Health & medicine fact checks

백신 안 맞아도 된다는 서울대팀 논문이 나왔다?

Publisher’s rating: 1

Gravierende Nebenwirkungen bei Corona-Impfungen, Missachtungen von Impfempfehlungen und ein überlastetes Gesundheitswesen - stimmen diese Vorwürfe? Eine auf Facebook (hier archiviert) verbreitete Sprachnachricht enthält eine ganze Reihe an Behauptungen über Komplikationen im Zusammenhang mit Corona-Impfungen in Pflegeheimen im deutschen Bundesland Nordrhein-Westfalen.

Publisher’s rating: Der Landkreis Düren in Nordrhein-Westfalen (NRW) weist die Behauptungen über viele schwere Komplikationen und vermehrte Rettungseinsätze nach Impfungen zurück: «An diesen Vorwürfen ist nichts dran.» Zudem halte man sich an Vorgaben des Robert Koch-Instituts zur Aufklärung über die Impfungen.

அறிவியல் காரணமும் இல்லை என்று 22 ஜனவரி அன்று உலக சுகாதார அமைப்பு கூறியதாக சமூக ஊடகங்களில் வைரலாகி வரும் ஒரு பதிவு கூறுகிறது.

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The claim concerned whether the World Health Organization said on 22 January that healthy people had no scientific reason to wear masks outside hospitals. Vishvas News reports that it investigated the viral post and found it false. It says the post presented WHO as saying people no longer needed masks, but the review found no official statement confirming that interpretation: “மேலும், மக்கள் முகக்கவசம் அணியத் தேவையில்லை என்று உலக சுகாதார அமைப்பு கூறியதை உறுதிப்படுத்தும் எந்த அதிகாரப்பூர்வ அறிக்கையையும் எங்களால் கண்டுபிடிக்க இயலவில்லை.” To check the claim, the review says it spoke with a WHO SEARO technical officer for health emergencies. The officer rejected the post’s account and said WHO guidance clearly supported mask use in multiple settings, both inside and outside health facilities: “இந்த இடுகை தவறானது. எங்கள் வழிகாட்டுதல்கள் பல சூழ்நிலைகளில்-சுகாதார அமைப்புகளுக்கு உள்ளேயும் வெளியேயும்- மக்கள் முகக்கவசங்களை அணிவது குறித்து தெளிவாக உள்ளது.” The review also points to WHO’s mask guidance, which describes mask use as one part of a broader package of measures to limit transmission. The review’s account of the 22 January press conference supplies important context. It says Dr Maria Van Kerkhove described masks as one aspect of controlling the disease, while also saying that wearing a mask alone would not control transmission. That statement does not support the viral post’s claim that WHO said there was no scientific reason to wear masks outside hospitals: “முகக்கவசங்கள் நோய் கட்டுப்பாட்டின் ஒரு அம்சமாகும். முகக்கவசம் இந்த வைரஸ் பரவலைக் குறைப்பதற்கான ஒரு அம்சம், ஆனால் அவற்றை அணிவது மட்டுமே நோய் பரவலைக் கட்டுப்படுத்திவிடாது,” என்று கூறியுள்ளார்.

فحوص الـPCR قد لا تكشف السلالة البريطانية من كوفيد-19

Publisher’s rating: صحيح جزئياً

Da die Anzahl der Corona-Infektionen in Deutschland im Winter anstieg, wurden im Januar 2021 viele Massnahmen verschärft. So ist im Bundesland Bayern das Tragen von FFP2-Masken im Einzelhandel sowie im öffentlichen Nahverkehr zur Pflicht geworden. Reicht dies für eine Schlussfolgerung, dass die bis zu diesem Zeitpunkt geltenden Massnahmen wirkungslos waren? In einem Facebook-Post (hier archiviert) werden der Kanzlerin Angela Merkel und dem bayrischen Ministerpräsidenten Markus Söder vermeintliche Aussagen in den Mund gelegt. So stellt die Kanzlerin auf dem Bild zum Beispiel fest: «Du sagst ja damit implizit, dass alle Masken vorher sinnfrei waren ...?!» Auch wird behauptet, während der Corona-Pandemie habe es keine Übersterblichkeit gegeben.

Publisher’s rating: Das Tragen einer einfachen Maske kann das Infektionsrisiko senken. Daten zeigen zudem, dass es in Deutschland wegen der Corona-Pandemie Phasen von Übersterblichkeit gab.

