Accessibility links

Breaking News

Coronavirus: The Infodemic - October 26


A health worker collects a swab sample from a young girl during free mass testing for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the Kibera slums of Nairobi, Kenya, October 17, 2020.
A health worker collects a swab sample from a young girl during free mass testing for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the Kibera slums of Nairobi, Kenya, October 17, 2020.

Daily Debunk

Claim: "COVID-19 is a type of flu and is not a pandemic; PCR tests are up to 94% false positive; only 98 COVID-19 related deaths have been reported in Ireland." -- World Doctors Alliance video

Verdict: False

Read the full story at: Health Feedback

Social Media Disinfo

Circulating on social media: "Viral posts suggest that COVID-19 can’t be a serious disease if it hasn’t “wiped out the homeless.” But recent reports published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have found high rates of homeless residents testing positive for the novel coronavirus, known as SARS-CoV-2."

Verdict: False

Read the full story at: FactCheck.org

Factual Reads on Coronavirus

Confronting Misinformation
How to protect society from fear, lies and division.
-- Scientific American, November 1, 2020

Improving pandemic preparedness: Lessons from COVID-19
The United States and the world were caught unprepared by the COVID-19 pandemic despite decades of warnings of the threat of global pandemics and years of international planning.
-- Council on Foreign Relations, October 2020

The coronavirus test results that predict an outbreak's course
Viral levels in people infected with SARS-CoV-2 in a specific town or city could be used to assess whether the epidemic there has passed its peak.
-- Nature, October 19

Coronavirus can last 28 days on glass and currency, study finds
Findings from the study by Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, appear to show that in a very controlled environment the virus remained infectious for longer than other studies have found.
-- Reuters, October 11

Eight Persistent COVID-19 Myths and Why People Believe Them
From a human-made virus to vaccine conspiracy theories, we rounded up the most insidious false claims about the pandemic
-- Scientific American, October 12

5 Things to Know About a COVID Vaccine: It Won’t Be a ‘Magic Wand’
President Donald Trump makes no secret he would like a COVID-19 vaccine to be available before the election. But it’s doubtful that will happen.
-- Kaiser Health News, October 5

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 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

XS
SM
MD
LG