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Reviews of articles from: Facebook
CLAIM REVIEWS
Nasal swab used for COVID-19 testing does not reach the brain
CLAIM
Nasal swabs used for COVID-19 tests reach the blood-brain barrier and may damage it.
SOURCE: Facebook Users, Facebook
Published: 10 Jul 2020
VERDICT
The June 2020 spike in U.S. COVID-19 cases indicates a rising percentage of infections and is not simply an artifact of more testing
CLAIM
“There's a ‘spike’ in [COVID-19] cases because there's a spike in testing.”
SOURCE: Facebook User, Facebook
Published: 08 Jul 2020
VERDICT
Videos use gas sensors to misleadingly claim that wearing a face mask causes oxygen deficiency
CLAIM
Gas sensors show that wearing a face mask leads to oxygen deficiency and carbon dioxide toxicity
SOURCE: Facebook users, Facebook
Published: 06 Jul 2020
VERDICT
COVID-19 cases in the U.S. are mainly detected by highly specific molecular testing, not antibody testing
CLAIM
Antibodies for the common cold produce a positive COVID-19 test; false-positive results from COVID-19 antibody testing are behind the COVID-19 cases reported in the U.S.
SOURCE: Facebook users, Facebook
Published: 06 Jul 2020
VERDICT
Internet memes based on hearsay claim that hospital laboratories falsify COVID-19 tests to inflate numbers without evidence
CLAIM
Hospital laboratories falsify positive COVID-19 results
SOURCE: Anonymous, Facebook
Published: 04 Jul 2020
VERDICT
People who do not show COVID-19 symptoms can and do transmit it to others; physical distancing and face masks effectively reduce the risk of transmission
CLAIM
The WHO stated that asymptomatic spread of COVID-19 is “very rare”, therefore physical distancing and face masks are not necessary
SOURCE: Facebook users, Facebook
Published: 14 Jun 2020
VERDICT
Facebook posts spread unsupported anonymous claim that face mask use caused a lung infection in a healthy teenager
CLAIM
Wearing a face mask caused a 19-year-old grocery store worker to be hospitalized for a lung infection, due to breathing in her own carbon dioxide and bacteria.
SOURCE: Anonymous, Facebook
Published: 01 Jun 2020
VERDICT
Facebook posts misinterpret a study of 455 contacts of an asymptomatic COVID-19 carrier to claim that asymptomatic spread does not occur
CLAIM
Asymptomatic carriers cannot spread COVID-19; COVID-19 is not contagious; masks are not needed to reduce COVID-19 transmission from asymptomatic carriers
SOURCE: Facebook users, Facebook
Published: 28 May 2020
VERDICT
The main cause of death in COVID-19 patients is respiratory insufficiency arising from viral pneumonia, not clotting disorder as claimed in viral social media posts
CLAIM
"Autopsies performed by the Italian pathologists [have] shown that [COVID-19] is not pneumonia but it is disseminated intravascular coagulation"
SOURCE: Chinonyerem Emmanuella, Facebook users, GistFlash, Facebook
Published: 26 May 2020
VERDICT
Mortality in the U.S. noticeably increased during the first months of 2020 compared to previous years
CLAIM
The U.S. is not losing “tons more lives in 2020” compared to 2019 (18,433) ... the increase is virtually non-existent
SOURCE: Candace Owens, Joe Hoft, Facebook, Gateway Pundit
Published: 22 May 2020
VERDICT