Justin Bieber’s facial paralysis is caused by a viral infection; no evidence that COVID-19 vaccine played a role

CLAIM
Ramsay Hunt syndrome that caused Justin Bieber’s facial paralysis is linked to the COVID-19 vaccine

SOURCE: Social media users, Steve Kirsch, Facebook, Twitter, Substack

Published: 16 Jun 2022

VERDICT

SADS is caused by genetic mutations affecting the electrical system regulating heartbeat; no evidence it is caused by COVID-19 vaccines

CLAIM
COVID-19 vaccination is associated with the sudden death of young adults

SOURCE: Candace Owens, Facebook

Published: 14 Jun 2022

VERDICT

Scientific evidence shows that mask-wearing is effective at limiting community transmission; claims that face masks increase mortality are based on flawed correlation studies

CLAIM
“Countries with high levels of mask compliance did not perform better than those with low mask usage”; “Mask Mandates [are] Associated With Increased Covid Death Rate”

SOURCE: Zacharias Foegen, Townhall Media, The National Pulse

Published: 11 Jun 2022

VERDICT

No scientific evidence supports claims that plant-based food supplements reduce blood sugar to normal levels and cure type 2 diabetes

CLAIM
Food supplements get “perfect sugar levels restored” and “help with type 2 [diabetes]”

SOURCE: Facebook Users, Facebook

Published: 10 Jun 2022

VERDICT

Large-scale studies have found that COVID-19 vaccination doesn’t increase the risk of negative pregnancy outcomes, contrary to claim by Naomi Wolf

CLAIM
Babies of vaccinated mothers are dying in disproportionate numbers and the COVID-19 vaccines are responsible

SOURCE: Naomi Wolf, War Room Battleground, Substack

Published: 07 Jun 2022

VERDICT

Published research from the Wuhan Institute of Virology didn’t describe artificially created monkeypox strains; the research is unrelated to the 2022 monkeypox outbreak

CLAIM
Researchers from the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) “assembled monkeypox strains”

SOURCE: Natalie Winters, The National Pulse

Published: 03 Jun 2022

VERDICT

Sperm washing to help HIV-discordant couples conceive biological children safely was reported in the 90s; not “huge medical breakthrough” in 2022

CLAIM
A South African scientist made a “huge medical breakthrough” by successfully removing HIV from a sperm cell in a lab

SOURCE: Facebook users, Facebook

Published: 31 May 2022

VERDICT

No scientific data support the existence of orgone and its ability to cure cancer

CLAIM
“Wilhelm Reich invented a way to cure cancer”

SOURCE: Facebook Users, Facebook

Published: 27 May 2022

VERDICT

Monkeypox outbreak triggers conspiracy theories on social media claiming that it was planned or incorrectly linking it to COVID-19 vaccines

CLAIM
Monkeypox is caused by COVID-19 vaccines; a 2021 tabletop exercise portraying a monkeypox pandemic is evidence that global leaders planned the outbreak; the monkeypox vaccine was “ready” before the outbreak

SOURCE: Social media users, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube

Published: 26 May 2022

VERDICT

No reliable scientific evidence supports the use of dietary supplements marketed as weight loss and blood pressure aids in viral Facebook posts

CLAIM
Exipure weight loss supplement is scientifically proven to be effective; BPS-5 supplement effectively reduces blood pressure

SOURCE: Anonymous, Facebook

Published: 26 May 2022

VERDICT