Accessibility links

Breaking News

Coronavirus: The Infodemic - November 16


FILE PHOTO: Vials with a sticker reading, "COVID-19 / Coronavirus vaccine / Injection only" and a medical syringe are seen in front of a displayed Pfizer logo in this illustration taken October 31, 2020.
FILE PHOTO: Vials with a sticker reading, "COVID-19 / Coronavirus vaccine / Injection only" and a medical syringe are seen in front of a displayed Pfizer logo in this illustration taken October 31, 2020.

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

Daily Debunk

Claim: "Thanks to the public-private partnership forged by President @realDonaldTrump, @pfizer announced its Coronavirus Vaccine trial is EFFECTIVE, preventing infection in 90% of its volunteers." U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, Twitter, November 9.

Verdict: Mostly Accurate

Read the full story at: Health Feedback

Social Media Disinfo

Screenshot
Screenshot

Circulating on social media: An image of two lorries transporting coffins has been shared thousands of times in multiple Facebook posts which claim it shows preparations for Sri Lanka’s second wave of coronavirus cases in November 2020.

Verdict: Misleading

Read the full story at: Agence France-Presse

Factual Reads on Coronavirus

Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine is strongly effective, early look at data show
The news comes exactly a week after results from Pfizer and BioNTech, which announced broadly similar results.
-- Stat, November 16

For COVID Drugs, Months of Frantic Development Lead to Few Outright Successes
There have been mixed results as researchers try to stop a disease they are still trying to understand.
-- Scientific American, November 13

New Type of Test May Better Discern Immunity to the Coronavirus​
The test detects the response of T cells to the virus — an arm of the immune system that may be just as important as antibodies to preventing reinfection.
-- New York Times, November 10

One in five COVID-19 patients develop mental illness within 90 days - study
Study finds 20% of those infected diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder within 90 days.
-- Reuters, November 9

Four reasons for encouragement based on Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine results
The world has been waiting for good news on Covid-19 vaccines. Monday it got a bunch of it.
-- Stat, November 9

A minority of people with covid-19 account for the bulk of transmission
In two Indian states 10% of people caused 60% of subsequent infections.
-- The Economist, November 7

COVID research updates: A vaccine that mimics the coronavirus prompts potent antibodies
Nature wades through the literature on the new coronavirus — and summarizes key papers as they appear.
-- Nature, November 6

Lions and Tigers and Anteaters? US Scientists Scan the Menagerie for COVID
As COVID-19 cases surge in the U.S., one Texas veterinarian has been quietly tracking the spread of the disease — not in people, but in their pets.
-- Kaiser Health News, November 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

HealthCheck

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