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.
This week in misinformation
Trending Misinformation about Vaccines & COVID-19
- A post on Facebook claims that a COVID-19 vaccine is being secretly administered through COVID-19 nasal swab tests.Â
- A claim is being spread on Facebook that a 2008 study authored by Dr. Fauci shows that most of the victims of the Spanish flu died from bacterial pneumonia caused by wearing masks. These claims have been debunked, given that the study did not mention masks nor did it draw any conclusions between bacterial pneumonia and mask use. There is no evidence to support the claim that mask use leads to a higher risk of bacterial pneumonia.Â
- Claims have been circulating on social media that hospitals have inflated COVID-19 death counts in order to make a profit. Various national medical associations have rejected the implications that hospital deaths have been improperly attributed to COVID-19 for financial gain.
This week in misinformation
Trending Misinformation about Vaccines & COVID-19
- As the US prepares for flu season, false claims have gone viral Facebook and Twitter saying that flu vaccination will make people more susceptible to COVID-19. The claims surfaced after the publication of an article in early 2020 which examined coronavirus risk in military personnel after getting the flu shot. Claims of any link between flu shots and COVID-19 have been debunked various times, with researchers finding no evidence that getting a flu vaccination will increase risk of getting sick from coronaviruses.Â
- A misleading image is being shared on social media, which claims to list out vaccine ingredients. Many of the listed ingredients are not used in flu vaccines, and those that are used are not dangerous. The vaccine only uses ingredients needed in order for the vaccine to be as safe and effective as possible.Â
- People on social media have been claiming that patents for COVID-19 tests were filed years ago. Claims are suggesting that the COVID-19 pandemic was man-made and preplanned. Fact-checkers have debunked the claims, finding that the patent in question was not filed until May of 2020, when the virus was already present.
This week in misinformation
Trending Misinformation about Vaccines & COVID-19
- News headlines about the death of an AstraZeneca/Oxford COVID-19 vaccine trial participant have dominated misinformation this past week. The story has been misinterpreted to suggest that the individual in the trial received the experimental vaccine, when in fact the person was in the control group.Â
- Deaths following flu vaccination in South Korea may be contributing to the avoidance of the flu shot over concern about the vaccine’s safety. The deaths are being investigated, but Korean health authorities have found no direct link between the deaths and the vaccines, and plan to continue with the vaccine program.