Inaccurate
The total number of COVID-19 deaths thus far exceeds the number of abortions over two days worldwide
Claim:
“More babies will die by abortion in two days than all the coronavirus deaths thus far”
Flora Teoh
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Source: Facebook, Facebook users, 2020-09-18 -
MisleadingCOVID-19 has caused many deaths due to high virus transmission, despite its relatively small infection fatality ratio
Claim:
COVID-19 mortality rates are very low, therefore COVID-19 is not an important public health concern; if you are 70+ years old, you have a 0.054% chance of dying from COVID-19
Source: Facebook, Fox News, Facebook users, 2020-09-24 -
n/aNeutralTelegraph article describing the hypothesis that face masks can variolate a population receives mixed reviews on its scientific accuracy
“The Telegraph headline is obviously misleading but the subheading is accurate. Masks don’t give immunity; rather, the argument is that infections are milder or asymptomatic and allow immunity without severe disease. The article is essentially true to the NEJM commentary, however a reader could become confused and think that the article suggests masks give you COVID-19 immunity.”
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MisleadingTuberculosis, the flu, and COVID-19 differ in disease prevalence and burden, requiring different public health responses
Claim:
“Why don’t we wear masks for [tuberculosis]? Because CNN hasn’t instructed you to.”
Source: Facebook, Facebook users, 2020-09-17 -
MisleadingCloth masks are effective at reducing virus transmission because it spreads in respiratory droplets, which are larger than smoke particles and the pores in fabric
Claim:
Cloth masks cannot block smoke particles which are larger than viruses, so masks cannot stop virus transmission
Source: Facebook, Facebook users, 2020-08-31 -
Flawed reasoningMisinterpreted New York Times report leads to false claim that the number of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. is inflated by up to 90%
Claim:
COVID-19 case numbers are inflated due to PCR test sensitivity; “90% of positive COVID-19 tests should be negative”
Source: The Blaze, One America News Network, Liz Wheeler, Steve Deace, 2020-09-02 -
Inaccurate -
Flawed reasoningMasks offer only partial protection from the virus that causes COVID-19, but their effectiveness can be enhanced with other measures like physical distancing
Claim:
“Either masks work or they don’t”; “I don’t understand the safety concern with voting in person. Your mask works, right?”
Source: Facebook, Facebook users, 2020-06-30 -
InaccurateHuman DNA does not produce a positive result on the RT-PCR test for SARS-CoV-2
Claim:
“WHO coronavirus PCR test primer sequence is found in all human DNA”; “this means that the WHO test kits should find a positive result in all humans”
Source: Piece of Mindful, Anonymous, 2020-04-06 -
InaccurateAltered image falsely suggests that restaurant staff in Maine are required to wear dog cone-style face visors to protect against COVID-19
Claim:
“Governor of Maine orders restaurant staff to wear COVID visors like dog cones”
Source: Summit.news, Twitter/X, Paul Joseph Watson, Sherri Tenpenny, 2020-08-18
