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Coronavirus: The Infodemic - May 10


Dr. Mayank Amin writes a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination card for Donald B. Williams, a 101-year-old homebound patient, after he received his COVID-19 vaccine in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, U.S., April 29, 2021.
Dr. Mayank Amin writes a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination card for Donald B. Williams, a 101-year-old homebound patient, after he received his COVID-19 vaccine in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, U.S., April 29, 2021.

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

Daily Debunk

Claim: People fully vaccinated against COVID-19 can 'shed' the virus and infect unvaccinated people.

Verdict: False

Read the full story at: USA Today

Social Media Disinfo

Screenshot
Screenshot

Circulating on social media: Claim that 5G testing radiation is causing India's second COVID-19 wave.

Verdict: False

Read the full story at: Newschecker.in

Factual Reads on Coronavirus

The origin of COVID: Did people or nature open Pandora’s box at Wuhan?
Neither the natural emergence nor the lab escape hypothesis can yet be ruled out. There is still no direct evidence for either. So no definitive conclusion can be reached. That said, the available evidence leans more strongly in one direction than the other.
-- Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, May 5

India accounts for 46% of world's new COVID-19 cases, quarter of deaths
The surge of the coronavirus in India, including of a highly infectious new variant first identified there, has seen hospitals runs out of beds and oxygen, and morgues and crematoriums overflowing.
-- Reuters, May 5

US sees COVID-19 cases decline, travel increase
COVID-19 is on the retreat, as the United States reports a significant reduction in daily cases—a signal that the country's largest vaccination push in decades is beginning to beat back the virus.
-- CIDRAP, May 3

After a Year of Loss, South America Suffers Worst Death Tolls Yet
If the world doesn’t stop the region’s surging caseload, it could cost us all that we’ve done to fight the pandemic, one health official said.
-- New York Times, April 29

Decoded: How Do Vaccines Actually Work?
Vaccines are medicines that train the body to defend itself against future disease, and they have been saving human lives for hundreds of years.
-- Scientific American, April 29

Vaccinations are plateauing. Don’t blame it on ‘resistance’
Instead of talking up hesitancy, it’s time to talk about what motivates people to get vaccinated and identify the ongoing barriers to vaccination.
-- Stat, April 27

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

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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