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 video currently being shared on social media falsely claims that COVID-19 vaccines contain foreign pathogens that are “catastrophic” to the immune system, including 81 bacterial strains and HIV. The full ingredient lists for COVID-19 vaccines have been available to the public for over a year and confirm that the vaccines do not contain any of the harmful ingredients listed in the video.
Recommendation:
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Wild, incorrect speculation about vaccine ingredients continues to fuel misinformation online. Ensuring that informational materials are updated and continuing to debunk these false claims is recommended. Fact Checking Source(s):
Articles from two vocal COVID-19 vaccine skeptics have been widely shared by vaccine opponents. The first, an op-ed, claims that there is not enough research on COVID-19 vaccines and treatments being shared with the public. The second article accuses doctors of “censorship” for demanding that a podcast host who promotes vaccine misinformation be removed from his streaming platform.
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Hundreds of studies of COVID-19 vaccines and treatments have been conducted, published, and analyzed by researchers around the world. Emphasizing that COVID-19 vaccines are the most studied vaccines in the history of vaccines is recommended. In addition, vague, unsubstantiated claims that data is being hidden from the public only serve to increase vaccine hesitancy. A transparent system of checks and balances of the governments, companies, and studies involved in vaccine development, review, and distribution is crucial to earn public trust. However, if someone is not familiar with the admittedly complicated and overlapping systems of regulation and research active around the world, this does not mean these systems do not exist or are not working. While there may be significant room for improvement in these systems, this does not compromise the safety and efficacy of vaccines. There is no evidence of a global conspiracy to hide evidence from the public. It is rather the case that translating complicated scientific methods and regulatory structures into concise and helpful information is challenging. There is certainly much room for improvement in scientific communication to the public. Informational materials can help communities keep current with regulations and research, could explain why vaccine misinformation is a public health threat, and can reiterate that fact checking and removal of inaccurate information has a different purpose than censorship. Fact Checking Source(s):
A U.S. senator shared an Israel Ministry of Health report from June 2021 that found a potential link between the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine and a higher risk of myocarditis in young men. The Ministry of Health found that the risk was rare, with 27 myocarditis cases reported after the first dose and 121 after the second dose in more than 5 million vaccinated people. Most myocarditis cases were mild and resolved quickly. Two deaths that were potentially myocarditis-related were still being investigated at the time of the report. A more recent study found that among the more than 190 million vaccinated adolescents and young adults in the U.S., 1,991 myocarditis cases were reported, a rate of about 10 cases per 1 million. Fewer than 2 percent of the cases were severe.
Recommendation:
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A small number of cases of heart inflammation in young adults following COVID-19 vaccination has caused understandable concern and information seeking. Organizations are recommended to address these concerns and to update informational and educational materials accordingly if not done so already. Explaining that health authorities are monitoring reports of myocarditis and pericarditis, that cases are rare, and that the benefits of the vaccine greatly outweigh the risks is recommended. Fact-Checking Source(s):
Natural immunity advocates have been misinterpreting the results of a CDC study, claiming that the agency "admitted" that immunity from COVID-19 infection is superior to vaccine-induced immunity. The study, which has been widely shared on social media, found that natural immunity protected against Delta infection better than vaccination, but the best immunity was found in vaccinated people who had a previous infection.
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There is continued confusion and debate over the differences between “natural” immunity and vaccine-derived immunity. The study above was conducted during the Delta wave, and while Delta is still present in the U.S. and around the world, the Omicron variant is now dominant. New studies comparing vaccination against Omicron are underway, but these studies take time. Emphasizing that there is no safe way to acquire natural immunity is recommended. While a COVID-19 infection can provide protection, vaccine-acquired immunity is more reliable and a lot less risky. Fact-Checking Source(s):
Several social media posts are promoting the false claims that pneumonia caused by COVID-19 has been misdiagnosed and is an allergic reaction to viral particles. Some of the posts also recommend antihistamines to treat COVID-19 pneumonia. Pneumonia is one of the most common and serious complications of COVID-19 and has been well studied over the past year. The symptoms are unrelated to allergies and cannot be treated with antihistamines.
