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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Meme Misleads on Hospital Visits to Children With COVID-19

Meme Misleads on Hospital Visits to Children With COVID-19

A viral meme suggests that children hospitalized with COVID-19 in the U.S. and U.K. can’t be visited by a parent. Hospital policies have become generally more restrictive, but pediatric patients are still allowed visits by at least one parent.

Coronavirus Hasn’t Contaminated Crab Legs

Coronavirus Hasn’t Contaminated Crab Legs

A viral post disguised as a TV news report falsely claims that crab legs have been contaminated with the novel coronavirus. The pandemic has affected the flow of seafood from foreign markets, but crab is safe to eat.

Video: Trump’s Exaggerated COVID-19 Drug Claims

Video: Trump’s Exaggerated COVID-19 Drug Claims

In this video, we look at President Donald Trump’s misleading claim that there’s “very strong evidence” to support his hope that a malaria drug can treat COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. 

Trump’s Misleading Ventilator Counter-Punch at Cuomo

Trump’s Misleading Ventilator Counter-Punch at Cuomo

Hitting back at New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s pleas for the federal government to provide more ventilators, President Donald Trump misleadingly claimed Cuomo rejected a 2015 recommendation to purchase 15,000 ventilators and instead “established death panels” and “lotteries.”

Trump’s Faulty Testing Claims

Trump’s Faulty Testing Claims

President Donald Trump and coronavirus task force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx said the United States had done more testing for COVID-19 infections in eight days than South Korea had done in eight weeks, but that ignores the fact that South Korea has a much smaller population. On a per-capita basis, the U.S. lags behind the Asian country, and other nations.

Martial Law Isn’t ‘Imminent’

Martial Law Isn’t ‘Imminent’

Viral social media posts and videos have falsely claimed that “martial law [is] imminent” in the U.S. Those bogus reports are being pushed in some cases by those who sell emergency and survivalist products.

Viral Post Twists Biden’s Words About VP Nominee

Viral Post Twists Biden’s Words About VP Nominee

A viral social media post wrongly states that former Vice President Joe Biden told donors “he will not be president for very long” if elected. Biden merely said that he would seek an experienced vice presidential running mate who would be prepared to step into the presidency “if something happened.” 

False Claim of Congressional Pay Raises in Stimulus Bill

False Claim of Congressional Pay Raises in Stimulus Bill

Facebook posts falsely claim that House Democrats included $25 million to boost their own salaries in their proposal for the coronavirus-related stimulus package. That funding is not for legislators’ pay increases; it’s also in the bill being advanced by the Republican-controlled Senate.

Trump’s Suspect Spanish Flu Claims

Trump’s Suspect Spanish Flu Claims

President Donald Trump recently said “close to 100 million people died” from the 1918 Spanish flu, and that “if you got it you had a 50/50 chance, or very close, of dying.” But 100 million is a high-end estimate of global deaths from that influenza pandemic, and we found no evidence the case fatality rate for those who had it was 50%.

Trump Hypes Potential COVID-19 Drugs, But Evidence So Far Is Slim

Trump Hypes Potential COVID-19 Drugs, But Evidence So Far Is Slim

President Donald Trump has enthusiastically pushed the use of two malaria drugs — one in combination with an antibiotic — to treat COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. But there is currently only limited evidence to suggest the drugs are effective against the new virus.