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The Infodemic: Can Smoking Protect Against COVID-19?


An employee of a tobacco shop sells a pack of cigarettes at the Vallecas neighborhood, in Madrid, Spain March 13, 2020.
An employee of a tobacco shop sells a pack of cigarettes at the Vallecas neighborhood, in Madrid, Spain March 13, 2020.

Fake news about the coronavirus can do real harm. Polygraph.info is spotlighting fact-checks from other reliable sources here​.

Daily Debunk

Claim: Smoking may protect against COVID-19.

Verdict: Unsupported

Read the full story: "Little to no evidence that smoking protects against COVID-19; may increase risk of complications instead," Health Feedback​

Social Media Disinfo​

FactCheck.org

Circulating on social media: The White House is selling coins commemorating the COVID-19 pandemic.

Verdict: False

Read the full story at: FactCheck.org

Factual Reads on Coronavirus

Wuhan shows the world that the end of lockdown is just the beginning of the Covid-19 crisis
Despite the lifting of most strict lockdown laws, many stores are still shut, restaurants are restricted to takeaway and even when citizens go outside they still wear protective equipment and try to avoid each other.
-- CNN, April 30​

Comparing COVID-19 Deaths to Flu Deaths Is like Comparing Apples to Oranges
The former are actual numbers; the latter are inflated statistical estimates
-- Scientific American, April 28

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    Polygraph

    Polygraph is a fact-checking feature of the Voice of America (VOA)​. Polygraph serves as a resource for verifying the increasing volume of disinformation and misinformation being distributed and shared globally.

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