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)…

Are spike proteins from COVID-19 vaccines being shed from vaccinated children and infecting unvaccinated ones? No, that's not true: There is no publicly available evidence the Pfizer mRNA COVID-19 vaccine causes vaccinated persons to cast off excess spike proteins. The vaccines teach the body to make the distinctive spike proteins, which the immune system then attacks, preparing itself to ward…

Does Pfizer "admit" that people given its COVID-19 vaccine "shed" spike proteins and infect unvaccinated people? No, that's not true. The claim is based on the standard clinical study protocol used for a wide range of medicines. There is no publicly available evidence the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines cause vaccinated persons to cast off excess spike proteins. The mRNA vaccines teach…

Has the COVID-19 vaccine program killed more active-duty military than the virus? No, that's not true: There had not been any deaths from the vaccine as of September 14, 2021, and no fully vaccinated service members had died from COVID-19 , the Department of Defense told Lead Stories. There had been 43 deaths from COVID-19 among active military members as…

Does the state of Hawaii say it has had 45,000 deaths caused by COVID-19 vaccine? No, that's not true. Neither the state of Hawaii nor a representative of the state made this claim. The claim was made in part by an attorney who is taking legal action against Hawaii's state vaccine mandate on behalf of union members. The attorney referred…

Did the anonymous "whistleblower" in a July 19, 2021, lawsuit against the Secretary of Health and Human Services document her claim that 45,000 people died within three days of receiving a COVID vaccination? No, that's not true: It's her "opinion" that a five-fold multiplier of a list of unverified reports is warranted. The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has repeatedly…

Do many studies find that cloth masks don't stop viruses like COVID? No, that's not true: An article making that claim does not cite any recent or specific studies showing masks don't work. To the contrary, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cites several studies as the basis for recommending the "community use of masks, specifically non-valved multi-layer cloth…

Did Ticketmaster announce a plan for mandatory COVID-19 vaccine ID to attend concerts or other live events? No, that's not true: Ticketmaster, and other companies, have been working to design systems to safeguard fan safety at local venues holding live events. This plan is not finished, but some of the logistics were discussed in a Billboard Magazine article. The proposed…

Are hydroxychloroquine, zinc and Zithromax a cure for COVID-19? No, that's not true: As Lead Stories reported previously, global health experts continue to say that there are no drugs that have been shown to prevent or cure the infection. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here). The post included a video and the following text: BREAKING American Doctors…