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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.

13,674 published reviews in this topic

dpaHealth & medicine

Gevallen van hersenvochtverlies na coronatest zijn niet incidentiele en alleenstaande, volgens artsen.

Publisher’s rating: Het gaat hier wel degelijk om een alleenstaand geval. Naast deze casus, zijn er wereldwijd nog maar twee andere gevallen van hersenvochtverlies na een coronatest te vinden in de wetenschappelijke literatuur, met verschillende oorzaken. Gezien er wereldwijd honderden miljoenen coronatests zijn afgenomen, is dit een ongelooflijk klein aantal. Bij deze Duitse vrouw ontstond het probleem door een fout bij het afnemen van de test. Volgens diverse artsen was dit extreem zeldzaam en is er geen grond tot zorgen.

Deutsche Presse-AgenturHealth & medicine

Zwei gegenübergestellte Zeitungsartikel weisen nach: Christian Drosten lügt bei der Prognose über den Sommer 2021 in der Corona-Pandemie.

Publisher’s rating: Es ist nicht unüblich, dass Wissenschaftler ihre Aussagen ändern, wenn neue Daten zur Verfügung stehen. Drosten hat seine Prognosen für den Sommer 2021 jeweils begründet und auch erklärt, wieso er im Mai zu einem anderen Schluss gekommen ist als im Februar.

The allegation was built by juxtaposing two headlines from a local newspaper: a February headline described a “gloomy” summer outlook from Drosten, while a later one said he believed in the summer. The review examined those statements in their timing and context, rather than treating the difference between headlines alone as evidence that he had knowingly said something false. It notes that the first headline appeared on February 19, 2021, after Drosten had questioned whether restrictions could be relaxed by summer if broad vaccination had not been achieved. At the time, the Robert Koch Institute assessed the health risk as very high and warned of a possible renewed rise in cases. (S1) The review then compares that setting with Drosten’s May 9 remarks on ZDF, when he said the summer could be good. It reports that he linked the changed outlook to more people being vaccinated each day and to his earlier concern that restrictions might be lifted quickly. In explaining the change, Drosten referred to how vaccination plans had shifted: he had expected older age groups to be vaccinated by Easter, but the vaccine distribution had changed. The review also notes that infections, deaths and intensive-care admissions increased during the intervening third wave, while restrictions were tightened and vaccination numbers rose. (S1) On the evidence presented, the two forecasts were made under different circumstances, and the review says Drosten publicly explained why his assessment changed. The headlines show a change in outlook, but the review’s account does not establish that he intended to deceive. It therefore does not support the claim that the juxtaposition proves he lied. (S1)

dpaHealth & medicine

Die EMA meldet 354.177 Impfschäden durch COVID Impfungen!

Publisher’s rating: Die Angaben sind falsch. In der Datenbank der Europäischen Arzneimittel-Agentur (EMA) werden Symptome als mögliche Nebenwirkungen gemeldet, die in zeitlichem Zusammenhang zu einer Covid-19-Impfung stehen. Der Datensatz trifft daher keine Aussagen zu «Impfschäden» oder zu Nebenwirkungen und Todesfällen, die tatsächlich von einer Impfung verursacht worden wären.