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An update from FactCheck.org


** The 411 on Monkeypox
------------------------------------------------------------

It's not enough that we're still dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, but now there is a new viral outbreak that has health officials concerned.

This time, it’s monkeypox, a much less dangerous relative of smallpox.

The first cases of the disease began cropping up in early and mid-May in Europe and other places outside of Central and West Africa, where monkeypox is endemic. As of June 3, there have been 25 confirmed cases in the United States, according to ([link removed]) the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

It's the worst U.S. outbreak of monkeypox since 2003, when there were 47 cases ([link removed]) .

The outbreak is unusual and abnormally large, but experts say the risk to most individuals is very low.

What is monkeypox? How is it transmitted? What are the symptoms and how severe is it? Science Editor Jessica McDonald answers those and other questions in her article "Q&A on Monkeypox ([link removed]) ."
HOW WE KNOW
In researching our "Q&A on Biden’s Gun Proposals ([link removed]) ," we relied on data from the National Center for Health Statistics ([link removed]) , which provides mortality data on all injury deaths, including from firearms. We also used the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System, or WISQARS ([link removed]) . We found detailed information on state laws on the website of the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, including details on state red-flag laws ([link removed]) .
FEATURED FACT
In 2020, there were 45,222 firearm deaths in the United States, according ([link removed]) to the latest figures from the CDC. Most of those — 24,292 ([link removed]) — were suicides, while 19,384 deaths ([link removed]) were homicides. The death rates per 100,000 population were 13.7 for all firearm deaths, 7.4 for suicides and 5.9 for homicides. Our Q&A on gun violence uses data going back to 1981. Over that time period, the rates were highest at 15.2 firearm deaths per 100,000 population in 1993, 7.6 for suicides in 1990 and 7 for homicides in 1991.
WORTHY OF NOTE
The Factual, a website that rates news articles, authors and websites based on "how informative they are," ranked FactCheck.org as the No. 1 fact-checking website.

In a May 24 blog post ([link removed]) , The Factual said it used its news-rating algorithm to assess the fact-checking websites.

"High-quality fact-checking involves many qualities that one might expect: in-depth research, the incorporation of diverse perspectives, transparent sourcing of information, and good judgment about what is known and what is still up in the air," it said. "Many of these same qualities are captured by The Factual’s news-rating algorithm, which uses measures of author expertise, publication quality, cited evidence, and writing tone to assess the credibility of news articles."

Of us, The Factual writes: "Out of any of the hundreds of sites that The Factual routinely analyzes, FactCheck.org consistently produces the highest-rated articles according to The Factual’s algorithm. This means that articles are exceptionally well researched, incorporate extensive evidence and sourcing, and use minimally biased language."
REPLY ALL

Reader: Why don’t you tell them what the vaccines are made of?? Go ahead, I dare you!! University of Pennsylvania, yep—corrupt and money hungry as usual. Who do you think you are fooling? Whose facts are you using anyway? Faucis? $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.

FactCheck.org Director Eugene Kiely: You seem unfamiliar with our website. In fact, we do tell readers "what the vaccines are made of." We have done so on multiple occasions.

In March 2021, we posted an item titled “How do we know what ingredients are in a vaccine? ([link removed]) ” That item provides links to the list of ingredients for each approved and authorized COVID-19 vaccine.

We also provide information about vaccine ingredients in each of our guides for the COVID-19 vaccines: Johnson & Johnson ([link removed]) , Pfizer/BioNTech ([link removed]) and Moderna ([link removed]) .

In the Pfizer guide, for example, we write:

The only people the FDA says should not ([link removed]) receive the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine are those who have had a serious allergic reaction to a previous dose of the vaccine or one of its ingredients. The CDC advises ([link removed]) not getting the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine if you have had any kind of immediate reaction, even if not severe, to a dose of the vaccine or one of its ingredients ([link removed]) , such as polyethylene glycol.

If you click on the link on the word “ingredients,” you will be taken to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention page that provides information about COVID-19, including “Ingredients included in COVID-19 vaccines (Appendix F) ([link removed]) .”

We wrote a separate story when Pfizer changed its vaccine formula: “Pfizer/BioNTech’s COVID-19 Vaccine Formulation Tweaked to Improve Stability ([link removed]) .”

We have tagged 11 stories with the word “ingredients ([link removed]) ,” but there are many other articles where we include some information about vaccine ingredients and the platforms used by each vaccine -- mRNA in the case of Pfizer and Moderna, and adenovirus viral vector for J&J.

So, yes, you can find information on our website about what the vaccines are made of, and we provide relevant links to information from the CDC and Food and Drug Administration. Thanks for giving me the chance to explain.


** Wrapping Up
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Here's what else we've got for you this week:
* "Q&A on Biden’s Gun Proposals ([link removed]) ": In a prime-time speech to the nation, President Joe Biden spoke about gun violence and his proposals to reduce it. Here, we answer common questions about some of the statistics the president cited and actions he proposed.
* "Tactical Unit, Not Off-Duty Officer, Killed Uvalde Gunman ([link removed]) ": Jacob Albarado, who has been described in media reports as an off-duty Customs and Border Protection officer, helped students escape the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde on May 24. But online rumors falsely claim he was the CBP officer who killed the shooter. Albarado has said in interviews, “I didn’t shoot the guy.”
* "Ask SciCheck Files: The Relationship Between Mental Health and Mass Shootings ([link removed]) ": In the wake of mass shootings in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas, some officials have cited mental illness as a reason for the unprovoked attacks. But as we’ve explained before, having a mental illness isn’t predictive of who will perpetrate a mass shooting.

Y lo que publicamos en español ([link removed]) (English versions are accessible in each story):
* "‘La OMS no tiene autoridad para dictar políticas de salud en EE. UU ([link removed]) .’": La Organización Mundial de la Salud puede hacer recomendaciones tras la declaración de una emergencia internacional, pero no tiene control sobre las decisiones de ninguna nación. Sin embargo, algunos conservadores en EE. UU. aseveran falsamente que enmiendas propuestas por el gobierno de Biden a las regulaciones existentes de salud internacional, y un nuevo tratado sobre pandemias de la OMS, amenazarán la soberanía de EE. UU.
* "Documentos de Pfizer muestran que su vacuna es muy eficaz, contrario a lo que dicen publicaciones en redes sociales ([link removed]) ": La vacuna contra el COVID-19 de Pfizer/BioNTech mostró una eficacia final del 91% contra la enfermedad sintomática en el ensayo clínico de fase 3. Publicaciones en las redes sociales afirman erróneamente que documentos de Pfizer publicados recientemente muestran que la vacuna tiene una “eficacia de un 12%”. Esto parece ser una lectura errónea de datos publicados hace más de un año.
* "Navarro vincula erróneamente a Fauci con el origen de la pandemia ([link removed]) ": Estados Unidos financió indirectamente algunas investigaciones sobre los coronavirus en murciélagos en un laboratorio de Wuhan, China. Pero esos experimentos no pudieron haber producido el coronavirus que causa el COVID-19, porque los virus usados eran muy distintos. Sin embargo, el exasesor de la Casa Blanca sobre comercio, Peter Navarro, repitió la falacia de que el Dr. Anthony Fauci “mató a mucha gente” al financiar el laboratorio.

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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