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Coronavirus: The Infodemic - April 23


A vial with the AstraZeneca's coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine is pictured in Berlin, Germany, March 16, 2021. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke/File Photo

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

Daily Debunk

Claim: A potential link between blood clots and the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is evidence it was “rushed” through clinical trials.

Verdict: False

Read the full story at: Reuters

Social Media Disinfo

Screenshot
Screenshot

Circulating on social media: Claim that a video shows a health official collapsing and dying at a press conference where Denmark announced it would suspend AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccinations.

Verdict: False

Read the full story at: Agence France-Presse

Factual Reads on Coronavirus

Do We Still Need to Keep Wearing Masks Outdoors?
Science shows that the risk of viral transmission outside is very low. The “two-out-of-three rule” can help you decide whether to mask up.
-- New York Times, April 22

I’m fully vaccinated against COVID-19. How long will the protection last?
The answer is as simple as it is unsatisfying: No one knows.
-- Los Angeles Times, April 21

Disinfecting surfaces to prevent Covid often all for show, CDC advises
The risk of surface transmission of Covid-19 is low, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday. Far more important is airborne transmission -- and people who obsessively disinfect surfaces may be doing more harm than good.
-- CNN, April 20

Next-generation Covid-19 vaccines are supposed to be better. Some experts worry they could be worse
With Covid-19 vaccines, the world hopes to beat back the virus that causes the disease. But some scientists are increasingly concerned that, because of a quirk of our own biology, future iterations of the vaccines might not always be quite as effective as they are today.
-- Stat, April 16

Schools Can Open Safely during COVID, the Latest Evidence Shows
The risk of COVID transmission in schools is very low if precautions are taken.
-- Scientific American, April 15

A coronavirus epidemic may have hit East Asia about 25,000 years ago
Descendants of the outbreak may have inherited some DNA that affects their response to COVID-19.
-- ScienceNews, April 14

How Could a COVID Vaccine Cause Blood Clots?
Researchers are searching for possible links between unusual clotting and the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine.
-- Scientific American, April 13

U.S. urges pause on use of Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine after rare blood clotting cases
Federal authorities on Tuesday recommended that states stop using Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine while an investigation is conducted into six rare but serious cases of clotting problems that were reported among women who received the vaccine.
-- Stat, April 13

In rare instances, AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine linked to blood clots, regulators say
The European Medicines Agency has concluded there is a link between AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine and “very rare” but dangerous clotting events reported in a number of countries where the vaccine has been used, events which in some cases have been fatal.
-- Stat, April 7

Sweden’s Pandemic Experiment
When the coronavirus arrived, the country decided not to implement lockdowns or recommend masks. How has it fared?
-- The New Yorker, April 6

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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