Is there really a COVID vaccine vape cartridge? How about a gigantic goldfish found in the lake? Or, are people who visited the hospital all counted as COVID-19 cases? As we approach the end of this chaotic year of 2020 (whew), rumors seem to refuse to take a break from spreading on the internet. To wrap up the last week December and 2020 (hooray!), we’ve chosen 4 widespread rumors to discuss in detail. Can you tell which is true?

Is the COVID-19 vaccine vape cartridge real?

This is a hard NO! A tweet with a picture of a dose of coronavirus vaccine in the form of a vaporizer cartridge went viral beginning of December 19th. It accumulates up to 32.4K retweets and 271.1K likes.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that the COVID-19 vaccine is now ONLY available as an intramuscular (IM) injection. There are no other forms of vaccination at this moment. If you take a closer look, there are many suspicious points about this image. For example, there is a “MADE IN CHINA” sign on the package, which is not possible since Pfizer is manufacturing COVID-19 vaccines in Germany, Belgium, and the United States.

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Is it true that anyone who walks into a hospital is being counted as a COVID-19 case?

Nope. The statement is mostly false.

Rumor has it that CDC alleges that anyone who walks into a hospital is counted as a COVID-19 case because the government pays hospitals extra money for every case. Many people believe this claim and as a result, are actively discussing the ‘fact’ on social media.

Such a claim is mostly false because there’s no evidence the hospitals are faking the number of COVID-19 cases. Additionally, in CDC’s guidance, diseases other than COVID-19 were mentioned, which is proof that NOT every case was listed under COVID-19. Although it is true that the government provides hospitals with relief funds, there is never a standard policy for subsidizing COVID-19 cases.

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Was a 9-pound Goldfish found in a lake in South Carolina?

Sounds like an urban myth, but it is TRUE. If you have seen this photo on social media, you must’ve been surprised by the size of this fish and wonder if it’s just one of the social media jokes.

Ty Houck from the Greenville official park told NBC news that the fish was found on November 16th in Oak Grove Lake Park in Greenville. The officials believe the fish is a goldfish, while others considered it to be a koi. No matter what species the fish is, officials said that they’ve put this giant guy back to the lake!

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Is the sequel to Hocus Pocus coming out?

Yes! Hooray! It’s been discussed for years about the sequel to Hocus Pocus, the classic Disney film. While the fans have been disappointed many times in the past… it is finally confirmed this time! Disney recently announced a Hocus Pocus sequel is “coming exclusively to Disney Plus” in a tweet.

This is very exciting news as we all need a little bit of ‘cheer me up’ saying goodbye to this crazy year called 2020.

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Did you successfully identify the truth from the rumors? Pay more attention to what you read and share on the internet! As we’ve said many times before – Check first before you share!

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