PolitiFact

We have debunked plenty of misinformation about vaccines for COVID-19 that are in development. Next up: more false information tying COVID-19 to the seasonal flu vaccine. An April 16 article shared on social media carries the headline "New study: The flu vaccine Is ‘significantly associated’ with an increased risk of coronavirus." Facebook flagged this story as part of its efforts to combat false news and misinformation on Facebook's News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)

Notes

The article never tied COVID-19 to the flu vaccine. The featured study of the article in question covers the 2017-2018 season, which is stated in the study’s title: Influenza vaccination and respiratory virus interference among Department of Defense personnel during the 2017–2018 influenza season (Wolff, 2020).