Does a doctor share evidence of vaccine harm to an Ohio school board? No, that's not true: A man who appeared at a school board meeting in Ohio repeated multiple COVID-19 vaccine conspiracy theories that Lead Stories has previously debunked as false with documented evidence from scientific studies. Social media users picked up on the man introducing himself as a…

Has ivermectin been proven a safe and life-saving treatment for COVID-19? No, that's not true: The manufacturer of the drug, Merck, says its scientists find no evidence ivermectin works as a COVID-19 treatment and are concerned by the lack of safety data in studies of human use of it. The drug is a dewormer for horses and cows that is…

Did more than 75 doctors walk out of a south Florida hospital rather than treat unvaccinated COVID-19 patients? No, that's not true: The event was not a "walkout," as the doctors did not interrupt their workday to gather for what one participant called a demonstration. Doctors who spoke at the event in support of vaccination did not say that they…

Is a meme correct in implying vaccination ("the shot") is not working to prevent COVID-19? No, that's not true: Since it uses an image of a comedian's fictional rapper character, "Ali G," it may be satire. But the apparent reference to vaccinated people still getting sick ignores the fact that the point of vaccination campaigns is to sharply limit the…

Are people vaccinated against COVID-19 "superspreaders," serving as the transmitting vectors for the virus that caused the midsummer 2021 increase in hospitalizations, and did the delta variant and other new forms of the SARS-CoV-2 virus arise in the vaccinated population? No, neither claim is true: The poisons expert who made the claims provided no vaccinology research, virology nor infectious disease…

Does the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, more commonly known by its acronym HIPAA, protect people from having to reveal their COVID-19 vaccination status at a restaurant, bar or similar business or organization? No, that's not true: HIPAA only applies to "covered entities," not to businesses, organizations or employers who may ask for an individual's vaccination status. The claim…

Does an ICU nurse give proof that ivermectin is effective at treating COVID-19? No, that's not true: Ivermectin, which is frequently used to treat or prevent parasites in animals, is not approved for treating or preventing COVID-19 in humans. In fact, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) specifically warns people not to take it for those reasons. The person who…

Is wearing a face mask to prevent the transmission of an airborne virus as ineffective as building a chain-link fence to keep mosquitos out of a yard? No, that's not true: This is a misleading analogy, but it was made as a joke. The gaping diamond-shaped holes in chain-link fencing cannot block minuscule mosquitos. Meanwhile, various academic, scientific and medical…

Does this collection of photos together with this caption accurately portray protests against COVID-19 vaccine passports and mandates that took place for several weeks in July and August of 2021 in France? No, many of the photos currently circulating on social media are miscaptioned, and either inaccurately represent a recent French protest photo, or they show an entirely different protest…

Can people wanting to report someone for not wearing a mask do so by phoning "867-5309"? No, that's not true: The number that appears in the claim is the title of a popular 1980s song, "867-5309/ Jenny" by Tommy Tutone. This number has been trending as an inside joke for the past 40 years. The claim appeared as a Facebook…

Does this video show graphene oxide? Does it show something that is happening inside people after they have had a COVID-19 vaccine and does this purportedly demonstrate why magnets and metal objects stick to people? No, that's not true: The video, made three years before the first COVID-19 case, is a DIY science item that shows how a magnetic "slime"…

Did Military Times publish an article that revealed a new study saying people who have gotten the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccination were susceptible to heart disease? No, that's not true: The article does not exist, the claim is posted with a screenshot of a faked Military Times headline. Searches of militarytimes.com and other resources online show no results of…

Did the commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. David H. Berger, reject Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin's announcement that COVID-19 vaccinations will soon be a requirement for all service members, saying, "There will be no mandatory vaccinations for my Marines"? No, that's not true: This is a fictional story from a satire website, realrawnews.com. A disclaimer can be found…

Are "vaccine bandits" abruptly giving unsuspecting pedestrians COVID-19 vaccines and taking over Los Angeles' streets? No, that's not true: The idea was a joke started by a known satirical account on TikTok. The creator of the original video says in a follow-up that he didn't think people would believe his "over-the-top" story about a "fake group." But, based on responses…

Does a global deaths meme accurately reflect the severity and scope of COVID-19? No, that's not true: It considers a three-month period at the very start of the pandemic, before deaths from COVID-19 started to skyrocket. By cherry-picking the time period, the meme misleads as it understates the pandemic's true extent. The meme appeared in an Instagram post (archived here)…

Did Dr. Dan Stock present well-reasoned arguments to the Mt. Vernon, Indiana, school board against masking and vaccination as means to mitigate the spread and harm of COVID-19, and should his arguments apply universally as public health measures? No, that's not true: The arguments made by this doctor are a mixture of true, false and irrelevant and contradict the evolving…

Was a trip to Israel by the CEO of Pfizer canceled "because he was not vaccinated"? No, that's not true: Albert Bourla canceled his trip because while he had had his first shot, he was still waiting for the second shot of the two-step Pfizer BioNTech vaccine, which he received on March 10, 2021. The false claim was made almost…

Did the CDC's PCR test fail to distinguish flu from COVID and did it cause errors in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tallies by which the agency tracked the spread of SARS-CoV-2 infections? No, that's not true. The claim was made without providing evidence. The CDC says the "Real-Time PCR test" was the first available diagnostic tool, worked well…

Do vaccinated and unvaccinated people face the same risks from COVID-19? No, that's not true: People who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 have substantially better outcomes. They are much less likely than unvaccinated people to get sick and, if they do, they are less likely to experience severe illness. Although no shot is 100% effective, COVID-19 vaccines are widely considered…

Did individuals in Italy who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 burn their vaccine "passes" in solidarity with unvaccinated individuals? No, that's not true: Italy's COVID-19 "green" certification is a digital pass -- not a green piece of paper -- that grants access to venues and events. A protest in Italy included what appeared to be a symbolic burning of the…