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PeakMetrics / Fact Checks

Health & medicine fact checks

Explore claims publishers have checked about health & medicine. Read their original ratings and follow the evidence.

13,672 published reviews in this topic

dpaHealth & medicine

In einem Luxemburger Altenheim sind nach einer Booster-Impfung 25 Bewohner gestorben.

Publisher’s rating: Für die Behauptung gibt es keinerlei Beleg. Das Altenheim weist die Aussage zurück, die zuständige Ministerin spricht von «Fake News».

The claim concerned the Servior care home in Niederkorn, Luxembourg. A Facebook post said that 25 residents had died immediately after a booster vaccination. The review traces the claim to remarks by doctor Benoît Ochs, who said on 26 January 2022 that 26 people had died there after a booster. The article says he supplied no evidence or sources for that figure. It also reports that Ochs later said he had received the number from two nurses and had not meant to claim the deaths were caused by vaccination. Servior rejected the allegation. Its statement called the remarks lies and said the company denied them “in their entirety.” A company spokesperson told dpa that there was not a single death related to vaccination and that residents’ health had improved since the third dose was introduced. Family Minister Corinne Cahen shared Servior’s statement and described the allegations as false claims. These responses directly address the alleged deaths and their connection to vaccination, rather than merely commenting on vaccine safety in general. The review also distinguishes the booster allegation from a documented earlier outbreak at the same home. In early 2021, before booster vaccinations, Niederkorn was a Covid-19 cluster: the article reports 84 infected residents and 40 infected staff, with 22 deaths. Most residents had received their first vaccine dose on 18 February 2021. Health director Jean-Claude Schmit said the infections were not caused by vaccination and that the virus had entered the home by several routes. This earlier outbreak provides a possible source of confusion, but it does not substantiate the claim of 25 deaths immediately after a booster.

El Detector/Univision NoticiasHealth & medicine

Morgan Freeman pidió que dejáramos de hacernos pruebas del coronavirus

Publisher’s rating: Falso

The claim concerns a viral image that attributed to Morgan Freeman a message urging people to stop taking coronavirus tests, stay home if sick, and otherwise carry on with their lives. The review says Freeman did not make those remarks. It reports that Stan Rosenfield, Freeman’s spokesperson, told Reuters Fact Check by email that the posts were a “total fabrication,” and that the reviewers found no such image and quotation on the actor’s Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter accounts. The investigation also traced the wording to a different person. Citing Snopes’ examination, the review says the quotation originated in a January 4, 2022, tweet by political commentator Matt Walsh. It reports that the viral image used Walsh’s exact words alongside Freeman’s photograph, rather than reproducing a statement by Freeman. The review therefore distinguishes the genuine source of the text from the person to whom the image falsely attributed it.

FACTLYHealth & medicine

2009 Video of David Icke predicting the present situation of the COVID-19 pandemic

Publisher’s rating: MISLEADING

The claim concerns a video presented as David Icke predicting the COVID-19 pandemic in 2009. The review identifies the footage as a clip from a five-part video series, “David Icke on Global Awakening,” and says Icke was speaking in the context of the 2009 Swine Flu pandemic—not COVID-19. It reports that a reverse image search of screenshots found a YouTube video with similar visuals, titled “David Icke on Global Awakening 2/5,” uploaded on 19 November 2009. The clip had been cut from that video to make the circulating version. The review points to the series’ first part as evidence of the setting: it says Icke’s talk was in the context of the 2009 Swine Flu pandemic. In the second part, the review quotes him discussing microchips and vaccination programs, then referring to events happening “now” as the Swine Flu pandemic. It also reports that the series contains no mention of COVID-19. These details support the distinction between a video discussing an earlier pandemic and a prediction about COVID-19. The review separately addresses the video’s microchip assertions, stating that there is no scientific evidence that vaccines developed for either the 2009 pandemic or COVID-19 contain microchips. Its conclusion about the viral claim rests on the clip’s provenance and the surrounding discussion, rather than evidence that Icke predicted the later COVID-19 pandemic.

FACTLYHealth & medicine

Face Masks contain black worms

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The claim concerned videos circulating on social media that appeared to show black, worm-like objects on face masks. The posts said the objects were worms and that wearing the masks could let them enter the body and cause infections. FACTLY examined that specific claim and concluded that the objects were textile fibres, not living organisms. The review describes looking for information about the black objects moving on masks and finding an explanation from the Meedan Health Desk. It reports that experts attributed apparent movement primarily to moisture, and also notes that static electricity or moisture absorbed from breath or water can make fibres move. The review further cites a demonstration by the YouTube channel Microbehunter, which showed clothing fibres moving under a microscope; that demonstration was offered as an illustration, not as proof that every circulating video had the same origin. FACTLY also refers to an earlier, similar claim that AFP had addressed. It quotes Jana Nebesarova, an assistant professor at the Biological Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, explaining that threads may get onto masks during manufacturing or handling and are not dangerous for a healthy person. The review’s conclusion is that the objects represented as worms are synthetic textile fibres. Its evidence addresses the claimed identification of the visible objects; the excerpt does not provide details about laboratory testing of the particular masks in the social-media videos.

APA - Austrian Presse AgenturHealth & medicine

Virales Video zeigt Sportler, die aufgrund der Corona-Impfung plötzlich und unerwartet sterben.

