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I hope you had a relaxing and stress-free Memorial Day weekend. But now we’ve got to get back to serious COVID-19 business.
There are several diseases that are especially tough on kids.
Measles, chickenpox and even this year’s most common strain of influenza in Wisconsin target children and can cause serious, even life-threatening complications.
So the world breathed a sigh of relief when the first reports about children and COVID-19 seemed to show that this novel coronavirus wouldn’t be one of those diseases.
A preliminary report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published April 6, 2020, found that children make up only a small portion of U.S. coronavirus cases thus far and are less likely to become seriously ill.
As the debate continues about how quickly to relax restrictions and reopen the country, that information has become a key part of the reopen-now argument.
Wisconsin state Rep. Janel Brandtjen, R-Menomonee Falls, dove into the issue in the comments section of an April 28, post on her Facebook page that criticized Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, for not opening playgrounds and restrooms at parks.
Replying to a commenter, she wrote, “In fact, New York is considering opening schools because children don’t seem to be getting this virus.”
A few days later, though, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared that all schools in the state would be closed for the remainder of the academic year. (Evers made the call weeks earlier that Wisconsin schools would be closed through June.)
But is Brandtjen right about the rest of her claim — that “children don’t seem to be getting this virus”?
Click here to read the full fact-check.
Will the COVID-19 vaccine come with a ‘mark’?
A study that started in 2016 looked at using invisible dye to help doctors in developing countries track vaccination histories, but there are no plans to require such an identifier with a future COVID-19 vaccine. Read the fact-check»
Facebook post claims masks are not required at businesses
Essential businesses in many states require that all employees and customers wear masks while inside the store. They must do so by law. Get the facts»
What are the CDC’s guidelines for opening schools?
As school districts grapple with how to educate students in the next academic year amid the coronavirus, a list summarizing some of the federal government’s suggestions for how to safely return to the classroom is being shared on social media — but it’s missing some context. Read more»
Blogger claims the Italian government calls for the arrest of Bill Gates
A single member of the Italian Parliament suggested Bill Gates should be arrested after making untrue claims about his health care-related philanthropy. There is no evidence that calls to arrest Bill Gates are endorsed or supported by the entire Italian Parliament. Read the fact-check»
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Alex Mahadevan is a senior multimedia reporter at MediaWise. He can be reached at amahadevan@poynter.org or on Twitter at @AlexMahadevan. Follow MediaWise on TikTok.
