Will this tonic routine treat COVID-19 in the way that is claimed, and can it prevent anyone who adheres to this regimen from dying of COVID? No, that's not true: This COVID remedy, which is intended to be used as both an inhaled steam treatment and as a drink, contains several aromatic and natural ingredients as a tonic, and those…

Did a viral photo of doctors and nurses in Italy, who were treating COVID-19 patients, show them holding up a sign, which begins "Jesus Stops this Virus"? No, that's not true: The sign doctors and nurses are holding in the original photo, on which this altered version is based, begins "Help us Stay at home," according to Google Translate. The…

Is Bill Gates guilty of treason, seditious conspiracy, advocating overthrow of the government or crimes against humanity? No, that's not true: There is no such case on file in federal courts. The claim was made without evidence that Gates is guilty of these crimes or should be convicted of them. He has become a frequent target of conspiracies by COVID-19…

Were 3,150 people "paralyzed" after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine? No, that's not true: That figure represents the number of people who reported a health impact event. Such an event is defined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) as when someone experiences at least one of three issues: unable to perform normal daily activities, unable to work and/or required…

Do PCR tests have an accuracy of 0% when more than 35 amplification cycles are used? No, that's not true: Multiple infectious disease experts confirm polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, accurately confirm the presence of the virus. At higher cycle thresholds, the virus may not be viable and a patient may not be…

Is there a bill projected to pass on January 6, 2021, that will allow the state of New York to round up COVID patients and put them in camps? No, that's not true: The hype surrounding this bill is not supported by evidence. The New York State Assembly's Health Committee, where presumably the bill would first be discussed, will not…

Does the recent legislation that funds aid to Americans economically hard-hit by the coronavirus pandemic also provide tax dollars for "gender studies" in Pakistan? No, that's not true: Though they were voted on as one package, the COVID relief measures were part of a separate bill that was then bundled together with others to streamline end-of-the-year votes in Congress. The…

Were there fewer deaths in 2020, despite the COVID-19 pandemic raging, versus 2019 when there wasn't the virus? No, that's not true: A meme went viral with the false claim that the number of deaths in the United States in 2020 was approximately 20,000 less than 2019, implying that the coronavirus pandemic was fake. The Associated Press reported final U.S.…

Are COVID-19 hospital surges just like flu season hospital surges? No, that's not true: The COVID-19 burden is significantly higher. At least 758,261 hospitalizations for COVID-19 have occurred so far in the United States, and that figure is a significant undercount because it does not include data from a number of large states, including California. National figures are not available.…

Can all Washington, D.C. residents now register to receive the COVID-19 Vaccine? No, that's not true: Washington, D.C. is in Phase 1A of its vaccination program, where priority is given to health care workers, including those in acute care and specialty care hospitals and those working in long-term care facilities. Priority is also given to residents in skilled nursing facilities…

Did a registered nurse in Nashville, Tennessee claim in a video that she develop Bell's Palsy three days after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine? No, that's not true: The name the woman gave in a video making the claim is not listed in the official state database of registered nurses, or in any of the other 49 states, the District of…

Did a Cornell professor say "COVID-19 does not exist and is fictitious?" No, that's not true: A diatribe has gone viral that credits Robert Oswald, a real person and a Cornell professor, as claiming coronavirus is "just another flu strain," and that he believes it is a "COVID hoax," created by "China and the globalists." Oswald did not make these…

Did President Trump invoke the Impoundment Control Act of 1974 as he signed the Covid-19 Relief Bill, forcing Congress to rescind section 230, cut wasteful spending, and to add $2,000 stimulus checks for all Americans? No, that's not true: The Impoundment Control Act does not force Congress to do anything. It was passed in 1974 as a way to limit…

Are coronavirus vaccines primarily designed to improve survival rates of those already infected? No, that's not true: Vaccines are designed to reduce the risk of infection in the first place. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) published by Chad Prather on December 18, 2020. The post read: How will we know the vaccine is working? Will the…

Do variants of the MTHFR gene cause disease and increase the likelihood of vaccine reactions? No, that's not true: In rare circumstances, a MTHFR (methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase) gene variant causes neural tube defects in newborn babies. Other times, it can cause elevelated levels of homocysteine, which can lead to blood clots. Otherwise, there are no scientific studies linking MTHFR gene variants,…

Did the members of Congress give themselves a pay raise as part of the spending bills aimed at stimulating the economy and providing relief to those harmed by the COVID-19 pandemic? No, that's not true: The claim is posted without evidence. The omnibus spending bill passed December 22, 2020, only mentions congressional pay in a section that prohibits a pay…

Do COVID-19 vaccines contain the HIV virus? No, that's not true: The Food and Drug Administration briefing documents for the recently approved Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines do not list HIV as an ingredient in either product. The claim appeared in a tweet (archived here) posted on Twitter on December 17, 2020, which began, "Why is HIV in the vaccine?"…

Does the "new stimulus bill" include funding for the Smithsonian, Kennedy Center and more? No, that's not true: Funds for the Smithsonian and other cultural institutions were not part of the $900 billion COVID stimulus and relief package. They were part of the $1.4 trillion spending plan passed by the House and Senate to continue government operations through September 2021.…

Did the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) post a tweet encouraging people to shoplift to slow the spread of COVID-19? No, that's not true: This is a fabricated image of a tweet. tweet "does not come from our Twitter account or any other CDC official channel," said Belsie González, a senior public affairs specialist for the CDC. The…

Do all Canadians get $900 a week and all small businesses in Canada get a $40,000 loan, of which they only have to pay back $10,000 over five years? And did all Canadians previously receive $2,000 a month? Those claims are partially true, but they're missing context: They appear to refer to the country's response to COVID-19, but the funding…