The post used the tightening of rules in January 2021—particularly Bavaria’s FFP2-mask requirement in shops and public transport—to suggest that earlier measures had been ineffective. It also attributed a remark about masks to Angela Merkel and claimed there had been no excess mortality during the pandemic. The review describes these as supposed statements in a Facebook post; it does not present them as verified remarks by Merkel or Markus Söder. It notes that the Bavarian requirement had applied since mid-January, with the state government explaining that FFP2 masks offered greater protection than everyday masks and better self-protection against virus-containing aerosols. (S1) The review distinguishes the required higher-protection masks from the question of whether simpler masks can help. It reports that a Canadian study found that using a mouth-and-nose covering reduced infection risk, and that Germany’s Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices had also addressed this point in January 2021. The fact that Bavaria introduced a stricter requirement therefore does not, on the evidence cited, establish that earlier mask measures were useless. (S1) On mortality, the review cites preliminary Federal Statistical Office data comparing deaths with the 2016–2019 average. It says that deaths exceeded that comparison in October, November and December 2020, and gives the 52nd calendar week as an example: deaths were about 31 percent above the average for those weeks in 2016–2019. It also reports excess-mortality phases in March and April 2020. This evidence contradicts the post’s blanket claim that there was no excess mortality, while the review’s qualification that the data were preliminary and concerned particular months matters to the scope of that conclusion. (S1)

Indígena morreu por causa de vacina chinesa (Coronavac) contra Covid-19

Publisher’s rating: Falso

The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is "quasi-ineffective" for people over 65

Publisher’s rating: Some have expressed concern that there is not enough data yet on how the vaccine works in the over-65 age group. But the evidence does not suggest the vaccine won't be effective for this age group and there is no question over its safety.

टमाटर वर एक नवीन व्हायरस मिळाला आहे जो कोरोनाव्हायरस पेक्षा जास्ती घातक आहे, पोस्ट मध्ये लोकांना सल्ला देण्यात येत आहे कि टमाटर खाऊ नका

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The post under review claimed that a new virus had been found in tomatoes, was more dangerous than coronavirus, and meant people should stay away from tomatoes. It identified the alleged virus as “#TirangaVirus.” Vishvas News says it received the claim through its fact-check chatbot and also found the same assertion in a Facebook post by a user named Arvind Singh Chauhan. The review’s conclusion is that the claim was false. (S1: “पोस्ट प्रमाणे टमाटर वर एक नवीन व्हायरस मिळाला आहे जो कोरोनाव्हायरस पेक्षा जास्ती घातक आहे, पोस्ट मध्ये लोकांना सल्ला देण्यात येत आहे कि टमाटर खाऊ नका.”; “या पोस्ट मध्ये व्हायरस च नाव #TirangaVirus सांगितले गेले आहे.”; “Arvind Singh Chauhan नावाच्या फेसबुक यूजर ने एक व्हिडिओ पोस्ट केला, ज्यात हाच दावा करण्यात आला होता.”) To check the claim, the review reports that it spoke with Dr. A.C. Mishra, joint director (standards) at India’s Food Safety and Standards Authority. Mishra said the authority had received no such information and advised there was no need to panic. The review also traced the claim to a Hindi news report about tomatoes and examined what the reporting said about the underlying issue. (S1: “विश्वास न्यूज ने या संबंधी फूड सेफ्टी अँड स्टॅंडर्ड ऑथॉरिटी ऑफ इंडिया (FSSAI) चे जॉईंट डायरेक्टर (स्टैंडर्ड्स) डॉक्टर एसी मिश्रा यांच्यासोबत वार्तालाप केला.”; “जसा व्हायरल पोस्ट मध्ये दावा केला गेला आहे, तशी कुठलीच माहिती आमच्या कडे अजून पर्यन्त पोहोचली नाही आहे. घाबरायची काहीच गरज नाही.”) The review says an Indian Express report from 2 May 2020 described tomato growers in Maharashtra reporting an unidentified disease that caused tomatoes to ripen early and led to losses; it says that report did not describe a danger to people from tomatoes. It further reports that TV9 Bharatvarsh removed its misleading report suggesting the tomato virus could kill people. These details distinguish the reported crop problem and its effects on farmers from the viral post’s unsupported claim about danger to consumers. (S1: “2 मई 2020 रोजी इंडियन एक्सप्रेस च्या वेबसाईट वर प्रकाशित एक रिपोर्ट मिळाली.”; “या रिपोर्ट मध्ये कुठेच कॉरोन व्हायरस बद्दल सांगितले गेले नाही आहे ज्यामुळे टमाटर पासून मनुष्यांना धोका होईल.”; “टीव्ही 9 भारतवर्ष ने आपली ती भ्रामक रिपोर्ट हटवली आहे, ज्यात दावा केला गेला आहे कि टमाटर व्हायरस लोकांचा जीव घेऊ शकतो.”)

