NOT REAL NEWS: A look at what didn't happen in health news this week

A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. Vaccinated people do not carry more coronavirus than the unvaccinated CLAIM: People who are vaccinated against COVID-19 carry a "heavier viral load'' if infected with the disease than those who are unvaccinated. THE FACTS: Scientists have found that vaccinated people who get so-called breakthrough infections can carry about the same amount of coronavirus as those who did not receive the shots, not more. Social media users are misrepresenting comments made by Dr. Leana Wen, former Baltimore health commissioner, to make the false claim. One widely circulating post falsely states, "Dr. Leana Wen, one of the MSM's biggest lap dogs, is confirming what has been said by us all along. The vaccinated carry a heavier viral load.'' In the image, a syringe is used rather than the word "vaccinated.'' The post supports the false claim using a short clip from a 25-minute interview Wen did with the news program "Democracy Now!'' Read: 'Tightly knit': Small but mighty band of N.L. healthcare workers heading off to help Alberta battle COVID-19 In the segment, she discusses the delta variant and the new issues surrounding it. "We know that a person infected with the delta variant carries a thousand times the viral load than someone infected with the previous variant,'' Wen said in the full clip. "What that means is the person can transmit a lot more virus.'' But the post leaves that information out, using only a portion of the video where Wen discusses how the vaccinated can also spread the disease. "Those who are vaccinated, we now know based on the CDC, are now able with the delta variant, because they carry so much more virus, they could transmit it to their unvaccinated family members,'' Wen said in the edited clip. "I, for example, even though I'm fully vaccinated, my children are not because they're too young to be vaccinated. So I need to be careful for my children because of all the unvaccinated people around us.'' Read: Merck says experimental pill cuts worst effects of COVID-19 Previously, vaccinated people who got infected were thought to have low levels of virus and to be unlikely to pass it to others. But, according to AP reporting, more recent data shows that is not the case with the delta variant. In July, after the delta variant began spreading more widely, the CDC highlighted a study that found that the vaccinated can carry as much of the coronavirus as the unvaccinated. According to the CDC, the greatest risk of coronavirus transmission is among the unvaccinated, who are much more likely to get infected, and therefore transmit the virus. Canadian health official's remarks about COVID-19 misrepresented online CLAIM: Alberta's top doctor said that if you're feeling unwell and you don't have a COVID-19 test, you're still counted as a positive case. THE FACTS: Posts online are misrepresenting comments made by Alberta's chief medical officer for health, Dr. Deena Hinshaw. During a Sept. 23 news conference, Hinshaw was answering questions around how to manage outbreaks of COVID-19 in schools. Hinshaw was asked by a reporter to explain "why parents don't have the right to know if there are COVID cases in their child's school.'' Hinshaw responded that because the current framework in schools does not require mandatory quarantine or close contact tracing for respiratory illnesses, disclosure of a student's positive COVID-19 test would violate privacy rules. She said schools are using the same outbreak protocols for all cases of respiratory illnesses, regardless of whether there is a known COVID-19 diagnosis. Read: A year after the death of Joyce Echaquan: Quebec coroner urges government to recognize systemic racism "If individuals choose to not get tested for COVID but are home with an illness, they are now counted in the list as now being part of that outbreak. It is less dependent on needing a test to be a part of identifying where there is an issue,'' she said in the clip being shared online. "We are working with education to determine if there are any adjustments that need to be made to this framework.'' Some social media users shared the brief clip without making it clear that she was referring to school protocols for tracking respiratory illness in general, not official COVID-19 case counts. Posts online falsely claimed the clip showed Alberta would now count anyone who feels unwell as a positive COVID-19 case. "That report is false,'' Tom McMillan, assistant director of communications for Alberta Health, said in an email. "Dr. Hinshaw was simply referring to outbreak management protocols in school settings, where all respiratory viruses are treated similarly by the current protocols in place, which helps reduce the chance of onward spread.'' McMillan said those staying home from school are not counted automatically as positive COVID-19 cases. "All cases reported in the province are those that are confirmed COVID-19 cases or those who've been tested and are awaiting results,'' he said. The posts online are a part of a broader conspiracy theory that claims that COVID-19 case numbers are being inflated around the globe, which experts have repeatedly debunked. Read: Suit blames baby's death on cyberattack at Alabama hospital

NOT REAL NEWS: A look at what didn't happen in health news this week

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