Mostly accurate Health Posted on: 2020-12-18 A U.S. Food and Drug Administration panel validated Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine; its authorization for emergency use should ensue Claim: 'FDA panel backs Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine' Source: CNET, CNET Editors, 2020-12-17
Accurate Health Posted on: 2020-12-14 The COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer/BioNTech is comprised of ingredients standard in many vaccines, including mRNA, lipids, sucrose, and salts Claim: The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine contains mRNA encoding the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, lipids, sucrose, and salts. Source: Facebook, Facebook users, 2020-12-10
Flawed reasoning Health Posted on: 2020-12-10 There is no risk of infertility from COVID-19 vaccines due to cross-reactivity with placenta proteins, as SARS-CoV-2 and placenta proteins are different Claim: “Covid Vaccine is Female Sterilization”; SARS-CoV-2 vaccines may trigger an immune response against the placenta. Source: Health and Money News, Anonymous, 2020-12-02
Mostly accurate Health Posted on: 2020-11-12 Pfizer is part of Operation Warp Speed, a partnership to produce and distribute a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, but it developed a vaccine without direct funding from the partnership Claim: Pfizer is part of Operation Warp Speed; “Thanks to the public-private partnership forged by President, [Pfizer] announced its Coronavirus Vaccine trial is EFFECTIVE, preventing infection in 90% of its volunteers” Source: The Federalist, David Marcus, Mike Pence, 2020-11-09
Flawed reasoning Health Posted on: 2020-11-06 There is no evidence supporting the claim that preexisting T cell immunity reduces COVID-19 mortality and infection rate; such cross-reactive T cells predate the pandemic Claim: “the reason why the death rate is so low is because our body has another way to create immunity that goes beyond just the antibodies, it’s called the memory T cells” Source: YouTube, Eric Berg, 2020-10-28
Mostly accurate Health Posted on: 2020-10-29 The percentage of excess deaths in the U.S. not directly caused by COVID-19 ranges from 14% to 33%; it remains unclear how lockdowns influenced excess mortality Claim: “a third of excess deaths in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic could not be directly attributed to the coronavirus”; “One reason for the high amount of excess deaths not attributable to COVID-19 has been disruptions in health services caused by lockdowns.” Source: Washington Examiner, Michael Lee, 2020-10-18
Inaccurate Health Posted on: 2020-10-22 The group World Doctors Alliance spreads misinformation about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the virus, and the reliability of diagnostic tests Claim: COVID-19 is a type of flu and is not a pandemic; PCR tests are up to 94% false positive; only 98 COVID-19 related deaths have been reported in Ireland. Source: Facebook, YouTube, Doctors For Truth, World Doctors Alliance, 2020-10-15
Inaccurate Health Posted on: 2020-10-08 Mortality in the U.S. was more than 280,000 higher during the first eight months of 2020 than any of the previous five years over the same period Claim: “U.S. mortalities this year are not materially different from the previous 5 years” Source: Facebook, Facebook user, 2020-10-06
Lacks context Health Posted on: 2020-10-05 Mild side effects from flu shots are common; very serious adverse effects are very rare Claim: Flu shots lead to severe or life-threatening conditions; flu shots are unsafe Source: Facebook, Facebook users, 2020-10-01
Incorrect Health Posted on: 2020-09-25 COVID-19 vaccines do not modify the human genome and do not involve hydrogels; hydrogels are not internet-connecting devices Claim: Hydrogels are part of the genome-modifying COVID-19 mRNA vaccines' delivery system; hydrogels will connect you to the internet Source: Facebook, Facebook user, 2020-09-16