SciCheck Digest Scientists are still learning about the omicron variant’s ability to spread or cause severe illness and the effectiveness of the current COVID-19 vaccines in fighting it. But a Facebook post misleadingly claims to list seven ̶
Search Results (432) for: delta
Full Fact→ Why conspiracists are linking the Omicron variant to the Illuminati
A post on Facebook draws apparent links between the Delta and Omicron Covid-19 variants and the Illuminati. It claims that the Greek letter Delta is shaped like a pyramid, and that the equivalent letter for Omicron in the Phoenician alphabet is s
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Name For Omicron Variant Was NOT Devised To Produce Eye of Providence Symbol
Was the B.1.1.529 variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus named "Omicron" so that a glyph in the shape of an eye could be combined with the Greek letter Delta to reveal a secret Illuminati symbol? No, that's not true: Among other reasons, the Gre
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: In Scotland, Fully Vaccinated ARE Nearly 9 In Every 10 COVID-19 Deaths — But Simple Numbers Can Mislead
Do fully vaccinated people account for nine in every 10 COVID-19 deaths in Scotland? Yes, that's a bit exaggerated yet true: But simple ratio analysis based on that statistic doesn't tell the story fully. The figures are found in the COVI
FactCheck.org→ Q&A on the Omicron Variant
On Nov. 24, South Africa told the World Health Organization that amid a recent increase in COVID-19 cases, it had identified a new variant — later named omicron — with a high number of mutations, raising concerns that it could spread more e
Full Fact→ Catching Covid-19 is not less risky than vaccination
An Instagram post claims: “By declining the vax I am 100% safe from adverse reactions and 99.8% safe from Covid”. This suggests that the survival rate from a Covid-19 infection is 99.8%, without vaccination. It is correct that the most rece
Health Feedback→ Misleading claims linking the spread of Omicron variant to vaccinated people rely on partial data and are unsubstantiated
REVIEW On 22 November 2021, the Network for Genomics Surveillance in South Africa identified a new SARS-CoV-2 variant called B.1.1.529. This variant presented an unusually high number of mutations, including 32 mutations in the spike protein. Some o
Full Fact→ Dissolved Omicron nanotechnology company has nothing to do with Covid-19 variant
A number of posts on Facebook show a screenshot of the Companies House web page for a company called “Omicron Nanotechnology Limited”, and imply the naming of the new Covid-19 variant, also called Omicron, is somehow related. We have fact c
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence Symptoms Of The Omicron Variant Used To Cover Up Effects of COVID Vaccines
Are symptoms of the omicron variant being used to cover up effects of COVID-19 vaccines? No, there is no evidence that there is a cover-up of COVID vaccine adverse effects via symptoms of the new omicron variant. An article making that cl
Full Fact→ Dr Fauci did not ‘admit’ Covid-19 vaccines aren’t working
A blog post with the headline “Fauci Finally Admits Vaccines Don’t Protect Against Covid Or Death” is being shared on Facebook. The page goes on to claim Dr Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to the President of the United States an
Full Fact→ Covid-19 vaccines don’t cause ‘a form of AIDS’
An article from The Exposé claims that Covid-19 vaccine data from England shows that the fully vaccinated are developing AIDS. It doesn’t show vaccinated people are developing AIDS, because they are not. This false claim has spread w
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: In UK, Fully Vaccinated ARE 4 In Every 5 COVID-19 Deaths — But Simple Ratio Can Mislead If Other Variables Ignored
Do fully vaccinated people account for four in every five recent COVID-19 deaths in the UK? Yes, that's true: But simple ratio analysis based on that statistic doesn't tell the story fully. The figures are found in the COVID-19 vaccine su
Health Feedback→ No evidence that the low COVID-19 case rate in Sweden is due to herd immunity; vaccines don’t lead to new variants of SARS-CoV-2
REVIEW Various countries experienced a rise in COVID-19 cases in 2021 despite ongoing vaccination campaigns. Certain outlets took advantage of the Delta wave to question the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines. An example of this is this article
