Past insights
A U.S. senator circulated conspiracy theories about the World Health Organization’s pandemic treaty, including claiming that the WHO chief and U.S. health officials “sabotaged” the pandemic response and promoted dangerous vaccines. Posts in English and Spanish falsely claim the treaty would give the WHO power over individual...
A New York State Supreme Court justice dismissed felony charges against two people who purchased fake COVID-19 vaccine cards to avoid New York City’s vaccine mandate. The felony charges were brought by Manhattan’s district attorney, who is now facing criticism on social media. Some posts claim that the...
Last week, a Florida grand jury released its first interim report on COVID-19 vaccines, one year after Florida’s governor ordered an investigation. In the report, the grand jury raised concerns about the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines and the effectiveness of other COVID-19 mitigation measures, such as mask...
Following a reported case of measles in Ohio, some social media users claimed the myth that reports of measles cases are a scare tactic meant to skew election results later this year. Others are baselessly accusing “illegal immigrants” of bringing measles into Ohio. Risk level: Medium Recommendation: These types of...
This week, a California political commentator and former presidential candidate shared an article on social media falsely claiming that COVID-19 vaccines have caused more deaths than the virus. The article cites a study that was peer-reviewed by two known vaccine opponents. Some social media users who commented on the post...
Social media users are sharing a recent video of Dr. Anthony Fauci stating that the COVID-19 vaccine carries a low risk of myocarditis among young men. Responses to these posts allege that concerns about myocarditis related to mRNA vaccines have been understated throughout the pandemic. In the video, Dr. Fauci...
An online influencer has manipulated CDC data to support their argument that COVID-19 vaccines are ineffective at preventing COVID-19 deaths. Their trending post cherry-picks slides from the CDC’s ACIP presentation, suggesting that vaccinating one million teenagers would, at best, prevent only one death and potentially result in 200,000...
Numerous social media users have raised concerns regarding what they claim is insufficient testing for the recently updated COVID-19 vaccine. Tweets allege that Pfizer’s updated COVID-19 vaccine was tested on just 10 mice before approval. These posts misuse a COVID-19 vaccine study involving 44 rats, not four. The study...
Numerous social media users have raised concerns regarding what they claim is insufficient testing for the recently updated COVID-19 vaccine. Tweets allege that Pfizer’s updated COVID-19 vaccine was tested on just 10 mice before approval. These posts misuse a COVID-19 vaccine study involving 44 rats, not four. The study...
A physician from Iowa known for opposing COVID-19 vaccines and promoting the use of ivermectin to treat COVID-19 is suing a Missouri hospital over its staff vaccination requirements. In 2021, the hospital mandated COVID-19 vaccinations for staff, and the doctor’s request for religious exemption was denied. The lawsuit alleges...
Arkansas signed into law S.B. 3, which prohibits the government from mandating COVID-19 vaccination for public employees or state funded entities, with an exception for entities that stand to lose federal funding should they remove vaccine mandates. The bill also requires the Department of Health to maintain and publicize...
Numerous online posts are criticizing California's governor for his reflections on how he initially handled the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout the pandemic, the governor faced backlash for implementing mask mandates and strict vaccine requirements, and he now states he would have pursued another course of action. Social media users argue that...
Social media users are sharing a recent video of Dr. Anthony Fauci stating that the COVID-19 vaccine carries a low risk of myocarditis among young men. Responses to these posts allege that concerns about myocarditis related to mRNA vaccines have been understated throughout the pandemic. In the video, Dr. Fauci...
A story has gone viral about an infant in Maine who died 34 hours after receiving childhood vaccines in October 2022. According to the article, a toxicology report revealed that the infant’s blood had a dangerously high level of aluminum, which the article attributes to the vaccines. The infant’...
An online influencer has manipulated CDC data to support their argument that COVID-19 vaccines are ineffective at preventing COVID-19 deaths. Their trending post cherry-picks slides from the CDC’s ACIP presentation, suggesting that vaccinating one million teenagers would, at best, prevent only one death and potentially result in 200,000...
Arkansas signed into law S.B. 3, which prohibits the government from mandating COVID-19 vaccination for public employees or state funded entities, with an exception for entities that stand to lose federal funding should they remove vaccine mandates. The bill also requires the Department of Health to maintain and publicize...
Numerous online posts are criticizing California's governor for his reflections on how he initially handled the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout the pandemic, the governor faced backlash for implementing mask mandates and strict vaccine requirements, and he now states he would have pursued another course of action. Social media users argue that...
The Huntington Beach City Council in California has voted 4-3 to pursue a ban on universal mask and COVID-19 vaccine mandates within the city. The motion’s proponent argued that previous mask mandates imposed in 2020 and 2021 unnecessarily limited people’s freedoms. The resolution now requests that the city...
The Florida Surgeon General warned against COVID-19 vaccines at a recent press conference, claiming that there are numerous red flags with the updated vaccine. He argued that there is no need for updated COVID-19 vaccines, claimed there is a lack of clinical trial data, and cited previously debunked concerns about...
According to a recently published article, nearly two dozen schools in Dane County have vaccination rates of 85 percent or lower, which health officials deem a risk for disease outbreaks. This trend is partly attributed to more parents seeking philosophical waivers to exempt their children from vaccines; Wisconsin’s nonmedical...
A well-known organization that frequently advocates against vaccination is embarking on a bus tour across multiple cities in the Northeast, including Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Albany, Long Island, and Rochester. Their goal is to collect personal accounts from local residents who have experienced alleged adverse effects from vaccines, are unvaccinated, or are...
Trending conversations falsely claim that federal officials covered up research into the benefits of vitamin D to treat COVID-19, resulting in a higher death toll. The posts misuse a publication by New Zealand's chief science advisor in June 2020, which initially linked vitamin D deficiency to severe COVID-19 outcomes and...
False narratives that mRNA vaccines cause turbo cancers are circulating across platforms and in English and Spanish language networks. Specifically, they claim that turbo cancers are occurring more rapidly, particularly in young adults, that the CDC is reclassifying cancer deaths as COVID-19 deaths to cover up rising turbo cancers, and...
A former news host claims that she developed an autoimmune condition after being vaccinated for COVID-19. She says that her doctor confirmed the connection between the vaccine and autoimmune conditions, and that others have experienced similar issues after vaccination. This news has garnered significant attention on X (formerly Twitter), with...
A physician from Iowa known for opposing COVID-19 vaccines and promoting the use of ivermectin to treat COVID-19 is suing a Missouri hospital over its staff vaccination requirements. In 2021, the hospital mandated COVID-19 vaccinations for staff, and the doctor’s request for religious exemption was denied. The lawsuit alleges...
A story has gone viral about an infant in Maine who died 34 hours after receiving childhood vaccines in October 2022. According to the article, a toxicology report revealed that the infant’s blood had a dangerously high level of aluminum, which the article attributes to the vaccines. The infant’...