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Coronavirus: The Infodemic - February 16


U.S. President Joe Biden removes his mask to address NIH staff as National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci listens during Biden's visit to NIH in Bethesda, Maryland, U.S., February 11, 2021.
U.S. President Joe Biden removes his mask to address NIH staff as National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci listens during Biden's visit to NIH in Bethesda, Maryland, U.S., February 11, 2021.

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

Daily Debunk

Claim: Health experts recommend wearing “3-4 masks at once.”

Verdict: False

Read the full story at: Reuters

Social Media Disinfo

An Amish wagon makes its way north on County Road 1353 during a light snowfall near Ashland, Ohio, U.S. February 1, 2021. Tom E. Puskar/Times-Gazette.com/USA TODAY NETWORK via REUTERS.
An Amish wagon makes its way north on County Road 1353 during a light snowfall near Ashland, Ohio, U.S. February 1, 2021. Tom E. Puskar/Times-Gazette.com/USA TODAY NETWORK via REUTERS.

Circulating on social media: Amish communities in the U.S. are unaffected by COVID-19.

Verdict: False

Read the full story at: USA Today

Factual Reads on Coronavirus

As the pandemic ushered in isolation and financial hardship, overdose deaths reached new heights
The drug deaths started spiking last spring, as the coronavirus forced shutdowns, and more recent statistics from cities throughout the U.S. and Canada show the crisis has only deepened.
-- Stat, February 16

Is It Safe to Delay a Second COVID Vaccine Dose?
Some evidence indicates that short waits are safe, but there is a chance that partial immunization could help risky new coronavirus variants to develop.
-- Scientific American, February 10

South Africa suspends use of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine after it fails to clearly stop virus variant
Another COVID-19 vaccine has run into trouble in South Africa, showing less protection there than elsewhere because a SARS-CoV-2 variant that can apparently dodge key antibodies has become widespread.
-- Science, February 8

Why the U.S. Is Underestimating Covid Reinfection
As millions of Americans struggle to recover from covid and millions more scramble for the protection offered by vaccines, U.S. health officials may be overlooking an unsettling subgroup of survivors: those who get infected more than once.
-- Kaiser Health News, February 8

Comparing the Covid-19 vaccines developed by Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson
In an ideal world, a pandemic vaccine could be delivered in a single shot, so supplies could be stretched to cover a lot of people. It would trigger no side effect more significant than a sore arm. And it would be easy to ship and store. Soon, it seems, this ideal of a Covid-19 vaccine will be within reach.
-- Stat, February 2

How to redesign COVID vaccines so they protect against variants
Lineages that can evade immunity are spurring vaccine makers to explore ways to redesign their shots.
-- Nature, January 29

How do the leading COVID-19 vaccines work? Science explains
As countries like the United States and United Kingdom inoculate their residents with never-before-used vaccine technology, others, including Russia, China, and India, are investing in more traditional approaches, like inactivated coronavirus vaccines.
-- Science, January 29

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

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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