Are businesses violating HIPAA if they ask their patrons if they’ve been vaccinated? No.

As business rework their mask requirements such as lifting face mask requirements for customers who are vaccinated against COVID-19, questions about medical privacy are back in the spotlight. The question of whether it’s okay to ask a maskless patron if they’ve been vaccinated has come into focus. Vaccine opponents, including members of the U.S. Congress, are once again claiming that the HIPAA federal privacy law protects individuals from being asked about their vaccination status. We find this claim to be false.

There is no evidence that vaccines could cause harm to people who have recovered from COVID-19

An article published by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s anti-vaccination organization and widely shared on social media questions the need of vaccinating those who’ve already recovered from COVID-19. The article says there’s a “potential risk of harm, including death” in getting the vaccines. We report this claim as false. There is no evidence that vaccinating people who had previously had COVID is resulting in an increased risk of adverse events.

Due to the COVID surge, ambulances in the Los Angeles area are refusing to transfer patients with no chance of survival

As the surge of COVID-19 cases increase exponentially across the U.S., the hospitals in the Los Angeles metro area have been particularly hit hard. There are now more than 7,600 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Los Angeles County. Ambulance crews in the area have been advised to cut back on their use of oxygen and to not bring to hospitals patients who have virtually no chance of survival in order to increase capacity and triage care to focus on the sickest patients.

Fox News host Laura Ingraham falsely claims restrictions on eating out are not supported by science

On December 8th on Fox News, during a transition between her show and Sean Hannity, TV host Laura Ingraham wrongly claimed restrictions on eating out are not supported by science. The comment came after Hannity made reference to Ingraham’s on-air interview the previous day with a Los Angeles restaurant owner. The claim is inaccurate. There is evidence that restaurants and bars are among the most common places for the virus spread.

Sen. Paul’s Tweet on Natural Infection vs. COVID-19 Vaccines is Misleading

On November 17, U.S. Sentator Rand Paul of Kentucky compared the effectiveness of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines with “naturally acquired COVID-19” on Twitter. He folllowed-up by asking, “Why does the left accept immune theory when it comes to vaccines, but not when discussing naturally acquired immunity?” Besides ignoring the point of vaccines, which is to protect the public BEFORE they get sick, the comparison of natural COVID-19 infection and vaccine efficacy is inacurate. Reinfections have not been confirmed and the efficacy of naturally-acquired immunity is still not understood.

@MTSU’s Prof. Foss examines Justice Alito’s @FedSoc speech through a historical public health lens.

Analyzing historical documents – from Boston’s smallpox and Philadelphia’s yellow fever in the 18th century to outbreaks of diphtheria, influenza, and typhoid in the 20th century, Foss pieced together over 200 years of health reporting for her latest book “Constructing the Outbreak.” Her research positions Foss as a uniquely informed expert on how today’s news narratives are writing the history of COVID-19.

Elon Musk’s claim that COVID testing is “bogus” is not accurate

Elon Musk, Tesla Inc Chief Executive Officer has repeatedly played down the severity of coronavirus since the start of the pandemic. On Thursday, Musk said that a rapid antigen test results from the same machine and the same test showed he tested positive twice and then negative twice all on the same day. He questioned the validy of the test by suggesting “something extremely bogus is going on.”

Are a third of the excess deaths in 2020 not linked to COVID-19? Yes. Are they directly linked to the lockdown? It’s complicated.

The article accurately sites a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association which examined the number of excess deaths in the U.S from March to August, which claimed a 20% increase. Nearly a third of that increase did not have the coronavirus as the underlying cause. However there is no scientific evidence that the deaths were a direct result of lockdown measures.

The fact that SARS-CoV-2 virus can or cannot spread through airborne transmission does not render masks “worthless”

A video featuring Owen Shroyer originally published by Banned.video went viral on Facebook in late October. The video claims that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, was never airborne, and wearing face masks is unnecessary. This claim is false and inaccurate. The CDC never said the virus could not be airborne. Although the CDC “updated” their guidance on its website to include aerosols among the most common forms of SARS-CoV-2 transmission, experts agree that the virus can spread through water droplets, which masks can act as a physical barrier to stpp the water droplets. There is increasing evidence that suggest airborne transmission may also play a role in the spread of COVID-19.

Biden did not “admit” to perpetrating electoral fraud, despite Trump and McEnany’s claim

U.S. President Donald Trump claimed Democratic nominee Joe Biden had “admitted” to perpetrating electoral fraud. On Oct. 24, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany tweeted out a short video clip of Biden, along with the text “Joe Biden brags about having the “most extensive VOTER FRAUD organization” in history!!” This claim is false and the video is taken out of context.

Trump continued to falsely claim Biden supported getting rid of private insurance

In the final presidential debate between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, moderator Kristen Welker asks the candidates to speak about their plans for healthcare in the United States. President Trump once again accused his oponent of wanting to eliminate private health insurance. Trump has made this claim repeatedly. This claim is false. It conflates Biden’s plan with those of other Democrats pushing “Medicare for All.”

A video posted by a European-based group called World Doctors Alliance falsely claims the novel coronavirus is “a normal flu virus”

A video posted by a European-based group called World Doctors Alliance claims the novel coronavirus is “a normal flu virus” and there is no COVID-19 pandemic. Although the video was removed from Youtube, portions of the video are circulating on Facebook. We rate this claim as false. Scientists universally agree that the cuase of this pandemic is a novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, and not a strain of influenza. COVID-19 is deadlier than the seasonal flu. COVID-19 so far has killed more people in the U.S. than the past five flu seasons combined.

Viral Facebook image does not show a coronavirus testing patent was submitted in 2015

A post of an image showing “evidence” of a patent application for a novel coronavirus test in 2015 by a person named Richard A. Rothschild was shared by hundreds of users. This claim is false. The image shows a supplemental application that was filed in 2020 following the submission of another patent application in 2015 that was not related to the coronavirus. A spokesperson for the financial services firm Rothschild & Co. said the patent’s applicant had no link to the company.

Trump’s claim that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is to blame for the stalled COVID-19 stimulus legislation is not accurate

President Donald Trump has repeatedly blamed the U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for “not caring about Americans” since she would not agree to his terms for COVID-19 relief aid. We rate these claims as mostly false because they are misleading. According to the New York Times, Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the majority leader, told Republican senators privately on Tuesday that he has advised the White House not to strike a deal with Speaker Nancy Pelosi on a new stimulus bill before Election Day.

Viral post claiming Dr. Anthony Fauci was indicted is entirely false

A Facebook post from May that is newly gaining traction says that Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the leading voice of experts in the coronavirus pandemic, has been indicted for treason. This claim is entirely false. Despite President Donald Trump calling him a “disaster,” Fauci has not been indicted. There is no news coverage to support this claim, nor any original, credible documents or sources to corroborate it.

South Dakota governor reiterates false claim that a surge in COVID-19 cases is due to more testing

We rate this claim as false. As we mentioned in a previous Fact Check, more testing does not mean that there’s a greater posiitivity rate of COVID-19. The number of positive cases is a simple data point: It shows the total number of people who have received positive COVID-19 test results. if this was just a case of more testing, the positivity rate should stay relatively consistent — unless the virus is spreading.