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Pablo Rougerie

Science Editor

Pablo obtained his PhD in Immunology from the University Paris - Descartes (France). He then worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine (New York, U.S.) and at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). His research focused on different topics in cell biology, including the regulation of T lymphocyte activation, the mechanics of cell deformation, and the use of biomaterials of specific geometry to guide the growth of biological tissues.

The Science Feedback team

CLAIM REVIEWS

COVID-19 mRNA vaccines saved lives by reducing risks of infection and severe COVID-19
CLAIM
“the mRNA jab didn’t actually save any lives”

SOURCE: Wes Walker, Clash Daily

Published: 26 May 2023

VERDICT

No evidence that COVID-19 vaccination affects placenta, contrary to a claim by Naomi Wolf
CLAIM
“Since the vaccine rolled out, [a midwife]’s seen no normal placenta […] they’re all compromised”

SOURCE: Naomi Wolf, Real America’s Voice, The Daily Clout

Published: 25 Apr 2023

VERDICT

Herpes is a sexually transmitted infection; no strong evidence that herbs cure herpes
CLAIM
Herpes is not a sexually transmitted disease; a commercially available plant product can cure herpes

SOURCE: Facebook user, Facebook

Published: 19 Apr 2023

VERDICT

COVID-19 vaccines didn’t cause injuries and disabilities that cost the economy billions of dollars; vaccines benefited the economy
CLAIM
COVID-19 vaccines caused “26.6 million Injuries” and “1.36 million Disabilities” in 2022 and cost the economy billions of dollars.

SOURCE: Edward Dowd, Phinance Technologies

Published: 13 Apr 2023

VERDICT

COVID-19 vaccines don’t cause miscarriages or stillbirths contrary to misleading interpretations of VAERS data
CLAIM
COVID-19 vaccines increase the risk of miscarriages and stillbirths

SOURCE: Instagram Users, Instagram

Published: 30 Mar 2023

VERDICT

Vaccination recruits both the innate and adaptive immune system; COVID-19 vaccines are safe for children
CLAIM
“clearly [COVID-19] vaccines are dangerous for kids”, they cause myocarditis; children are protected from COVID-19 by innate immunity which is bypassed by vaccination

SOURCE: Michelle Perro, Joseph Mercola, Instagram

Published: 28 Mar 2023

VERDICT

No evidence supports the use of medicinal plants mullein and marshmallow to cure or mitigate COVID-19
CLAIM
Mullein leaves and marshmallow roots treat COVID-19

SOURCE: Facebook user, Facebook, Tiktok

Published: 16 Mar 2023

VERDICT

U.S. mortality rate analysis by Josh Stirling is misleading; current data don’t show an association between COVID-19 vaccines and increased mortality
CLAIM
“The more doses on average you have in a region within the United States, the bigger increase in mortality that region has had in 2022 when compared to 2021”

SOURCE: Josh Stirling, Instagram, The Epoch Times

Published: 14 Mar 2023

VERDICT

Risk of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) is five times higher following COVID-19 than following vaccination
CLAIM
“huge peer review show[ed] vaccines may have caused tens of millions of serious new health problems worldwide”

SOURCE: Alex Berenson, Substack

Published: 07 Mar 2023

VERDICT

New CDC data don’t confirm that the Pfizer bivalent booster shot increases the risk of ischemic strokes
CLAIM
“An increased risk of stroke events has been identified with the Pfizer COVID-19 bivalent vaccine”

SOURCE: Yuhong Dong, The Epoch Times

Published: 17 Feb 2023

VERDICT

INSIGHTS

Can mistletoe cure cancer?

— 16 May 2023

Introduction Cancer is a leading cause of mortality worldwide. In 2020, an estimated 19.3 million new cancers were diagnosed and about 10 million people died from the disease[1]. B...

What can explain the excess mortality in the U.S. and Europe in 2022?

— 02 Nov 2022

image source Introduction Every day, people die of many causes: diseases, accidents, violence, or simply old age. The number of deaths in any given country is usually stable from o...

What do we know about the possible link between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and autism?

— 01 Aug 2022

Photo by Freepik Each week, approximately 23% of the adult U.S. population use a fever reducer and painkiller, such as Tylenol, which is the brand name for the drug acetaminophen, ...

Assessing the effect of COVID-19 vaccines on mortality: a story of confounding factors and their role in COVID-19 misinformation

— 15 Mar 2022

Introduction COVID-19 vaccines have been instrumental in our fight against the pandemic and our return to a normal life, thanks to their ability to reduce the number of cases, hosp...

Could scientists use the bat coronavirus RaTG13 to engineer SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in a lab?

— 19 Mar 2021

One of the biggest outstanding questions of the COVID-19 pandemic is the origin of SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus responsible for the disease. One idea, put forward by some news sites...