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COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Research Guide

A guide for students researching coronavirus and the current COVID-19 pandemic.

About This Guide

This guide is intended as a starting point for MCC students researching coronavirus and the current COVID-19 pandemic for a class or out of personal interest. For information on Monroe Community College's response to the current coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, including the current status of vaccination requirements, see the College's website. 

COVID-19 Vaccines

Combating Rumors, Misinformation & Xenophobia

Countering Misinformation with Facts

There are a lot of rumors, misinformation, and scams floating around out there, as well as some xenophobia and racism. What can you do? Counter misinformation and xenophobia with facts. Here are some resources:

Common Conspiracy Theories

Falsehoods and misinformation have been circulating in the media since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, researchers from Cornell University analyzed 38 million articles published around the world from January through May 2020 and found that 1.1 million of them contained misinformation. See our Fake News guide for more on this phenomenon.

The Most Common Coronavirus Conspiracies. Share of Covid-19 misinformation in the media identified as the following conspiracy theories: Miracle Cures, 26.4%; New World Order/Deep State, 4.4%; Democratic Party Hoax, 3.6%; Wuhan Lab/Bioweapon, 2.6%; Bill Gates, 2.5%; 5G, 2.1%; Antisemitic Conspiracies, 1.6%; Population Control, 1.3%; Dr. Anthony Fauci, 1.0%; Plandemic, 0.7%; Bat Soup, 0.6%. (1.1 million misinformation articles were detected between January 1 and May 26, of which 46% (522,472) were conspiracy theories.) Source: Cornell University via The New York Times. Statista.

Statista. (October 5, 2020). The most common coronavirus conspiracies [Digital image]. Retrieved January 21, 2022, from https://www.statista.com/chart/23105/share-of-coronavirus-misinformaton-identified-as-conspiracy-theories/

COVID-19 News from the CDC

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