jpd459/healthver_resplit_larger huggingface dataset:
Claim: Nicotine may play an indirect role that makes it harder for the virus to gain to access cells
Question: Can smoking help in preventing COVID-19?
Evidence: Cannabis smoking is linked with poor respiratory health, immunosuppression and multiple contaminants. Potential synergism between the two epidemics would represent a major public health convergence. Cigarettes were implicated with disease severity in Wuhan, China.
Verdict: Refutes
Claim: Social distancing is important for all of us, but those of us who are at higher risk of serious complications caused by COVID-19 should be especially cautious about social distancing. People who are at high risk of complications include: Older adults. People who have serious chronic medical conditions like heart disease, diabetes and lung disease.
Question: has social distancing had an impact on slowing the spread of COVID-19?
Evidence: the centralized social distancing is necessary to minimize the pandemic spreading.
Verdict: Supports
Claim: The coronavirus can live for hours to days on surfaces like countertops and doorknobs. How long it survives depends on the material the surface is made from.
Question: touching a contaminated surface will not make you sick
Evidence: It was found that 83% and 77% of the bedside surfaces of MRSA-positive and MRSA-negative patients respectively were contaminated with staphylococci at 08:00 hours, and that the staphylococcal concentrations increased by 80% at 1200 h over a 4-hour period with routine ward and clinical activities.
Verdict: Supports
Claim: Scientists were able to prove that the virus evolved naturally in animals before jumping to humans.
Question: what is the origin of COVID-19
Evidence: Recent research results suggest that bats or pangolins might be the original hosts for the virus based on comparative studies using its genomic sequences.
Verdict: Supports
Claim: Cold weather kills coronavirus 2019 and 13 other COVID-19
Question: how does the coronavirus respond to changes in the weather
Evidence: Correcting for that distributed delay and offering conservative estimates, we find a negative relationship between temperatures above 25 degrees Celsius and estimated reproduction number ([R]), with each degree Celsius associated with a 3.1% (95% CI, 1.5% to 4.8%) reduction in [R]. Higher levels of relative humidity strengthen the negative effect of temperature above 25 degrees.
Verdict: Refutes
Claim: people with uncontrolled or untreated high blood pressure may be at risk of getting severely ill with COVID-19.
Question: what kinds of complications related to COVID-19 are associated with hypertension?
Evidence: COVID-19 patients with hypertension had more severe secondary infections, cardiac and renal dysfunction, and depletion of CD8+ cells on admission. Patients with hypertension were more likely to have comorbidities and complications and were more likely to be classified as critically ill than those without hypertension.
Verdict: Supports
Claim: hand sanitizers won't protect you against covid-19
Question: what hand sanitizers kill COVID-19?
Evidence: Efficient SARS-CoV-2 inactivation was demonstrated for all tested alcohol-based disinfectants. These findings show the successful inactivation of SARS-CoV-2 for the first time and provide confidence in its use for the control of COVID-19.
Verdict: Refutes
Claim: Most people will experience a mild case with a 2-week recovery.
Question: Can people recover from COVID-19?
Evidence: The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared this outbreak a global health emergency and as on April 24, 2020, it has spread to 213 countries, with 25,91,015 confirmed cases and 742,855 cases have been recovered from COVID-19.
Verdict: Neutral
Claim: The treatment appears to have provided vitamin C and vitamin D to patients as well
Question: Does Vitamin C impact COVID-19 prevention and treatment?
Evidence: Some nutrients are actively involved in the proper functioning and strengthening of the human immune system against viral infections including dietary protein, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin B1, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, vitamin C, iron, zinc, and selenium. Few studies were done on the effect of dietary components on prevention of COVID-19, but supplementation with these nutrients may be effective in improving the health status of patients with viral infections.
Verdict: Refutes
Claim: Vitamin D deficiency linked to increased risk for COVID-19
Question: Does Vitamin D impact COVID-19 prevention and treatment?
Evidence: A significant negative correlation (p=0.033) has been observed between mean vitamin D levels and COVID-19 cases per one million population in European countries.
Verdict: Supports
Claim: Can Covid-19, the new coronavirus, be cured by garlic or garlic water? No.
Question: Does garlic protect against covid-19
Evidence: In conclusion, Allium sativum may be an acceptable preventive measure against COVID-19 infection to boost immune system cells and to repress the production and secretion of proinflammatory cytokines as well as an adipose tissue derived hormone leptin having the proinflammatory nature.
Verdict: Supports
Claim: Respiratory failure is a Common Cause of Death in Critically Ill Coronavirus Patients
Question: how do people die from the coronavirus?
Evidence: Respiratory failure has been cited as the major cause of death
Verdict: Supports
Claim: Both vitamin C and vitamin D have been implicated in boosting immune response.
Question: Does Vitamin C impact COVID-19 prevention and treatment?
Evidence: Dietary supplementation has not been linked to COVID-19 prevention. However, supplementation with vitamins C and D, as well as with zinc and selenium, was highlighted as potentially beneficial for individuals with, or at risk of, respiratory viral infections or for those in whom nutrient deficiency is detected.
Verdict: Supports
Claim: Vitamin and minerals that can help with coronavirus if you're not getting enough Vitamin D Vitamin D supplements, taken daily in moderate doses, may help to reduce the risk of respiratory infections and viruses such as influenza A in children and adults who are deficient (< 20 ng/mL) or severely deficient (< 10 ng/mL) in vitamin D
Question: Does Vitamin C impact COVID-19 prevention and treatment?
