20 Facts About COVID-19

Some mythbusting for the end of the year, with references

Pictured: Honestly, just a stunning photo. This caption is just here to celebrate greatness. Source: Retha Ferguson, Pexels

In the last 12 months, fact checking has gone from a fun pastime where you get to make fun of Big Walnut to something of a life-and-death scenario where the myths that are promulgating online can have serious consequences for people’s longevity. Instead of impacting which berry you favor at the supermarket checkout, the scientific myths of 2020 might define how your government chooses to respond to a global pandemic.

It’s a bit less fun than it was last year to check facts, is what I’m saying.

Ah, the halcyon days of yesteryear, when I could check facts about hair dye instead of COVID-19. Source: Me

And somehow, some of the biggest myths about COVID-19 are still spreading. Given the global situation, I thought I’d round off the year by looking at some facts that are well-demonstrated about COVID-19, with references.

Enjoy.

FACT 1: COVID-19 IFR IS HIGH

The death rate of COVID-19 varies substantially by age. I and my colleagues demonstrated this in a paper aggregating antibody studies from across the world. We also showed that, even for relatively young people, COVID-19 is pretty dangerous — at the age of…