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An update from FactCheck.org
Travelers at Los Angeles International Airport on Dec. 21. Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images.


** Omicron: The Uninvited Holiday Guest
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As the song goes, there's no place like home for the holidays. But that Tennessee man heading to Pennsylvania for some homemade pumpkin pie might be carrying home more than just gifts.

As Managing Editor Lori Robertson writes, omicron is now the dominant variant in the United States, and it is highly transmissible. Lori writes:

Hong Kong University researchers released information from an early lab study, not peer-reviewed, on Dec. 15 that found the omicron variant multiplies in respiratory-tract tissue 70 times faster than delta or the original SARS-CoV-2 over the first 24 hours, "which may explain why Omicron may transmit faster between humans than previous variant," a press release ([link removed]) on the findings said.

In her article, "Early Data on Omicron ([link removed]) ," Lori reviews the available preliminary data on transmission, vaccine effectiveness and severity of disease. She also reports:
* There is some evidence that omicron could have a shorter incubation period.
* Lab and real-world studies, not yet peer-reviewed, indicate COVID-19 vaccines are less effective against omicron — but booster doses provide increased protection and the primary doses are likely to retain some protection against severe illness.
* Early anecdotal reports and a few preliminary studies have suggested omicron could cause less severe disease than other variants, but the virulence is still being studied.

Read her story for all the details. Please stay safe, so you can enjoy the holidays!

This is our last newsletter for this year. See you in 2022.
FUNDRAISING DRIVE UPDATE
A big THANKS to all who have contributed so far to our annual fundraising drive ([link removed]) . In our first seven days, we have received 205 online donations totaling $30,300. Want to help support our work? Credit card donations may be made through our “Donate” page ([link removed]) , or by sending a check to: FactCheck.org, Annenberg Public Policy Center, 202 S. 36th St., Philadelphia, PA 19104-3806. Make checks payable to “The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania” with a note in the memo field indicating the donation is for FactCheck.org. Thank you!
FEATURED FACT
On Dec. 16, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began recommending the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna shots over Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine. The CDC also said the J&J vaccine will remain available and vaccination with any vaccine is better than going unvaccinated. For more information, read "A Guide to Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 Vaccine, ([link removed]) " which we updated on Dec. 20 with the latest information about the vaccine.
WORTHY OF NOTE
FactCheck.org staffer Catalina Jaramillo, a Chilean-born journalist who joined us in January, was featured in a YES! magazine article ([link removed]) on Spanish-language COVID-19 misinformation.

As a member of our SciCheck team, Catalina writes ([link removed]) fact-checking COVID-19 articles for us, translates ([link removed]) our COVID-19 articles into Spanish, and copy edits the translations of others. Oh, and she also helps produce videos ([link removed]) in both languages with our partner, Univision Noticias.

Since she joined our staff, we have published more than 130 ([link removed]) COVID-19 articles and videos in Spanish.
REPLY ALL

Reader: Have stillbirths increased in women who have been vaccinated for Covid-19?

FactCheck.org Director Eugene Kiely: No. I don't know the reason for your question, but there have been viral online articles making false claims about the rise of stillbirths in Canada -- which we wrote about last week. (See "Doctor Makes False Claim About Stillbirths in Canadian Hospitals ([link removed]) .")

The viral articles were based on unsupported claims made by Dr. Daniel Nagase, a Canadian family physician, who said that COVID-19 vaccines are the cause of an “increase in stillbirths” in Canada, specifically in Vancouver and Ontario. Canadian health officials refute that claim. Celso Pereira, a spokesperson for the regional health authority Vancouver Coastal Health, told us in an email: "There has been no notable change to the incidence of stillbirths in the VCH region throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. This type of disinformation adds unnecessary stress to expecting parents who have received a COVID-19 vaccine, on health-care staff who must reassure their patients, and on the health-care system, as resources are stretched further during the ongoing pandemic response." Pereira added, "COVID-19 vaccines are recommended for pregnant women and safe for both mother and fetus."

Dr. Peter Potts, joint chief of staff at Grand River Hospital in the Waterloo region of Ontario, told the Canadian news site CityNews ([link removed]) that its stillbirth rate this year is "0.41%, which is our average." Potts also said, “we feel COVID vaccinations during pregnancy are a normal part to prenatal care and the obstetricians and midwives in the community strongly support the vaccination during pregnancy. There is a growing body of evidence that the vaccination is safe.”

In our article, we wrote this about the U.S.:

On its website, the CDC says ([link removed]) “the benefits of receiving a COVID-19 vaccine outweigh any known or potential risks of vaccination during pregnancy.” In fact, the CDC says, “people who have COVID-19 during pregnancy are at increased risk of preterm birth and stillbirth.”