Evidence: The majority of documents encouraged the consumption of fruits, vegetables, and whole grain foods. Thirty-one percent of the guidelines highlighted the importance of minerals and vitamins such as zinc and vitamins C, A, and D to maintain a well-functioning immune system.
Verdict: Neutral
Claim: Remdesivir, a drug that once offered hope against Ebola, is now in the spotlight as the only current effective medication for COVID-19. 
Question: is remdesivir an effective treatment for COVID-19?
Evidence: Remdesivir efficacy was not much different in reducing 28-day mortality versus 14-day mortality rates.
Verdict: Refutes
Claim: Coronavirus, which causes the respiratory illness COVID-19, has morphed into a global pandemic.
Question: Can face masks protect me from the coronavirus disease?
Evidence: Together, this study suggested that medical masks are adequate for use on most social occasions, and both medical masks and N95 masks can be reused for a few days with steam decontamination between use.
Verdict: Neutral
Claim: Although scientists are still studying immunity among people who have recovered from COVID-19, current evidence suggests that previously being infected may not be a guarantee that you won't get sick again.
Question: Are you immune to COVID-19 after recovering from it?
Evidence: Recently, an increasing number of reports have indicated that a few patients who were believed to have recovered from COVID-19 initially tested negative but later tested positive.
Verdict: Supports
Claim: Does heat prevent COVID-19? No, Absolutely not
Question: Does heat prevent COVID-19?
Evidence: Airborne transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) via air-conditioning systems poses a significant threat for the continued escalation of the current coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
Verdict: Neutral
Claim: The rationale for dexamethasone as a possible treatment for Covid-19 is that the virus can trigger inflammation and an uncontrolled immune response from your body.
Question: what evidence is there for dexamethasone as a treatment for COVID-19?
Evidence: dexamethasone may be useful for the short-term in severe, intubated, COVID-19 patients, but could be outright dangerous during recovery since the virus will not only persist, but the body will be prevented from generating protective antibodies.
Verdict: Refutes
Claim: No evidence' that vitamin D can prevent or treat COVID-19
Question: Does Vitamin D impact COVID-19 prevention and treatment?
Evidence: Vitamin D deficiency that is not sufficiently treated is associated with COVID-19 risk.
Verdict: Refutes
Claim: there is strong evidence that the covid-19 virus can spread through food.
Question: Can COVID-19 spread through food?
Evidence: This review summarizes the possible transmission ways of COVID-19 through the foods, food supply chain, surfaces, and environment before exploring the development of corresponding detection tools of SARS-CoV-2.
Verdict: Neutral
Claim: hand sanitizer can not kill the new coronavirus
Question: what hand sanitizers kill COVID-19?
Evidence:  There is currently no vaccine for COVID-19, leaving governments and public health agencies with little defense against the virus aside from advising or enforcing best practices for virus transmission prevention, which include hand-washing, physical distancing, use of face covers, and use of effective disinfectants.
Verdict: Neutral
Claim: nicotine might even be able to protect people who come into contact with COVID-19 patients and are therefore at higher risk of infection.
Question: Can smoking help in preventing COVID-19?
Evidence: Epidemiological and laboratory research seems to suggest that smoking and perhaps nicotine alone could reduce the severity of COVID-19.
Verdict: Refutes
Claim: oronavirus infections requiring hospitalization are not only possible in younger adults, but the rate of these cases is higher now that the virus is spreading across other countries.
Question: what are the mortality rates overall and in specific populations
Evidence:  The COVID-19 population-level mortality rate (per 100,000 person-years) increased with age: from 0.1 deaths among 30-39 year olds to 9.5 deaths among 80 year olds.
Verdict: Neutral
Claim: Both vitamin C and vitamin D have been implicated in boosting immune response.
Question: Does Vitamin C impact COVID-19 prevention and treatment?
Evidence: We identified a total of 17 patients who received IV vitamin C for COVID-19. The inpatient mortality rate in this series was 12% with 17.6% rates of intubation and mechanical ventilation. We noted a significant decrease in inflammatory markers, including ferritin and D-dimer, and a trend to decreasing FiO2 requirements, after vitamin C administration. 
Verdict: Neutral
Claim: People with untreated vitamin D deficiency are more likely to test positive for the COVID-19
Question: will SARS-CoV2 infected people develop immunity?
Evidence: Knowledge of the molecular mechanisms of viral cycles and immunity is an important prerequisite for the development of vaccination strategies and development of effective drugs.
Verdict: Neutral
Claim: Social distancing, also called physical distancing, means keeping a safe space between yourself and other people who are not from your household.
Question: has social distancing had an impact on slowing the spread of COVID-19?
Evidence: the centralized social distancing is necessary to minimize the pandemic spreading.
Verdict: Supports
Claim: Hand sanitizer can kill coronavirus-but that doesn't mean it should be your first defense.
Question: what hand sanitizers kill COVID-19?
Evidence: Efficient SARS-CoV-2 inactivation was demonstrated for all tested alcohol-based disinfectants. These findings show the successful inactivation of SARS-CoV-2 for the first time and provide confidence in its use for the control of COVID-19.
