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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region Forums6 zombie claims about the coronavirus that just won't go away
The outbreak of a pandemic is when the accuracy of information is as important as it ever will be. Yet more than two months into it, misinformation and dubious claims continue to penetrate many of them thanks to President Trump and some of his allies on Fox News.
Below is a rundown of these persistent claims, along with the facts.
1. The persistent flu comparison
As the number of daily deaths from the coronavirus has leveled off somewhat and certain projections have been adjusted downward, a number of people have rekindled previously abandoned comparisons between the novel coronavirus and the seasonal flu.
Fox News contributor Bill Bennett offered perhaps the most high-profile comments on this in recent days, doubting this is even a pandemic.
If you look at those numbers, and see the comparable, were going to have fewer fatalities from this than from the flu, Bennett said, citing the latest projections. For this, we scared the hell out of the American people, we lost 17 million jobs, we put a major dent in the economy, we closed down the schools
shut down the churches, and so on. You know, this was not and is not a pandemic.
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https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/factcheck/6-zombie-claims-about-the-coronavirus-that-just-wont-go-away/ar-BB12GbF0?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=DELLDHP
Bernardo de La Paz
(49,001 posts)msongs
(67,403 posts)Frustratedlady
(16,254 posts)I don't remember his last name, but Trump always points to him several times during his pressers. Today, John asked about the "story" that there was a virus being worked on in Wuhan that got away from the lab and was spread. Was that true?
Trump babbled awhile about the story and then said he couldn't comment on what might have happened in China, as they were investigating it. Wasn't this an early conspiracy theory from the Repuke air waves? I didn't pay that much attention to it then, but today was obviously a plant...made to give Trump an out or something else to blame...make people wonder.
I was listening with half an ear, so I didn't get the whole presser, but knew Trump was trying to blame everything but the barn door for being open. I might try to catch it later on CSpan.
Crunchy Frog
(26,579 posts)They also got asymptotic transmission confused with person to person transmission.
Overall though, they did a good job of debunking RW talking points and lies. Just wish they had called them by their real name.