Isolated

Did the Ventura County public health director say that the California county will be forcibly moving people infected with COVID-19 out of their homes into quarantine? No, that's not true. The video of Public Health DirectorDr. Robert Levin giving details about the county's contact tracing program went viral but he did not say they were going to force infected people…

Did Vice President Mike Pence deliver empty boxes of PPE to a hospital as a publicity stunt? No, this is not true: Late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel mocked a video of Pence delivering boxes that were "empty" to a health care center amid the coronavirus outbreak, but the clip he used was edited and taken out of context.…

Do physicians and other medical workers need to insert a swab through the nasal passage to the top of the throat of possible patients to test for COVID-19, or the novel coronavirus. Yes, that's true: A meme on social media illustrating the test is accurate, but also suggests that people not wanting to endure the pain of the procedure should…

Did the Massachusetts State Police issue a warning about people wearing hazmat suits attempting to rob residents while in their homes? Yes, that appears to be partially true, and here is some context: The Massachusetts State Police has posted on Facebook about this possible scam, which it says may have happened at least once already. However, the details in the…

Can a coronavirus vaccine used on dogs be used to inoculate people against COVID-19, the virus outbreak that has infected tens of thousands of people and left thousands others dead? No, that's not true: There is currently no vaccine to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019, known as COVID-19, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and…

Did Australian Gold Coast hospital staff roll in a Wilson volleyball to keep actor Tom Hanks company in quarantine? No, that's not true: The story is from a satirical online newspaper that some people have described as Australia's version of "The Onion." Fans of the movie "Castaway" will recognize the ball as "Wilson," an imaginary character in the form of…

Did Joe Biden's presidential campaign selectively edit several soundbites from President Trump in a newly-released advertisement? Yes, that's true, and here is some context: After Twitter labeled a video of Biden that was shared by Trump as "manipulated media," the Trump campaign fired back. It has accused Twitter of bias for not doing the same to a campaign ad Biden's…

Do patents accurately suggest that deadly diseases and viruses were created or invented in a lab? No, that's not true: Just because there is a patent for something does not mean it works. Likewise, patents for diseases and viruses do not mean these medical problems were lab-made. Instead, the patents are for possible treatments or vaccines, some of which were…

Did a patent expire on January 22, 2020, for the "new" coronavirus, and does that prove the virus was "invented"? No, that's not true: The patent is about the SARS coronavirus, which broke out in China in 2002, not the current Wuhan City strain, which has so far killed 18 people in China. There is no vaccine or specific treatment…

Was President Trump's wig blown off of his head by the engines of Air Force One? No, that's not true: Video posted on YouTube was taken from a comedy clip created for Jimmy Kimmel's monologue on his November 11, 2019 ABC show. Kimmel's staff digitally altered the news clip of Trump speaking to reporters on a tarmac before boarding his…