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Coronavirus: The Infodemic - September 15


School Safety Officers check a teacher's temperature for safety reasons outside a school building, as preparations begin for the delayed start of the school year, following the outbreak of COVID-19 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, U.S., September 14, 2020.
School Safety Officers check a teacher's temperature for safety reasons outside a school building, as preparations begin for the delayed start of the school year, following the outbreak of COVID-19 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, U.S., September 14, 2020.

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

Daily Debunk

Claim: The U.S. government's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised parents to prepare for a “sudden sleepover” in the event of an emergency, which included COVID-19 outbreaks in schools.

Verdict: Mixture

Read the full story at: Snopes

Social Media Disinfo

Screenshot
Screenshot

Circulating on social media: Posts questioning the possibility of creating a vaccine for COVID-19 in six months because there are no vaccines for influenza and RSV and no cures for cancer.

Verdict: Partly False

Read the full story at: Reuters

Factual Reads on Coronavirus

Coronavirus: How It Infects Us and How We Might Stop It
How does SARS-CoV-2 sneak into our body? What can our immune system do and how can the virus sometimes defeat it? How do the leading drug and vaccine candidates work? Will the virus plague us forever?
-- Scientific American, September 9

The coronavirus is mutating — does it matter?
Different SARS-CoV-2 strains haven’t yet had a major impact on the course of the pandemic, but they might in future.
-- Nature, September 8

Coronavirus and the Flu: A Looming Double Threat
The two could come together, making things worse—or our new hygiene habits may actually reduce the flu’s spread
-- Scientific American, September 6

Campus outbreaks of COVID-19 were almost guaranteed
These are places designed around the idea of bringing lots of people to one place. Many of them bring people together from all over the world. They are perfect places for disease to spread.
-- The Conversation, September 2

Children Across Europe Are Going Back to School. Here's How 3 Countries Are Managing It
Around the world, students are returning to school as countries experiment with new educational models and social distancing protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
-- Time, September 2

Coronavirus research updates: Even octogenarians develop potent antibodies
Nature wades through the literature on the new coronavirus — and summarizes key papers as they appear.
-- Nature, September 1

Scientists see downsides to top COVID-19 vaccines from Russia, China
They are based on a common cold virus that many people have been exposed to, potentially limiting their effectiveness, some experts say.
-- Reuters, August 31

Scientists are reporting several cases of Covid-19 reinfection — but the implications are complicated
It’s possible that these early cases of reinfection are outliers and have features that won’t apply to the tens of millions of other people who have already shaken off Covid-19.
-- Stat, August 28

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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