Verdict: Supports
Claim: COVID-19 death surge: Can traditional medicine and herbs help? No 
Question: Does garlic protect against covid-19
Evidence: compounds derived from Allium sativum (garlic) have the potential to decrease the expression of proinflammatory cytokines and to reverse the immunological abnormalities to more acceptable levels. Allium sativum is suggested as a beneficial preventive measure before being infected with SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Verdict: Supports
Claim: If you're uncomfortable, take acetaminophen (Tylenol, others), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) or aspirin
Question: Can taking medication to lower fever, such as paracetamol (tylenol) and ibuprofen (advil) worsen COVID-19?
Evidence: There are clearly COVID-19 cases where NSAIDs should not be used, but there is no strong evidence that NSAIDs must be avoided in all patients with COVID-19;
Verdict: Neutral
Claim: drinking alcohol does not protect you against COVID-19 and can be dangerous.
Question: Can drinking alcohol help in preventing COVID-19?
Evidence: Is drinking a healthy way of coping? No.
Verdict: Supports
Claim: smoking might make people less susceptible to COVID-19 infection.
Question: Can smoking help in preventing COVID-19?
Evidence: Smoking has complicated effects on the immune system involving both up and down regulation, any of which might alone or in concert antagonize progression of COVID-19.
Verdict: Refutes
Claim: Hydroxychloroquine, by itself or with azithromycin, did not improve the clinical status of patients with mild to moderate COVID-19
Question: does hydroxychloroquine treat COVID-19?
Evidence: The available evidence suggests that CQ or HCQ does not improve clinical outcomes in COVID-19.
Verdict: Supports
Claim: Cytokine storm can severely damage lungs and lead to acute respiratory distress syndrome and death in covid-19 patients
Question: Does Vitamin D impact COVID-19 prevention and treatment?
Evidence: In Middle East, the recovery rate (r= 0.267) and mortality rate (r= -0.217) showed a medium correlation.
Verdict: Neutral
Claim: 5G mobile networks do not cause or spread COVID-19.
Question: what is the origin of COVID-19
Evidence: This paper investigates the COVID-19 virus origin by using artificial intelligence (AI) and raw genomic sequences of the virus.
Verdict: Neutral
Claim: There is absolutely no evidence that ACE-inhibitors or ARBs increase the risk of COVID-19 infection or severe consequences from it
Question: are patients taking Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE) inhibitors at increased risk for COVID-19?
Evidence: Patients who take ACEIs and ARBS may be at increased risk of severe disease outcomes due to SARS-CoV-2 infections.
Verdict: Refutes
Claim: Most hospitalized COVID-19 patients have neurological symptoms
Question: Which are the first symptoms of the coronavirus disease?
Evidence: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID19) affects principally the respiratory tract but recent studies described that COVID19 could present a broader clinical spectrum from the absence of any symptoms to heart (1), digestive (2) or EarNoseThroat (including anosmia and ageusia) (3) manifestations. Here we report two cases of peculiar skin manifestation.
Verdict: Neutral
Claim: Can children get COVID-19? Sean O'Leary, MD, MPH, FAAP Answer Yes
Question: Can children get COVID-19?
Evidence: Novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is spreading globally. Little is known about the risk factors for the clinical outcomes of COVID-19 in children.
Verdict: Supports
Claim: Stress and poor sleep may boost your COVID-19 risk
Question: Does having a weakened immune system increase your risk of illness from COVID-19?
Evidence: Studies demonstrate that COVID-19 is an immune condition which is marked by reduced lymphocytes and elevated selected proinflammatory cytokines. Similar immune expression has been demonstrated in pregnancy by several studies.
Verdict: Supports
Claim: It's a common misconception that COVID-19 is no deadlier than the flu.
Question: How does the coronavirus differ from seasonal flu?
Evidence: There are significant differences in the clinical and laboratory courses between COVID-19 and influenza.
Verdict: Neutral
Claim: it appears Vitamin D deficiency may increase your risk of getting the infection and doing really badly if you get it
Question: Does Vitamin D impact COVID-19 prevention and treatment?
Evidence: Vitamin D deficiency that is not sufficiently treated is associated with COVID-19 risk.
Verdict: Supports
Claim: COVID-19 coronavirus epidemic has a natural origin
Question: what is the origin of COVID-19
Evidence: Zhou et al (1) mentioned that 'Direct contact with intermediate host animals or consumption of wild animals was suspected to be the main route of SARSCoV2 transmission.
Verdict: Supports
Claim: Can face masks help slow the spread of the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) that causes COVID-19? Yes, face masks combined with other preventive measures, such as frequent hand-washing and social distancing, help slow the spread of the virus.
Question: what are the best masks for preventing infection by Covid-19?
Evidence:  However, wearing N95 respirators can prevent 73 more (95% CI 46-91) clinical respiratory infections per 1000 HCWs compared to surgical masks (2 RCTs; 2594 patients; low quality of evidence).
Verdict: Supports
Claim: smokers are at greater risk of complications from COVID-19 than non-smokers. 
Question: Can smoking help in preventing COVID-19?
Evidence: Our findings support a causal effect of elevated BMI and smoking on risk of sepsis and severe covid-19.
