COVID-19 misinformation is increasing amid US virus surge

The surge in COVID-19 cases around the United States, driven by the highly contagious and fast-moving delta variant of the coronavirus, is accompanied by a similar surge in virus misinformation, The New York Times reported.

Rates of misinformation about COVID-19 and the COVID-19 vaccines increased dramatically from June to July, according to Zignal Labs, which tracks mentions of phrases on social media and by news outlets. False claims, including statements saying that the vaccines don’t work, immunity from infections is better than vaccination, and vaccines cause miscarriages, skyrocketed. The falsehood that the vaccines don’t work is up 437 percent, the analysis found.

The spike comes after a lull in misinformation during May and...

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