CoronaCheck is RMIT ABC Fact Check's weekly email newsletter dedicated to fighting the misinformation infodemic surrounding the coronavirus outbreak.

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CoronaCheck #97

Welcome to the first edition of CoronaCheck for 2022. As the world enters the third year of the pandemic, we remain committed to helping our readers separate fact from fiction.

This week, we take a look at some of the most pervasive incorrect claims being spread over the summer — from the fake death of a child supposedly following a COVID-19 vaccination to the continued misrepresentation of coronavirus hospitalisation and death statistics.

We also draw attention to a call to action issued by a worldwide cohort of top fact-checking organisations, which earlier this month published an open letter to YouTube.

No, a child did not die after being vaccinated in NSW

Coinciding with COVID-19 vaccines being made available to children aged 5 to 11 earlier this month was a rumour about the apparent vaccine-related death of a seven-year-old boy in NSW which spread rapidly online after a Facebook comment was left by a man purporting to be the child's father.

The man, "Steve Leary", detailed how his recently vaccinated son Lachlan had supposedly died of a heart attack in an ambulance hours after being sent home by Westmead Hospital in Sydney.

But according to officials and fact checkers, the story doesn't...

Read Full Story: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-28/coronacheck-steve-leary-lachlan-covid-...