A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out. Here are the facts:
Article misrepresents CDC data, falsely links deaths to COVID vaccines
CLAIM: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention quietly confirmed that at least 118,000 children and young adults have "died suddenly" in the U.S. since the COVID-19 vaccines rolled out.
THE FACTS: The CDC has confirmed no such thing. The claim misrepresents CDC data around excess deaths — the difference between the observed number of deaths and the expected number in a specific period. A misleading article spreading widely online attempts to link recent child and young adult deaths in the U.S. to COVID-19 vaccines. "CDC quietly confirms at least 118k Children & Young Adults have 'Died Suddenly' in the USA since the roll-out of the COVID Vaccines," reads its headline. The article originally appeared in November on The Exposé, a website that has repeatedly spread COVID-19 misinformation. A screenshot of the article's headline was shared in multiple Facebook and Instagram posts. As evidence, the article cites CDC data as published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, an intergovernmental organization that promotes sustainable growth. As presented by The Exposé, the data shows that there were about 118,000 excess U.S. deaths in the 0-to-44 age...
KUANTAN: An elephant handler has expressed disappointment over claims that three Malaysian elephants sent to a Japanese zoo are suffering in their new environment. Mahout Suhaimi Ibrahim, who spen...