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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Flawed Report Fuels Erroneous Claims About COVID-19 Death Toll

Flawed Report Fuels Erroneous Claims About COVID-19 Death Toll

Viral social media posts cite a flawed paper in falsely claiming the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed death certificate procedures and violated federal law, resulting in wildly inflated COVID-19 deaths. The CDC hasn’t altered how death certificates for COVID-19 are filled out, and there is no federal law governing the process.

Texas Doctor Spreads False Claims About COVID-19 Vaccines

Texas Doctor Spreads False Claims About COVID-19 Vaccines

Federal officials authorized two mRNA vaccines for COVID-19 after they were determined to be safe and effective against symptomatic illness in clinical trials. But a Texas doctor, in a widely shared video, falsely claims the vaccines don’t provide protection and that they’re actually “experimental gene therapy.”

Posts Distort CDC Study Supporting Mask Mandates to Reduce COVID-19

Posts Distort CDC Study Supporting Mask Mandates to Reduce COVID-19

A study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that state-issued mask mandates were associated with significant decreases in daily COVID-19 case and death growth rates. Yet some conservative outlets and social media users falsely claim the study shows mask mandates have a negligible impact on COVID-19 outcomes.

Instagram Post Misrepresents FDA Document About Monitoring Vaccine Safety

Instagram Post Misrepresents FDA Document About Monitoring Vaccine Safety

A Food and Drug Administration presentation on monitoring the safety of COVID-19 vaccines listed possible adverse events the agency might track. But an Instagram post misrepresents the document, falsely claiming it shows the vaccines are known to cause harmful side effects — including death.

FactChecking Cruz’s Partisan Spin on COVID-19 Bill

FactChecking Cruz’s Partisan Spin on COVID-19 Bill

Sen. Ted Cruz says 91% of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan “is a partisan wish list” for “Democratic special interests.” But he ignores that Republicans offered an alternative $618 billion bill that included many of the same elements of the Democratic plan, albeit in smaller amounts.

The Evolving Science of Face Masks and COVID-19

The Evolving Science of Face Masks and COVID-19

Since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began recommending that members of the public mask up last spring, additional research has backed the use of face masks to combat the coronavirus, but knowledge gaps still remain. Here, we summarize the evidence.

A Guide to Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 Vaccine

A Guide to Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 Vaccine

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is the third COVID-19 vaccine to be authorized by the Food and Drug Administration. Here, we give a rundown of basic facts about the vaccine and an overview of how it works.

No Evidence Vaccines Impact Fertility

No Evidence Vaccines Impact Fertility

Q: Do the COVID-19 vaccines cause infertility?
A: There’s no evidence that approved vaccines cause fertility loss. Although clinical trials did not study the issue, loss of fertility has not been reported among thousands of trial participants nor confirmed as an adverse event among millions who have been vaccinated. 

Biden’s Misleading Vaccine Boasts

Biden’s Misleading Vaccine Boasts

In remarks at a Pfizer manufacturing site, President Joe Biden made misleading claims while boasting about his administration’s progress in getting Americans vaccinated against COVID-19.

FactChecking Biden’s Vaccination Goal

FactChecking Biden’s Vaccination Goal

President Biden this week boasted on Twitter about his promise to administer 100 million vaccine doses in his first 100 days in office, “With the progress we’re making I believe we’ll not only reach that, we’ll break it.” But as some critics have noted, it was a pretty low bar to begin with.