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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Republicans Spin NIH Letter About Coronavirus Gain-of-Function Research

Republicans Spin NIH Letter About Coronavirus Gain-of-Function Research

Republicans say a letter from a National Institutes of Health official is an admission that the agency funded so-called gain-of-function research on bat coronaviruses in China, with some falsely linking the work to the pandemic coronavirus. But the research, which the NIH maintains is not gain-of-function, could not have led to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

Biden’s Controversial COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Plan

Biden’s Controversial COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Plan

The Biden administration announced that third shots of the two mRNA COVID-19 vaccines would be available to healthy people starting in mid-September. But many scientists say it’s not yet clear that boosters are needed.

Fauci and Paul, Round 2

Fauci and Paul, Round 2

At a July 20 Senate hearing, Republican Sen. Rand Paul and Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, once again had a testy exchange over whether the U.S. funded gain-of-function research in China, with each man accusing the other of “lying.”

Viral Posts, Pundits Distort Fauci Emails

Viral Posts, Pundits Distort Fauci Emails

Thousands of pages of redacted emails to and from Dr. Anthony Fauci are now publicly available, thanks to journalists’ Freedom of Information Act requests. Some of those messages have been distorted in viral posts, particularly about face masks, the origins of the coronavirus and the effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine.

Posts Distort Testimony of Federal Health Officials on Employee Vaccinations

Posts Distort Testimony of Federal Health Officials on Employee Vaccinations

Federal health officials testified at a Senate committee hearing that about 60% of their employees have been vaccinated against COVID-19 so far. But viral online posts have distorted their comments to misleadingly claim that half of the employees “are refusing” the vaccines. The officials did not say anyone had refused to get vaccinated.

The Wuhan Lab and the Gain-of-Function Disagreement

The Wuhan Lab and the Gain-of-Function Disagreement

A disagreement between Republican Sen. Rand Paul and Dr. Anthony Fauci has put $600,000 of U.S. grant money to the Wuhan Institute of Virology back into the spotlight, while making “gain-of-function” research a household term — all amid calls for more investigation into the origins of SARS-CoV-2.

Tucker Carlson Misleads on COVID-19 Vaccines, Masks

Tucker Carlson Misleads on COVID-19 Vaccines, Masks

All of the authorized COVID-19 vaccines are effective at preventing symptomatic disease. Yet Fox News host Tucker Carlson baselessly casts doubt on the effectiveness of the vaccines, because federal officials urge fully vaccinated people to wear masks in public settings. 

SciCheck Video: The Facts About Fauci and Masks

SciCheck Video: The Facts About Fauci and Masks

In this video, we explain how accumulating scientific evidence ultimately led the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to change its guidance on the wearing of face coverings to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Video Wrong About Fauci, COVID-19

Video Wrong About Fauci, COVID-19

A video from conservative commentator Liz Wheeler falsely claims the nation’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, repeatedly “lied” to the American public about the COVID-19 pandemic.