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The Infodemic: Interpreting CDC Mask Guidance


A person wearing a protective face mask uses her mobile phone during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Los Angeles
A person wearing a protective face mask uses her mobile phone during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Los Angeles

Fake news about the coronavirus can do real harm. Polygraph.info is spotlighting fact-checks from other reliable sources here​.

Daily Debunk

Claim: Because of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announcement on May 13, 2021, fully vaccinated people can go anywhere without wearing masks.

Verdict: Mixture

Read the full story at: Snopes

Social Media Disinfo

Screenshot

Circulating on social media: Facebook posts in South Korea claiming that COVID-19 is "merely a common cold that we see every year," referencing news reports from 2013 which mentioned a "novel coronavirus."

Verdict: False

Read the full story at: Agence France-Presse

Factual Reads on Coronavirus

Investigate the origins of COVID-19
As scientists with relevant expertise, we agree with the WHO director-general, the United States and 13 other countries, and the European Union that greater clarity about the origins of this pandemic is necessary and feasible to achieve.
-- Science, May 14

Top scientists question the need for COVID-19 booster shots
COVID-19 vaccine developers are making ever bolder assertions that the world will need yearly booster shots, or new vaccines to tackle concerning coronavirus variants, but some scientists question when, or whether, such shots will be needed.
-- Reuters, May 13

A Misleading C.D.C. Number
When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new guidelines last month for mask wearing, it announced that “less than 10 percent” of Covid-19 transmission was occurring outdoors. ... [T]he number is almost certainly misleading.
-- New York Times, May 11

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    Polygraph

    Polygraph is a fact-checking feature of the Voice of America (VOA)​. Polygraph serves as a resource for verifying the increasing volume of disinformation and misinformation being distributed and shared globally.

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