Accessibility links

Breaking News

Coronavirus: The Infodemic - April 20


Russia's Sputnik V vaccine being distributed in North Macedonia. (AP Photo)
Russia's Sputnik V vaccine being distributed in North Macedonia. (AP Photo)

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

Daily Debunk

Claim: The West is afraid of competition from Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine.

Verdict: Unsupported

Read the full story at: EUvsDisinfo

Social Media Disinfo

Circulating on social media: Thousands of Facebook users have shared a video making bogus claims about the side effects of mRNA vaccines against COVID-19.

Read the full story at: Reuters

Factual Reads on Coronavirus

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

Americans' Worry About Catching COVID-19 Drops to Record Low
At the same time Americans' satisfaction with the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine has surged, their concerns about getting the virus and about the availability of coronavirus tests and hospital services/treatment have fallen to record lows.
-- Gallup, April 6

If You Don’t Have COVID Vaccine Side Effects, Are You Still Protected?
Reactions reflect unique features of an individual’s immune system, not the strength of a response.
-- Scientific American, April 1

COVID Antibodies May Last Days to Years, Depending on Severity of Infection
Antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 are likely to wane at different rates depending on the severity of the infection, new research suggests.
-- Reuters Health Information, via Medscape, March 31

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

XS
SM
MD
LG