Did a rapper named Dr. Creep predict the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, also known as COVID-19, in a song he created titled "Pandemic"? No, that's not true: The musician outright refuted this claim in a Facebook post near the beginning of the pandemic, stating that he was referencing the coronavirus pandemics that were ongoing in 2013 -- which was different from…

Does data from England show children are up to 303 times more likely to die from COVID-19 following vaccination than unvaccinated children? Yes, that's true, but raw numbers don't tell the full story. "The numbers appear correct, but ... are highly misleading. Mortality rates should be interpreted carefully for children because of the way children at risk were prioritised in…

Do COVID-19 vaccines cause monkeypox and shingles? No, that's not true: There's no evidence that either disease is caused by the shot for COVID. Both monkeypox and shingles are caused by specific viruses, neither of which are included in COVID-19 vaccines. But, even if the viruses were the same, the COVID shots still couldn't cause infection. "Because none of the…

Did the Canadian government publish data suggesting those triple-vaccinated against COVID-19 develop vaccine-associated enhanced disease (VAED) or antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) and have higher COVID case rates than others? No, that's not true: The data does not show COVID vaccines make people worse. Instead, people who have had them are better protected from severe illness, hospitalization and death. COVID vaccines boost…

Did conservative commentator Candace Owens quote a tweet made by Fox News about ivermectin's hidden cost -- that many are suffering long-term bowel and urinary incontinence? No, that's not true: Both of the tweets shown in the screenshot -- the one spoofing Fox News and the response spoofing Candace Owens -- are fake. The right border of the fake Fox…

When President Joe Biden took office, was there no COVID-19 vaccine available? No, that's not true: The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine and the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine both received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) emergency use authorizations (EUA) in December 2021. The vaccines were available but not widely available to the public while former President Donald Trump was still in office. The…

Did the U.S. military find pesticides in Moderna COVID-19 vaccine vials? No, that's not true: Not only are there no pesticides on the ingredients list for Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine, but the Department of Defense press office issued a statement saying, "There is no truth to this." The claims appeared in an article (archived here) published by Real Raw News (RRN)…

Will the World Health Organization (WHO) have the authority to lock down all of America? No, that's not true: The claim, made by former U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, spins proposed changes to WHO rules into something much greater than they are. The actual amendments, which can be seen here, suggest a variety of changes, including some on notice and surveillance.…

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…