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Coronavirus: The Infodemic - September 9


Members of The National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union (NEHAWU) hold placards during a picket outside the Union building, as COVID-19 lockdown regulations ease in Pretoria, South Africa, September 3, 2020.
Members of The National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union (NEHAWU) hold placards during a picket outside the Union building, as COVID-19 lockdown regulations ease in Pretoria, South Africa, September 3, 2020.

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

Daily Debunk

Claim: South Africa has the fifth-highest Covid-19 infection rate in the world.

Verdict: Incorrect

Read the full story at: Africa Check

Social Media Disinfo

Circulating on social media: Video purportedly showing Russian healthcare workers celebrating a new vaccine for the novel coronavirus.

Verdict: False

Read the full story at: Agence France-Presse​

Factual Reads on Coronavirus

Coronavirus and the Flu: A Looming Double Threat
The two could come together, making things worse—or our new hygiene habits may actually reduce the flu’s spread
-- Scientific American, September 6

Children Across Europe Are Going Back to School. Here's How 3 Countries Are Managing It
Around the world, students are returning to school as countries experiment with new educational models and social distancing protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
-- Time, September 2

Coronavirus research updates: Even octogenarians develop potent antibodies
Nature wades through the literature on the new coronavirus — and summarizes key papers as they appear.
-- Nature, September 1

Scientists see downsides to top COVID-19 vaccines from Russia, China
They are based on a common cold virus that many people have been exposed to, potentially limiting their effectiveness, some experts say.
-- Reuters, August 31

Scientists are reporting several cases of Covid-19 reinfection — but the implications are complicated
It’s possible that these early cases of reinfection are outliers and have features that won’t apply to the tens of millions of other people who have already shaken off Covid-19.
-- Stat, August 28

Does a face mask protect me, or just the people around me?
It likely provides protection for both.
-- Associated Press, August 27

The coronavirus may shut down the immune system’s vital classrooms
In many infections, the immune system builds so-called germinal centers in the spleen or lymph nodes to train cells that make antibodies, but the structures fail to develop in some COVID-19 cases.
-- Science, August 25

Lockdown Let the Earth Breathe. What Do We Do Next?
COVID-19 could be a turning point in climate activism—but only if we play it right.
-- The Walrus. August 24

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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