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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

FACTLYHealth & medicine

Only five countries in the world have made COVID-19 vaccine. India’s vaccine is the most effective one

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The post made two linked assertions: that only five countries had made COVID-19 vaccines and that India’s Bharat Biotech vaccine, COVAXIN, was the most effective. FACTLY rejects both. It reports that the World Health Organization’s vaccine landscape listed 63 candidates in clinical development and 172 in pre-clinical development as of 5 January 2021, and names developers in countries including India, the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, Japan, China, Canada, Germany and Kazakhstan. That evidence establishes involvement by more than five countries, while the review also notes that companies and government establishments were developing vaccines.

Deutsche Presse-AgenturHealth & medicine

Die Beschränkungen des öffentlichen Lebens zur Eindämmung des Corona-Virus stoßen nicht überall auf Verständnis. In einem Facebook-Video (archiviert hier) werden Krawalle kurz vor dem Jahreswechsel gezeigt. Angeblich stellten sie die aktuelle Situation in Spanien dar, über die in deutschen Medien nicht berichtet werde.

Publisher’s rating: Das Video stammt bereits von Oktober 2020 und zeigt die damalige Situation im Arbeiterviertel Gamonal der nordspanischen Stadt Burgos. Über die gewaltsamen Auseinandersetzungen in Spanien wurde sowohl in spanischen, wie auch deutschen Medien berichtet.

The claim attributes footage of street clashes shortly before New Year to Spain’s then-current situation and alleges that German media did not report on the events. The review identifies the footage as showing an earlier incident: unrest in Gamonal, a working-class neighborhood of Burgos in northern Spain, in October 2020—not a new event at the turn of the year. It also disputes the claim that the clashes went unreported in Germany. For the video’s location and timing, the review says the Spanish news portal El Plural placed the internet video in Burgos, specifically Gamonal, in an article dated October 31. It adds that a version posted to YouTube the previous day also pointed to Burgos. These details support the review’s conclusion that the clip was being recirculated from an October event rather than depicting the situation shortly before New Year. The review describes coverage by both Spanish and German outlets. It says the Madrid newspaper ABC reported on the clashes, while ZDF focused on contemporaneous unrest in Barcelona. WELT also focused on Barcelona, but its article mentioned Burgos among other cities. Thus, the claim’s suggestion that German media did not report on events in Spain leaves out coverage that the review identifies, including WELT’s mention of Burgos.

Deutsche Presse-AgenturHealth & medicine

Menschen in Pflegeheimen können, bedingt durch die Corona-Pandemie, Besucher nur mit Auflagen empfangen - wie zum Beispiel negativen Schnelltests. Wenn in den Einrichtungen allerdings Menschen geimpft werden, soll die «Presse samt Kamerateams dort ohne weiteres Zutritt haben». Diese Behauptung wird auf Facebook geteilt (hier archiviert). Stimmt sie auch?

Publisher’s rating: Für diese pauschale Behauptung gibt es keine Belege. Viele der Pressetermine zum Impfstart in Deutschland fanden unter strengen Auflagen auch für Medienvertreter und andere Anwesende statt. Zum Teil wurde der Zugang auch auf einige wenige Journalistinnen und Journalisten beschränkt.

The claim concerns press access during Covid-19 vaccination visits to German care homes. The review examines several press events at the start of the vaccination campaign and finds that media access was not unrestricted: journalists were subject to protective measures, and one event used a limited-access arrangement. At the first vaccination in Germany, in a senior centre in Halberstadt on 26 December 2020, journalists were present to record the event. The Harz district, which organized the appointment, told dpa that media representatives had to take rapid tests and were supplied with FFP2 masks. At the official vaccination launch in Saxony-Anhalt the following day, rapid tests and mask requirements also applied, according to the state government’s clarification cited in the review. The review also describes a Berlin care-home photo appointment on 27 December. The operator told dpa that rapid tests and FFP2 masks were required. Access was restricted through a pool arrangement: only a few media representatives could take pictures, which were then shared with other newsrooms. These examples do not support the claim that press and camera crews could enter care homes without conditions.

Deutsche Presse-AgenturHealth & medicine

Auch Monate nach dem Ausbruch des Coronavirus in Österreich bezweifeln immer noch zahlreiche Social-Media-User die Echtheit der Pandemie. Derzeit kursiert etwa ein oft geteiltes Posting auf Facebook (hier archiviert), das die Zahl der Sterbefälle in den Jahren 2015 bis 2020 der Statistik Austria zeigen soll. Im Jahr 2020 soll es 83 971 Sterbefälle gegeben haben. Die geringe Veränderung im Vergleich zu den Vorjahren wird offenbar als Beleg dafür genommen, dass es die Pandemie nicht geben kann. «WO IST DIE PANDEMIE????????????», heißt es in dem Posting.