Seit die Welt mit Impfungen gegen die Ausbreitung des neuartigen Coronavirus vorgeht, häufen sich in diversen Gruppen auch Warnungen vor dem Impfstoff. Ein neuer Beleg, dass Impfen schädlich sei, sollen angebliche Informationen aus dem Universitätsklinikum Mannheim sein. Dort sollen die 75 der insgesamt 80 Mitarbeiter auf der Kinderstation, die bereits die erste Dosis erhalten haben, über Nebenwirkungen geklagt haben. 30 Mitarbeiter, die schon die zweite Dosis erhielten, seien aufgrund heftiger Nebenwirkungen sogar krankgeschrieben, heißt es in einem Facebook-Posting.

Publisher’s rating: Laut Universitätsklinikum Mannheim sind diese Behauptungen falsch und der Betrieb im Kinderzentrum laufe völlig normal. Es habe keine schwerwiegenden Impfreaktionen gegeben.

The Facebook post alleged that 75 of 80 employees on a children’s ward had reported side effects after a first COVID-19 vaccine dose, and that 30 employees who had received a second dose were on sick leave because of severe reactions. The review checked statements from University Hospital Mannheim, including material on the hospital’s website and Facebook page, and reported that the hospital rejected the claims as false. The hospital said the children’s center was operating normally and that it had seen no serious vaccine reactions. The review reports that more than 100 employees at the children’s center had by then been vaccinated. The hospital said unexpected side effects had not occurred in its vaccinations; a hospital spokesperson nevertheless acknowledged temporary reactions in a few employees after a second BioNTech/Pfizer dose, including injection-site pain, headache, fatigue, or fever. The review explains that these reactions can be expected and are more frequent after the second dose. The claim’s description of 30 staff being off sick because of severe reactions is not supported by the hospital’s account: the review says the total number of employees on sick leave was at a normal level and that the children’s center was operating normally. It also notes that the hospital spokesperson said there was no unit formally called a “children’s ward”; the center comprised three clinics.

Calendário de Março Atualizado- Previsão Primeira fase de Imunização dos Idosos* 01 de março - 74 anos 02 de março - 73 anos

Publisher’s rating: Falso

The claim presents a schedule for the first phase of older adults’ immunization in March, beginning with people aged 74 on March 1 and declining by age on subsequent dates. The review identifies it as a message circulating in Rio de Janeiro WhatsApp accounts and reproduces a calendar running from ages 74 to 55. It says the message was not an official schedule and that no March vaccination calendar had yet been defined for the city. The review reports that Rio de Janeiro’s city government publicly rejected the circulating schedule. It quotes Mayor Eduardo Paes describing the social-media calendar as false, and cites Municipal Health Secretary Daniel Soranz saying it had not been produced by the health department. Soranz’s remarks distinguish the unissued schedule from the city’s expectation at that time: vaccination of all older adults above 60 during March, after finishing with those above 75 in February. That expectation did not establish the dates or age-by-age sequence in the viral message. The review also describes its assessment of the message: it lacked reliable sources and was vague, and the city had not set a March calendar. Its conclusion rests on the city’s reported denial and the absence of an official schedule, rather than on the viral calendar’s dates being verified against a published municipal timetable.

Hat die Weltgesundheitsorganisation WHO die Coronavirus-Pandemie für beendet erklärt - und die deutsche Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel gesagt, es gebe keine tödliche Pandemie und sämtliche staatlichen Maßnahmen seien obsolet? Das legt ein Artikel auf dem Portal «Watergate.tv» (hier archiviert) unter der Überschrift «WHO beendet Pandemie, Merkel macht weiter» nahe. Was steckt hinter den Behauptungen?

