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Coronavirus: The Infodemic - August 6


Students wearing face masks are seen inside a classroom during a government-organised media tour at a high school as more students returned to campus following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Shanghai, China May 7, 2020.
Students wearing face masks are seen inside a classroom during a government-organised media tour at a high school as more students returned to campus following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Shanghai, China May 7, 2020.

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

Daily Debunk

Claim: In 2020, two school boys in China died suddenly after wearing face masks during physical exercise.

Verdict: Mostly True

Read the full story at: Snopes

Social Media Disinfo

Screenshot
Screenshot

Circulating on social media: Claim that people are at risk of contracting Legionnaires’ disease through using face masks.

Verdict: False

Read the full story at: Reuters​

Factual Reads on Coronavirus

Could My Symptoms Be Covid-19?
These days, every cough, sneeze or headache makes you wonder: Could it be Covid-19?
-- New York Times, August 5​

Coronavirus: WHO gears up for main mission into China to hunt for the origins of Covid-19
WHO and Chinese experts have drafted terms of reference for probe into the epidemiology of early infections.
-- South China Morning Post, August 4

Everything you need to know about the UK's new 90-minute coronavirus test
Two new coronavirus tests that can return results in just over an hour are set to be released in the UK, the government has announced.
-- Euronews, August 3

What's Happening in the Brain with COVID-19?
It’s unclear if SARS-CoV-2 is acting directly on the brain, but we can still investigate if the brain is being damaged when people are sick with COVID-19.
-- NeuWrite San Diego, July 30

School closures in spring linked to drastic decrease in Covid-19 cases and deaths
[A] study published ... in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that closing all of a state’s schools was associated with a drastic decrease in both Covid-19 cases and deaths.
-- Stat, July 29

Covid-19 infections leave an impact on the heart, raising concerns about lasting damage
Two new studies from Germany paint a sobering picture of the toll that Covid-19 takes on the heart.
-- Stat, July 27

Watch: Antibodies, immunity, and what they mean for Covid-19, explained
The immune system is no wimp. When pathogens cause illness, it kicks into high gear. Cells work together to tag, kill and gobble up invaders as they fight the infection.
-- Stat, May 5

The race for coronavirus vaccines: a graphical guide
Eight ways in which scientists hope to provide immunity to SARS-CoV-2.
-- Nature, April 28

The Best Coronavirus Myth-Busting Collections

COVID19 Infodemics Observatory

Agence France Presse

Snopes

BuzzFeed

Factcheck.org

Associated Press

Washington Post

TruthOrFiction

Mapping the COVID-19

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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