Publisher’s rating: Die Sterbestatistik für Österreich für das Jahr 2020 existiert bis jetzt (Stand 7. Jänner 2021) noch gar nicht. Vorläufigen Daten der Statistik Austria zufolge gab es in den ersten 50 Wochen des Jahres bereits 85 109 Gestorbene, der im Posting angegebene Wert für 2020 ist also falsch.

The post cited in the review claimed that Austria had 83,971 deaths in 2020, presenting the figure alongside 2015–2019 statistics and suggesting that little change from earlier years showed there could be no pandemic. The review checked whether the 2020 figure was an official Statistik Austria annual total. It reports that no final death statistics for 2020 had yet been published, so the post could not accurately present its figure as the completed annual statistic. The review gives the more current provisional comparison available at the time: Statistik Austria figures covered the first 50 weeks of 2020, through 13 December, and recorded 85,109 deaths. That provisional total already exceeded the post’s purported full-year figure of 83,971. A Statistik Austria spokesperson told dpa that the posted number had not been published by the agency and that the agency did not know where it came from. This directly undermines the post’s use of 83,971 as an official 2020 total. The review also reports relevant context omitted by the post’s comparison: deaths had been unusually high in late 2020. It cites Statistik Austria reporting that deaths in calendar week 47—16 to 22 November—were 58 percent above the average for the comparable period in 2015–2019, and that deaths remained high in week 49. The review says the post’s figures for 2015–2019 did match Statistik Austria; the problem was its unsupported 2020 figure and the inference drawn from it.

Deutsche Presse-AgenturHealth & medicine

Der Einsatz des Corona-Impfstoffs des Unternehmens Biontech und seines US-Partners Pfizer hat nach seiner Zulassung in mehreren Ländern begonnen. Nun kursieren Behauptungen über dessen Nebenwirkungen. So heißt es in einem Artikel: «Mindestens sechs Menschen sind Medienangaben zufolge bei den Testlaufs gestorben.» (hier archiviert) Weiterhin wird behauptet: «Bis zu 84 Prozent der Geimpften berichteten bei den Testlaufs von zahlreichen Nebenwirkungen wie Müdigkeit, Kopf-, Muskel- oder Gelenkschmerzen sowie Schüttelfrost oder Fieber.» Bei vielen Geimpften seien die Lymphknoten angeschwollen.

Publisher’s rating: Während der Studien-Phase starben von mehr als 43 000 Teilnehmern zwei Personen, die das echte Präparat bekommen hatten, und vier aus der Placebo-Gruppe. Rund 80 Prozent der Geimpften berichteten über Schmerzen an der Einstichstelle - Fieber oder Schüttelfrost traten deutlich seltener auf.

The claims concern deaths and side effects among people in the BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine trial. The review reports that six of the 43,448 participants died during the study, but four were in the comparison group and had not received the vaccine. The two deaths among vaccinated participants were described as involving a heart attack in one case and a pre-existing condition in the other. These trial deaths do not support treating all six as deaths caused by vaccination. [S1: “Sechs der 43 448 Teilnehmer verstarben im Studienzeitraum - das entspricht rund 0,01 Prozent.”; “Vier davon stammten aus der Vergleichsgruppe, bekamen also keinen Impfstoff verabreicht.”; “Einer der beiden verstorbenen, tatsächlich geimpften Teilnehmer hatte ebenfalls einen Infarkt, die zweite Person hatte eine Vorerkrankung.”] The review attributes the side-effect figures to a scientific report by researchers involved in the Phase 3 study. Pain at the injection site was most common: after the first dose, it was reported by 83 percent of younger participants and 71 percent of older participants. Other effects were reported at lower rates and varied by age and dose. For example, after the second dose, fever occurred in 16 percent of younger and 11 percent of older participants; muscle pain occurred in 37 percent and 29 percent, respectively. Thus, the 84 percent figure does not describe the proportion reporting the collection of effects listed in the claim. [S1: “Am häufigsten kann es dem Fachartikel zufolge lokale Schmerzen an der Einstichstelle geben - nach der ersten Dosis bei 83 Prozent der Jüngeren und 71 Prozent der Älteren.”; “Fieber sei nach der zweiten von zwei Impfdosen bei 16 Prozent der jüngeren (zwischen 16 und 55 Jahren) und bei 11 Prozent der älteren Studienteilnehmer (älter als 55 Jahre) aufgetreten.”; “Muskelschmerzen traten laut der Studie bei 37 Prozent der Jüngeren und bei 29 Prozent der Älteren auf.”] The review also reports that 64 vaccinated participants complained of swollen lymph nodes, which were mostly not classified as severe side effects. It separately notes four vaccinated participants with severe side effects. These details distinguish reported symptoms from severe reactions; the excerpt does not say that lymph-node swelling affected most vaccinated participants. [S1: “Genannt werden von 21 720 geimpften Teilnehmern vier, bei denen «starke» («severe») Nebenwirkungen auftraten.”; “64 Geimpfte beklagten Schwellungen der Lymphknoten, was zumeist allerdings nicht als schwere Nebenwirkung eingestuft wurde.”]