Health Feedback→ Natural News, others jump to conclusions unsupported by the study they cite to claim COVID-19 vaccines destroy the immune system and cause cancer
REVIEW On 5 November 2021, Natural News published a post in which they claimed a recent scientific study showed that the spike protein in the COVID-19 vaccines accumulated in the nucleus of cells and destroyed “DNA repair pathways, paving the wa
Health Feedback→ Claim that the COVID-19 vaccine is riskier than the disease for children is based on an economist’s incorrect calculation of the metric “number needed to vaccinate”
REVIEW On 1 November 2021, political economist Toby Rogers published an article on Substack claiming that the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine would kill more children than it would save. Rogers arrived at this claim based on his calculation of a me
Full Fact→ Vaccines don’t cause Covid-19
An article on a website that has repeatedly published misinformation about the pandemic, The Exposé, says that countries with higher Covid-19 vaccination rates tend to have higher case numbers, claiming “the inescapable conclusion[...] is
FactCheck.org→ Benefits Outweigh Risks of Pediatric COVID-19 Vaccine, Contrary to Posts Misusing VAERS Data
SciCheck Digest The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System can detect possible safety issues in vaccines. Anyone can submit an unverified report, regardless of whether a vaccine is known to have caused the problem. Yet viral messages continue to misuse
Health Feedback→ Claim that previously infected people don’t transmit COVID-19 is unsupported, originates from misinterpretation of CDC’s FOIA response
REVIEW On 11 November 2021, Gateway Pundit published an article titled “CDC Admits It Has No Record of an Unvaccinated Person Spreading Covid After Recovering From Covid”. The article claimed that “natural immunity provides better protection a
Health Feedback→ Contrary to claim in Becker News article, not all cases of infection lead to immunity; falsely claims that most COVID-19 deaths weren’t caused by COVID-19 but by comorbidities
REVIEW An article published by Becker News in mid-November 2021, written by former Fox News writer Kyle Becker, claimed in its headline that “The CDC Finally Admits a Massive Number of Americans Have ‘Natural Immunity’: 146.6 Million People”
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Pfizer Vaccine Will NOT Kill 117 Kids To Save 1 Child From Dying Of COVID In 5 To 11 Age Group
Will the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine kill 117 children ages 5 to 11 to save one child from dying of the virus? No, that's not true: There is no evidence to support that claim, which was made using data reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Re
Full Fact→ Radio 4 programme featured Covid vaccine misinformation
On 16 November, BBC Radio 4 broadcast a live episode of the programme You and Yours, which invited listeners to call in and discuss why they were hesitant about taking the Covid-19 vaccines. The discussion was led by presenter Winifred Robinson,
FactCheck.org→ Colorado Order Addresses Surge in Hospitalizations, Not Vaccination Status
SciCheck Digest Responding to a surge in COVID-19 hospitalizations, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed an executive order on Oct. 31 allowing hospitals that are at or near capacity to transfer or stop admitting patients. Social media posts falsely claime
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Fauci Does NOT Admit ‘Vaccines Did Not Work As Advertised And That Vaccinated Are In Great Danger Today’
Did Dr. Anthony Fauci admit that COVID vaccines did not work as advertised and that the vaccinated are in great danger? No, that's not true. The director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the Biden admi
Full Fact→ What are the risks of Covid-19 in pregnancy?
We have been asked lots of questions on WhatsApp about the risks of Covid-19 in pregnancy. The evidence so far shows that you are not more likely to be infected with Covid-19 during pregnancy, but pregnant women who do catch it are more likely to be ad
Logically→ Most adults and children are immune from COVID-19 since it is similar to other viruses.
