Factcheck Org Debunks Coronavirus Myths

*This post on coronavirus myths was updated April 1. Since China first reported an atypical cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan in December 2019, the internet has been swarming with myths and rumors. Since then, the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) responsible for the outbreak of the disease has infected people across the globe, giving rise to a pandemic that has drastically altered everyday life for hundreds of millions... As of April 2020, the death toll in the United States from the coronavirus and the disease it causes, COVID-19, topped 4,000 and there were more than 200,000 confirmed infections. To combat misinformation about the virus, the Annenberg Public Policy Center’s FactCheck.org has published an ongoing series of articles debunking rumors and online hoaxes and countering common misunderstandings, mistruths, and misstatements by politicians. The complete series of FactCheck.org’s posts on coronavirus — more than 65 to date — can be found here.

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Copyright © AFP 2017-2025. Any commercial use of this content requires a subscription. Click here to find out more. Here is a list of our 1395 fact-checks in English so far, starting with the most recent: Social media posts claim "Sudden Adult Death Syndrome" is a new condition linked to the Covid-19 vaccine, proving that Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is also a vaccine side effect. This is false; leading health organizations and medical experts say Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndromes (SADS) -- misnamed in the posts -- is not a new set of heart disorders, and neither SADS nor SIDS...

A video clip of US author Naomi Wolf claiming that "there is a baby die-off" in infants born to Covid-19 vaccinated mothers has been viewed hundreds of times on Facebook. But the claim is false. Doctors' statements contradict Wolf's claims, and multiple studies show that vaccination against Covid-19 during pregnancy is safe. Social media users shared an article that claims Justin Bieber said his facial paralysis was due to the Covid-19 vaccine. This is false; there is no evidence that Bieber made such a public comment, and the article comes from a website that has previously published false claims under the guise of "satire." Whether you agree or disagree with our analysis, these conversations matter for democracy.

We don't take money from political groups - even a $5 donation helps us keep it that way. The analyses from various sources, including the Mayo Clinic [1], the University of Florida [2], and Michigan Medicine [3], provide a comprehensive overview of the most common COVID-19 myths debunked by health experts. These myths include claims that vaccines cause cancer or heart problems [1], misconceptions about the transmission and treatment of the virus [2], and false information about vaccine effectiveness and safety [3]. The Mayo Clinic article [1] directly lists the most common COVID-19 myths, including claims that vaccines cause cancer, heart problems, or contain microchips. Other sources, such as the study of misconceptions among Jordanians [4] and the Bangladesh cross-sectional study [5], highlight common myths and misconceptions about COVID-19 vaccines and the virus. The scoping review [6] identifies the most frequently debunked COVID-19 myths, including false origins, ineffective or harmful "cures," vaccine misinformation, public-health measure myths, and exaggerated severity or transmission misconceptions.

The fact-check experiments [7] target four core myths that health authorities have repeatedly debunked, and the review article [8] lists prevalent myths that health experts have had to refute, including vaccine-related myths, origin and... 2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints Some key omitted facts and alternative viewpoints include the importance of aerosol transmission and the need for proper mask-wearing and ventilation to prevent the spread of the virus [2]. Additionally, the study of misconceptions among Jordanians [4] highlights common beliefs such as the vaccine not being tested enough, being a new untested technology, being developed using fetal tissue, causing infertility, and containing microchips. The Bangladesh cross-sectional study [5] reports widespread misconceptions such as COVID-19 being a punishment from God, a revenge of nature, a virus war, not being a dangerous virus, not being a disease, and not...

These alternative viewpoints emphasize the need for targeted myth-debunking efforts and cultural sensitivity in addressing COVID-19 misconceptions. Furthermore, the scoping review [6] notes that scientific evidence is essential in countering misinformation themes, and the fact-check experiments [7] highlight the importance of repeated fact-checking to address the ephemeral effects of fact-checks on... 3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement In justifying the government’s termination of $500 million in funding for mRNA vaccine projects, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

falsely claimed mRNA vaccines “fail to protect effectively” against COVID-19 and suggested they are unsafe. The mRNA shots saved millions of lives during the COVID-19 pandemic and have shown promise against influenza. A CDC advisory panel vote to recommend against use of seasonal influenza vaccines containing small amounts of thimerosal followed a presentation that misled on the risks of the rarely used preservative. There isn’t evidence that thimerosal in vaccines is harmful, and studies assessing a variety of health problems, including neurological conditions, have supported its safety. A document the Department of Health and Human Services distributed to members of Congress to justify recent changes to COVID-19 vaccine recommendations misrepresented scientific research to make unfounded claims about vaccine safety for pregnant... The Department of Health and Human Services has defended cuts to vaccine research with statements that mislead on the safety of mRNA technology, despite an extensive history of testing.

In the past two weeks, U.S. public health authorities have skirted normal procedures and announced two major policy changes that will likely reduce access to COVID-19 vaccines and restrict use to higher-risk populations. Here, we explain what we know — and don’t — about these new COVID-19 vaccine policies. The work to combat misinformation about the virus has been cited in many media outlets. Photo Credit: Centers for Disease Control/cdc.gov Since China first reported an atypical cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan in late December, the internet has been swarming with myths about the virus responsible for the outbreak, the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV).

To combat misinformation about the virus, which has sickened thousands and led to more than 500 deaths, the Annenberg Public Policy Center’s FactCheck.org has published a series of articles countering common misunderstandings and mistruths. FactCheck.org’s work debunking coronavirus myths has been cited by news organizations across the world and its fact-checkers have been interviewed by English-language stations serving Korean and Chinese audiences. China’s National Health Commission first reported the coronavirus outbreak in the city of Wuhan on December 31, 2019. On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization declared a global health emergency to help mobilize international aid and political support to contain the outbreak. By Feb. 6, 565 people had died from the virus, two in Hong Kong and the Philippines and the rest in China, according to the New York Times.

Globally, 28,285 cases were confirmed and an additional 24,702 cases were suspected, according to MSN.com.

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