Publisher’s rating: Die Weltgesundheitsorganisation WHO hat ihre Einschätzung zu einer gesundheitlichen Notlage von internationaler Tragweite nicht zurückgenommen. Die im Text erwähnte Informationsnotiz enthält lediglich Hinweise für Laborpersonal zum Umgang mit PCR-Tests. An deren Verlässlichkeit bei der Diagnose von Corona-Infektionen hat die WHO keine Zweifel, wie sie auf Nachfrage mitteilt. Dass die Bundeskanzlerin die Corona-Maßnahmen als politische Entscheidungen bezeichnet, steht dazu nicht im Widerspruch: Die Politik ist bei deren Verhängung rechtlich nicht an Einschätzungen der WHO gebunden - weder zur Notlage, noch zu PCR-Tests.

واکسن روسی اسپوتنیک از سوی مراکز بی‌طرف بررسی نشده و زمان لازم برای تولید یک واکسن امن، چهار سال است.

Publisher’s rating: نادرست

Mehr als ein Jahr nach dem Auftreten der ersten Corona-Fälle glauben einige Internet-Nutzer immer noch, die Pandemie sei geplant gewesen. Als angeblicher Beleg dafür wird ein Facebook-Posting (hier archiviert) verbreitet, das ein Bild des Impfstoffs der Firma Astrazeneca zeigt. Auf einem kleinen Behälter mit orangenem Deckel steht «ChAdOx1 nCoV-19» und «15-Mar-20» - es entsteht der Eindruck, schon im März vorigen Jahres habe es den Impfstoff gegeben. Im Posting heiß es: «DAS IST DER ZENECA ASTRA IMPFSTOFF MIT DATUM 15. MÄRZ 2020 Glaubst du immer noch, dass das alles nicht geplant war? ????» (sic!)

Publisher’s rating: Das Foto stammt aus einer frühen Phase der Impfstoffentwicklung. Im April 2020 erschien es in einem Bericht, in dem es um die ersten klinischen Tests des Impfstoffs ging.

The claim presents the “15-Mar-20” date on an AstraZeneca vaccine container as evidence that the COVID-19 pandemic was planned. The investigation identifies the image as a photograph of a container labeled “ChAdOx1 nCoV-19” and “15-Mar-20,” but explains that the image’s date does not establish when the vaccine was approved or show that the pandemic was planned. It describes the pictured container as coming from an early phase of vaccine testing. To check the image’s provenance, the review compared it with an earlier photograph in a Press Association report about the start of human vaccine trials. It reports that the earlier image shows containers with the same label and date, with similar ice cubes in the background. It also points to a University of Oxford and AstraZeneca explanatory video showing the containers. This evidence connects the circulating image to vaccine-development reporting and material, rather than to evidence of pandemic planning. The review places the image in the chronology of development: Oxford had begun work on the vaccine in January 2020, and Oxford and AstraZeneca announced their collaboration at the end of April. The first clinical studies in people began in April, with around 500 healthy volunteers. The post’s inference from the date printed on the container is therefore not supported by the provenance and development context described in the review.

Immer wieder werden in den Sozialen Medien Zahlen zur Sterblichkeit in Österreich geteilt. Dass sich die Zahl der Toten im Jahr 2020 von jenen der Jahre davor angeblich kaum unterscheide, soll als Beleg dafür dienen, dass die Corona-Pandemie längst nicht so schlimm sei wie behauptet. «Nur 2020 veranstaltete die Regierung Vollsperren mit allen massiven wirtschaftlichen, demokratischen, gesundheitlichen & seelischen Schäden. Verantwortungslose Maßnahmen, wie die Zahlen eindrucksvoll beweisen», heißt es im Posting (hier archiviert). Als Quelle für die Zahlen wird Statistik Austria genannt.

Publisher’s rating: Die im Posting für 2020 genannte Zahl ist falsch. Ersten vorläufigen Ergebnissen von Statistik Austria zufolge starben im Jahr 2020 mindestens 90 123 Menschen. Die Todeszahlen in den letzten Wochen des Jahres 2020 waren auf einem überdurchschnittlich hohen Niveau.

