Frequent ejaculation might reduce the risk of developing prostate cancer, but cannot prevent it completely

CLAIM
“Men must have sex at least 21 times a month to avoid prostate cancer”

SOURCE: Barry Kadi, West Africa Reporters

Published: 09 Oct 2020

VERDICT

Mortality in the U.S. was more than 280,000 higher during the first eight months of 2020 than any of the previous five years over the same period

CLAIM
“U.S. mortalities this year are not materially different from the previous 5 years”

SOURCE: Facebook user, Facebook

Published: 08 Oct 2020

VERDICT

The flu shot is an effective measure to protect people from flu, and enhances protection when used with face masks

CLAIM
“Seriously if the ‘mask’ protects me and you from [COVID-19] and we've been walking around in them for months, why would anyone need a flu shot right now?”

SOURCE: Facebook users, Facebook

Published: 05 Oct 2020

VERDICT

Mild side effects from flu shots are common; very serious adverse effects are very rare

CLAIM
Flu shots lead to severe or life-threatening conditions; flu shots are unsafe

SOURCE: Facebook users, Facebook

Published: 05 Oct 2020

VERDICT

COVID-19 vaccines aren’t expected to be available for the public in several weeks, contrary to viral claim on social media

CLAIM
“The Government has released their initial plans to force a vaccine on everyone”; “Three potential vaccines are currently in Stage 3 trials in the United States and could be ready in weeks”

SOURCE: Mac Slavo, SHTFplan, Before it’s news

Published: 04 Oct 2020

VERDICT

COVID-19 is at least an order of magnitude more deadly than seasonal flu, according to current estimates

CLAIM
“COVID-19 [is] less deadly than [seasonal] flu”

SOURCE: Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Facebook

Published: 01 Oct 2020

VERDICT

The total number of COVID-19 deaths thus far exceeds the number of abortions over two days worldwide

CLAIM
“More babies will die by abortion in two days than all the coronavirus deaths thus far”

SOURCE: Facebook users, Facebook

Published: 30 Sep 2020

VERDICT

COVID-19 has caused many deaths due to high virus transmission, despite its relatively small infection fatality ratio

CLAIM
COVID-19 mortality rates are very low, therefore COVID-19 is not an important public health concern; if you are 70+ years old, you have a 0.054% chance of dying from COVID-19

SOURCE: Facebook users, Facebook, Fox News

Published: 29 Sep 2020

VERDICT

Using face masks does not increase the risk of skin or oral infections

CLAIM
Masks are dirty and cause bacterial overgrowth, skin infections, and “mask mouth, [which is] a new medical condition caused by wearing masks all day”

SOURCE: Facebook users, Facebook

Published: 28 Sep 2020

VERDICT

COVID-19 vaccines do not modify the human genome and do not involve hydrogels; hydrogels are not internet-connecting devices

CLAIM
Hydrogels are part of the genome-modifying COVID-19 mRNA vaccines' delivery system; hydrogels will connect you to the internet

SOURCE: Facebook User, Facebook

Published: 25 Sep 2020

VERDICT