Inoculation Against Misinformation
A crisis on the scale of the coronavirus pandemic brings with it an unprecedented deluge of falsehoods, unfounded rumor and speculation, and snake oil profiteering.
Drawing upon the unique expertise of institutions such as the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and Quackwatch, the Center for Inquiry is doing what we do best: confronting and exposing pseudoscience and misinformation.
This is our effort to collect, curate, and communicate the most relevant and useful science and reality-based resources for information regarding the coronavirus disease, COVID-19, from CFI’s own platforms and all around the web, focusing on material that separates fact from fiction and scientific theory from conspiracy theory.
Please, take advantage of these resources and share them with family and friends so we can slow the spread of misinformation just like we’re trying to slow the spread of the virus. No matter your belief system or political affiliation, we are all in this together.
Your help in advancing reason, science, and humanist compassion is more important than it has ever been. We can’t do this kind of work without your support. Donate now, and be a part of the solution.
Reliable News and Fact-Checks of Misinformation
Washington Post
Covid booster shot bolsters protection in 5-to-11-year-olds, Pfizer and BioNTech say
April 14, 2022
Food and Drug Administration
Give Your Community a Boost: Combatting Misinformation Through Communication and Research
April 1, 2022
Science-Based Medicine
Vitamin D for the prevention of COVID-19: A randomized controlled trial
March 31, 2022
The Latest from CFI
Flattening the Curve of the Infodemic
Introducing Skeptical Inquirer Presents, live online presentations from leading experts in science, skepticism, medicine, media, activism, and advocacy, all devoted to the cause of advancing science over pseudoscience, media literacy over conspiracy theories, and critical thinking over magical thinking.
Resources for Teachers and Students
With schools closed and kids stuck at home, teachers and parents are doing all they can to keep students engaged in learning throughout the coronavirus crisis.
The Center for Inquiry is proud to be part of the solution. The Teacher Institute for Evolutionary Science is offering free, ready-made science lessons in the wonders of evolution, available online for both middle school and high school levels. Developed by TIES Director (and middle school science teacher) Bertha Vazquez, “All About Evolution” walks students through the basics of evolutionary biology, filled with helpful graphics, charts, and videos, directly engaging students interactively.
Teacher Institute for Evolutionary Science
Middle School Guided Lesson for Evolutionary Biology
Teacher Institute for Evolutionary Science
High School Guided Lesson for Evolutionary Biology
Quackwatch
COVID-19 News Briefs
COVID-19 Consumer Protection
Quackwatch’s Consumer Health Digest is a free weekly email newsletter edited by William M. London, EdD, MPH, with help from Stephen Barrett, MD. It summarizes scientific reports, legislative developments, enforcement actions, news reports, website evaluations, recommended and non-recommended books, and other information relevant to consumer protection and consumer decision-making. They have also assembled a resource page on Quackwatch.
COVID-19 Snake Oil
We’ve compiled a list of the most common products and services touted as being effective at treating or preventing COVID-19 and found what science has to say about each of them.
5G Facts
Check out our Fact Sheet about 5G Technologies >
Vaccine Guidance
For the purposes of this guidance, people are considered fully vaccinated for COVID-19 ≥2 weeks after they have received the second dose in a 2-dose series (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna), or ≥2 weeks after they have received a single-dose vaccine (Johnson and Johnson [J&J]/Janssen ).
The following recommendations apply to non-healthcare settings.
Fully vaccinated people can:
- Visit with other fully vaccinated people indoors without wearing masks or physical distancing
- Visit with unvaccinated people from a single household who are at low risk for severe COVID-19 disease indoors without wearing masks or physical distancing
- Refrain from quarantine and testing following a known exposure if asymptomatic
For now, fully vaccinated people should continue to:
- Take precautions in public like wearing a well-fitted mask and physical distancing
- Wear masks, practice physical distancing, and adhere to other prevention measures when visiting with unvaccinated people who are at increased risk for severe COVID-19 disease or who have an unvaccinated household member who is at increased risk for severe COVID-19 disease
- Wear masks, maintain physical distance, and practice other prevention measures when visiting with unvaccinated people from multiple households
- Avoid medium- and large-sized in-person gatherings
- Get tested if experiencing COVID-19 symptoms
- Follow guidance issued by individual employers
- Follow CDC and health department travel requirements and recommendations
Answer your Questions about the Vaccines
Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and coinventor of the rotavirus vaccine RotaTeq, answered audience questions about the vaccines live on a recent episode of Skeptical Inquirer Presents.
A Lifesaving Podcast
Ross and Carrie talk to Claire Knowlton, who at age 38 will be receiving the first vaccine of her life. Immunity expert Dr. Paul Offit joins them to answer Claire’s remaining questions, and offer some comfort as she struggles with the unfamiliar process.
Practical Resources and Guidance
The Washington Post
How you can help during the coronavirus outbreak
Science Magazine
Why do some COVID-19 patients infect many others, whereas most don’t spread the virus at all?
Science-Based Medicine
COVID-19 Testing
General Resources and Knowledge Centers
The American Society for Microbiology
What Is COVID-19 One pager
Johns Hopkins
Coronavirus Resource Center
To deal with the surge in products falsely claimed to prevent or cure coronavirus products, the FDA has set up a special email at [email protected]. If you are aware of a product claiming to prevent or cure COVID-19, let the FDA know.
World Health Organization
World Health Organization Summary Page
University of Minnesota Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy
The Future of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons Learned from Pandemic Influenza
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Global Response to COVID-19
An A to Z guide to Vaccines
Vaxopedia
Truth in Advertising
A Growing List of Coronavirus Scams
World Health Organization
Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Advice for the Public: Myth Busters
Harvard School of Public Health
Coronavirus Myths vs Facts
Full Fact
Coronavirus Fact Check
Support the Center for Inquiry
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