Inaccurate
COVID-19 is at least an order of magnitude more deadly than seasonal flu, according to current estimates
Claim:
“COVID-19 [is] less deadly than [seasonal] flu”
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Source: Facebook, Instagram, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., 2020-09-27 -
InaccurateThe total number of COVID-19 deaths thus far exceeds the number of abortions over two days worldwide
Claim:
“More babies will die by abortion in two days than all the coronavirus deaths thus far”
Source: Facebook, Facebook users, 2020-09-18 -
MisleadingCOVID-19 has caused many deaths due to high virus transmission, despite its relatively small infection fatality ratio
Claim:
COVID-19 mortality rates are very low, therefore COVID-19 is not an important public health concern; if you are 70+ years old, you have a 0.054% chance of dying from COVID-19
Source: Fox News, Facebook, Facebook users, 2020-09-24 -
Using face masks does not increase the risk of skin or oral infections
Claim:
Masks are dirty and cause bacterial overgrowth, skin infections, and “mask mouth, [which is] a new medical condition caused by wearing masks all day”
Source: Facebook, Facebook users, 2020-09-16 -
-1LowArticle by The Daily Caller oversimplifies drivers of wildfires and downplays role of climate change
“The causes of the increase in burned area in the western US in recent decades – and the record-setting fires of 2020 – are complex, driven by a mix of a changing climate, a 100-year legacy of overzealous fire suppression in forests adapted for frequent low-level fires, more people living in highly flammable wildland urban interface areas, and at times a counterproductive role of some environmental regulations. However, this article glosses over much of this complexity, presenting a simple but misleading narrative that land management rules enacted by the Clinton administration set the stage for the destructive fires we are experiencing today.”
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IncorrectCOVID-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 -
Telegraph article describing the hypothesis that face masks can variolate a population receives mixed reviews on its scientific accuracy
“The Telegraph headline is obviously misleading but the subheading is accurate. Masks don’t give immunity; rather, the argument is that infections are milder or asymptomatic and allow immunity without severe disease. The article is essentially true to the NEJM commentary, however a reader could become confused and think that the article suggests masks give you COVID-19 immunity.”
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IncorrectThe genetic features of the virus causing COVID-19 are compatible with natural evolution, and therefore, don’t prove that the virus was constructed
Claim:
“[G]enetic evidence within the Spike gene of SARS-Cov-2 genome […] does exist and suggest that the SARS-CoV-2 genome should be a product of genetic manipulation”; “The characteristics and pathogenic effects of SARS-CoV-2 are unprecedented”
Source: Zenodo, Li-Meng Yan, 2020-09-16 -
MisleadingTuberculosis, the flu, and COVID-19 differ in disease prevalence and burden, requiring different public health responses
Claim:
“Why don’t we wear masks for [tuberculosis]? Because CNN hasn’t instructed you to.”
Source: Facebook, Facebook users, 2020-09-17 -
InaccurateNo vaccine contains strains of both the flu and the virus that causes COVID-19; COVID-19 is not the flu
Claim:
The U.S. CDC encourages the use of a “[COVID-19] flu shot” on children.
Source: Facebook, Facebook user, 2020-09-15