Trending Misinformation about Vaccines & COVID-19
- Fact checking sites are debunking a Facebook post that claims that school attendance is considered consent to vaccination. This information is based on a misleading Facebook post which inaccurately reports on vaccine programs in which parents had received advance notice of school immunization programs.
- Claims that masks are ineffective continue to circulate, including posts on Facebook which inaccurately claim that masks “collect” COVID-19. For the second week in a row, these statements misrepresent a recent CDC study which showed that 85% of COVID-19 patients stated that they ‘always’ or ‘often’ wear a mask. Masks, when worn properly, have been consistently found to be one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
- The prospect of COVID-19 immunity has been misrepresented on social media in the past week, with some posts claiming that much of the US population already has immunity to COVID-19 due to exposure to similar coronaviruses, and others claiming that COVID-19 immunity is lifelong. Much remains unknown about immunity to the virus, and there is little known about how long antibodies or immune cells last among those who have been infected with COVID-19.
- Social media sites Facebook and Youtube are receiving criticism from people who believe the platforms’ efforts to curb false information about COVID-19 and vaccines is unjustified censorship.