Deutsche Presse-AgenturHealth & medicine

Op Facebook deelde een man een video waarin de pas verkozen vicepresident van de Vereinigde Staten Kamala Harris het vaccin tegen COVID-19 toegediend krijgt (hier gearchiveerd). "Net echt elke keer", schrijft een man al lachend bij de video, waarmee hij insinueert dat het om een nepvaccinatie gaat. Maar klopt dat wel?

Publisher’s rating: Kersvers vicepresident Kamala Harris kreeg het vaccin tegen COVID-19 wel degelijk toegediend. De post past in het rijtje van berichten die stellen dat het 'beschermkapje' nog op de spuit zit, waardoor de vaccinatie niet echt zou zijn. Het bericht werd met dezelfde foute boodschap gedeeld in verschillende landen.

The post questioned whether Kamala Harris had really received a COVID-19 vaccination, implying that the visible protective cap meant the injection was fake. The review places the video in its chronology: Harris was vaccinated in Washington, D.C., on December 29, 2020, and a man posted his challenge to the vaccination on Facebook the following day. The review says her husband, Douglas Emhoff, was vaccinated shortly afterward with Moderna’s vaccine, and that U.S. media covered Harris’s vaccination and Harris confirmed it on Twitter. The review examines what the video actually shows rather than treating the cap’s presence as proof of a sham. It reports that the cap hangs loose from the needle as the needle enters Harris’s arm. After the needle is withdrawn, the nurse replaces the cap. The review also points to photographs from Twitter and Getty Images in which the cap is visible. These details support the distinction central to the claim: seeing a cap attached to the needle does not establish that the needle was not used. The review additionally compares the object with vaccine-syringe protective caps shown on pharmaceutical-company websites and cites a Rijksvaccinatieprogramma video demonstrating safe removal of a cap. Its conclusion is that the Facebook video does not substantiate the insinuation that Harris’s vaccination was fake.

FACTLYHealth & medicine

190 countries have pre-booked the Bharat Biotech COVID-19 vaccine that India has developed

Publisher’s rating: MISLEADING

The post said that 190 countries had pre-booked Bharat Biotech’s COVID-19 vaccine, Covaxin, and presented this as a government success. FACTLY’s review examined whether the figure of 190 referred to orders for Covaxin. It distinguishes the vaccine developed by Bharat Biotech with ICMR and the National Institute of Virology from the COVAX agreement involving the Serum Institute of India (SII). The review says COVAX had agreements with 190 participating and eligible economies to access nearly two billion doses of vaccine candidates in the first half of 2021. It also reports that SII had signed an agreement with Gavi and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to manufacture 200 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, with doses to be supplied to participating countries. Thus, the 190-country figure concerned access through COVAX, not pre-bookings of Bharat Biotech’s vaccine. As described in the review, Covaxin had received approval for restricted emergency use in India, but it was not listed among COVAX or CEPI agreements. The review therefore says it was not part of the cited arrangement for distributing vaccines to the participating countries. The post conflated that arrangement, in which SII was a signatory, with an order for Covaxin.

Deutsche Presse-AgenturHealth & medicine

Die Corona-Pandemie belastet die Kliniken in Deutschland durch die große Zahl an Patientinnen und Patienten mit speziellem Pflegebedarf. In einem Facebook-Beitrag (archiviert hier) heißt es kurz vor dem Jahreswechsel, im Jahr 2020 seien in Deutschland doppelt so viele Kliniken geschlossen worden als im Durchschnitt der letzten Jahre - nämlich 17. Und das «mitten in der größten Pandemie der Weltgeschichte».

