Coronavirus

Did an official study conclude that masks caused more COVID-19? No, that's not true: This is not an official study by a government or medical organization. It is a study written by an individual, Beny Spira, an associate professor of microbiology at the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil. Also, the conclusions section of his report says, "no cause-effect conclusions…

Did the CEO of Pfizer get arrested? Was the vice president of Pfizer detained by federal agents recently? No, neither of these claims are true: A spokesperson from Pfizer told Lead Stories that these claims are false. Vancouver Times, which wrote about the Pfizer vice president, is satirical according to its About Us section. Meanwhile, another site -- Fast News…

Do Pfizer documents prove the COVID-19 vaccine claim of 95% efficacy is "completely false"? No, that's not true. It's also not true that the vaccine hurts fetuses: While the 95% efficacy claim cited in memes on social media is a small exaggeration of actual study results, Pfizer documents submitted for emergency use authorization (EUA) and licensure of the vaccine showed…

Does a screenshot of a ship-tracking map prove that all the ships shown along the Chinese coast were "waiting to dock" because of China's COVID-19 strategy? No, that's not true: The screenshot provided no context for the claim, and it showed ships of all purposes that were both anchored and underway. A spokesperson for MarineTraffic, a popular ship-tracking website, confirmed…

Did Israel's under-40 population experience an increase in "emergency cardiovascular events" during the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines and the third wave of the virus? No, there's no evidence to support that. While data show an increase in calls to emergency medical services (EMS) for these types of events, it's unclear whether the final diagnoses of these cases represent "cardiac arrest…

Did a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study find COVID-19 vaccination increases the risk of suffering autoimmune disease myocarditis by 13,200%? No, that's not true: The study never mentions autoimmune myocarditis, which is an extremely rare condition. The most common cause of myocarditis, which is rare on its own, is a viral infection, Johns Hopkins Medicine says. The…

Did the U.S. military destroy a Moderna COVID-19 vaccine warehouse? No, that's not true: The claim was made on the website Real Raw News, which has a history of publishing completely made-up and false stories. "There is no truth here," a Pentagon spokesperson told Lead Stories of the claim. The claim appeared in an article published by Real Raw News…

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,…

Was Great Britain's Prince Charles "rush towards hospital" and was his wife, Camilla, not showing any "signs of improvement at all" following her COVID-19 infection? No, that's not true: The royal heir to the throne had not been rushed to any hospital as of May 2, 2022. Prince Charles has not been hospitalized in recent weeks or months, as a…

Did England's National Health Service confirm that only 5,155 people have died of COVID-19 in England since the beginning of the pandemic? No, that's not true: As of April 28, 2022, the death toll for the pandemic was more than 161,000, according to the U.K. government's coronavirus website. The U.K. Office of National Statistics says COVID deaths are cases where…

Does a keto diet alleviate "the issue" with the spike protein in the COVID-19 vaccine? No, that's not true: The spike protein in the COVID shot is not something to avoid. It's a desirable thing. An infectious disease expert from the University of Nebraska Medical Center says, "We actually WANT spike protein to be produced, so that your body will…

Do COVID-19 vaccines suppress innate immunity and increase the risk of infectious disease and cancer? No, that's not true: There's no evidence that COVID (SARS-CoV-2) mRNA vaccines are causing these maladies. The data used to make those claims are based on information from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), a database that keeps a record of reported but often…

Are hepatitis cases in children related to the J&J COVID-19 vaccine? No, that's not true: The claim that the adenovirus vector in the Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine is related to youths being diagnosed with hepatitis is not possible because that vaccine is not approved for children in the United States nor in the United Kingdom as of April 25,…

Are COVID-19 vaccines "killing people of color at twice the rate of white people," as Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said on April 14, 2022? No, that's not true: There's no evidence the vaccines are killing people in general, so there's no evidence that they're killing people of color at a disproportionately higher rate. Becerra misspoke when he…

Did the U.S. Department Of Defense award a contract for "COVID-19 Research" in Ukraine three months before the virus was known to exist? No, that's not true: The Department of Defense (DOD) contract that was originally awarded on November 12, 2019, was later modified on June 10, 2020, and its description changed to include "COVID 19 RESEARCH." The claim appeared…

Does a 2009 television show prove the COVID-19 pandemic was planned? No, that's not true: There is no evidence presented in the nearly three-minute clip from the "Secret Societies" episode of the truTV show "Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura" that proves the epidemic was planned by the global elite to reduce the world's surplus population. The claims appeared in a…

Is polypropylene from face masks a major source of microplastics in our lungs? No, that's not true: The benefits of wearing masks outweigh the risks. Microplastics (MPs) can be found throughout the environment. Nearly two-thirds of MPs come from synthetic clothing and textiles and the wear of tires while driving, according to a 2017 report from the International Union for…

Do the reported adverse reactions to COVID-19 vaccines in the United States include more than 4,000 fetal or newborn deaths? No, that's not true: A Lead Stories analysis of the numbers found in the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), based on data through April 8, 2022, wasn't able to duplicate the claimed results plus no conclusions can be reached…

Do fully vaccinated people account for 92 percent of COVID-19 deaths in England? Yes, it's slightly exaggerated but true: However, simple ratio analysis based on that statistic doesn't fully tell the story. The report these figures come from warns on Page 45 that "Comparing case rates among vaccinated and unvaccinated populations should not be used to estimate vaccine effectiveness against…

Do only unhealthy people die from COVID-19? No, that's not true: The person posting the statement "Healthy people don't die from COVID" on social media doesn't explain what they meant by healthy, but people of all ages and a wide range of medical conditions have died from the virus. Age appears to be a greater indicator of risk, with more…