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** FactCheck.org's Weekly Update
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March 28, 2020
** SciCheck
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Trump Hypes Potential COVID-19 Drugs, But Evidence So Far Is Slim ([link removed]) Posted on Wednesday, March 25th, 2020
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President Donald Trump has enthusiastically pushed the use of two malaria drugs — one in combination with an antibiotic — to treat COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. But there is currently only limited evidence to suggest the drugs are effective against the new virus.
** FactCheck Posts
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Birx Spins ‘Extraordinarily Low Numbers’ of Coronavirus Cases ([link removed]) Posted on Friday, March 27th, 2020
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Dr. Deborah Birx, the coordinator of the White House coronavirus task force, misleadingly claimed that 19 states — “almost 40% of the country” — “have less than 200 cases” of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. In fact, 17 states with 7.2% of the U.S. population have fewer than 200 confirmed cases each.
Trump’s Premature Claim about Ventilator Production ([link removed]) Posted on Friday, March 27th, 2020
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In a March 21 press briefing, President Donald Trump prematurely declared that automakers, including Ford and General Motors, were manufacturing much needed ventilators “right now.”
Video: Trump’s Exaggerated COVID-19 Drug Claims ([link removed]) Posted on Friday, March 27th, 2020
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In this video, we look at President Donald Trump’s misleading claim that there’s “very strong evidence” to support his hope that a malaria drug can treat COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
Trump’s Misleading Ventilator Counter-Punch at Cuomo ([link removed]) Posted on Thursday, March 26th, 2020
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Hitting back at New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s pleas for the federal government to provide more ventilators, President Donald Trump misleadingly claimed Cuomo rejected a 2015 recommendation to purchase 15,000 ventilators and instead “established death panels” and “lotteries.”
Trump’s Faulty Testing Claims ([link removed]) Posted on Thursday, March 26th, 2020
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President Donald Trump and coronavirus task force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx said the United States had done more testing for COVID-19 infections in eight days than South Korea had done in eight weeks, but that ignores the fact that South Korea has a much smaller population. On a per-capita basis, the U.S. lags behind the Asian country, and other nations.
Trump’s Suspect Spanish Flu Claims ([link removed]) Posted on Wednesday, March 25th, 2020
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President Donald Trump recently said “close to 100 million people died” from the 1918 Spanish flu, and that “if you got it you had a 50/50 chance, or very close, of dying.” But 100 million is a high-end estimate of global deaths from that influenza pandemic, and we found no evidence the case fatality rate for those who had it was 50%.
Correcting Trump’s Press Conference Misinformation ([link removed]) Posted on Tuesday, March 24th, 2020
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President Donald Trump has been holding daily press conferences to provide the latest information about the coronavirus from the federal government, but his rhetoric has sometimes been imprecise, misleading or outright incorrect.
Biden Video on Trump ‘Silencing’ Expert ([link removed]) Posted on Tuesday, March 24th, 2020
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Over the weekend, the Biden campaign posted a video that claims the Trump administration silenced Dr. Nancy Messonnier for “speaking out” about the new coronavirus at a Feb. 25 press briefing. But the campaign’s support for the claim is awfully thin.
** Debunking False Stories
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Meme Misleads on Hospital Visits to Children With COVID-19 ([link removed]) Posted on Friday, March 27th, 2020
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A viral meme suggests that children hospitalized with COVID-19 in the U.S. and U.K. can’t be visited by a parent. Hospital policies have become generally more restrictive, but pediatric patients are still allowed visits by at least one parent.
Coronavirus Hasn’t Contaminated Crab Legs ([link removed]) Posted on Friday, March 27th, 2020
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A viral post disguised as a TV news report falsely claims that crab legs have been contaminated with the novel coronavirus. The pandemic has affected the flow of seafood from foreign markets, but crab is safe to eat.
Martial Law Isn’t ‘Imminent’ ([link removed]) Posted on Wednesday, March 25th, 2020
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Viral social media posts and videos have falsely claimed that “martial law [is] imminent” in the U.S. Those bogus reports are being pushed in some cases by those who sell emergency and survivalist products.
Viral Post Twists Biden’s Words About VP Nominee ([link removed]) Posted on Wednesday, March 25th, 2020
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A viral social media post wrongly states that former Vice President Joe Biden told donors “he will not be president for very long” if elected. Biden merely said that he would seek an experienced vice presidential running mate who would be prepared to step into the presidency “if something happened.”
False Claim of Congressional Pay Raises in Stimulus Bill ([link removed]) Posted on Wednesday, March 25th, 2020
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Facebook posts falsely claim that House Democrats included $25 million to boost their own salaries in their proposal for the coronavirus-related stimulus package. That funding is not for legislators’ pay increases; it’s also in the bill being advanced by the Republican-controlled Senate.
Posts Distort Facts on Coronavirus Air Transmission, Masks ([link removed]) Posted on Tuesday, March 24th, 2020
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Facebook posts make the unsubstantiated suggestion that the novel coronavirus is infectious in the air for “8 hrs,” and falsely claim that “everyone is required to wear mask everywhere!” There is also no requirement for healthy people to wear masks; experts say health care workers need them most.
2020 Census Not Tied to Coronavirus Relief Payments ([link removed]) Posted on Monday, March 23rd, 2020
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The Trump administration and Congress are still negotiating a coronavirus economic stimulus package that will provide direct payments to some Americans. But this much is clear: eligibility will not depend on whether Americans respond to the 2020 census, as recent social media posts claim.
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