Verdict: Supports
Claim: A face shield is a clear plastic shield covering the entire front of the face, and people are wondering if it offers better protection against the coronavirus than a face mask
Question: Can face masks protect me from the coronavirus disease?
Evidence: and 3) provides suggestion that the public should wear the mask during COVID-19 pandemic according to local context.
Verdict: Neutral
Claim: "Isopropyl alcohol 70 percent, or isopropyl alcohol 99 percent diluted to 70 percent with purified water, kills organisms by denaturing their proteins.
Question: what hand sanitizers kill COVID-19?
Evidence:  There is currently no vaccine for COVID-19, leaving governments and public health agencies with little defense against the virus aside from advising or enforcing best practices for virus transmission prevention, which include hand-washing, physical distancing, use of face covers, and use of effective disinfectants.
Verdict: Neutral
Claim: The COVID-19 shutdown is making weather prediction more difficult
Question: how does the coronavirus respond to changes in the weather
Evidence: Results indicated that temperatures had a negative linear relationship with the number of confirmed cases.
Verdict: Neutral
Claim: young men with severe COVID-19 had mutations in the gene for a certain cell receptor. This receptor, some researchers suspect, grows scarcer as we age.
Question: will SARS-CoV2 infected people develop immunity?
Evidence:  According to this hypothesis vaccine formulations (tetanus, diphtheria, Bordetella pertussis) could be re-administrate after the first contact with Covid-19, better before the development of respiratory severe illness and of course before full-blown ARDS (Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome). The CD4+ memory exploiting could help immune system to recall immunity of already know antigens against coronaviruses, avoiding or limiting lung crash until virus specific immunity develops and making it faster and prolonged. 
Verdict: Neutral
Claim: Alzheimer's led to the deaths of around 80.6 people in England per 100,000 in August, compared with 7.2 for Covid-19.
Question: how do people die from the coronavirus?
Evidence: Lack of personal protective equipment was cited as a common cause of death.
Verdict: Neutral
Claim: if they develop a fever and COVID-19 symptoms, they should not take NSAIDs (ibuprofen) because it can worsen the covid-19 disease
Question: Can taking medication to lower fever, such as paracetamol (tylenol) and ibuprofen (advil) worsen COVID-19?
Evidence: There are clearly COVID-19 cases where NSAIDs should not be used, but there is no strong evidence that NSAIDs must be avoided in all patients with COVID-19;
Verdict: Refutes
Claim: Hydroxychloroquine is a medication that doctors prescribe to treat a variety of conditions, including malaria, arthritis, and lupus.
Question: does hydroxychloroquine treat COVID-19?
Evidence: The odds of mortality were significantly higher in patients treated with Hydroxychloroquine + Azithromycin than supportive care alone [2.34 (95% CI: 1.63, 3.34); I2 = 0%]. A pooled analysis of recently published studies suggests no additional benefit for reducing mortality in COVID-19 patients when Hydroxychloroquine is given as add-on to the standard care.
Verdict: Neutral
Claim: Immunity after recovery from COVID-19? Yes
Question: Are you immune to COVID-19 after recovering from it?
Evidence: Our study provides the first evidence of inflammatory immune signature in early recovery stage, suggesting that the COVID-19 patients are still vulnerable after hospital discharge.
Verdict: Refutes
Claim: There are risks that come with using UV light devices, especially when using them on your skin.
Question: Does UV light help in preventing covid-19?
Evidence: To evaluate the hypothesis that light could reduce the lethality of COVID-19.
Verdict: Neutral
Claim: The rationale for using vitamin D is based largely on immunomodulatory effects that could potentially protect against COVID-19 infection or decrease the severity of illness
Question: Does Vitamin D impact COVID-19 prevention and treatment?
Evidence: In Europe, there were no correlations for both recovery (r= 0.040) and mortality rate (r= -0.035).
Verdict: Refutes
Claim: supplements supplements like zinc, vitamin C, or herbals help with the coronavirus (COVID-19)
Question: Does Vitamin C impact COVID-19 prevention and treatment?
Evidence: Although COVID-19 can be rapidly diagnosed, efficient clinical treatment of COVID-19 remains unavailable, resulting in high fatality.
Verdict: Refutes
Claim: Hydroxychloroquine is a medication that doctors prescribe to treat a variety of conditions, including malaria, arthritis, and lupus.
Question: does hydroxychloroquine treat COVID-19?
Evidence: Despite its small sample size our survey shows that hydroxychloroquine treatment is significantly associated with viral load reduction/disappearance in COVID-19 patients and its effect is reinforced by azithromycin.
Verdict: Neutral
Claim: The virus survives better in cold
Question: how does the coronavirus respond to changes in the weather
Evidence: Preliminary observations from our team and others suggest that temperature and climatological factors could influence the spread of this novel coronavirus
Verdict: Supports
Claim: I got the coronavirus, but I treated myself solely with medicinal herbs
Question: Does garlic protect against covid-19
Evidence: Hoaxes (such as eating garlic or citrus to prevent COVID-19) were detected in 15 videos (10.9%).
Verdict: Refutes
Claim: It is possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object, including food or food packaging, that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes. However, this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.
Question: Does Vitamin C impact COVID-19 prevention and treatment?
