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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Post Misrepresents Which Administration Sent Stimulus Checks to Dead People

Post Misrepresents Which Administration Sent Stimulus Checks to Dead People

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, some stimulus checks were sent to people who had died. The issue was explained in government reports and the media when it happened in 2020. But a social media post has resurrected the issue and falsely claimed that it occurred during the Biden administration. It actually happened during the Trump administration.

Explaining the New CDC Guidance on What To Do if You Have COVID-19

Explaining the New CDC Guidance on What To Do if You Have COVID-19

Q: Is one day isolation sufficient to stop forward transmission of COVID-19? 

A: People with COVID-19 could potentially transmit it to others well beyond a day after developing symptoms or testing positive. New guidance from the CDC advises people to isolate until they have been fever-free and with symptoms improving for at least 24 hours, and then take precautions for five days, which covers the period when “most people are still infectious.”

Study Largely Confirms Known, Rare COVID-19 Vaccine Side Effects

Study Largely Confirms Known, Rare COVID-19 Vaccine Side Effects

An international study of around 99 million people confirmed known serious side effects of COVID-19 vaccination. It also identified a possible relationship between the first dose of the Moderna vaccine and a small risk of a neurological condition. Social media posts about the study left out information on the vaccines’ benefits and the rarity of the side effects.

Posts Misrepresent Mouse Study of Pangolin Virus

Posts Misrepresent Mouse Study of Pangolin Virus

A study showed a type of lab mouse is highly susceptible to a coronavirus derived from pangolins, a scaly, cat-sized mammal. This doesn’t mean the virus is dangerous to humans. The virus is related to the one that causes COVID-19 but did not descend from it, contrary to claims that it is a “mutant COVID-19 strain.” Nor did scientists “craft” the virus.

Viral Posts Misuse Rat Study to Make Unfounded Claims About COVID-19 Vaccines and Autism

Viral Posts Misuse Rat Study to Make Unfounded Claims About COVID-19 Vaccines and Autism

COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy benefits both mother and baby. Side effects are generally mild, and studies don’t show negative effects on the baby. A criticized study that gave COVID-19 vaccines to pregnant rats doesn’t show that vaccines cause autism or that people shouldn’t get COVID-19 vaccines, contrary to claims.

Tucker Carlson Video Spreads Falsehoods on COVID-19 Vaccines, WHO Accord

Tucker Carlson Video Spreads Falsehoods on COVID-19 Vaccines, WHO Accord

COVID-19 vaccines are generally safe and have not killed 17 million people worldwide, contrary to claims amplified by podcaster Bret Weinstein during an interview with Tucker Carlson. Weinstein also inaccurately characterized a proposed World Health Organization pandemic accord and other changes, claiming they aim to take away “personal and national sovereignty.”

Yale Preprint Recorded Patient Experiences, Did Not Demonstrate Vaccines Cause New Syndrome

Yale Preprint Recorded Patient Experiences, Did Not Demonstrate Vaccines Cause New Syndrome

A preprint on a Yale-based study described chronic symptoms self-reported after COVID-19 vaccination by 241 members of an online group. The paper, which has not been peer-reviewed, did not show how common these symptoms are in the general population, nor whether vaccinations caused them — limitations popular online posts did not make clear.

Posts Spread False Claim About Moderna Patent Application

Posts Spread False Claim About Moderna Patent Application

The mRNA COVID-19 vaccines — like many other vaccines — can contain small amounts of DNA left over from the manufacturing process. There’s no evidence this residual DNA causes “turbo cancer,” or very aggressive cancer. Nor did Moderna admit that “mRNA Jabs Cause Turbo-Cancer,” contrary to an online article that misconstrues a line from a patent application.