medical Scan of an 80-Year-Old Woman Reveal a Calcified Fetus?
On December 11, 2018, a Facebook user shared the following image and caption purportedly showing a genuine calcified fetus: 80 year old lady [emoji], went to have a cat-scan, and they found a fetus that’s been in her cervix for 30 years The reference
Truth or Fiction?→ Has a Scientist Who Claimed He Created the First ‘Gene-Edited Babies’ Disappeared?
In November 2018, a scientist from China named He Jankui appeared to have ushered in a new era in humanity — and re-ignited an already heated international conversation about the ethics of editing genes to make “designer babies” — by
Hoax-Slayer→ Misleading Health Advice Email – ‘Mayo Clinic on Aspirin and Heart Attacks
Message claiming to be from the Mayo Clinic offers health advice related to the use of aspirin for preventing heart attacks. The post Misleading Health Advice Email – ‘Mayo Clinic on Aspirin and Heart Attacks appeared first on Hoax-Slayer.
Snopes→ Does This Photograph Show Two Boys — One Vaccinated, One Not — Who Were Exposed to Smallpox?
In the early 1900s, Allan Warner documented several cases of smallpox and the effects of vaccinations.
Snopes→ Does Stepping on a Rusty Nail Cause Tetanus?
Although puncturing one's skin with a nail that has been in contact with the soil is a risk factor for tetanus, rust has nothing to do with the disease.
Snopes→ Is This a Real Hand With Eight Fingers?
A set of images purportedly show a rare congenital syndrome called "ulnar dimelia," also known as "mirror hand syndrome."
Snopes→ Did a Man Receive a $153,000 Hospital Bill After a Failed Selfie With a Rattlesnake?
Venomous rattlesnake bites can be notoriously expensive to treat, thanks mainly to high drug costs and arcane insurance-hospital negotiations.
Hoax-Slayer→ Spurious First Aid Advice – Flour For Treatment of Burns
Widely circulated message recommends covering burns with plain flour as a first aid treatment and claims that the 'miraculous' remedy will stop the burn from blistering. The post Spurious First Aid Advice – Flour For Treatment of Burns appeared f
Truth or Fiction?→ Cadbury Chocolate Eggs Are Infected With HIV-Positive Blood-Fiction!
Cadbury Chocolate Eggs Are Infected With HIV-Positive Blood-Fiction! Summary of eRumor: Warnings spread across social media about Cadbury products being infected with HIV-positive blood in the weeks leading up to Easter, when many Cadbury products are
Truth or Fiction?→ Deadly Klebsiella Plague from China Poses Public Health Threat to U.S.-Mostly Fiction!
Deadly Klebsiella Plague from China Poses Public Health Threat to U.S.-Mostly Fiction! Summary of eRumor: The deadly Klebsiella plague from China is coming to the United States, and citizens have been warned to take action. The Truth: Chinese rese
Snopes→ Does Suave Shampoo Contain an Ingredient That Causes Hair Loss?
Social media posts inaccurately claim that the formulation of Suave Professionals brand products causes hair loss.