Evidence: We identified a total of 17 patients who received IV vitamin C for COVID-19. The inpatient mortality rate in this series was 12% with 17.6% rates of intubation and mechanical ventilation. We noted a significant decrease in inflammatory markers, including ferritin and D-dimer, and a trend to decreasing FiO2 requirements, after vitamin C administration. 
Verdict: Neutral
Claim: Coronavirus: Patients treated with massive doses of Vitamin C
Question: Does Vitamin C impact COVID-19 prevention and treatment?
Evidence: Dietary supplementation has not been linked to COVID-19 prevention. However, supplementation with vitamins C and D, as well as with zinc and selenium, was highlighted as potentially beneficial for individuals with, or at risk of, respiratory viral infections or for those in whom nutrient deficiency is detected.
Verdict: Refutes
Claim: I got the coronavirus, but I treated myself solely with medicinal herbs
Question: Does garlic protect against covid-19
Evidence: compounds derived from Allium sativum (garlic) have the potential to decrease the expression of proinflammatory cytokines and to reverse the immunological abnormalities to more acceptable levels. Allium sativum is suggested as a beneficial preventive measure before being infected with SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Verdict: Refutes
Claim: wear cloth face masks in public places where it is difficult to maintain physical distancing. This will help slow the spread of the virus from people who do not know that they have contracted it, including those who are asymptomatic.
Question: has social distancing had an impact on slowing the spread of COVID-19?
Evidence: The government of different countries has adopted various policies to contain this epidemic and the most common were social distancing and lockdown. Our analysis revealed that the measures can slow down the outbreak. We can reduce the epidemic size and prolong the time to arrive at the epidemic peak by seriously following the measures suggested by the authorities.
Verdict: Neutral
Claim: Smoking tobacco is also a known risk factor for severe disease and death from many respiratory infections.
Question: Can smoking help in preventing COVID-19?
Evidence: Conclusions This representative population sample will, to our knowledge, present the first comprehensive examination of the association between smoking, nicotine use without smoking, respiratory disease, and severity of COVID-19.
Verdict: Neutral
Claim: hand sanitizer may help rid your hands of unwanted germs.
Question: what hand sanitizers kill COVID-19?
Evidence: The ongoing COVID19 pandemic has made various challenges for communications all over the world. Nowadays hand hygiene practices with alcohol sanitizers are an unavoidable reality for many people, which cause skin dryness and flaking.
Verdict: Supports
Claim: If you decide to engage in public activities, continue to protect yourself by practicing everyday preventive actions.; Keep these items on hand when venturing out: a mask, tissues, and a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol, if possible.
Question: How much impact do masks have on preventing the spread of the COVID-19?
Evidence: Model simulations, using data relevant to COVID-19 dynamics in the US states of New York and Washington, suggest that broad adoption of even relatively ineffective face masks may meaningfully reduce community transmission of COVID-19 and decrease peak hospitalizations and deaths.
Verdict: Supports
Claim: COVID-19 is not the common cold (nor is it the flu) and science is still trying to understand how the coronavirus operates.
Question: Does Vitamin C impact COVID-19 prevention and treatment?
Evidence: The majority of documents encouraged the consumption of fruits, vegetables, and whole grain foods. Thirty-one percent of the guidelines highlighted the importance of minerals and vitamins such as zinc and vitamins C, A, and D to maintain a well-functioning immune system.
Verdict: Neutral
Claim: hydroxychloroquine could prevent or treat COVID-19.
Question: does hydroxychloroquine treat COVID-19?
Evidence: patients treated with HCQ at the time of early hospital recovered faster than those who treated later or taken as second line choose for their obvious shorter hospitalization time.
Verdict: Supports
Claim: People wearing face coverings will take in fewer coronavirus particles, evidence suggests, making disease less severe.
Question: Can face masks protect me from the coronavirus disease?
Evidence: This study 1) illustrates transmission routes of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2);
Verdict: Neutral
Claim: Self-quarantine is strictly reserved for those who have come into close contact with a coronavirus-infected person.
Question: has social distancing had an impact on slowing the spread of COVID-19?
Evidence: The decentralized strategy is insufficient when used alone, but offers the best results when combined with the centralized one. Indeed, the (C+D) is the most efficient isolation strategy at mitigating the network superspreaders and reducing the highest node degrees to less than 10% of their initial values.
Verdict: Neutral
Claim: Based on available evidence, children do not appear to be at higher risk for COVID-19 than adults. 
Question: what are the mortality rates overall and in specific populations
Evidence: A confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection substantially increased the probability of death across all patient groups, ranging from nine (6 to 15) times the population mortality in 35-year old infected females to a 53-fold increase (46 to 59) for 95 year old infected males. The highest relative risks were observed among males and older patients.
Verdict: Neutral
Claim: Masks offer no protection to the wearer
Question: what are the best masks for preventing infection by Covid-19?
Evidence: the American College of Physicians (ACP) provides recommendations based on the best available evidence through 14 April 2020 on the effectiveness of N95 respirators, surgical masks, and cloth masks in reducing transmission of infection.
Verdict: Neutral
Claim: there is evidences that pets, including cats and dogs, play a role in spreading COVID-19 to people.
Question: Can animals spread COVID-19?
Evidence: Experimental data showed ferrets and cats are highly susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 as infected by virus inoculation and can transmit the virus directly or indirectly by droplets or airborne route.
