Plus: We also looked into a claim about President Biden and his use of vetoes (or lack thereof), and we won an award.

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** COVID-19 Vaccines and Pregnancies
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More than 300 million ([link removed]) COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in the U.S., as of this writing. But unfounded, misleading and false claims about the vaccines continue to proliferate online.

FactCheck.org Staff Writer Saranac Hale Spencer recently looked into one popular claim making the rounds, alleging that "920 women" lost babies because they were vaccinated.

As she documents, that number was sourced to unverified reports submitted to safety monitoring systems in the U.S., U.K. and the European Union—all of which accept submissions from anyone on potential adverse events following vaccinations, even if there isn't a known link between the event and the vaccine. We've previously explained ([link removed]) how such reports in the U.S. continue to be misrepresented.

Both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists say that data are limited on the issue of pregnancies and COVID-19 vaccines, but that there have been no indications that the vaccines are dangerous to pregnant people. They note that animal studies showed no safety concerns for the pregnancy or the fetus. And some recent studies have also suggested the vaccines are safe for pregnancies.

The CDC meanwhile warns that "pregnant people with COVID-19 are at increased risk of preterm birth and might be at increased risk of other adverse pregnancy outcomes compared with pregnant women without COVID-19."

Read the full story, "Evidence Points to Safety of COVID-19 Vaccines for Pregnant People ([link removed]) ."
HOW WE KNOW
Caitlyn Jenner, a Republican candidate for California governor, claimed that "50% of all homeless people" in the U.S. "live in California." We turned to Department of Housing and Urban Development estimates ([link removed]) , which place the number at about half of what Jenner said. Read more ([link removed]) .
FEATURED FACT
A mutation is one change to the genetic sequence of a virus, while a variant is a distinct virus, typically with several mutations. Here's what we know about COVID-19 variants and how the vaccines stack up against them (hint: so far, pretty well) ([link removed]) .
WORTHY OF NOTE
Humble brag: We won a cool fact-checking award from the Society of Professional Journalists. The award was for a 2020 story ([link removed]) in which we documented 46 false and misleading claims that then-President Donald Trump made in campaign speeches over five days. Read about the award ([link removed]) .
REPLY ALL

Reader: Why don’t you allow comments on your biased "fact checks"? Could it be that you would be destroyed?

FactCheck.org Director Eugene Kiely: Hi. Our mission is to reduce the confusion in U.S. politics, not add to it. But you can express your opinions on our social media pages. We can be found on Facebook ([link removed]) , Twitter ([link removed]) , Tumblr ([link removed]) and Instagram ([link removed]) .


** Wrapping Up
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Here's what else we've got for you this week:
* "Presidential Vetoes Rare in Unified Government ([link removed]) ": Republican Sen. John Barrasso predicted President Joe Biden will "go down in history as a president who has never vetoed a bill"—suggesting that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Leader Chuck Schumer are "running the show." But Biden not vetoing anything thus far isn't an anomaly: When the same party controls the House, Senate and White House, presidents rarely veto legislation that comes to their desk.

* "Viral Video Misleadingly Questions Safety of Nasal Swabs ([link removed]) ": A chemical widely used to sterilize medical devices is also used for nasal swabs in COVID-19 testing. But a viral video misleadingly suggests that the swabs are dangerous—saying that the chemical causes cancer and can alter DNA. Experts say the chemical’s use in this context does not pose a threat to human health.

* "Posts Falsely Tie Evangelical Leader to Cannabis Product ([link removed]) ": A viral Facebook post, which links to a webpage that misrepresents itself as a Fox News report, pushes the false story that evangelical Christian leader Charles Stanley sells CBD, a cannabis product. Stanley’s organization said the story is a "scam."

* "Research Rebuts Claims Linking COVID-19 Vaccines to Male Infertility ([link removed]) ": A new study found there was no negative effect on sperm levels in men after receiving the COVID-19 vaccines, undercutting suggestions that the shots affect male fertility. But social media posts have made the baseless claim that vaccinated men "are effectively sterile."

Y lo que publicamos en español (English versions are accessible in each story):
* "Redes sociales y comentaristas distorsionan correos de Fauci ([link removed]) ": Miles de páginas de correos electrónicos enviados y recibidos por el doctor Anthony Fauci ahora están a disposición del público, aunque editados, gracias a solicitudes de periodistas mediante la Ley de Libertad de Información. El contenido de algunos de ellos ha sido distorsionado en las redes sociales, especialmente los que hablan del uso de mascarillas, los orígenes del coronavirus y la efectividad de la hidroxicloroquina.

Have a question about COVID-19 and the vaccines? Visit our SciCheck page ([link removed]) for answers. It's available in Spanish ([link removed]) , too.
Donate to Support Our Work ([link removed])

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