
Reviews of content from
-
-
Incorrect
People who do not show COVID-19 symptoms can and do transmit it to others; physical distancing and face masks effectively reduce the risk of transmission
Claim:
The WHO stated that asymptomatic spread of COVID-19 is “very rare”, therefore physical distancing and face masks are not necessary
Source: Facebook, Facebook users, 2020-06-08 -
Unsupported
-
Flawed reasoning
Facebook posts misinterpret a study of 455 contacts of an asymptomatic COVID-19 carrier to claim that asymptomatic spread does not occur
Claim:
Asymptomatic carriers cannot spread COVID-19; COVID-19 is not contagious; masks are not needed to reduce COVID-19 transmission from asymptomatic carriers
Source: Facebook, Facebook users, 2020-05-22 -
Inaccurate
The main cause of death in COVID-19 patients is respiratory insufficiency arising from viral pneumonia, not clotting disorder as claimed in viral social media posts
Claim:
"Autopsies performed by the Italian pathologists [have] shown that [COVID-19] is not pneumonia but it is disseminated intravascular coagulation"
Source: Facebook, GistFlash, Facebook users, Chinonyerem Emmanuella, 2020-05-01 -
Misleading
Mortality in the U.S. noticeably increased during the first months of 2020 compared to previous years
Claim:
The U.S. is not losing “tons more lives in 2020” compared to 2019 (18,433) ... the increase is virtually non-existent
Source: Facebook, Gateway Pundit, Candace Owens, Joe Hoft, 2020-05-13 -
Partially correct
The first SARS-CoV-2 infections in humans occurred during fall 2019, but not enough evidence exists to confirm a global spread before early 2020
Claim:
“Coronavirus quickly spread around the world as early as October 2019”
Source: Facebook, Hashem Al-Ghaili, 2020-05-08 -
Inaccurate
Contrary to claims in viral social media posts, the novel coronavirus was not man-made nor patented before outbreak
Claim:
The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 was lab-created and patented; SARS-CoV-2 is not a new virus; COVID-19 pandemic was man-made and planned
Source: Facebook, Twitter/X, Facebook users, 2020-01-23 -
Incorrect
Wearing face masks does not cause hypercapnia or affect the immune system
Claim:
Wearing face masks can cause carbon dioxide toxicity; can weaken immune system
Source: Facebook, Facebook users, 2020-04-28 -
Inaccurate
Bakersfield physicians underestimate COVID-19 mortality using flawed statistics; wrongly claim sheltering in place causes weak immune system
Claim:
You have a 0.03[%] chance of dying from [COVID-19] in the state of California. [...] it’s similar to the flu.
Source: Facebook, YouTube, Artin Massihi, Daniel Erickson, 2020-04-22