Verdict: Supports
Claim: facing the reality that there's no vaccine available yet to prevent the continuous spread of the novel coronavirus, coupled with the still increasing number of positive cases, and not knowing when exactly the virus will be defeated is a daunting prospect for many.
Question: How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted mental health?
Evidence: Various psychological problems and important consequences in terms of mental health including stress, anxiety, depression, frustration, uncertainty during COVID-19 outbreak emerged progressively.
Verdict: Supports
Claim: the addition of zinc to hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin was associated with a decrease in mortality in patients who were not admitted to the intensive care unit.
Question: does hydroxychloroquine treat COVID-19?
Evidence: hydroxychloroquine with or without azithromycin showed benefits in positive-to-negative conversion of SARS-CoV-2 (odds ratio [OR], 1.95 [95% CI,0.19 to 19.73] and a reduction in progression rate (OR, 0.89 [95% CI, 0.58 to 1.37]), but without demonstrating any statistical significance.
Verdict: Neutral
Claim: Will domestic pets get COVID-19? No the domestic pets will not get COVID-19
Question: Can animals spread COVID-19?
Evidence: Humans showing clinical symptoms of respiratory infections have been undergoing for COVID-19 diagnostic test but many infected people and few pets confirmed with SARS-CoV-2 remained asymptomatic. 
Verdict: Refutes
Claim: vitamin D, which helps the body absorb calcium to strengthen bones, could play a role in COVID-19 patients-from preventing infection to making the disease less severe.
Question: Does Vitamin D impact COVID-19 prevention and treatment?
Evidence: In Europe, there were no correlations for both recovery (r= 0.040) and mortality rate (r= -0.035).
Verdict: Refutes
Claim: The name of the new coronavirus that first appeared in China has been evolving to its now official designation: SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2).
Question: What does SARS-CoV-2 stand for?
Evidence: SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) is a coronavirus responsible for COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) which resulted in a cluster of cases of pneumonia that originated in China around 31 December 2019 and has subsequently spread across the globe.
Verdict: Supports
Claim: With the so-called neutrophils and the monocytes we have found that these immune cells are activated, i.e. ready to defend the patient against COVID-19 in the case of mild disease courses.
Question: will SARS-CoV2 infected people develop immunity?
Evidence: Distinguishing pre-existing and de novo antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 will be critical for serology, seroprevalence and vaccine studies, as well as for our understanding of susceptibility to and natural course of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Verdict: Neutral
Claim: The COVID-19 virus can spread in hot and humid climates
Question: what are the early symptoms of COVID-19?
Evidence: Anosmia and ageusia as primary symptoms of COVID-19
Verdict: Neutral
Claim: COVID-19 is a seasonal disease
Question: how does the coronavirus respond to changes in the weather
Evidence: Results indicated that temperatures had a negative linear relationship with the number of confirmed cases.
Verdict: Refutes
Claim: Garlic can cure COVID-19.
Question: Does garlic protect against covid-19
Evidence: In conclusion, Allium sativum may be an acceptable preventive measure against COVID-19 infection to boost immune system cells and to repress the production and secretion of proinflammatory cytokines as well as an adipose tissue derived hormone leptin having the proinflammatory nature.
Verdict: Refutes
Claim: The Connection Between COVID-19 and Diabetes People with diabetes aren't more likely to catch the virus than other people.
Question: what kinds of complications related to COVID-19 are associated with diabetes
Evidence: the association between DM and COVID-19-induced severe complications is still unclear
Verdict: Neutral
Claim: number of deaths by covid-19 can be reducded if the population wear face masks in public
Question: what are the best masks for preventing infection by Covid-19?
Evidence:  However, wearing N95 respirators can prevent 73 more (95% CI 46-91) clinical respiratory infections per 1000 HCWs compared to surgical masks (2 RCTs; 2594 patients; low quality of evidence).
Verdict: Neutral
Claim: The coronavirus, which first sickened people in China in December, is thought to have passed from animals to humans, like many similar pathogens, but nothing has been confirmed yet by any peer-reviewed scientific research, global public health agency or academic expert. 
Question: what is the origin of COVID-19
Evidence: The results obtained from various AI-enabled experiments using clustering algorithms demonstrate that all examined COVID-19 virus genomes belong to a cluster that also contains bat and pangolin coronavirus genomes.
Verdict: Supports
Claim: the 100-year-old BCG vaccine has received increasing attention, even though it is only partially functional in fighting the disease it was made to battle - tuberculosis.
Question: can bcg vaccine cure covid-19
Evidence: Though its still not verified in any way whether the BCG vaccination can actually prevent COVID-19 or not but we believe a thorough analytical research in this regard is indeed worth a shot.
Verdict: Neutral
Claim: The coronavirus that causes COVID-19 mainly spreads from person to person. 
Question: touching a contaminated surface will not make you sick
Evidence: Our findings of extensive viral RNA contamination of surfaces and air across a range of acute healthcare settings in the absence of cultured virus underlines the potential risk from surface and air contamination in managing COVID-19, and the need for effective use of PPE, social distancing, and hand/surface hygiene.
Verdict: Refutes
Claim: COVID-19 can unfortunately be fatal for those with suppressed immune systems.
Question: will SARS-CoV2 infected people develop immunity?
