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Coronavirus: The Infodemic - November 2


Caterpillars of the pine processionary moth (Thaumetopoea Wilkinsoni) are seen after their nest was removed from a pine tree in a pine forest in the Shouf area in Mount Lebanon, March 12, 2010. REUTERS/Cynthia Karam
Caterpillars of the pine processionary moth (Thaumetopoea Wilkinsoni) are seen after their nest was removed from a pine tree in a pine forest in the Shouf area in Mount Lebanon, March 12, 2010. REUTERS/Cynthia Karam

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

Daily Debunk

Claim: Caterpillars are involved in the spread of the coronavirus.

Verdict: False

Read the full story at: Truth.thememorynetwork.com

Social Media Disinfo

Screenshot
Screenshot

Circulating on social media: Facebook posts claiming that 220,000 coronavirus fatalities in the U.S. were caused by other medical conditions.

Verdict: Misleading

Read the full story at: Agence France-Presse

Factual Reads on Coronavirus


Is it safe to lick the ballot envelope? Public health officials take on the new challenge of making voting safe amid a pandemic
In their efforts to stem the spread of the coronavirus, public health departments are taking on a new responsibility: helping make voting as safe as possible.
-- Stat, October 29

The race to make COVID antibody therapies cheaper and more potent
Injections of antibodies might prevent mild COVID-19 from becoming severe, but the treatments are expensive and difficult to make.
-- Nature, October 28

Confronting Misinformation
How to protect society from fear, lies and division.
-- Scientific American, November 1 issue

Improving pandemic preparedness: Lessons from COVID-19
The United States and the world were caught unprepared by the COVID-19 pandemic despite decades of warnings of the threat of global pandemics and years of international planning.
-- Council on Foreign Relations, October 2020

The coronavirus test results that predict an outbreak's course
Viral levels in people infected with SARS-CoV-2 in a specific town or city could be used to assess whether the epidemic there has passed its peak.
-- Nature, October 19

Eight Persistent COVID-19 Myths and Why People Believe Them
From a human-made virus to vaccine conspiracy theories, we rounded up the most insidious false claims about the pandemic
-- Scientific American, October 12

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 COVID-19 Casualties

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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