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.
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. Public health data analysts from the PGP (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.Recommendations are organized into three categories:
- Ignore: Focus on current communications priorities.
- Passive Response: Be prepared to address if directly asked, and in certain cases consider updating FAQ’s and info sheets addressing common myths and misperceptions. Otherwise, continue to focus on current communications priorities.
- Direct Response: Directly address this misinformation.
A new documentary features several prominent COVID-19 opponents who repeat debunked vaccine misinformation. Some of the false claims in the documentary’s trailer include that the CDC is underreporting the deaths of vaccinated people and that COVID-19 vaccines are ineffective and unsafe. Both the CDC and individual states track COVID-19 infections and deaths in vaccinated and unvaccinated people. The COVID-19 vaccines reduce the risk of infection, which in turn reduces the risk of transmission.
Recommendation: 
Passive Response Read More +
A group of scientists submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request about COVID-19 vaccine data which amounted to around 329,000 pages. The FDA proposed a schedule to release 500 pages each month to allow the 10 employees currently handling FOIA requests time to process the documents. Several viral social media posts are now claiming that the FDA is purposely delaying and suppressing vaccine data. FOIA requests have been used many times in the past to cripple the capacity of federal and state health agencies working on controversial topics, such as tobacco control and gun safety. FOIA requests are a critical tool in a functioning democracy, helping to keep government operations transparent and accountable. However, FOIA requests can be “weaponized” and can require significant resources to be pulled from other essential operations.
Recommendation: 
Ignore Read More +
As more vaccine-hesitant and vaccine-resistant people have gotten vaccinated as a result of mandates, fake home remedies to “undo” the vaccination have popped up on social media. Some treatments claim to “detox” the vaccine from the body using baking soda, Epsom salt, and borax baths, while others claim to “uninject” the vaccine with venom extraction kits or cupping therapy. None of these supposed remedies will reverse the vaccination process but some, such as bathing in borax, may be harmful.
Recommendation: 
Direct Response Read More +
A video of a child experiencing convulsions has resurfaced online with claims that the child suffered a seizure after getting the COVID-19 vaccine. The video previously gained traction in May, when it was debunked by the child's father, who said the boy has epilepsy and has experienced seizures since 2009.
Recommendation: Passive Response Read More +
As COVID-19 vaccines began being administered to children ages 5 to 11 around the country, opposition to the vaccines has picked up steam. A prominent actor publicly stated that he won’t vaccinate his children, while news articles and viral social media posts urge parents not to vaccinate their children or refuse the second dose of the vaccine. The low-dose Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine has been studied rigorously in children, with no serious side effects being reported in any of the clinical trials. The vaccine reduces children’s risk of getting and transmitting COVID-19, protecting kids and their families.
Recommendation: Direct Response Read More +
A social media post with over 75,000 engagements shows an apparent Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request response that states that the CDC has no record of any unvaccinated person who was reinfected with COVID-19 spreading the virus to others. The response goes on to say that the CDC does not collect that information. The FOIA response makes no claims about the effects of previous COVID-19 infection on an individual’s ability to transmit the disease. Several studies have shown that, among people who have had COVID-19, those who are vaccinated are less likely to be reinfected and have a stronger immune response than any other population.
Recommendation: Passive Response Read More +
An unsourced claim that California Governor Gavin Newsom had an adverse reaction to the COVID-19 booster took hold on social media and conservative news sites. The rumor spread rapidly with no evidence other than the governor’s lack of official public appearances for 12 days. According to Governor Newsom’s office, he was working and spending time with his family during those 12 days, which appears to be confirmed by a picture posted to social media. There is no evidence that the Governor was sick, from the booster or otherwise.
Recommendation: Ignore Read More +
A trending article reports a whistleblower’s allegation that Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine trials were compromised due to misconduct from a research organization contracted by the company. The allegation, which includes accusations of data tampering, is being used to claim that the vaccine is not safe. The article’s claims have not been verified. In a statement, the research organization in question denied that the whistleblower, who the organization briefly employed, was involved in any clinical trial research. The accusations are not evidence against the vaccines. A systematic review of the real-world benefits and harms of the vaccine found it to be safe and effective, with many studies ongoing as part of a global effort to ensure safety and transparency.
Recommendation: Passive Response Read More +
An unvaccinated professional football player contracted COVID-19 and promoted a host of misinformation about COVID-19 immunity and ineffective alternative treatments, including ivermectin and homeopathic methods. He did so while falsely claiming that the vaccines don’t work because vaccinated people can still get COVID-19. Like all vaccines, the COVID-19 vaccines are not 100 percent effective. But they are still the best protection against COVID-19 because they are the only way to safely gain immunity against the virus. There are effective treatments for COVID-19, but they are not a substitute for vaccination. And there is no evidence that ivermectin and homeopathic treatments are effective at preventing or treating COVID-19.
Recommendation: Direct Response Read More +
Several social media posts and a blog that publishes COVID-19 and vaccine misinformation have been spreading the claim that Pfizer changed its formulation for the children's COVID-19 vaccines to include an ingredient used to stabilize heart attack patients. The ingredient in question, tromethamine, is a commonly used buffer that allows mRNA to be safely stored for longer periods. The buffer will be added as an inactive ingredient to all Pfizer vaccine formulations, not only the lower-dose vaccine for children under 12, and has nothing to do with heart issues.
Recommendation: Direct Response Read More +
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. Public health data analysts from the PGP (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.
Recommendations are provided, organized into three categories:
- Ignore: Focus on current communications priorities.
- Passive Response: Be prepared to address if directly asked, and in certain cases consider updating FAQ’s and info sheets addressing common myths and misperceptions. Otherwise, continue to focus on current communications priorities.
- Direct Response: Directly address this misinformation.
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.