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Coronavirus: The Infodemic - March 31


Blood samples are prepared for testing for the corona virus at a laboratory in Berlin, Germany, March 26, 2020, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues. REUTERS/Axel Schmidt
Blood samples are prepared for testing for the corona virus at a laboratory in Berlin, Germany, March 26, 2020, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues. REUTERS/Axel Schmidt


Fake news about the coronavirus can do real harm. Polygraph.info is spotlighting fact-checks from other reliable sources here​.

Daily Debunk

Claim: Blood type, smoking are risk factors for COVID-19.

Verdict: Likely True

Watch the video at: KCRG-TV

Social Media Disinfo​

Screenshot from Agenciaocote.com
Screenshot from Agenciaocote.com

Circulating on social media: WhatsApp chain claims Guatemala ordered a complete quarantine.

Verdict: False

Read the full story: "Information about a complete quarantine in Guatemala" -- Poynter Institute, citing Agencia Ocote​

Factual Reads on Coronavirus

‘We need to be alert’: Scientists fear second coronavirus wave as China’s lockdowns ease
Other countries on lockdown will be watching for a resurgence of infections in Hubei province now that travel restrictions are lifting.
-- Nature, March 30

No, the coronavirus wasn’t made in a lab. A genetic analysis shows it’s from nature
The virus’s genetic makeup reveals that SARS-CoV-2 isn’t a mishmash of known viruses, as might be expected if it were human-made.
-- ScienceNews, March 26​

Mathematics of life and death: How disease models shape national shutdowns and other pandemic policies
A Dutch epidemic modeler is producing computer simulations that will help his government decide on what actions to take to control the spread of COVID-19 in the country.
-- Science, March 25​

UK has enough intensive care units for coronavirus, expert predicts
UK deaths from the disease are now unlikely to exceed 20,000, [Imperial College London epidemiologist Neil Ferguson] said, and could be much lower.
-- NewScientist (UK), March 25

Hispanics more likely than Americans overall to see coronavirus as a major threat to health and finances
The spread of the coronavirus has the potential to hit many of the nation’s nearly 60 million Latinos particularly hard.
-- Pew Research Center, March 24

Mapping the COVID-19 outbreak

USAFACTS.org map displaying confirmed COVID-19 cases in the U.S. by county
USAFACTS.org map displaying confirmed COVID-19 cases in the U.S. by county

The Best Coronavirus Myth-Busting Collections

Agence France Presse

Snopes

BuzzFeed

Factcheck.org

Associated Press

Washington Post

TruthOrFiction

Reliable Coronavirus Information

World Health Organization

U.S. Centers for Disease Control

Federation of American Scientists

Emergency Physicians

Johns Hopkins University & Medicine​

Pan American Health Organization

Google COVID‑19 Information & Resources

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