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Coronavirus: The Infodemic - August 17


Protesters wear masks to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus, June 5, 2020, in Tacoma, Wash.
Protesters wear masks to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus, June 5, 2020, in Tacoma, Wash.

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

Daily Debunk

Claim: When it comes to protecting against COVID-19 transmission, neck gaiters are worse than wearing no mask at all.

Verdict: False

Read the full story at: Snopes

Social Media Disinfo

Commuters wearing protective face masks leave a train station during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Singapore August 17, 2020.
Commuters wearing protective face masks leave a train station during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Singapore August 17, 2020.

Circulating on social media: Claim that Singapore has “banned” people from buying fruit and vegetables imported from the U.S. over fears it could be contaminated with the novel coronavirus.

Verdict: Misleading

Read the full story at: Agence France-Presse

Factual Reads on Coronavirus

The ever-expanding list of COVID-19 symptoms
We last wrote about COVID-19 symptoms at the end of April. Since then, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has added several new symptoms of possible infection: congestion, runny nose, nausea or vomiting, and diarrhea.
-- MITMedical, August 11

Winter is coming: Why America’s window of opportunity to beat back Covid-19 is closing
Unless Americans use the dwindling weeks between now and the onset of “indoor weather” to tamp down transmission in the country, this winter could be Dickensianly bleak, public health experts warn.
-- Stat, August 10

America’s Obesity Epidemic Threatens Effectiveness of Any COVID Vaccine
Scientists know that vaccines engineered to protect the public from influenza, hepatitis B, tetanus and rabies can be less effective in obese adults than in the general population, leaving them more vulnerable to infection and illness. There is little reason to believe, obesity researchers say, that COVID-19 vaccines will be any different.
-- Kaiser Health News, August 6

How the pandemic might play out in 2021 and beyond
This coronavirus is here for the long haul — here’s what scientists predict for the next months and years.
-- Nature, August 5

Could My Symptoms Be Covid-19?
These days, every cough, sneeze or headache makes you wonder: Could it be Covid-19?
-- New York Times, August 5​

Nine Important Things We’ve Learned about the Coronavirus Pandemic So Far
Some early public health messages about COVID-19 have been overturned
-- Scientific American, August 4

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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