Masks

Did Vice President Kamala Harris "admit" that COVID-19 vaccines don't work? No, that's not true: Her tweet that is the basis for the claim is a summary of public health recommendations that reflect reality: No vaccine is 100% effective and breakthrough infections of the delta variant of SARS-CoV-2, however mild among vaccinated persons, have been documented and could result in…

Did the Taliban survive from February 2020 through August 2021 with no vaccines, no masks or business shutdowns and capture Afghanistan with no mass deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic? No, that's not true: These claims were made without evidence, while independent reports by health experts and others actually working there show thousands died and that Afghanistan public officers fought the…

Did the U.S. Supreme Court rule that the COVID-19 vaccine is unsafe? Did Dr. Anthony Fauci and "Big Pharma" lose a lawsuit to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and others over the safety of COVID vaccine? No, neither of those are true: There has been no recent court proceeding, or ruling, from the Supreme Court stating that COVID vaccine is unsafe.…

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…

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…

Did CNN praise the Taliban for wearing masks in Afghanistan? No, that's not true: The image of a CNN chyron claiming Taliban fighters were wearing masks as they attacked is fake -- it is from the Babylon Bee, a conservative satire website. The claim appeared as a post (archived here) where it was published on Facebook on August 14, 2021.…

Does microwaving a penny for one minute cause it to shrink into a mini coin? No, that's not true: Metals expand when heated -- not shrink. Also, microwaving any metallic item, such as a coin, is dangerous as it can cause sparks and, ultimately, a fire. The claim appeared in a July 29, 2021, Facebook post (archived here). Above the…

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…

Did Alberta, Canada resident Patrick King prove that COVID-19 is a hoax, causing an end to COVID restrictions in Alberta? No, that's not true: King's attempt to subpoena the province's chief medical officer for his COVID-19 ticket was denied because the health agency successfully argued his request was irrelevant to the case. The timing of Alberta's changes to mask requirements…