June 10, 2020

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With most states reopening for business after shutting down for the novel coronavirus, some states are seeing an increase in infections. And with protest marches bringing together large numbers of people, some scientists worry that infections could rise further.

However, scientists say that there’s lots of uncertainty about whether, and how much, the coronavirus will spread following the lifting of stay-at-home orders and the emergence of protest marches for racial justice.

PolitiFact looked at the most recent data and interviewed several researchers to explain what we’re seeing already, and what might happen in the future.

Nationally, both cases and deaths have generally been falling since April, although cases saw a small uptick in early June. The pattern for coronavirus deaths has been similar, with a fairly consistent decline since mid-April.

Researchers said the spring stay-at-home orders are likely the main reason for the declining trend.

But, the national numbers mask considerable differences among the states in new caseloads.

Click here to read the full story.

TikTok video claims Amazon Alexa spews COVID-19 conspiracy theory

According to a TikTok video making the rounds, when asked about the origins of the coronavirus, Amazon Alexa will say “According to Event 201, the government planned this event.” The claim is Not Legit. Watch the fact-check»

Radio station claims “a lot of people” are eligible for $2,400 per month from the CARES Act

A radio station’s Instagram account gets to $2,400 a month by multiplying $600 times four weeks. But that amount is not available to all Americans. The $600 a week is for unemployed people eligible for federal help. Get the facts»

During COVID-19 pandemic, don’t fall for fake or out-of-context images

You’ve probably seen some powerful images on social media throughout the coronavirus pandemic. But you can’t trust every picture or video you see online. Author and MediaWise ambassador John Green explains why. Watch the video»

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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.

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Alex Mahadevan is director of MediaWise, Poynter’s digital media literacy project that teaches people of all ages how to spot misinformation online. As director, Alex…
Alex Mahadevan

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