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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

COVID-19 Booster Enhances Protection, Contrary to ‘Immune Fatigue’ Claims

COVID-19 Booster Enhances Protection, Contrary to ‘Immune Fatigue’ Claims

A COVID-19 booster dose increases protection against the coronavirus. But in an interview, comedian Bill Maher incorrectly said COVID-19 booster shots were “useless” and could cause “immune system fatigue.” Online, others have made similar claims. There is no basis for the notion that the immune system would tire out, even after repeated boosters.

DeSantis Misleads on Omicron-Resistant COVID-19 Antibody Treatments

DeSantis Misleads on Omicron-Resistant COVID-19 Antibody Treatments

After the Food and Drug Administration pulled its authorization of two COVID-19 antibody drugs because the treatments are highly unlikely to work against the omicron variant, Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida misleadingly claimed the decision had been made “without a shred of clinical data” to support it. There may not be data from patients, but lab studies strongly suggest the treatments will not help omicron-infected people.

FactChecking Biden’s Press Conference

FactChecking Biden’s Press Conference

In a nearly two-hour press conference, President Joe Biden stretched the facts and left out important context on vaccinations, funding for lead pipe removal, child poverty and more.

Q&A on At-Home Rapid Tests

Q&A on At-Home Rapid Tests

The demand for at-home, rapid COVID-19 tests — sparked by the fast-spreading omicron variant in December — has continued in 2022. With that demand have come questions about the tests’ efficacy, how to use them and where to get them. We answer those queries and more.

FactChecking the Justices’ COVID-19 Claims

FactChecking the Justices’ COVID-19 Claims

The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments Jan. 7 challenging the Biden administration’s attempts to expand COVID-19 vaccinations. Here we present the facts on some COVID-19 claims made by the justices.

Post Comes to Premature Conclusions About COVID-19 Omicron Variant Severity

Post Comes to Premature Conclusions About COVID-19 Omicron Variant Severity

It’s not known yet whether the omicron variant causes more or less severe COVID-19 than the delta variant, although some preliminary indications suggest omicron infections might be milder. A Facebook post nevertheless claims, without evidence, that the “toxicity” of omicron is 5 times higher than delta and that its mortality rate is higher.

Q&A on the Omicron Variant

Q&A on the Omicron Variant

On Nov. 24, South Africa told the World Health Organization that amid a recent increase in COVID-19 cases, it had identified a new variant — later named omicron — with a high number of mutations, raising concerns that it could spread more easily than other variants of the coronavirus. We’ll go through what we know so far about omicron.

Pfizer/BioNTech’s COVID-19 Vaccine Formulation Tweaked to Improve Stability

Pfizer/BioNTech’s COVID-19 Vaccine Formulation Tweaked to Improve Stability

With the release of its pediatric COVID-19 vaccine, Pfizer switched the buffer used in its formulation to increase the stability of the product, allowing it to remain at refrigerator temperatures for longer. The Food and Drug Administration OK’d the change, which is also being made to some doses for teens and adults. Social media posts, however, misleadingly suggest that the ingredient swap is dangerous or was added to prevent heart attacks in children.