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Coronavirus: The Infodemic - June 12


U.S. President Donald Trump is applauded as he attends a roundtable discussion with members of the faith community, law enforcement and small business at Gateway Church Dallas Campus in Dallas, Texas, U.S., June 11, 2020.
U.S. President Donald Trump is applauded as he attends a roundtable discussion with members of the faith community, law enforcement and small business at Gateway Church Dallas Campus in Dallas, Texas, U.S., June 11, 2020.

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

Daily Debunk

Claim: Tijuana, Mexico, is "the most heavily infected place anywhere in the world" when it comes to COVID-19.​

Verdict: False

Read the full story at: FactCheck.org

Social Media Disinfo

Xu Lin, vice head of the publicity department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee. REUTERS/Florence Lo
Xu Lin, vice head of the publicity department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee. REUTERS/Florence Lo

"Coronavirus Disinfo: These Two Tweets Could Be the Key to Understanding China's Propaganda Campaign," June 11, The National Interest.

Factual Reads on Coronavirus

China Vowed to Keep Wildlife Off the Menu, a Tough Promise to Keep
The government has moved slowly to permanently stop the sale and consumption of wild animals in the wake of the coronavirus epidemic, raising fears the practice may continue.
-- New York Times, June 7

Coronavirus weekly: racism, COVID-19, and the inequality that fuels these parallel pandemics
The protests against systemic racism and police violence sweeping the globe highlight the intersection between two pandemics: COVID-19 and racism.
-- The Conversation, June 5

How the world can avoid screwing up the response to Covid-19 again
STAT ... asked 11 experts in infectious disease, epidemiology, and pandemic preparedness how to avoid the mistakes, poor decisions, and incompetence of this spring.
-- Stat, June 5

Does drug touted by Trump work on COVID-19? After data debacle, we still don't know
Hydroxychloroquine was shown in laboratory experiments earlier this year to be able to block the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19, but this effect has not been replicated in rigorous trials in people.
-- Reuters, June 4

China withheld data on coronavirus from WHO, recordings reveal
Complaints by officials at odds with body’s public praise of Beijing’s response to outbreak
-- Guardian, June 2​

Antibody injections could fight COVID-19 infections – an infectious disease expert explains the prospects
[H]ow can we isolate and produce neutralizing antibodies in large enough quantities to serve everyone who needs them, including research laboratories and pharmaceutical companies?
-- The Conversation, June 1

The coronavirus pandemic moved life online – a surge in website defacing followed.
It appears that websites of small businesses, social clubs and private individuals are being disproportionately targeted by hackers.
-- The Conversation, May 26

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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