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Bad actors online continue to try to downplay severe COVID-19 disease by promoting false diagnoses and treatments. Debunking these false claims and emphasizing that antihistamines are not an approved treatment for COVID-19 is recommended. Fact Checking Source(s):
A study that is trending online claims that the COVID-19 vaccines caused new COVID-19 variants and increases in cases and deaths. The study uses data from a projection model that predicted COVID-19 infections and deaths without vaccines to conclude that vaccines increase infections and deaths. The study fails to correct for variants that are more transmissible or cause more severe illness and for the implementation of COVID-19 mitigation factors other than vaccines.
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Data from the U.S. and around the world show that COVID-19 infections and deaths are significantly lower in vaccinated people compared to unvaccinated people, and that this remains true with all COVID-19 variants to date. Explaining that new variants emerge when viruses are able to spread from person to person and replicate freely, increasing opportunities for potentially dangerous mutations to arise, is recommended. Fact Checking Source(s):
A video that has accumulated over 340,000 views since it was posted last week features a medical doctor falsely claiming that COVID-19 vaccines were designed to depopulate the planet. The doctor, who is known for promoting COVID-19 conspiracy theories, claims to be backed by dozens of lawyers with “irrefutable proof” to support his claims.
Recommendation:
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Continuing to emphasize key messages is recommended: COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective. Half of the world’s population has been fully vaccinated safely, with nearly 10 billion doses administered. The protection that vaccines provide against serious illness and death far outweighs the risk of extremely rare side effects. Conspiracies that vaccines are meant to control or eliminate populations will persist, as they have existed for decades. In some cases, as with Black and brown communities in the United States or in Africa, concerns regarding medical experimentation are understandable. Unethical and immoral medical experimentation, including drug testing, has occurred in the past and requires vigilance to prevent today. Experts agree that depopulation conspiracies can only be combated by first acknowledging that serious abuses have occured and then explaining what safeguards exist now. Emphasizing that COVID-19 vaccine development is a global effort, with more people enrolled in research and clinical trials than ever before for any other type of vaccine, is recommended. Additionally, in countries that have been the site of unethical medical experimentation, emphasizing that immunization campaigns are managed by local Ministries of Health is also recommended. Fact-Checking Source(s):
Several popular social media posts claim that the Omicron variant, which is more likely than previous COVIID-19 variants to infect vaccinated people, is proof that vaccine mandates are unnecessary and are eroding confidence in the federal government. Currently available vaccines provide the best protection against all COVID-19 variants, including Omicron, significantly decreasing the risk of serious illness and death, while boosters provide additional protection against infection.
Recommendation:
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There is widespread confusion about breakthrough infections and the Omicron surge. Continuing to emphasize that COVID-19 vaccines provide significant protection against severe disease, hospitalization, and death is recommended. Explaining that vaccine mandates and indoor masking are some of the best ways to limit the spread of COVID-19 is also recommended. Fact Checking Source(s):
Misleading headlines are circulating on social media with the false claim that marijuana prevents COVID-19 infection. The posts are in response to a study that investigated whether certain cannabis extracts could prevent SARS-CoV-2 from entering cultured cells in a lab. While the study was peer-reviewed and its results do not appear to be in question, the issue is that none of the study’s experiments were conducted in humans and the cannabis extracts it examined are not the compounds ingested or smoked by cannabis users. This can be described as early stage research, perhaps opening the door to further research but itself providing no evidence that marijuana can prevent or treat COVID-19.
Recommendation:
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The viral false claims that “weed kills COVID-19” misinterprets the results of this study. Emphasizing that this is preliminary data that has not been tested in humans is recommended, as is explaining that vaccines provide the best protection against COVID-19 disease. Fact-Checking Source(s):
During the U.S. Supreme Court arguments on President Biden's workplace vaccine mandate, a Supreme Court justice falsely claimed that more than 100,000 children are hospitalized with COVID-19. According to the CDC, fewer than 100,000 children have been hospitalized with COVID-19 throughout the entire pandemic. An increase in infections due to Omicron has resulted in a very worrying spike in children hospitalized with COVID-19, but pediatric hospitalization rates are significantly lower than the Justice was aware.
Recommendation:
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The infectious nature of Omicron has caused a surge in pediatric hospitalizations. Emphasizing that vaccination is the best way to protect children 5 and up is recommended. Fact Checking Source(s):
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, or see highlights.