Not Real News: A Look At Some Of This Week’s Fake News Stories You May Have Seen On Social Media

A roundup of immoderate of the astir fashionable but wholly untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legitimate, adjacent though they were shared wide connected societal media. Here are the facts:

NY lawmakers aren’t voting connected a measure to detain the unvaccinated

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Claim: New York lawmakers volition ballot Jan. 5 connected a measure that would let for the “indefinite detention of the unvaccinated.”

The Facts: The assertion is misrepresenting a bill, archetypal introduced successful the New York authorities legislature successful 2015, that would let for the impermanent detention of individuals infected, oregon suspected of being infected, with a contagious illness during a nationalist wellness emergency. The authorities Assembly’s wellness committee has nary plans to instrumentality enactment connected the bill, and its sponsor, Assemblyman N. Nick Perry, present says helium volition retreat it. While the connection failed to find enactment among lawmakers, it is inactive causing a disturbance online. In caller days, societal media users person pushed a assertion that lawmakers are readying to ballot connected the measure arsenic soon arsenic Jan. 5 — and that it would let for the “indefinite detention” of radical who aren’t vaccinated against COVID-19. But nary specified ballot connected the measure successful question was slated for that day, which is really conscionable the commencement of the legislative session. Citing “concocted stories” online astir the bill, Perry, its sponsor, tweeted Monday that helium would instrumentality “legislative enactment to onslaught the bill, region it from the calendar, frankincense ending each consideration, and actions that could pb to transition into law.” The measure projected allowing the authorities to temporarily detain idiosyncratic carrying oregon suspected to beryllium carrying a contagious illness — oregon idiosyncratic they came into interaction with — successful a “medical installation oregon different due facilities.” The measure besides said specified a idiosyncratic “shall not proceed to beryllium detained” aft they are determined to beryllium nary longer contagious. It besides included a proviso to necessitate the authorities to question a tribunal bid if a idiosyncratic was to beryllium held for much than 3 days. Frank Shea, a spokesperson for Perry, told The Associated Press that the measure was archetypal projected successful 2015 aft a caregiver defied quarantine aft treating Ebola patients successful Sierra Leone. Shea said that portion Perry reintroduced the measure twelvemonth aft year, helium had not actively pushed for the authorities and said it would beryllium withdrawn due to the fact that it had go a “distraction.” The astir caller instauration came successful January 2021, erstwhile it was referred to the Assembly’s Committee connected Health. There was nary different enactment connected it. Before Perry announced Monday that helium would retreat the bill, the bureau of Assemblyman Richard Gottfried — the seat of the Committee connected Health — besides said successful a connection to the AP that determination were nary plans to ballot connected it. “This measure has been introduced each twelvemonth since 2015, has ne'er been taken up by the Committee, has not been cosponsored by different legislators, and has not had a companion measure successful the Senate,” the connection said. “The Committee does not program to enactment the measure connected an agenda.”

Associated Press writer Angelo Fichera successful Philadelphia contributed this report.

Posts misrepresent Washington University survey connected COVID-19 immunity

Claim: Researchers from Washington University School of Medicine successful St. Louis released information showing that if you person had COVID-19, adjacent a mild case, you are apt protected from the microorganism for life.

The facts: The researchers recovered that radical who person recovered from COVID-19 person bony marrow cells that tin make antibodies for decades, but that doesn’t mean those individuals volition beryllium immune to caller variants of the virus. As the highly contagious omicron variant rapidly became the ascendant mentation of the coronavirus successful the U.S., a misleading nonfiction and respective societal media posts falsely claimed that radical who person had COVID-19 earlier are immune for the remainder of their lives. “If you’ve had COVID-19, adjacent a mild case, large congratulations to you arsenic you’ve much than apt got semipermanent immunity,” work an nonfiction published Tuesday connected the quality tract The Epoch Times. “In fact, you’re apt to beryllium immune for life, arsenic is the lawsuit with betterment from galore infectious agents — erstwhile you’ve had the illness and recovered, you’re immune, astir apt for life.” However, the posts misrepresent the probe they mention — a survey published successful May successful the diary Nature — according to survey co-author Dr. Ali Ellebedy, who teaches pathology and immunology astatine Washington University’s aesculapian school. The survey examined the humor and bony marrow of radical who had experienced mild COVID-19 infections and recovered long-lived antibody-producing cells, grounds that radical who person recovered from COVID-19 would apt make antibodies against it for a agelong time. Still, the survey “does NOT amusement nor assertion that radical recovering from mild SARS-CoV-2 corruption are protected for life,” Ellebedy said successful an email. “Epidemiological information intelligibly amusement that radical recovered from earlier corruption tin beryllium infected particularly with emerging variants of concerns similar Delta and Omicron.” Ellebedy explained that having a detectable antibody effect for a beingness doesn’t needfully mean being protected from the microorganism for a lifetime. “Not each antibodies are protective particularly if the microorganism they are raised against is perpetually changing,” Ellebedy said. A anterior corruption doesn’t look to connection overmuch extortion against an omicron corruption although, similar with vaccination, it whitethorn trim the chances of terrible illness. Scientists successful South Africa and Britain person recovered that reinfections among radical who person battled COVID-19 look much apt with omicron than with earlier mutants of the virus, including delta. The Epoch Times did not respond to an emailed petition for comment.

Associated Press writer Ali Swenson successful New York contributed this report.

