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.
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: Narratives with widespread circulation across communities, high engagement, exponential velocity, and a high potential to impact health decisions. Are often more memorable than accurate information.
- Medium risk alerts: Narratives that are circulating in priority populations and pose some threat to health. Potential for further spread due to the tactics used or because of predicted velocity. Often highlights the questions and concerns of people.
- Low risk alerts: Narratives that are limited in reach, don’t impact your community, or lack the qualities necessary for future spread. May indicate information gaps, confusion, or concerns.
A recent study analyzing severe heart inflammation following COVID-19 vaccination in four Nordic countries found that, while still rare, the risk was increased in young men. Widely shared social media posts have misrepresented the study’s findings to claim that the rare risk is actually widespread. The study explicitly notes that myocarditis after vaccination is rare “even among young males,” and concludes that the risk should continue to be evaluated. The study also found that COVID-19 infection increased the risk of heart inflammation, particularly among adults over age 40.
Recommendation: 
During a speech about equity and racial justice, the U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary mistakenly said that COVID-19 vaccines are killing people of color at twice the rate of white people. The comment has been shared thousands of times on social media and right-wing news sites, despite the White House clarifying that the secretary misspoke. The HHS and Biden administration have been enthusiastic proponents of COVID-19 vaccination and equitable access to vaccines for racial minorities who are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. The comment was likely meant to emphasize that COVID-19—not the vaccines—has killed Black, Latino, and American Indian people at more than twice the rate of white people.
Recommendation: 
In an interview with an entrepreneur who is well known for promoting vaccine misinformation, an airline pilot claimed that he was informed by a cardiologist that 30 percent of vaccinated pilots would fail flight health screenings due to vaccine injuries. The claim has been promoted on social media and conservative news sites for the past week. Pilots undergo annual or biannual health screenings to evaluate their ability to fly, and there is no evidence that vaccinated pilots have experienced an increase in health issues affecting their fitness. One of the purportedly vaccine-injured pilots has claimed that a heart attack that occurred more than six months after he was vaccinated was caused by the vaccine. Again, no evidence was provided to support this claim.
Recommendation:
An author who was removed from social media platforms for promoting vaccine misinformation has falsely claimed that an American Medical Association document says that people are receiving varying dosages of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine based on the vaccine "batch." In fact, the document lists the vaccines for different age groups and one formulation that contains a stabilizing ingredient.
Recommendation:
An article on a U.K.-based conspiracy news site uses VAERS data to claim that 4,000 fetal or newborn deaths are linked to COVID-19 vaccines. It’s important to remember that VAERS reports are unverified and cannot be determined to be caused by a specific vaccine. The number of VAERS reports of fetal or newborn deaths that occurred at some point after vaccination is not the accurate number of vaccine-related deaths. An analysis of VAERS reports found under 1,800 reports of fetal or newborn death after COVID-19 vaccination but the causes of the deaths or even whether the death actually occurred cannot be determined from VAERS data.
Recommendation:
After a vaccinated congressperson tested positive for COVID-19, he noted that being vaccinated and boosted made him less likely to become seriously ill. In response, a conservative commentator responded that many unvaccinated people have mild COVID-19 infections, so that isn’t a reason to get vaccinated. Numerous studies have demonstrated that vaccinated people are at a significantly lower risk of becoming seriously ill, and people with boosters have an even lower risk. Vaccines are life-saving particularly for people over age 65, like the congressman, and those who are immunocompromised, pregnant, or have conditions that make them particularly vulnerable to COVID-19.
Recommendation:
A social media post that received over 250 engagements before being flagged as misinformation falsely claims that COVID-19 vaccines contain “HIV lipid wrappers.” COVID-19 vaccines use fat molecules called lipids to enclose and protect mRNA as it is being delivered to cells. The lipids are simply delivery vehicles for the vaccine and don’t contain HIV, SARS-CoV-2, or any other virus.
Recommendation:
A post in an online conspiracy community claims that data from the FDA shows a more than 16,000 percent increase in fetal death following COVID-19 vaccination. The post’s claim is a misleading interpretation of VAERS data, which cannot be used to determine if an adverse event, like fetal death, is directly linked to vaccination. Between 10 and 20 percent of pregnancies end in miscarriage or stillbirth. The rate is not different for those who were vaccinated while pregnant. Research shows that COVID-19 vaccination does not increase the risk of pregnancy complications, birth defects, miscarriages, or stillbirths.
Recommendation:
The false claim that COVID-19 vaccine boosters weaken the immune system and cause vaccine-induced AIDS continues to circulate online. There is no evidence that COVID-19 vaccines or boosters weaken the immune system. Boosters strengthen the immune system’s ability to fight COVID-19.
Recommendation:
A prominent anti-vaccine activist who previously made headlines for claiming that COVID-19 vaccines can magnetize people is now promoting the false claim that “every vaccinated person over 30” will develop vaccine-induced AIDS by the end of the year. Vaccine-induced AIDS is not a real condition, and COVID-19 vaccines don’t impair the immune system.
Recommendation:
Alerts are categorized as high, medium, and low risk.
- High risk alerts: Narratives with widespread circulation across communities, high engagement, exponential velocity, and a high potential to impact health decisions. Are often more memorable than accurate information.
- Medium risk alerts: Narratives that are circulating in priority populations and pose some threat to health. Potential for further spread due to the tactics used or because of predicted velocity. Often highlights the questions and concerns of people.
- Low risk alerts: Narratives that are limited in reach, don’t impact your community, or lack the qualities necessary for future spread. May indicate information gaps, confusion, or concerns.
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.