Misinformation spreads as WHO member states adopt pandemic agreement
Adoption of a treaty is not the same as signing it. The agreement explicitly preserves national sovereignty and requires further steps before becoming legally binding.
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annie lab
@HKU JMSC | IFCN Signatory
Health
False: Video of former Indonesian minister promoting health product is manipulated
The former health minister, Terawan Agus Putranto, said nothing about the health product in the original speech seen on a TV news report in 2019.
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Analysis: Issues surrounding ‘100% lethal’ strain of coronavirus tested in Chinese lab
The preprint paper describing lab research was widely misinterpreted as an attempt to ‘create and test’ a deadly strain of COVID-19 virus. While many experts raised concerns over the safety level of the lab environment, the risk of the pangolin coronavirus appears to be less than what was initially reported and discussed.
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False: China’s blood product does not account for 80% of global export market
Global trade data between 2018 and 2022 indicates China’s share in blood and blood-related products’ global exports has been in single digit percentage consistently.
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Explainer: Why people in East Asia hoard table salt amid fears of radiation exposure
Many people flocked to grocery stores in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and South Korea recently to buy table salt in bulk. Annie Lab explains what was going on.
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False: COVID-19 vaccines do not cause body odor
Nothing in COVID-19 vaccines change body odor. Immune response changes may affect pheromones, but the smell is not discernible unlike other common factors such as food intake.
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False: Factory identifier code ‘K’ does not indicate Fukushima-made food products
The letter codes are assigned arbitrarily by manufacturers. One way to tell the location of the manufacturing factory is to consult the Japanese Consumer Affairs Agency database.
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False: This manipulated video has nothing to do with admission of HIV-positive students
An irrelevant audio clip was added to falsify a vice-chancellor’s speech at Lanzhou University in 2021
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Analysis: Experts say vaccines do not fuel COVID-19 variants or make humans more prone to infections
A Wall Street Journal columnist misrepresented and neglected conclusions of scientific studies to support a hypothesis that repeated vaccinations could trigger rapid virus mutation.
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Misleading: Japanese study on mask hygiene does not support dropping mask mandate
The 2022 study by researchers at an Osaka-based university actually recommends the hygienic use of masks and cautions people, especially those with immune issues, against repeated use of the same masks to avoid potentially pathogenic microbes that can grow on the surface.
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