Publisher’s rating: Zuletzt machten im bundesweiten Schnitt 13 Kliniken pro Jahr dicht. Die Gesamtzahl der 2020 geschlossenen Kliniken wird erst frühestens im März 2021 vom Statistischen Bundesamt erwartet. Zudem sagt die Gesamtzahl der Kliniken wenig über die Qualität medizinischer Versorgung aus.

FACTLYHealth & medicine

India is providing COVID-19 vaccine free of cost, whereas US & UK are charging Rs. 5000 and Rs. 3000 per dose

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The claim concerns who would pay for COVID-19 vaccination in India, the United States and the United Kingdom, and says that vaccination was free in India but would cost Indian-rupee equivalents of Rs. 5,000 in the US and Rs. 3,000 in the UK. The review directly addresses that comparison. It reports that the US and UK planned to provide vaccination to their citizens without charge, with their governments funding vaccine purchases rather than passing the vaccine cost on to recipients. For the US, the review cites CDC information that people would be vaccinated free. It adds that providers’ administration fees would be reimbursed by public or private insurance, or, for uninsured people, through the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Provider Relief Fund. It also says the CARES Act addressed this arrangement and points to state health department information from Washington, California and Alaska describing vaccination as free. For the UK, the review says the government would provide vaccination free through the National Health Service, while buying doses under its vaccine agreements. For India, it reports that the Union Health Minister said inoculation would be free and quotes a January 2, 2021 announcement promising free vaccination in the first phase for priority beneficiaries, including healthcare and frontline workers. These are claims about what recipients would pay, not whether governments paid for vaccine doses. The review also reports expected Indian government procurement prices: Rs. 200 per dose for the first 100 million Oxford-AstraZeneca doses manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, and a reported Rs. 350 price for Bharat Biotech’s vaccine, which the review notes the company had not officially announced. Those figures describe government purchasing, not the Rs. 5,000 and Rs. 3,000 charges asserted in the post. The review’s evidence therefore distinguishes vaccine costs to governments from charges to people receiving vaccination.

Deutsche Presse-AgenturHealth & medicine

Les campagnes de vaccination contre le coronavirus battent leur plein à travers le monde. Aux États-Unis, Kamala Harris, notamment, a reçu l’injection face aux caméras et appareils photo le 29 décembre 2020. A l'instar de nombreux internautes qui pensent que la seringue se retracte ou qu'il s'agit d'une fausse vaccination, un utilisateur suisse de Facebook doute du fait que la politicienne américaine ait été vaccinée. Il affirme sur Facebook que tout cela n'est que mise en scène : « Regardez tous ces faux-jetons qui se font filmer en "montrant l'exemple". Combien de politiciens nous prendrons (sic!) encore pour des cons??? Aucun d'eux ne reçoit réllement (sic!) d'injection. »

Publisher’s rating: Rien, dans les images vidéo, ne prouve que quelque chose a été feint lors de la vaccination de la vice-présidente américaine. Après l’injection, l’infirmière active un mécanisme de sécurité propre à de nombreuses seringues (capuchon de protection de type BD Eclipse). Des images en haute définition de la vaccination montrent bien l’aiguille.

The claim concerns footage of Kamala Harris receiving a COVID-19 vaccination in the United States on December 29, 2020. A Swiss Facebook user alleged that politicians filmed “setting an example” were not actually being injected. The review examined the vaccination video and related photographs, addressing both the claim that the syringe retracted and the interpretation of a pink piece visible at the end of the syringe. As the review describes the allegation and event, “un utilisateur suisse de Facebook doute du fait que la politicienne américaine ait été vaccinée” and the footage concerns the injection “le 29 décembre 2020.” The review reports that the video images do show Harris being vaccinated. It says the social-media versions had reduced quality, while higher-quality Fox News images show the needle at two points in the video, and a Reuters photograph also shows it. The review’s evidence is specific to the claimed vaccination: “À différents moments, sur les images de Fox News, on voit l’aiguille biseautée de la seringue (à 1:23 et 1 :33 dans la vidéo). L’aiguille est également visible sur une photo de l’agence Reuters.” The review also addresses the pink fitting that appears folded over the needle after the injection. It identifies this as a post-injection safety feature, not evidence that an injection was faked: “Quant à l’embout rose replié sur l’aiguille au bout de la seringue à la fin à l'aide du fauteuil, il sert de protection post-vaccination.” It reports that photographs from Getty and AFP show the fitting positioned at a right angle during the injection, and that the needle was outside this fitting while inserted in Harris’s arm. Taken together, the described high-definition footage, photograph, and safety mechanism explain why the review did not consider the footage evidence of a staged vaccination.