Was a study supporting the MATH+ treatment protocol for COVID-19 retracted after a hospital questioned the data used in it? Yes, that's true: The study backing the experimental and controversial regimen was pulled December 15, 2020, after the Journal of Intensive Care Medicine received notification from Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in Norfolk, Virginia, that raised concerns about the accuracy of…

Does a report from the German public health agency Robert Koch Institute (RKI) show that 95% of those infected with the omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus are vaccinated? No, that's not true: This calculation is based on incomplete data published in a weekly report by RKI on December 30, 2021, that included vaccination status for only about half the…

Do fully vaccinated people account for 89% of COVID-19 cases in the United Kingdom? No, that's not true: The actual percentage is less than half that number and the claim misleadingly attributes the figures to The Lancet science journal. According to the COVID-19 vaccine surveillance report - Week 43 by the UK Health Security Agency published on October 28, 2021,…

Can hydroxychloroquine be made at home by boiling grapefruit and lemon peels in water? No, that's not true: This claim is "totally false," Dr. Joseph Fortunak, professor of chemistry and pharmaceutical sciences at Howard University, told Lead Stories. "Absolutely hydroxychloroquine CANNOT be made by boiling grapefruit and/or lemon peels in water." The claim appeared as a video (archived here) where…

Does a study say vaccinated people are more likely to become infected with COVID-19 than those who don't get the shot? No, that's not true: One of the study's co-authors says the writer of an article about their work got it wrong. "Interpretation that our research is evidence of anything but a protective vaccine effect is misrepresentation," said Dr. Palle…

Did a woman find that there was evidence of SARS-CoV-2 in tap water because she tested the water with a COVID-19 home test kit? No, that's not true: The reading at the end of the video shows an invalid test result, not a positive COVID result. The test was performed incorrectly, outside of the manufacturer's labeling instructions and intended purpose.…

Did the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) admit that COVID-19 tests are invalid? No, that's not true: The claim relies on a lab alert issued on the CDC's decision to retire the use of the CDC 2019-Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Real-Time RT-PCR Diagnostic Panel. That alert was issued in July 2021. In August 2021, the CDC issued a clarification…

Did Africa have half the COVID-19 deaths in 2021 that the United States had, with four times the population and just a 7% vaccination rate? Yes, that's mostly true, but not the whole story: The figures are ballpark, but there's no reason to quibble with them. Understanding the youthful demographic breakdown of the continent is key during a pandemic that…

Can we "eat our way out of this pandemic" by eating leeks? No, there's no evidence that's true: An author's claim relies on studies by other people, none of which say that eating leeks prevents COVID-19 infections. A spokesperson for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) told Lead Stories that, at the time of writing, there was no evidence linking…

Do vaccines cause brain damage? No, there's no evidence that's true: Although vaccines are not risk-free, there is an almost universal consensus in the medical community that they are safe and save millions of lives each year. A person is far more likely to be harmed by a serious complication, such as brain damage, from a disease than by a…

Were Mafia assassins dispatched to Rome during the Christmas holiday season to avenge the murder of Pope Francis? No, that's not true: The pope was alive on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Additionally, the claim primarily relies on several conspiracy theories to "prove" its case. The claim appeared in an article (archived here) published by BenjaminFulford.net on December 27, 2021,…

Is the omicron variant of COVID-19 spreading faster than any virus in history? No, that's not true: The omicron variant is extremely contagious but does not spread as quickly as measles, which is the most infectious virus. Dr. Claudia Hoyen at University Hospitals in Cleveland said during a December 21, 2021, news conference that "Omicron is the second most contagious…

Does the International Criminal Court (ICC) have a "case" before it concerning serious crimes related to COVID-19? No, that's not true: Although a complaint was filed alleging crimes committed against people in the United Kingdom related to COVID, the ICC has not stated whether the complaint is now a "case." The claim originated from a complaint found on a page…

When a new variant is found to be spreading, does the old variant instantly disappear? Do people test positive for specific COVID-19 variants if they take a rapid antigen or a PCR test? No, neither of these assumptions are true: The initial testing for SARS-CoV-2 can only tell a person if they are infected or not. That test result does…

Is it "odd" that the COVID-19 vaccine was developed so quickly? No, that's not true: There are many reasons that explain how the vaccine was developed faster than other vaccines. Among those are that the genetic sequence of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, was identified and tested quickly, thanks to prior research; the technologies used to develop the vaccine…

Did the director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus say that countries are administering COVID-19 booster shots to "kill children"? No, that's not true: A WHO spokesperson told Lead Stories that Ghebreyesus' remarks at a press briefing were just a slip of the tongue and that he correctly pronounced what he was trying to say right after…

Did a team of 1,000 lawyers and 10,000 medical experts start a second Nuremberg trial against world leaders and public health organizations for pandemic-related crimes against humanity? No, that's not true: Spokespersons for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) told Lead Stories there are no lawsuits like this filed against them. A…

Did CNN medical analyst Dr. Leana Wen say, "Don't wear a cloth mask. Cloth masks are little more than facial decorations"? Yes, she did say that when speaking about the possibility of New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio canceling the New Year's Eve ball drop in Times Square -- but in addition to those 13 words, she spoke several…

Does the claim that one in 100 vaccinated individuals were admitted to the hospital or died with heart issues tell the whole story? No, that's not true: The claim is based on a study that concluded the absolute risk of myocarditis -- inflammation of the heart muscle -- following COVID-19 vaccination is very low in the general population. By contrast,…

Is the COVID-19 "vaccination death rate" discovered in FDA data 2.905%? No, that's not true: The numbers used are not from the Food and Drug Administration, they're from an analysis of adverse event reports prepared by Pfizer for the FDA that were made public as part of a lawsuit. The claim misrepresents numbers published in the report to erroneously come…