Scientists place COVID variants done sequencing, not symptoms

Claim: The unwellness that scientists are labeling the omicron variant of COVID-19 whitethorn really conscionable beryllium the communal acold oregon the respiratory syncytial virus, some of which look much often successful the wintertime months.

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The facts: Despite posts claiming scientists are “just calling the communal acold oregon an RSV corruption the omicron variant,” nary 1 is conscionable putting a caller technological sanction connected a cold. Scientists person identified the omicron variant done precise familial sequencing, not simply by noticing cold-like symptoms. By sequencing the genome of the coronavirus successful a respiratory illustration from idiosyncratic who has tested affirmative for COVID-19, scientists tin pinpoint the ways successful which the microorganism has mutated. That’s however they cognize erstwhile a caller coronavirus variant is spreading successful the population, arsenic opposed to a erstwhile strain. “Every bacteria and microorganism person circumstantial familial markers,” said Dr. Anita Gupta, a professor, and anesthesiologist astatine Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Scientists, she added, look for those familial markers erstwhile they series the viral genome, “and that’s however they’re capable to place which benignant of variant they have.” The station besides ignores that COVID-19 diagnostic tests bash much than conscionable corroborate you are sick: They are designed specifically to place the beingness of SARS-CoV-2, the microorganism that causes COVID-19. Whether you usage a PCR test, which looks for familial worldly from the virus, oregon a accelerated test, which looks for proteins connected the aboveground of the virus, a COVID-19 trial identifies that the microorganism that causes COVID-19 was recovered wrong your body. COVID-19 tests are designed to registry arsenic affirmative lone successful the beingness of SARS-CoV-2, not different viruses, Gupta explained.

Associated Press writer Ali Swenson successful New York contributed this report.

Fauci’s sister did not people publication astir the omicron variant

Claim: Fauci’s sister “Angelique Fauci” published a publication connected the omicron variant of the coronavirus the aforesaid week it was discovered.

The facts: The self-published e-book, which Amazon removed from the website, was not written by Dr. Anthony Fauci’s sister. Fauci, caput of the National Institute of Health and Infectious Diseases, lone has 1 sibling. Her sanction is Denise Scorce. Social media users shared a screenshot of the e-book titled “Omicron and the Other COVID-19 Variants: All You Need to Know About COVID-19 Vaccines & Variants” by “Dr. Angelique Fauci” with mendacious claims astir its author. “How did Fauci’s sister people a publication connected Omicron successful the aforesaid week Omicron was supposedly ‘discovered’?! #Plandemic #Omicron,” 1 Twitter idiosyncratic wrote. A National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases spokesperson confirmed successful an email to The Associated Press that Dr. Fauci’s sister did not constitute a publication astir the omicron variant. His sister was mentioned successful a 2007 tribute to Fauci. The 17-page Kindle variation was published connected Nov. 26 — the aforesaid time the World Health Organization designated omicron a variant of interest — tin nary longer beryllium purchased connected Amazon. An Amazon spokesperson said the publication was removed for violating contented guidelines but provided nary further details. The book’s synopsis contained aggregate punctuation, capitalization, and connection prime errors. Multiple self-published books astir the omicron variant appeared connected Amazon successful caller weeks. Books tin beryllium published connected Amazon done Kindle Direct Publishing successful minutes. According to the website, “Publishing takes little than 5 minutes and your publication appears connected Kindle stores worldwide wrong 24-48 hours” and changes tin beryllium made to the books astatine “any time.” Amazon’s contented guidelines enactment that self-published books tin beryllium pulled for being incomplete, including contented that “disappoints our customers,” is poorly translated oregon is already freely disposable online.

Associated Press writer Arijeta Lajka successful New York contributed this report.

No COVID-19 vaccines stored successful gathering that caught occurrence successful Italy

Claim: A video shows a occurrence astatine a subject warehouse successful Italy that was storing COVID-19 vaccines. The occurrence occurred connected the day members of instrumentality enforcement had to beryllium vaccinated.

The facts: A occurrence did interruption retired astatine an Italian paramilitary constabulary barracks connected Dec. 15, the vaccination deadline, but determination were nary COVID-19 vaccines connected tract arsenic immoderate online posts falsely claimed. Social media users shared a video showing a occurrence consuming a gathering successful Italy on with the mendacious assertion that the gathering is simply a subject warehouse that stores COVID-19 vaccines. While a occurrence did hap connected Dec. 15 astatine the Salvo D’Acquisto barracks, which houses Carabinieri, Italian paramilitary police, the tract did not incorporate a store of COVID shots, a spokesperson for the Carabinieri confirmed to The Associated Press. Carabinieri are posted successful each municipality and metropolis successful Italy. The spokesperson said the occurrence affected an country utilized arsenic housing, and that vaccinations are not performed astatine the location. There is an infirmary astatine the barrack, but it is utilized for mundane aesculapian calls, officials said. Some Italian quality outlets reported connected the occurrence astatine the time, including iNews24. The outlet shared a video of 1 space of the occurrence connected Facebook. Their video, which contained a watermark, was among those misappropriated connected societal media. But iNews24’s sum did not notation vaccines oregon the vaccine mandate, nor did different section reports. The video caption conscionable said the footage showed the “carabinieri barracks are connected fire.” The origin of the occurrence remains unknown. One idiosyncratic was injured.

Associated Press writer Karena Phan successful Sacramento, California, contributed this study with further reporting from Associated Press writer Colleen Barry successful Milan.

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