CLAIM: COVID-19 is “fading.” A second wave is unlikely because younger and healthy people don’t easily catch or spread it, so the virus “struggles to spread any more.”
THE FACTS: Data show the pandemic is spreading in the United States, not fading.
On Legionnaires' disease being misdiagnosed as COVID-19
CLAIM: People are getting Legionnaires’ disease from bacteria in masks and the cases are being mistaken for coronavirus, driving the spike in cases.
THE FACTS: Legionnaires’ disease is a severe form of pneumonia that is caused by inhaling tiny water droplets containing Legionella bacteria. It is not spread person to person, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
CLAIM: Mail-in ballots are not the same thing as absentee ballots. One can be verified and the other cannot.
THE FACTS: Some states mail ballots to every registered voter, while other states only mail ballots to voters who request them, but both are subject to a series of checks to verify voter identity and prevent fraud.
CLAIM: Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, a freshman congresswoman from Minnesota who is up for re-election this year, vowed to cut Social Security entitlements for seniors if she wins another term.
THE FACTS: There is no evidence Omar ever said this. The article being shared on social media this week matches the text of an older, satirical article.
CLAIM: Footage from the Beirut explosion shows a missile striking the site just before the blast.
THE FACTS: The video, which was circulating on YouTube and Twitter, has been manipulated to add what appears to be a cartoon missile. There is no evidence Tuesday’s explosion was an attack of any kind.
On Bill Gates hiring former Ohio health director Dr. Amy Acton
CLAIM: Documents reveal former Ohio health director Dr. Amy Acton, who was among the first in the nation to propose strict stay-at-home orders to prevent the spread of coronavirus, is going to work for billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates in her new job.
THE FACTS: Acton is going to work at The Columbus Foundation, which is not run by Gates, nor has it received funding from his foundation.