Publisher’s rating: Von den 23 Sportlern bzw. Schiedsrichtern und Trainern im Video ist nur eine Person tatsächlich verstorben. Einige brachen aufgrund von Hitze oder Überanstrengung zusammen und erholten sich schnell wieder. Andere klagten über Atembeschwerden oder Herzprobleme. Ein paar wenige befanden sich in einem lebensbedrohlichen Zustand, etwa aufgrund eines Herzinfarkts oder eines Blutgerinnsels. Ein kausaler Zusammenhang zur Corona-Impfung ist bei keinem belegt.

dpaHealth & medicine

Artikel in der "Geraer Zeitung" behauptet: Es ist wahrscheinlicher am Impfstoff zu sterben als an einer Corona-Infektion.

Publisher’s rating: Es handelt sich bei dem Text um einen Leserbrief in dem Anzeigenblatt «Neues Gera». Der Leserbrief bezieht sich auf diverse Falschbehauptungen zu Covid-19 und zur Wirksamkeit der Corona-Impfungen.

The claim concerns a screenshot headed “It is more likely to die from the vaccine than from Corona,” attributed to a Gera newspaper. The review identifies that exact screenshot and says the text appeared in the advertising paper «Neues Gera» on 14 January 2022. It was not a newspaper article: it was a comment by a reader from Gera. Thus, the attribution to «Geraer Zeitung» is not supported by the review, and the format and authorship differ from what the claim suggests. The review describes the letter as responding to a video by US cardiologist Peter McCullough and says the text presents claims about Covid-19 and vaccine safety. It specifically discusses claims about transmission, immunity after infection, vaccine safety and effectiveness, and US reports of deaths following vaccination. The review challenges those claims rather than treating the headline as an established finding. For example, it cites RKI information that a relevant share of infections occur one to two days before symptoms begin, contradicting the video’s claim that transmission occurs only when symptoms are present. On immunity, it reports that the cited studies produced mixed results and says emerging variants could evade prior immunity. On reported US vaccine deaths, it explains that the cited VAERS figures are reports of events occurring after vaccination, not documentation that vaccination caused them.

Deutsche Presse-AgenturHealth & medicine

Spike-Proteine können nach einer Infektion oder Injektion im Körper zirkulieren und Zellen, Gewebe und Organe schädigen.

Publisher’s rating: Es gibt keine Belege dafür, dass nach einer Impfung gegen Sars-CoV-2 im Körper Spike-Proteine «zirkulieren» und eine «Entgiftung» nötig machen. Einige der genannten Mittel können sogar schädlich sein, besonders in hohen Dosen. Auch bei einer Infektion mit dem Coronavirus raten Verbraucherschutzzentralen vor Nahrungsergänzungsmitteln ab.

The review examined a social-media article that advised taking supplements, spices, and medicines to “detox” spike proteins after Covid-19 vaccination. The article’s stated rationale was that spike proteins circulate after vaccination and can harm cells, tissues, and organs; it also recommended detoxification after infection. The review distinguishes that assertion from the established role of the virus itself: during infection, the virus uses its spike proteins to enter cells and replicate, which can cause harm. That does not establish that spike proteins made following vaccination circulate widely and cause the claimed damage. For mRNA vaccination, the review explains, the injection supplies instructions for making spike protein, not the whole virus. Cells produce copies that cannot reproduce without the rest of the virus. The review reports that these proteins usually remain on the surface of the cells that made them, particularly near the injection site and in nearby lymph nodes, or are released into the space between cells where the immune system responds. Immunologist Carsten Watzl told dpa that the protein is not soluble and therefore does not “swim” in large quantities through the body; he also said the vaccine-produced protein is not identical to the viral version and is less able to bind to human-cell receptors and trigger possible toxic effects. The review further cites the Infectious Diseases Society of America for an estimate that spike protein remains in the body for weeks, like other proteins the body makes, and is broken down through normal cell renewal and immune processes. It says no medicines or supplements are needed for that process. On infection-related treatment, the review cites consumer-protection guidance against relying on supplements and notes that the named substances were not listed as proven Covid-19 treatments; it reports specific cautions about hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin. These findings address the review’s claim about circulation and detoxification, rather than denying that Covid-19 infection itself can cause harm.

dpaHealth & medicine

Twee jongens in Asse overleden na vaccinatie

Publisher’s rating: Van het verhaal valt niets terug te vinden en instanties die op de hoogte zouden zijn als het verhaal waar was, weten van niets. Er is dan ook geen enkele aanwijzing om te geloven dat dit verhaal klopt.

The claim originated in a screenshot from a Telegram channel, shared on Twitter, alleging that two boys in the same class at an unnamed school in Asse had died after vaccination; one was said to have collapsed in class. The school was not identified more precisely. The review notes that the Twitter post was dated 19 December 2021, so the alleged deaths would have had to occur by then. The person sharing the claim said she contacted the Telegram channel’s original source to check it, but the review reports no follow-up from that source. The review checked with the municipality of Asse, which said it knew of no comparable incident at a school in its territory. It also contacted the director of Asse’s Centre for Pupil Guidance (CLB). She was unaware of the story and explained that the CLB would have to update pupil lists if pupils died, so the reported deaths would have come to its attention. These checks concern the specific alleged school incident, not just vaccine safety in general. The review also compared the allegation with the Belgian medicines agency’s reported vaccine-related deaths. Its cited monthly overview listed four deaths considered probably linked to vaccination, but the review says those cases had already appeared in a 17 June 2021 weekly overview and were not recent. An agency spokesperson told dpa that none involved minors. The review therefore found no corroboration for the alleged deaths in Asse from the local authorities or in the agency information it checked.