Evidence: Distinguishing pre-existing and de novo antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 will be critical for serology, seroprevalence and vaccine studies, as well as for our understanding of susceptibility to and natural course of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Verdict: Neutral
Claim: The risk of infection by COVID-19 appears to be reduced by half among current smokers
Question: Can smoking help in preventing COVID-19?
Evidence: Smoking has complicated effects on the immune system involving both up and down regulation, any of which might alone or in concert antagonize progression of COVID-19.
Verdict: Refutes
Claim: The COVID crisis has created mental health issues that cannot be ignored.
Question: How to stay mentally healthy during COVID-19 crisis?
Evidence: The results shows how the topic covid19 was increasing during the time, sleep patterns changed, and people were worried about fear to death, family travelling outside of Colombia and public health actions.
Verdict: Supports
Claim: Is vinegar and water an effective disinfectant? Probably not. Although acids will inactivate viruses (vinegar is acetic acid), it's quite dilute and the pH isn't likely low enough.
Question: Can vinegar help in preventing COVID-19?
Evidence: The aim of this paper is to evaluate the effect of acetic acid, the active component of vinegar, as a potential disinfectant agent for upper airways.
Verdict: Neutral
Claim: BCG: Can a vaccine from 1921 save lives from Covid-19? The vaccine was designed to stop tuberculosis, but there is some evidence it can protect against other infections as well.
Question: can bcg vaccine cure covid-19
Evidence: Results fail to confirm the null hypothesis of no association between BCG vaccination and COVID-19 mortality, and suggest that BCG could have a protective effect.
Verdict: Supports
Claim: Physical distancing, face masks, and eye protection to prevent person-to-person transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19
Question: Can face masks protect me from the coronavirus disease?
Evidence: Wearing medical masks or N95 masks (namely N95 respirators) can slow the virus spread and reduce the infection risk.
Verdict: Supports
Claim: Eating garlic can protect people against the coronavirus:
Question: Does garlic protect against covid-19
Evidence: In late December 2019 in Wuhan, China, several patients with viral pneumonia were identified as 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). So far, there are no specific treatments for patients with coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19), and the treatments available today are based on previous experience with similar viruses such as severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus (SARS-CoV), Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), and Influenza virus.
Verdict: Refutes
Claim: Having high blood pressure may make coronavirus more dangerous.
Question: what kinds of complications related to COVID-19 are associated with hypertension?
Evidence: COVID-19 patients with hypertension had more severe secondary infections, cardiac and renal dysfunction, and depletion of CD8+ cells on admission. Patients with hypertension were more likely to have comorbidities and complications and were more likely to be classified as critically ill than those without hypertension.
Verdict: Supports
Claim: if you smoke weed, you might be putting yourself at higher risk of suffering severe complications if you get infected with the novel coronavirus. 
Question: Can smoking cannabis (weed) help in preventing COVID-19?
Evidence: Male, older than 65, and smoking were risk factors for disease progression in patients with COVID-19 (male: OR=1.76, 95% CI (1.41, 2.18), P < 0.00001;
Verdict: Supports
Claim: Researchers have discovered that the Chloroquine drug is effective at fighting the SARS-CoV-2 virus in studies done in test tubes.
Question: is remdesivir an effective treatment for COVID-19?
Evidence: remdesivir is not sufficient on its own and may be suitable in combination with other antivirals or treatments such as convalescent plasma.
Verdict: Neutral
Claim: Some groups may face a disproportionate mental health impact during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Question: How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted mental health?
Evidence: Psychological impact was assessed using the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), and mental health status with the Goldberg's General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). 
Verdict: Neutral
Claim: High blood pressure may mean higher risk of hospitalization or severe illness.
Question: what kinds of complications related to COVID-19 are associated with hypertension?
Evidence: hypertension may be an independent risk factor for all-cause mortality in patients with COVID-19. Patients who previously used RAAS inhibitors may have a better prognosis.
Verdict: Neutral
Claim: Doctors on the frontlines still lack a proven treatment for the disease as researchers race to develop a vaccine.
Question: Are there any antiviral drugs to treat the coronavirus disease? 
Evidence: In particular, several cases of recovered patients have been reported after being treated with lopinavir/ritonavir (which is widely used to treat human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection) in combination with the anti-flu drug oseltamivir.
Verdict: Refutes
Claim: While there's not adequate evidence that wearing a face mask can help you get immunity like a vaccine would, it is a good way to help prevent the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus
Question: Can wearing masks help in preventing the spread of the coronavirus disease?
Evidence: This study 1) illustrates transmission routes of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2); 2) addresses controversies surrounding the mask from perspectives of attitude, effectiveness, and necessity of wearing the mask with evidence that the use of mask would effectively interrupt the transmission of infectious diseases in both hospital settings and community settings; and 3) provides suggestion that the public should wear the mask during COVID-19 pandemic according to local context.
Verdict: Supports
Claim: Can Covid-19, the new coronavirus, be cured by garlic or garlic water? No.
Question: Does garlic protect against covid-19
Evidence: compounds derived from Allium sativum (garlic) have the potential to decrease the expression of proinflammatory cytokines and to reverse the immunological abnormalities to more acceptable levels. Allium sativum is suggested as a beneficial preventive measure before being infected with SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Verdict: Supports
Claim: COVID symptoms include a high fever, a new cough, and loss of smell and taste
Question: what are the early symptoms of COVID-19?
