REAL Covid-19 information
Covid-19: Where can I find good information?
There's plenty of misinformation out there. Here's where to find good, evidence-based, scientific information about Covid-19.
- How do I slow the spread, protect myself, and learn about what symptoms to look for?
- Check out the CDC - the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This is the U.S. Government's premiere scientific arm regarding communicable diseases and outbreaks.
- Where and how quickly is the virus spreading now?
- Check out Johns Hopkins University Medical Center. One of the foremost medical schools in the country, they have interactive maps and up-to-date data.
- Has anyone my age died of COVID-19?
- Check out this page on the CDC's website. They have a ton of information reported to them by public health officials from all over the country.
- Is there a vaccine? Or a treatment?
- Check out the NIH - the National Institute of Health. This government agency's mission is to "...enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness...." The content on this website is a little dense, but it has a lot of good information about treatment. And while there's no vaccine, there are links to current drug trials.
- How do I know whether news reports about things like a "second wave" of COVID-19 are accurate? What is it?
- The CDC has reported on this, too, and it has been carried by most major news outlets. Concerned about bias? Get the skills to judge your sources here! This guide has some great information about how to spot fake news and evaluate sources. Check out all the tabs in this guide to learn more.
- Where can I get accurate information about COVID-19 cases in Texas?
- The Texas Department of State Health Services Coronavirus page is a great place to find this information.
Help! My News is Fake!
Did your mother call you to tell you about that new miracle cure for Alzheimer's disease? Did your Facebook feed pop up with an article on a factory farm of pigs intended for human transplant harvesting? Did one of your friends breathlessly tell you that there's a new spider that's going to kill us all? You might have heard any or all of these stories, but there's one thread connecting all of them: they're not true.
The ability to tell accurate news from fake news is an important skill that you'll use for the rest of your life. This LibGuide will give you valuable insight in telling fact from fiction online, plus a chance to exercise your newfound skills.
Acknowledgements and Creative Commons license
This guide has been adapted for use at Texas State University from Libguides at both Cornell-
Fake News, Alternative Facts, and Misinformation: Learning to Critically Evaluate Media Sources
And Indiana University East-
Thanks to both institutions for sharing their fine work.
Please feel free to share this guide with others.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Please note that I do not give permission for any part of this LibGuide to be used for any for-profit endeavors, including publication.
Fact-Checking: The Facts
How do you know?
