Does a photo of thousands of people packed shoulder to shoulder without face masks show the crowd at the Sturgis 2020 motorcycle rally? No, that's not true: The photo was taken at a previous Sturgis rally when there was not a COVID-19 pandemic. The city of Sturgis has not imposed mask and social distancing requirements for the estimated 250,000 people…

Are a series of images circulating on social media accurately depicting what life looked and felt like during the 1918 flu pandemic? No, that's not true: While some of the photographs are, in fact, from the time when what was known as the Spanish flu ravaged the globe, infecting about 500 million people and killing at least 50 million, to…

Would a drop in the percent of positive tests for COVID-19 prove the U.S. has reached "herd immunity"? No, that's not true: The doctor overseeing the testing lab at the pandemic's ground zero says so-called 'positivity' data is not an indicator of herd immunity. Increasing numbers of COVID cases in Florida and Arizona at the time the claim was made…

Are face masks dangerous and deadly, and would a COVID-19 vaccine alter our DNA and be used implant microchips in everyone? No, that's not true. Face masks are proven to be safe, and since there is no current vaccine, it is not possible to conclude it could alter our DNA or be used for microchipping. Those claims are in a…

Is it true that "the" coronavirus vaccine will alter the DNA of people who receive it, making it a menace to humanity and making future generations not fully human? Or that nanoparticles are going to be injected into humans with "the" vaccine, comprising our privacy? No, none of this is true. For one thing, there is no publicly available vaccine…

Have multiple studies shown that countries treating COVID-19 with hydroxychloroquine suffer fewer deaths than those like the U.S. where its use is restricted? No, that's not true: The claim was made without citing any such studies. Lead Stories has not found peer-reviewed clinical studies that declare hydroxychloroquine is a cure, and the World Health Organization has declared the opposite putting…

Did Dr. Anthony Fauci say that hydroxychloroquine was both a cure and a vaccine for coronavirus in 2005? No, that's not true: The National Institutes of Health did publish a study in 2005 that reported hopeful signs from in-vitro tests that chloroquine, not hydroxychloroquine, had potential against SARS-CoV-1, not SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that is responsible for the current COVID-19…

Can wearing dirty face masks cause Legionnaires' disease? No, that's not true: Legionnaires' disease, a type of pneumonia, is caused by bacteria called Legionella. There's no evidence to suggest that a person can contract the disease from a dirty mask. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) on July 27, 2020. It read: Wash your mask. Wake up!!!A…

Do the white and blue sides of surgical masks serve different purposes? No, that's not true. The only correct way to wear the mask is with the blue side facing out, according to a instructional video released by the World Health Organization. This false claim states that wearing the blue side out is meant to keep viruses inside to protect…

Did Stage 4 colon cancer cause Herman Cain's death on July 30, 2020, and not COVID-19? No, that's not true: The 2012 Republican presidential candidate and business executive did have cancer years earlier, but he beat it. He died after testing positive for coronavirus and being hospitalized for nearly a month, according to HermanCain.com. The editor of Cain's website confirmed…

Are shoppers free to enter Aldi stores without a mask? No, that's not true: According to the grocery company, face coverings are required to enter its stores. The claim appeared as a meme in a post (archived here) shared on Facebook on July 27, 2020. The post started with the introduction "ALDI showing great common sense and a love for…

Is Florida doing "five times better in deaths" than New York and New Jersey? No, that's misleading: The comparison is not apt. Daily COVID-19 deaths in New York and New Jersey surged this spring before falling, precipitously, while deaths in Florida are surging now. The Sunshine State is reporting higher new case and new death counts than either New York…

Are hydroxychloroquine, zinc and Zithromax a cure for COVID-19? No, that's not true: As Lead Stories reported previously, global health experts continue to say that there are no drugs that have been shown to prevent or cure the infection. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here). The post included a video and the following text: BREAKING American Doctors…

Did the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention just cut the COVID-19 tally from 90,000 to 11,000 in Florida to correct accidental inclusion of pneumonia and seasonal flu? No, the claim was made with no facts or sources to back it up and is similar to claims already debunked by AFP Fact Check. The data charts on the CDC…

Did the NIH admit 5G can actually create coronavirus within human cells? No, that's not true. The site Infowars.com claimed the National Institutes of Health admitted that 5G technology can create coronavirus within human cells based on a "study" that has been taken down for being "obviously wrong" and "probably misleading," the site that originally published it told Lead Stories.…

Are mandatory vaccinations in direct violation of the Nuremberg Code? No, that's not true: The Nuremberg Code, a set of principles that grew out of the Nuremberg trials at the end of World War II, applies to human experimentation, not approved vaccines. The claim appeared in an article (archived here) published by EnvirowatchRangitikei on July 23, 2020. The article, which…

Did the president of Ghana release an audio message reading exceprts from a 2010 Rockefeller Foundation document that predicted and planned the coronavirus outbreak? No, that's not true: This is a fabricated agenda and the president, Nana Akufo-Addo, is not the voice in the video, as an actual recording of the president makes clear. The Rockefeller Foundation did in fact…

Is there already a cure for COVID-19? No, that's not true: No medicines have been shown to prevent or cure coronavirus, according to global health experts. The race is on, however, to find viable treatments. The claim was reported in an article (archived here) published by NewsBlaze on July 7, 2020. Titled "COVID-19 No Vaccine Needed, There Is Already A…

Is there about to be a shortage of the soft drink Dr Pepper because of the novel coronavirus pandemic? No, there is not. The parent company of the Dr. Pepper maker assured Lead Stories that production of the soft drink is "smooth," although a shortage of aluminium cans may mean store shelves may have fewer cans in stock. The claim…

Does a new CDC and WHO study prove there is no evidence that face masks prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus? No, that's not true. The study is not "new" as claimed in a Russian-sponsored YouTube video and it does not conclude that face coverings don't help in reducing the transmission of the virus that leads to COVID-19. The…