Common cold can only briefly help fight COVID-19. With the onset of the Delta variant, higher number of kids reported infections and hospitalizations.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Kamala Harris Did NOT Say ‘Virtually Every Person Who Has Recently Died From COVID-19 Was Vaccinated’ — It’s An Altered Video
Did Vice President Kamala Harris say "virtually every person who has recently died from COVID-19 was vaccinated"? No, that's not true: An edited excerpt from a video of a Harris speech replaces the word "unvaccinated" with the word "vacci
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Chelsea Clinton Was NOT Hanged at GITMO — She Was Running NYC Marathon, Not Languishing On Death Row
Was Chelsea Clinton hanged at GITMO recently? No, that's not true: This event did not happen. Chelsea Clinton was seen completing the New York Marathon on November 7, 2021. Real Raw News -- the source of the bogus hanging claim -- has a h
FactCheck.org→ Video Questioning Vaccine Efficacy Pushes Falsehood About Israel Data
SciCheck Digest The COVID-19 death rate for unvaccinated people has been significantly higher than for vaccinated people in both Israel and the U.S. Despite that, conservative commentator Ben Swann makes the false claim in a video that Israeli data pro
FactCheck.org→ Aaron Rodgers’ Inaccurate COVID-19 Claims
Aaron Rodgers, the star quarterback of the Green Bay Packers, made headlines when he contracted COVID-19 and then defended his decision not to get vaccinated with a string of false and misleading claims that fact-checkers have frequently debunked. The
FactCheck.org→ A Guide to Pfizer/BioNTech’s Pediatric COVID-19 Vaccine for Kids 5-11
As with its adult vaccine, Pfizer/BioNTech was the first to cross the finish line and offer a Food and Drug Administration-authorized COVID-19 vaccine to children ages 5 through 11. Here, we describe how it’s different from its grown-up cousin and
FactCheck.org→ DeSantis, Social Media Posts Mislead on COVID-19’s Toll in Florida
SciCheck Digest Florida’s total COVID-19 case rate is higher than the national average and 10th highest in the U.S. But social media posts and the state’s governor point to a recent decline in daily cases as evidence of Florida’s succ
Full Fact→ How the UK Health Security Agency’s misleading data fuelled a global vaccine myth
On 21 October, Brazil’s president Jair Bolsonaro delivered a live address through his Facebook, Instagram and YouTube accounts, which between them have tens of millions of followers. He wanted to talk to his country about the Covid-19 vaccines,
Full Fact→ Guardian wrong to suggest unvaccinated deaths are the majority currently
"CDC data says the vast majority of those now dying from Covid in the US are unvaccinated. Same story in the UK." Today in Focus podcast, 1 November 2021. We have been asked by readers on WhatsApp about a claim in the 1 November episode of The Guardia
FactCheck.org→ Japan Continues to Use Vaccines, Not Ivermectin, to Fight COVID-19
SciCheck Digest More than 70% of Japan’s population has received the COVID-19 vaccines, and the government is moving ahead with a booster shot in December. But a conservative radio host in the U.S. falsely claimed, “Japan drops vax rollout,
Full Fact→ Joe Rogan podcast uses Covid-19 death data out of context
A video clip from the Joe Rogan Experience podcast in which journalist Alex Berenson claims that over 70% of deaths from Covid-19 in the UK are now in fully vaccinated people has been widely shared on Facebook. This claim originates from UK Healt
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: These 19 Studies On COVID Vaccine Efficacy Do NOT Prove Vaccines Are Ineffective
Do these 19 studies on COVID-19 vaccines show that vaccination isn't effectively fighting infection? No, that's not true. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention evaluated over 90 peer-reviewed studies and preprint publications to
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: U.S. Military Did NOT Convict Chelsea Clinton On Charges Of Child Trafficking
Did the U.S. military convict Chelsea Clinton of child trafficking children from Haiti? No, that's not true: An on-duty Pentagon officer told Lead Stories that this claim was "Not true." This claim is a follow-up to another fabriacted art
Health Feedback→ Social media post claiming that fully vaccinated people are “filling up” morgues and hospitals is based on flawed reasoning; unvaccinated people are actually over ten times more likely to die
REVIEW The number of COVID-19 deaths rose again in the U.S. from July 2021 to mid-September 2021, amid concerns of the Delta variant spreading and vaccine-induced immunity waning over time. While data show that vaccines are safe and effective agains
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Israel Statistics Do NOT Show Vaccines Are Ineffective — They Illustrate A Common Weakness With Overly-Simple Analysis
Do Israel's health statistics show COVID-19 vaccines are ineffective and have not changed health outcomes of Israelis? No, that's not true. The data demonstrate Simpson's Paradox, the name for a common statistical problem: a trend apparen
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: In UK, Fully Vaccinated ARE 82% Of COVID-19 Deaths, 66% Of Hospitalizations — But Percentages Don’t Tell Full Story
Do fully vaccinated people account for 82% of recent COVID-19 deaths and 66% of hospitalizations in the UK? Yes, that's true. The figures are found in the COVID-19 vaccine surveillance report - Week 43 by the UK Health Security Agency pub