Weekly Health Quiz: Facebook, Fauci and Lab Origin

1 Which of the following social media platforms is currently beta testing a new algorithm that reduces "vaccine hesitant" commentary by 42.5%?

• Twitter
• Facebook

  Facebook is beta testing a new algorithm that classifies users who post counternarrative information about vaccines into one of two "vaccine hesitancy" tiers. This suppression strategy is currently reducing "vaccine hesitant" comments by 42.5% within the test group, which comprises 1.5% of the total user base. Learn more.

• MeWe
• Instagram

2 Which of the following issues has Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), changed his stance on at least once?

• The most likely origin of SARS-CoV-2
• The usefulness and need for masks
• Post-vaccination mask requirements
• All of the above

  A virtuoso of contradiction, Fauci has changed his stance on the usefulness and need for masks multiple times, including promising people wouldn't need to wear a mask after being vaccinated, only to change his recommendation after the vaccine rolled out. Most recently, Fauci changed his mind about the most likely origin of SARS-CoV-2, now saying he's not convinced it's of natural origin after all. Learn more.

3 Which if the following played a key role in enabling the scientific community to hide its potential role in the COVID-19 pandemic by near-universally supporting the natural origin theory and ridiculing the lab leak theory?

• Alternative media
• The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Mainstream media

  Mainstream media played a key role in enabling the scientific community to hide its potential role in the COVID-19 pandemic by near-universally supporting the natural origin theory and ridiculing the lab leak theory. Learn more.

• The World Economic Forum

4 The CDC's statement that 10% of COVID-19 cases may be transmitted in outdoor settings is a:

• Conservative estimate
• Reasonable guess based on scientific data
• Good reason to continue wearing masks outdoors
• Huge exaggeration

  The latest CDC blunder came when it released a misleading and inaccurate statistic about the rate of outdoor COVID-19 transmission, placing it at a "hugely exaggerated" 10%. Learn more.

5 Which of the following statements is accurate?

• Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, doctors have been actively discouraged from helping and prevented from saving their patients

  Something very unusual happened in 2020. For the first time, doctors around the world were actively discouraged from helping and prevented from saving their patients. Esteemed doctors and medical facilities have developed effective treatment protocols for COVID-19, including Harvard, Johns Hopkins and Emory, yet all been suppressed and censored in an apparent effort to cause as much suffering and death as possible. Learn more.

• Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, public health officials have ensured doctors and the public have access to accurate data on the pandemic
• Censoring certain medical is in the best interest of the public because it ensures everyone can make informed decisions
• To make an informed medical decision, you only need to know the benefits

6 Which of the following is the most accurate definition of propaganda?

• Purposeful lies and misinformation aimed at hiding a truth
• An organized attempt to get large numbers of people to think or do something

  Propaganda is an organized attempt to get large numbers of people to think or do something — or not think or do something. It's not like classical rhetoric, which is about persuasion through argument, but rather a means of sub-rational manipulation. Learn more.

• The propagation of truth
• An organized attempt to thoroughly inform the public about something that is in their best interest