Misinformation Alerts
Knowing what misinformation is being shared can help you generate effective messaging.
These insights are based on a combination of automated media monitoring and manual review by public health data analysts. Media data are publicly available data from many sources, such as social media, broadcast television, newspapers and magazines, news websites, online video, blogs, and more. Analysts from the Public Good Projects triangulate this data along with other data from fact checking organizations and investigative sources to provide an accurate, but not exhaustive, list of currently circulating misinformation.
Alerts are categorized as high, medium, and low risk.
- High risk alerts: We recommend directly addressing and debunking the misinformation
- Medium risk alerts: We recommend monitoring the situation but not actively engaging.
- Low risk alerts: Provided for informational purposes. We do not recommend additional action at the moment.
A questionable large study conducted in Brazil found that ivermectin allegedly reduced mortality by 92 percent against COVID-19. The study included over 100,000 participants, but nearly two-thirds of them, including participants who developed COVID-19 while taking ivermectin, were excluded from the analysis. The study’s authors published a similar poorly controlled study last year that claimed the drug cuts COVID-19 hospitalization and death in half.
Recommendation: 
Low Risk Read More +
A nurse who frequently posts anti-vaccine images shared a post that falsely claims that healthy eating, exercise, prayer, and vitamin D are alternatives to getting the flu shot.
Recommendation: 
Medium Risk Read More +
An article published by an anti-vaccine organization is using a recent case study to claim that the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine causes seizures. The case study describes a 35-year-old woman, with no history of seizures or other neurological disorders, who had a seizure two days after her second vaccine dose. No cause for the seizure was identified, but the authors speculated that, due to the timing of the symptoms, the patient’s seizure may have been linked to the vaccine.
Recommendation: Medium Risk Read More +
A British political commentator known for spreading COVID-19 misinformation shared an article about a vaccine injury support group that was removed from a social media platform. He claims that the "vaccine injured" are being silenced by the media and social media platforms.
Recommendation: Low Risk Read More +
The false, meaningless claim that COVID-19 vaccines are “98 times” more harmful than COVID-19 is being circulated by right-wing blogs, social media accounts, and a popular conspiracy web broadcast. The claim is based not on a scientific study but on a non-peer reviewed risk-benefit analysis of COVID-19 boosters for university students.
Recommendation: Medium Risk Read More +
A U.S. senator used a clip of Dr. Anthony Fauci saying that natural immunity is better than vaccination in an attempt to discredit the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director. The senator, who frequently promotes vaccine misinformation, claims that the video is proof that Dr. Fauci lied about the effectiveness of natural immunity against COVID-19.
Recommendation: Medium Risk Read More +
The false claim that Denmark banned COVID-19 vaccination for those under 50 has been circulating on social media for the past week. Many posts insinuate that the vaccines are being banned due to safety concerns.
Recommendation: Medium Risk Read More +
A conspiracy news article claims that a group of over 400 doctors, scientists, and health professionals have declared an international medical crisis due to COVID-19 vaccine injuries. The article has been shared by several high-profile social media accounts.
Recommendation: Medium Risk Read More +
A social media post claims that the U.S. government signed an agreement with Moderna about COVID-19 vaccines shortly before the pandemic. The post includes a video of a political commentator falsely claiming that the NIH has joint ownership of the Moderna vaccine and helped orchestrate the pandemic for profit.
Recommendation: Medium Risk Read More +
A social media post falsely claims that 32 Canadian doctors “died suddenly” after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. The post does not provide any evidence that the vaccines were linked to the deaths.
Recommendation: Low Risk Read More +
Alerts are categorized as high, medium, and low risk.
- High risk alerts: We recommend directly addressing and debunking the misinformation
- Medium risk alerts: We recommend monitoring the situation but not actively engaging.
- Low risk alerts: Provided for informational purposes. We do not recommend additional action at the moment.
Vaccine Misinformation Guide
Get practical tips for addressing misinformation in this new guide. Click image to download.
Vaccine Misinformation Guide
Get practical tips for addressing misinformation in this new guide. Click image to download, or see highlights.