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Coronavirus: The Infodemic - December 31


Women walk under an umbrella in front of a 2021 sign displayed in downtown Pristina, Kosova on December 30, 2020, as people prepare to celebrate the New Year 2021 at their homes, amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Women walk under an umbrella in front of a 2021 sign displayed in downtown Pristina, Kosova on December 30, 2020, as people prepare to celebrate the New Year 2021 at their homes, amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Daily Debunk

Claim: "CDC COVID-19 Survival Rates … "Age 0-19 — 99.997%. Age 20-49 — 99.98%. Age 50-69 — 99.5%. Age 70+ — 94.6%. Why is a COVID-19 vaccine being pushed out so aggressively? Hmmmm.”

The age-specific "survival rates" listed in the post did not come from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. The CDC has not released any age-specific COVID-19 survival rates, nor does it have mortality rates available.

Verdict: False

Read the full story at: PolitiFact

Social Media Disinfo


Circulating on social media: A news clip has been viewed tens of thousands of times in multiple posts on Twitter in December 2020 alongside a claim it shows the former Director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC) criticizing the quality of China-made vaccines.

Verdict: Misleading

Read the full story at: AFP Fact Check

Factual Reads on Coronavirus

What We Know About the New U.K Variant of Coronavirus -- And What We Need To Find Out
A new variant of the coronavirus is spreading rapidly in England and raising international alarms. Scientists say the variant is likely more contagious than previous versions of the virus.
-- NPR, December 22

How gendered disinformation adapts to the context of Covid-19
-- European Federation of Journalists, December 21

EXPLAINER: Are new coronavirus strains cause for concern?​
-- The Associated Press, December 20

COVID vaccine race leaders likely won’t be only ones to reap huge payday
Therapeutics and law expert lays out the economics of this drug development.
-- The Harvard Gazette, December 17

Misting the White House between administrations won’t kill Covid-19 — and it could be harmful, experts say
[P]rominent expert organizations are clear: misting or fogging disinfectants is not a good way to fight Covid-19.
-- Stat, December 16

Behind Each of More Than 300,000 Lives Lost: A Name, a Caregiver, a Family, a Story
More than 300,000 people have died from COVID-19 in the United States.
-- Kaiser Health News, December 15

The coronavirus at 1: A year into the pandemic, what scientists know about how it spreads, infects, and sickens
The coronavirus behind the pandemic presents some vexing dualities.
-- Stat, December 14

The US is about to begin the first big test of Covid-19 vaccine distribution
What we can learn from the initial phase of vaccinating health care workers in the US.
-- Vox, December 10

Despite promise, few in US adopting COVID-19 exposure apps
Fewer than half of U.S. states and territories — 18 in total — have made such technology widely available. And according to a data analysis by The Associated Press, the vast majority of Americans in such locations haven’t activated the tool.
-- Associated Press, December 6

Federal hospital data system falters at tracking pandemic
A Science examination ... found the HHS data for three important values in Wisconsin hospitals—beds filled, intensive care unit (ICU) beds filled, and in-patients with COVID-19—often diverge dramatically from those collected by the other federal source, from state-supplied data, and from the apparent reality on the ground.
-- Science, December 4

Inside China’s response to COVID
Researchers and officials reveal how the pandemic has shifted the country’s scientific landscape and global reputation.
-- Nature, December 2

The Covid-19 vaccines are a marvel of science. Here’s how we can make the best use of them
It appears science may have found the Covid-19 pandemic’s off-ramp.
-- Stat, December 2

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 Best Coronavirus Myth-Busting Collections

HealthCheck

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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