Should parents make and feed homemade baby formula to their infants if they can't find or afford it? No, that's not true: For years, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Infant Nutrition Council of America have all advised against making and feeding homemade baby formula to infants. Such recipes could rob babies…

Are the ingredients put in vaccines toxic to people? No, that's not true: Before a vaccine is licensed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and recommended for use by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) it's tested and evaluated in labs. While there are substances used in the production of the shots that are toxic to humans,…

Did a director of China's largest baby formula company, Feihe, reveal information about the COVID-19 vaccine and pregnancy, saying many women cannot bear children within six months of receiving a coronavirus vaccination and that he expected a steep drop in powdered milk sales in the next year or two because of this? While it is true that the Feihe director,…

Are vaccines made of dangerous levels of formaldehyde, aluminum and other substances that are toxic to the brain and threaten to cause infertility, diabetes and more? No, that's not true: the levels of those ingredients are minute and new vaccines are tested on animals and humans, including comparing them to placebos, to prove their safety before they are approved for…

Is it true that you cannot catch the novel coronavirus, as a viral video suggests? No, that's not true: Viruses are contagious. The video is filled with inaccuracies and medically false information. Lead Stories reached out to a medical doctor in Atlanta who called the video "total garbage." The claims appeared in a post (archived here) published on Facebook by…

Did the CIA arrest a Harvard scientist for creating the novel coronavirus? No, that's not true: The headline on a YouTube viral video is inaccurate. Charles Lieber, the chair of Harvard University's Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, was arrested on January 28, 2020, for making fraudulent statements to federal authorities about his relationship with the Chinese government. The case…

Does a meme comparing the novel coronavirus deaths to other leading causes of death contain accurate figures? No, it does not: The meme understates some numbers while overstating others. It uses the data to suggest the national response to the COVID-19 global pandemic is overblown. The claim surfaced in a post (archived here) published on Facebook by Brad Winegardner on…

Is it true that asymptomatic carriers of COVID-19 who die of other medical problems will be added to the coronavirus death toll? No, that's not true: Many asymptomatic carriers of COVID-19 are not getting tested in the first place, so that assertion doesn't hold up. Lead Stories reached out to the president of the National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME),…

Will boiling orange peels with cayenne pepper help treat or prevent the novel coronavirus? No, that's not true: There's currently no cure or vaccine for COVID-19, and several home remedies circulating on the Internet are bogus. There is no scientific evidence that this formula will help treat the virus. The claim originated in a post (archived here) published on Facebook…

Did Russian President Vladimir Putin release 500 lions onto the streets of that country to keep people indoors amid the coronavirus outbreak? No, that's not true: The screen grab of a news report claiming that Putin released lions is four years old and is from a movie shoot. The claim appeared on Facebook as a post (archived here) where it…