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Coronavirus: The Infodemic - January 21


Vials of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine are pictured in an ultra low temperature freezer at the hospital in Le Mans, as part of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination campaign in France, January 14, 2021.
Vials of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine are pictured in an ultra low temperature freezer at the hospital in Le Mans, as part of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination campaign in France, January 14, 2021.

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

Daily Debunk

Claim: The "mainstream media" were "silent" after 23 elderly people died in Norway after receiving the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.

Verdict: Missing Context

Read the full story at: Reuters

Social Media Disinfo

Screenshot
Screenshot

Circulating on social media: Video purportedly showing a man fainting after receiving the Covid-19 vaccine in Indonesia’s West Nusa Tenggara province.

Verdict: False

Read the full story at: Agence France-Presse

Factual Reads on Coronavirus

COVID Can Cause Forgetfulness, Psychosis, Mania or a Stutter
The virus induces neurological symptoms that persist long after the pandemic ends.
-- Scientific American, January 21

What we now know — and don’t know — about the coronavirus variants
The coronavirus variants are, in a word, confusing.
-- Stat, January 19

What we know about the new COVID-19 vaccine rollout strategy
As the United States continues to set daily record highs for COVID-19 cases and deaths, the Trump administration is embracing a new vaccine distribution strategy: Give states all available doses instead of holding back supply reserved for second doses.
-- PolitiFact, January 13

How COVID unlocked the power of RNA vaccines
The technology could revolutionize efforts to immunize against HIV, malaria, influenza and more.
-- Nature, January 12

As the Vulnerable Wait, Some Political Leaders’ Spouses Get Covid Vaccines
Nowhere on the list of prioritized recipients are public officials’ spouses. Yet the first ladies of Kentucky and West Virginia; Republican Vice President Mike Pence’s wife, Karen Pence; Democratic President-elect Joe Biden’s wife, Jill Biden; and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, were among the first Americans to get the potentially lifesaving shots.
-- Kaiser Health News, January 8

Scientists are monitoring a coronavirus mutation that could affect the strength of vaccines
As scientists try to track the spread of a new, more infectious coronavirus variant around the world — finding more cases in the United States and elsewhere this week — they are also keeping an eye on a different mutation with potentially greater implications for how well Covid-19 vaccines work.
-- Stat, January 7

COVID-19 Scams: How They Work and How to Avoid Them
While some people are focused on COVID-19 and ways to get through the pandemic, scammers are looking for new ways to profit.
-- Trend Micro Check, December 30

A ‘duty to warn’: An ER doctor, shaped by war and hardship, chronicles the searing realities of Covid-19
-- Stat, December 21

The lasting misery of coronavirus long-haulers
Months after infection with SARS-CoV-2, some people are still battling crushing fatigue, lung damage and other symptoms of ‘long COVID’.
-- Nature, September 14

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 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

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