FactCheck.org's Weekly Update

The Wuhan Institute of Virology received $600,000 as part of a larger five-year U.S. government grant to a U.S.-based nonprofit studying emerging infectious diseases. But President Donald Trump put the figure at $7.5 million, saying he “ended it.”

President Donald Trump cast doubt on the value of influenza vaccines, saying he only got a flu shot because he was required to as president. “I don’t know if I should have. Who knows?” But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says each year the vaccine saves thousands of lives and prevents tens of thousands of hospitalizations.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren said, “We are right now at … 25,000 new infections a day and 2,000 deaths a day.” White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany called those “some funny numbers.” The disparity is largely a matter of semantics.

President Donald Trump falsely claims that Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s tax plan would result in “doubling and tripling your taxes.”

While the United States has done more total tests for COVID-19 than any other country, it doesn’t lead when testing is measured by other metrics.

The United States has one of the highest rates of COVID-19 deaths per capita in the world. However, President Donald Trump made the false claim that “Germany and the United States are the two best in deaths per 100,000 people.”

President Donald Trump falsely suggested that Pennsylvania was making “no effort” to reopen its economy, which was largely shut down by the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Social media posts targeting former President Barack Obama suggest he will be tried for “treason” and falsely claim that if convicted his title would be “stripped away” along with all his presidential actions.  There’s no support for the claim he’ll be tried for treason, and it’s untrue that any former president’s actions would be undone after such a conviction.

A social media post falsely claims that “the United States is the only country on earth that is protesting” stay-at-home restrictions and business closures. People around the world have opposed mitigation measures designed to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus because of economic hardship and concerns over personal freedoms.

Viral posts on social media falsely claim that a House bill would “give the government the power to forcibly remove” children from their homes. That’s not true. The bill actually provides $100 billion to fund COVID-19 contact tracing efforts. 

Social media posts falsely suggest that meatpacking workers have suffered more COVID-19 cases than health care workers. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there’s an increased risk for workers in both professions, but there have been significantly more cases reported among health care employees.