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SciCheck’s COVID-19/Vaccination Project

How were safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines developed so rapidly?

The unprecedented speed of the COVID-19 vaccines was due to multiple factors.
Candidates for an mRNA vaccine — the technology used for the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines — can be quickly designed once scientists know the genetic sequence of the virus and which protein to target. Researchers already knew from past experience with SARS and MERS, which are other diseases caused by coronaviruses, that the spike protein the virus uses to enter cells was likely the right one.

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.

Video Airs False, Misleading Claims About Face Masks

Video Airs False, Misleading Claims About Face Masks

Evidence of the efficacy of face masks to help control the spread of the novel coronavirus has grown since the start of the pandemic. But a Facebook video uses false and misleading claims to tell viewers that masks are “unsafe” and “ineffective.”

Video Makes Bogus Claims About ‘War Crimes’ and COVID-19 Vaccine Safety

Video Makes Bogus Claims About ‘War Crimes’ and COVID-19 Vaccine Safety

A video falsely claims that people receiving authorized COVID-19 vaccines are taking part in a deadly clinical trial and that those administering the doses are war criminals under the Nuremberg Code. That’s bogus. People getting the vaccines, which have been shown to be safe and effective, consent to receive them and aren’t participating in research.

Headlines Distort the Facts on CDC Mask Order

Headlines Distort the Facts on CDC Mask Order

Headlines shared on social media distort the facts of a recent order by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that mandates face masks be worn on public transportation. The order doesn’t require that individuals wear two masks. CDC guidance issued with the order does say that cloth masks should be made of at least two layers.

Video Wrong About Fauci, COVID-19

Video Wrong About Fauci, COVID-19

A video from conservative commentator Liz Wheeler falsely claims the nation’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, repeatedly “lied” to the American public about the COVID-19 pandemic.

Video Uses Bogus Claims to Stoke Race-Based Fears of COVID-19 Vaccine

Video Uses Bogus Claims to Stoke Race-Based Fears of COVID-19 Vaccine

A viral video clip makes bogus claims about COVID-19 vaccines and falsely accuses the government of “pure racism” for “push[ing] this heavily on Blacks and browns.” Public health experts have recommended prioritizing those communities for the vaccine because they have suffered higher rates of infection and death.

Viral Posts Distort WHO Guidance on COVID-19 Tests

Viral Posts Distort WHO Guidance on COVID-19 Tests

Dubious websites and viral posts falsely claim that the World Health Organization changed COVID-19 testing protocols for political reasons following Joe Biden’s inauguration and admitted that false-positive cases had been inflating the case count. The WHO’s guidance merely reminded labs to follow instructions provided by each test’s manufacturer.