BOOM

Trending Searches

    SUPPORT
    BOOM

    Trending News

      • Fact Check 
        • Fast Check
        • Politics
        • Business
        • Entertainment
        • Social
        • Sports
        • World
      • Law
      • Explainers
      • News 
        • All News
      • Decode 
        • Impact
        • Scamcheck
        • Life
        • Voices
      • Media Buddhi 
        • Digital Buddhi
        • Senior Citizens
        • Videos
      • Web Stories
      • BOOM Research
      • BOOM Labs
      • Deepfake Tracker
      • Videos 
        • Facts Neeti
      • Home-icon
        Home
      • About Us-icon
        About Us
      • Authors-icon
        Authors
      • Team-icon
        Team
      • Careers-icon
        Careers
      • Internship-icon
        Internship
      • Contact Us-icon
        Contact Us
      • Methodology-icon
        Methodology
      • Correction Policy-icon
        Correction Policy
      • Non-Partnership Policy-icon
        Non-Partnership Policy
      • Cookie Policy-icon
        Cookie Policy
      • Grievance Redressal-icon
        Grievance Redressal
      • Republishing Guidelines-icon
        Republishing Guidelines
      • Fact Check-icon
        Fact Check
        Fast Check
        Politics
        Business
        Entertainment
        Social
        Sports
        World
      • Law-icon
        Law
      • Explainers-icon
        Explainers
      • News-icon
        News
        All News
      • Decode-icon
        Decode
        Impact
        Scamcheck
        Life
        Voices
      • Media Buddhi-icon
        Media Buddhi
        Digital Buddhi
        Senior Citizens
        Videos
      • Web Stories-icon
        Web Stories
      • BOOM Research-icon
        BOOM Research
      • BOOM Labs-icon
        BOOM Labs
      • Deepfake Tracker-icon
        Deepfake Tracker
      • Videos-icon
        Videos
        Facts Neeti
      Trending Tags
      TRENDING
      • #Operation Sindoor
      • #Pahalgam Terror Attack
      • #Narendra Modi
      • #Rahul Gandhi
      • #Waqf Amendment Bill
      • #Arvind Kejriwal
      • #Deepfake
      • #Artificial Intelligence
      • Home
      • World
      • The US Senate Has Not Declared That...
      World

      The US Senate Has Not Declared That COVID-19 Is A Scam

      The US Senate has not declared that the novel coronavirus is a scam and the video has been shared with a misleading caption.

      By - AFP |
      Published -  16 Sept 2021 5:49 PM IST
    • Boomlive
      The US Senate Has Not Declared That COVID-19 Is A Scam

      A video of a press conference held by US senators has been viewed tens of thousands of times on Facebook and YouTube alongside a claim that the US Senate has announced that "corona is a scam". This is misleading. The US Senate has never made such a declaration, a spokesman for the Senate majority leader told AFP. While the Republican senators in the video are raising questions about the origin of the novel coronavirus, they are not doubting its existence.

      Also Read: No, Inhaling Onion Fumes Does Not Cure COVID-19

      The five-minute, 23-second video was posted on Facebook here on August 24, 2021, with an Indonesian-language caption that reads: "USA Senate announces that Corona is a scam!!"


      Screenshot of misleading post, taken on September 8, 2021

      The video, alongside similar claims, has been watched more than 30,000 times after it was shared on Facebook here, here, here and here; as well as on YouTube here and here.

      The same video has also been shared with a similar claim in other languages, including German, French, Malaysian, Serbian, Hungarian and Polish.

      However, the claim is misleading.

      What the senators actually said

      The video shows a June 10, 2021 press conference, held by five Republican Party senators: Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Roger Marshall of Kansas, Mike Braun of Indiana, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Roger Wicker of Mississippi.

      Only three -- Blackburn, Wicker and Johnson -- are seen in the trimmed video shared in the misleading post.

      Also Read: No, The Simpsons Did Not Predict Delayed COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout

      Blackburn posted the video of the whole press conference to her YouTube channel here on June 10, 2021.

      The video, which is more than 15 minutes long, is titled: "Blackburn Leads Colleagues in Press Conference on Big Tech Censorship of COVID-19 Origins FULL."

      In the press conference, the five senators criticised the restrictions imposed by large social media platforms, such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, on content they deemed in violation of their rules.

      Marshall called for "those involved in the cover-up of the Wuhan lab leak to be held accountable" and Wicker criticised the power of the big platforms, saying they could "decide what we hear and what we can't hear".

      In a media statement posted on her website on June 10, 2021, Blackburn provides a summary of the topics she discussed in the press conference — saying: "Big tech has really stepped over the line on this one", and suggesting that Dr Anthony Fauci, the White House chief medical advisor, was "in cahoots with... big tech".

      As reported by AFP in May 2021, Facebook has changed its policy, no longer banning posts suggesting COVID-19 emerged from a laboratory.

      Several US media outlets like Forbes and Fox News also reported on the press conference.

      Senate majority leader's comment

      A spokesman for Senate majority leader and Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer told AFP in an email on June 14, 2021: "Democratic Senators do not believe that COVID-19, which has taken the lives of nearly 600,000 Americans, is a lie. And it would be wrong to suggest that the Senate declared this."

      The office of the Senate minority leader, Republican Senator Mitch McConnell, had not responded to AFP's query at the time of publishing.

      Also Read: Are Oklahoma Hospitals Overrun By Ivermectin Overdose Cases? A Fact Check

      Acknowledging the existence of COVID-19

      While the senators accuse social media platforms of allegedly "covering up" the origin of the virus, none of them question the existence of COVID-19 in the clip, and statements they have made previously show they believe the virus is real.

      In a YouTube video posted in March 2021, Blackburn said: "Make sure you wash your hands, you use sanitiser, you wear your mask, and take the time to do what I did: set that appointment and get that vaccination."

      Wicker wrote on his website in March 2021 that "our vaccines are proving to be a remarkable success," and in April 2021, Marshall and Braun both called on people to get vaccinated.

      Johnson, on the other hand, has been criticised for spreading anti-vaccine misinformation. However, his office confirmed in October 2020 that the senator himself had gotten sick with COVID-19.

      Since the beginning of the pandemic, there has been debate about the origin of Sars-CoV-2, the virus which causes COVID-19, including a theory that it could have escaped from a laboratory in the Chinese city of Wuhan.

      AFP has published about what is and is not known about the virus and its origin here in French.

      (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by BOOM staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

      Tags

      COVID-19
      Read Full Article
      Claim :   The US Senate has announced that COVID-19 and novel coronavirus is a scam.
      Claimed By :  Posts on Facebook and YouTube
      Fact Check :  False
      Next Story
      Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors.
      Please consider supporting us by disabling your ad blocker. Please reload after ad blocker is disabled.
      X

      Subscribe to BOOM Newsletters

      👉 No spam, no paywall — but verified insights.

      Please enter a Email Address
      Subscribe for free!

      Stay Ahead of Misinformation!

      Please enter a Email Address
      Subscribe Now🛡️ 100% Privacy Protected | No Spam, Just Facts
      By subscribing, you agree with the Terms & conditions and Privacy Policy connected to the offer

      Thank you for subscribing!

      You’re now part of the BOOM community.

      Or, Subscribe to receive latest news via email
      Subscribed Successfully...
      Copy HTMLHTML is copied!
      There's no data to copy!