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists also recommends ([link removed]) that pregnant and lactating individuals get vaccinated.


** Wrapping Up
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Here's what else we've got for you this week:
* "Increase in COVID-19 VAERS Reports Due To Reporting Requirements, Intense Scrutiny of Widely Given Vaccines ([link removed]) ": Expanded reporting requirements and intense scrutiny of the hundreds of millions administered COVID-19 vaccine doses have driven record reporting of potential side effects to one of the government’s vaccine safety monitoring systems. Social media posts, however, have misleadingly insinuated that the increase in reports means the vaccines are unsafe.
* "Article Makes Unfounded Claims Linking Athletes’ Injuries, Deaths to Vaccines ([link removed]) ": Many U.S. athletes have been vaccinated against COVID-19 without any adverse effects. But a conservative outlet has cited a list of supposedly vaccine-injured athletes to claim “there may be something wrong with the vaccine.” There’s no proof that the listed athletes — most of them are actually retired — were harmed by the vaccines.
* "COVID-19 Far More Lethal Than a Cold, Contrary to Suggestion in Viral Video ([link removed]) ": COVID-19 has killed more than 805,000 people in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Yet a viral video on social media suggests the disease is the same as a “common cold.” COVID-19 is in the same family of some cold viruses, but its potential for a severe outcome — including death — is much higher than for the common cold.
* "Viral Story Takes Fauci COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Comments Out of Context ([link removed]) ": The COVID-19 vaccines available in the U.S. were found to be safe and effective in clinical trials and real-world conditions. Dr. Anthony Fauci did not admit that "Covid Vaccines May Actually Make People 'Worse,'" as a viral headline misleadingly claims. Fauci's March 2020 remarks about testing future vaccines for potential safety issues were taken out of context.
* "‘Santa’ Detained at Unregistered Protest, Not ‘Arrested’ for Mask Violation ([link removed]) ": An increase in pandemic restrictions in Germany sparked a protest at a market, where a man dressed as Santa Claus was briefly detained. Online posts falsely claimed he was arrested for not wearing a mask. But police said he was detained for participating in an unregistered protest.
* "Facebook Post Recycles Misleading Assessment of Vulnerable and Endangered Species ([link removed]) ": Climate change and other human-caused factors continue to put many species at risk, according to conservation groups. But a social media post misleadingly claims polar bears, whales and koala populations are “recovered” or increasing. All three species remain critically endangered or vulnerable, the International Union for Conservation of Nature says.

Y lo que publicamos en español ([link removed]) (English versions are accessible in each story):
* "Preguntas y respuestas sobre la variante ómicron ([link removed]) ": El 24 de noviembre, Sudáfrica notificó a la Organización Mundial de la Salud que en medio de un reciente aumento en los casos de COVID-19 había identificado una nueva variante. La posteriormente llamada variante ómicron, tenía un alto número de mutaciones, lo que generó la preocupación de que podría propagarse más fácilmente que otras variantes del coronavirus. Repasaremos lo que sabemos hasta ahora sobre la variante ómicron.
* "Publicación saca conclusiones prematuras sobre la gravedad de la variante ómicron del COVID-19 ([link removed]) ": Aún no se sabe si la variante ómicron produce casos de COVID-19 más o menos graves que la variante delta, aunque algunos indicios preliminares sugieren que las infecciones por ómicron podrían ser más leves. Sin embargo, una publicación en Facebook afirma infundadamente que la “toxicidad” de ómicron es cinco veces mayor que la de delta y que su tasa de mortalidad es más alta.
* "Investigadores estudian si los enjuagues bucales pueden reducir la carga viral y la transmisión del COVID-19 ([link removed]) ": Durante una reunión municipal celebrada el 8 de diciembre, el senador Ron Johnson pudo haber creado un malentendido al decir que “está demostrado que hacer gárgaras, el enjuague bucal, mata al coronavirus”. Si bien en estudios de laboratorio se ha visto que algunos enjuagues bucales bloquean la infectividad o suprimen el SARS-CoV-2, los estudios en personas que usan enjuagues bucales no son concluyentes. Los investigadores continúan estudiando el asunto.
* "No hay evidencia confiable de que las vacunas de ARNm contra el COVID-19 ‘aumenten dramáticamente’ el riesgo de ataque cardíaco, contrariamente a lo que dice un resumen defectuoso ([link removed]) ": No hay conocimiento de que las vacunas contra el COVID-19 administradas en Estados Unidos aumenten el riesgo de ataque cardíaco. Pero publicaciones en las redes sociales han malinterpretado un resumen en una revista de la Asociación Estadounidense del Corazón como prueba de que la vacuna mata. La publicación emitió una “expresión de preocupación” sobre el resumen “hasta que se pueda publicar una corrección adecuada”.

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.
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