Nashville nurse developed Bell's palsy after receiving the coronavirus vaccine

Publisher’s rating: Not Legit

MediaWise examined a viral video in which a woman identifying herself as Khalilah Mitchell said she was a registered nurse and had developed Bell’s palsy after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. She also advised viewers against vaccination. The review investigated both her claimed nursing identity and whether the trial reports supported a vaccine-related link to the condition. For the identity question, the review cites the Tennessee Department of Health’s check of its health-professional licensure system: it found no registered nurse named Khalilah Mitchell. The review also reports that Mitchell’s Facebook profile listed her last job as working in a Nashville bakery. The Associated Press tried to contact the woman but received no answer. These details undercut the video’s claim that its speaker was a registered nurse; they do not, by themselves, establish who she was or whether she experienced the condition. The review separately assessed the medical claim. It reports that Bell’s palsy cases occurred among vaccinated participants in both the Pfizer and Moderna trials, but that experts had not established a link to vaccination. Its account of the FDA briefings says the case numbers were consistent with rates in the general population, while the FDA recommended surveillance. Thus, the investigation did not treat the mere occurrence of cases after vaccination as proof that the vaccine caused them. The review’s conclusion rests on the unsupported nursing identity and the absence of an established causal link, not on evidence that the video’s speaker could not have had Bell’s palsy.

Mulher morre em Goiânia após tomar vacina

Publisher’s rating: ENGANOSO: Retirado de contexto, vídeo que viralizou em um perfil no Facebook corta propositadamente os trechos nos quais as palavras "gripe" e "H1N1" são mencionadas. Ainda assim, o laudo de óbito não indica relação entre a morte da idosa e a vacina contra a gripe.

«In queste ore l’Europa mi impone di mettere fuorilegge, perché pericoloso e cancerogeno, il vino, scrivendo sull’etichetta che fa male, come per le sigarette»

Publisher’s rating: Pinocchio andante

The claim refers to Matteo Salvini’s remarks on 3 February, during an appearance on La7’s Otto e mezzo. He said the EU wanted to make wine illegal because it was dangerous and carcinogenic, and to put warnings on its label as it does on cigarettes. Pagella Politica checked what the European Commission’s cancer plan actually proposed and concluded that Salvini’s accusation overstated it. [S1: “Il 3 febbraio, ospite a Otto e mezzo su La7, il segretario della Lega Matteo Salvini si è difeso (min. 16:44) dalle accuse di antieuropeismo, criticando però quella che, secondo lui, sarebbe ora una delle «priorità» dell’Europa. Salvini ha infatti sostenuto che l’Ue vuole «mettere fuorilegge» il vino, considerato «pericoloso e cancerogeno», mettendo delle etichette «come per le sigarette».”] The review says the Commission presented its European Beating Cancer Plan on 3 February. Among its proposed prevention measures was requiring alcoholic beverages to list ingredients, provide nutritional information, and carry health warnings. That proposal covered alcoholic drinks generally, not wine alone. The review therefore distinguishes proposed warnings from a ban: it reports no proposal to outlaw wine. [S1: “Nel piano si legge che la Commissione Ue è intenzionata a proporre l’introduzione prima del 2023 di un nuovo obbligo: quello di indicare sulle bevande alcoliche la lista degli ingredienti, con una tabella nutrizionale ed etichette con avvertimenti per la salute (health warnings on labels).”] [S1: “Dunque, a differenza di quanto detto dal leader della Lega a Otto e mezzo, l’Ue – intesa come Commissione Ue – non vuole vietare o «mettere fuorilegge» il vino, ma rendere più esplicite per i cittadini le conseguenze sulla salute del consumo di alcol in generale.”] The cigarette comparison also leaves out a distinction the review considered important: the plan discussed health warnings, but did not propose cigarette-style imagery for alcohol. The review further notes that the plan was a Commission communication with proposals, not yet legally binding. Its conclusion is thus that the statement conflated proposed alcohol information and warnings with both a wine ban and cigarette-equivalent labels. [S1: “È vero che da alcuni i anni i pacchetti di sigarette hanno immagini molto forti per scoraggiare il consumo di tabacco, ma da nessuna parte il piano della Commissione Ue propone etichette simili per i prodotti alcolici, men che meno per il vino nello specifico.”] [S1: “Come abbiamo sottolineato più volte, non c’è ancora nulla di legalmente vincolante in quanto proposto dalla comunicazione della Commissione al Parlamento e al Consiglio dell’Ue.”]

ASEAN countries have rolled out vaccination programs as well.

Publisher’s rating: Needs Context

Israel already had 50% of its population vaccinated.

Publisher’s rating: Misleading

Mayroon nang 50% ng populasyon ng Israel ang nabakunahan.

Publisher’s rating: Nakaliligaw