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Coronavirus: The Infodemic - March 20


CHINA -- Medical staff members collect samples from Chinese paramilitary police officer to be tested for the COVID-19 coronavirus as they return from holidays in Shenzhen in China's southern Guangdong province, February 11, 2020
CHINA -- Medical staff members collect samples from Chinese paramilitary police officer to be tested for the COVID-19 coronavirus as they return from holidays in Shenzhen in China's southern Guangdong province, February 11, 2020

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

Daily Debunk

"COVID-19: Further Evidence that the Virus Originated in the US​"

- Article published on the website of the Centre for Research on Globalization

Verdict: False

Read the full story at: USA Today

Social Media Disinfo​

Misleading Facebook Post
Misleading Facebook Post

Claim circulating on social media: The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said “migrants and illegals” in Malaysia were resisting COVID-19 test over fears of arrest.

Verdict: False

Read the full story: "UNHCR condemns fake notice which claimed refugees in Malaysia are resisting COVID-19 tests​" -- Agence France-Presse

Factual Reads on Coronavirus

Can’t Get Tested? Maybe You’re in the Wrong Country​.​
Scientists say the chasm between the testing haves and have-nots reflects politics, public health strategies and, in some cases, blunders​.
-- New York Times, March 20

Coronavirus Death Rate in Wuhan Lower Than Initial Estimates, New Study Finds​.
"The study, published Thursday in the journal Nature Medicine, found that the death rate among people who had symptoms was 1.4% in Wuhan, China, as of Feb. 29. That rate is lower than previous estimates of mortality rates for Covid-19, the disease caused by the new virus, in Wuhan and China overall​."
-- Wall Street Journal, March 19​

Coronavirus Survives on Surfaces up to 72 Hours. Here's How to Protect Yourself.
Because the virus that causes Covid-19 is, like other microbes, so durable, thoroughly washing hands after touching surfaces that anyone else might have touched — or not touching them in the first place — is the first line of defense against infection.
-- Stat, March 19

Johns Hopkins experts are learning more about the coronavirus. Here’s what they want you to know.
Researchers provide new information about the search for a vaccine, how the virus is spread, and what people can do to keep safe.
-- Baltimore Sun, March 17​

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

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