Coronavirus: The Infodemic - January 28

January 28, 2021

A woman smokes a cigarette as she stands by a sign encouraging people to wash their hands amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Belfast, Northern Ireland January 2, 2021.

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

Daily Debunk

Claim: COVID-19 can cause worse lung damage than smoking.

Verdict: True

Read the full story at: USA Today

Social Media Disinfo

Circulating on social media: Claim that the vaccines developed to combat COVID-19 are actually "placebos."

Verdict: False

Read the full story at: Reuters

Factual Reads on Coronavirus

COVID-Overwhelmed Hospitals Strain Staff and Hope to Avoid Rationing Care
There are times when critically ill patients must wait for beds, and some facilities have contingency plans to limit scarce supplies to certain patients.
-- Scientific American, January 27

Elective, but not optional: Orthopedic patients eagerly await surgeries delayed by Covid-19
[F]or some people anticipating operations to ease their pain or halt their disease, hospitals’ decisions about what’s elective involves a grim calculus of how long they can wait.
-- Stat, January 27

Why Even Presidential Pressure Might Not Get More Vaccine to Market Faster
Americans are dying of covid-19 by the thousands, but efforts to ramp up production of potentially lifesaving vaccines are hitting a brick wall.
-- Kaiser Health News, January 26

Monoclonal antibodies can prevent COVID-19—but successful vaccines complicate their future
[G]iven the success of COVID-19 vaccines and their increasing availability, it’s not clear that the expensive and somewhat cumbersome intervention will be widely used.
-- Science, January 22

Covid Vaccine Rollout Leaves Most Older Adults Confused Where to Get Shots
Over a month into a massive vaccination program, most older Americans report they don’t know where or when they can get inoculated for covid-19, according to a poll released Friday.
-- Kaiser Health News, January 22

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

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

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