Did two 7-year-old Australian children, Allison Coleman and Lachlan Leary, both die shortly after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine in the week the COVID vaccines were being rolled out in New South Wales to children in the 5- to 11-year-old age bracket? No, that's not true: Other than the social media posts that put the stories into circulation, there is no…

Does a satellite video of the volcano eruption in Tonga show a "white object," or what one post's headline called a "'ROD FROM GOD' KINETIC WEAPON," hitting the ocean and causing an explosion? No, that's not true: Tim Vasquez, a satellite imagery expert, told Lead Stories the image seen in the video is likely "a puff of ash from the…

Have only three drugs "ever been subject to the Nobel Prize because of their impact on human lives"? No, that's not true: At least four Nobel Prizes have been awarded to scientists for inventing drugs that have had a "significant impact on human lives." The claim originated in a Facebook post (archived here) on December 5, 2021. It opened with:…

Are COVID-19 vaccines growing new variants inside the bodies of vaccinated people? No, that's not true: The virus that causes COVID constantly changes through a natural ongoing process of mutation, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It has nothing to do with the vaccine. The CDC also says the COVID vaccine shots do not create or cause…

Did CNN health help promote an alleged business venture into CBD gummies by their chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta? No, that's not true: The site that published this article is not the real CNN health website. Their domain name is gegrat.uk.com. The real CNN health website has no such article about Gupta and a new business venture. A spokesperson…

Did the United Kingdom admit the COVID-19 vaccine damages the natural immune system? No, that's not true: The claim in the National Daily Newspaper misconstrues information in the COVID-19 vaccine surveillance report - Week 42 by the UK Health Security Agency published on October 21, 2021. The report doesn't suggest the immune system is compromised by the COVID vaccine and…

Is the purpose of COVID-19 vaccines to "kill off a large proportion of the population"? No, there's no evidence that's true: The idea stems from a sprawling conspiracy theory that alternately posits COVID, the vaccines or both as being manufactured with the goal of depopulating Earth. The claim was made by "Dr. Shankara Chetty" during a video interview (archived here)…

Have genetic engineers genetically modified food that intentionally will cause black people to become infertile? No, that's not true: According to an FDA spokesperson, "there is no scientific data" backing up this claim. The spokesperson also told Lead Stories that if the Food and Drug Administration had found someone doing this, it would be in violation of the Federal Food,…

Do the number of fully vaccinated people who are hospitalized outnumber unvaccinated hospitalized in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW)? Yes, that's true: But simple ratios don't tell the full story. The figures are found in the COVID-19 weekly surveillance report by NSW Health published on January 20, 2022. The proportion of unvaccinated people who end up hospitalized…

Do COVID-19 vaccines contain 81 strands of bacteria and HIV? No, that's not true: A video showing a masked woman making false claims about COVID vaccines is an altered audio-and-video package from a real interview done by VICE Media with a medical professional, then dubbed over with audio from a Canadian organization that published an interview with a "natural doctor."…