Unsupported
Danish face mask study did not show that masks were ineffective at reducing spread of COVID-19; study was underpowered and results were inconclusive
Claim:
“Masks make no significant difference”; “Masks have no significant effect”
Reviews of content from
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Source: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X, Alex Berenson, Anthony Sabatini, Buck Sexton, Sharyl Attkisson, 2020-11-18 -
Inaccurate -
InaccurateA 2008 study co-authored by Anthony Fauci did not find that masks caused bacterial pneumonia, contrary to viral social media claim
Claim:
“Most of the victims of the Spanish flu didn’t die from the Spanish flu. They died from bacterial pneumonia. And the bacterial pneumonia was caused by [...] wearing masks”
Source: Facebook, Facebook users, 2020-10-23 -
MisleadingBrush rake attachments are primarily used to pile up heavy forest debris as part of active thinning, harvesting, and removal projects
Claim:
“this is [...] a brush rake. It's used for clearing underbrush and debris from the forest floor that builds up and creates fuel for wild fires. Now you can stop looking stupid trying to make fun of Trump telling California to rake the forest.”
Source: Facebook, Facebook users, 2018-11-21 -
InaccurateThe group World Doctors Alliance spreads misinformation about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the virus, and the reliability of diagnostic tests
Claim:
COVID-19 is a type of flu and is not a pandemic; PCR tests are up to 94% false positive; only 98 COVID-19 related deaths have been reported in Ireland.
Source: Facebook, YouTube, Doctors For Truth, World Doctors Alliance, 2020-10-15 -
UnsupportedClaims that flu cases are used to inflate COVID-19 case counts are misleading, based on inaccurate numbers
Claim:
“Flu cases down by 95%” between 2019 and 2020 for the weeks 40 to 41; flu is being diagnosed as COVID-19, leading to fewer flu cases being recorded
Source: Facebook, Facebook users, 2020-10-18 -
InaccurateMortality in the U.S. was more than 280,000 higher during the first eight months of 2020 than any of the previous five years over the same period
Claim:
“U.S. mortalities this year are not materially different from the previous 5 years”
Source: Facebook, Facebook user, 2020-10-06 -
Flawed reasoningThe flu shot is an effective measure to protect people from flu, and enhances protection when used with face masks
Claim:
“Seriously if the ‘mask’ protects me and you from [COVID-19] and we've been walking around in them for months, why would anyone need a flu shot right now?”
Source: Facebook, Facebook users, 2020-09-21 -
Lacks contextMild side effects from flu shots are common; very serious adverse effects are very rare
Claim:
Flu shots lead to severe or life-threatening conditions; flu shots are unsafe
Source: Facebook, Facebook users, 2020-10-01 -
InaccurateCOVID-19 is at least an order of magnitude more deadly than seasonal flu, according to current estimates
Claim:
“COVID-19 [is] less deadly than [seasonal] flu”
Source: Facebook, Instagram, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., 2020-09-27