Evidence: Early mild symptoms appeared during course of disease provide a chance to early detect Covid-19.
Verdict: Neutral
Claim: Countries with higher death rates had larger numbers of covid-19 patients with vitamin D deficiency than countries with lower death rates
Question: Does Vitamin D impact COVID-19 prevention and treatment?
Evidence: ecological investigation on 51 countries including 408,748 participants, analyses indicated no correlation between vitamin D levels and recovery rate (r= 0.041) as well as mortality rate (r=-0.073) globally.
Verdict: Refutes
Claim: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may be stressful for people. 
Question: has social distancing had an impact on slowing the spread of COVID-19?
Evidence: Our models predict these strict social distancing measures caused a 79% and 61% reduction in the daily cases of COVID-19 across Australia and New Zealand respectively. This provides both evidence and impetus for governments considering similar measures in response to COVID-19 and other pandemics.
Verdict: Neutral
Claim: Does Wearing a Mask Protect Me? Some Evidence Says Yes
Question: Can face masks protect me from the coronavirus disease?
Evidence: We also demonstrated that three brands of medical masks blocked over 99% viruses in aerosols. The avian coronavirus was completely inactivated after being steamed for 5 minutes.
Verdict: Refutes
Claim: They conclude strongly that physicians should avoid using either hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine to treat COVID-19
Question: does hydroxychloroquine treat COVID-19?
Evidence: Preliminary clinical evidence from China and France showed significant virological and clinical benefit in HCQ-treated patients, while other studies, mostly including critically ill patients, did not show favorable results.
Verdict: Neutral
Claim: Hydroxychloroquine has long been used to treat malaria as well as other conditions such as lupus and arthritis.
Question: does hydroxychloroquine treat COVID-19?
Evidence: mortality rate was increased when the treatment was conducted with hydroxychloroquine.
Verdict: Neutral
Claim: Coronavirus (COVID-19) live map tracker from Microsoft Bing
Question: how does the coronavirus respond to changes in the weather
Evidence: Correcting for that distributed delay and offering conservative estimates, we find a negative relationship between temperatures above 25 degrees Celsius and estimated reproduction number ([R]), with each degree Celsius associated with a 3.1% (95% CI, 1.5% to 4.8%) reduction in [R]. Higher levels of relative humidity strengthen the negative effect of temperature above 25 degrees.
Verdict: Neutral
Claim: Drinking methanol, ethanol or bleach does not prevent or cure COVID-19 and can be extremely dangerous.
Question: Can drinking alcohol help in preventing COVID-19?
Evidence: Is drinking a healthy way of coping? No.
Verdict: Supports
Claim: Travel increases your chances of getting and spreading COVID-19.
Question: Is it safe to go outside during COVID-19 pandemic?
Evidence:  Given the increasing incidence especially in elderly and individuals with comorbid conditions, it is advised by health authorities to stay home if possible, maintain social distancing and stay away from those who are sick or could be infected.
Verdict: Supports
Claim: vitamin D can play in helping a patient fight off COVID-19.
Question: Does Vitamin C impact COVID-19 prevention and treatment?
Evidence: Dietary supplementation has not been linked to COVID-19 prevention. However, supplementation with vitamins C and D, as well as with zinc and selenium, was highlighted as potentially beneficial for individuals with, or at risk of, respiratory viral infections or for those in whom nutrient deficiency is detected.
Verdict: Supports
Claim: abnormal blood clotting contributes to death in some covid-19 patients.
Question: how do people die from the coronavirus?
Evidence: Compared to the recovered group, more patients in the death group exhibited characteristics of advanced age, pre-existing comorbidities, dyspnea, oxygen saturation decrease, increased WBC count, decreased lymphocytes, and elevated CRP levels.
Verdict: Supports
Claim: Having high blood pressure may make coronavirus more dangerous.
Question: what kinds of complications related to COVID-19 are associated with hypertension?
Evidence: Hypertension appeared consistently as the most prevalent risk factors in COVID-19 patients.
Verdict: Supports
Claim: Having other cardiovascular or cerebrovascular disease, such as hypertension (high blood pressure) or stroke, may increase your risk of severe illness from COVID-19.
Question: what kinds of complications related to COVID-19 are associated with hypertension?
Evidence: Hypertension appeared consistently as the most prevalent risk factors in COVID-19 patients.
Verdict: Supports
Claim: Some people should not wear face coverings, such as children under 3 and people with breathing difficulties.
Question: has social distancing had an impact on slowing the spread of COVID-19?
Evidence: The decentralized strategy is insufficient when used alone, but offers the best results when combined with the centralized one. Indeed, the (C+D) is the most efficient isolation strategy at mitigating the network superspreaders and reducing the highest node degrees to less than 10% of their initial values.
Verdict: Neutral
Claim: if they develop a fever and COVID-19 symptoms, they should not take NSAIDs (ibuprofen) because it can worsen the covid-19 disease
Question: Can taking medication to lower fever, such as paracetamol (tylenol) and ibuprofen (advil) worsen COVID-19?
Evidence: Concern about the appropriate role of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in COVID-19 speculate that NSAIDs, in particular ibuprofen, may upregulate the entry point for the virus, the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) 2 receptors and increase susceptibility to the virus or worsen symptoms in existing disease.
Verdict: Supports