It was a wide-ranging debate where the candidates touched on various topics including foreign policy, abortion, and aid to Ukraine, but two statements raised some eyebrows and made News4JAX run them through the Trust Index.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and California Governor Gavin Newsom squared off in a a contentious debate Thursday night and News4JAX is running some of the statements they made through the Trust Index. The two clashed on several issues including the economy, and gun control, and the city of Jacksonville was also mentioned in the governors’ discussion about crime rates.

News4JAX ran a statement from Florida’s surgeon general through the Trust Index after Twitter flagged the state Department of Health’s new anti-vaccine guidance as misinformation.

News4JAX ran a statement Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis made through the Trust Index.

The News4JAX Trust Index team is taking a look at a claim in a political commercial for Georgia Democratic candidate for governor Stacey Abrams.

The News4JAX Trust Index team is taking a look at recent statements by President Joe Biden about the economy.

Posts are circulating on social media, saying, if you have trouble finding baby formula, there’s a trick you can use through Amazon. So News4JAX decided to put the claim through our Trust Index.

The News4JAX Trust Index team is fact checking a statement made by President Biden during his speech Tuesday at the White House.

The News4JAX Trust Index team is checking out a statement made by President Joe Biden regarding the high prices of gas and groceries and who is at fault.

The belief that gas is the highest it’s ever been has been on the minds of many Americans as the average price for regular has soared above $4 nationally.

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio posted a 30 second video denouncing the Biden administration, claiming a White House plan would send pipes into underserved communities.

The News4JAX Trust Index team is fact checking a commercial that’s been all over Jacksonville airwaves, including Channel 4. It’s a political ad created for City Council candidate Republican Nick Howland, attacking his opponent, Democrat Tracye Polson.

The News4JAX Trust Index team is fact checking a commercial that’s been all over Jacksonville airwaves, including Channel 4. It’s a political ad created for City Council candidate Republican Nick Howland, attacking his opponent, Democrat Tracye Polson.

We’re putting two claims through the News4JAX Trust Index — both related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Florida’s top doctor is discouraging COVID-19 tests for people who do not have symptoms.

When it comes to treatment of COVID-19, options are limited, and the omicron variant has proved to be an even bigger challenge for providers.

Tales of razor blades in apples and poisoned candy have been around as long as the modern concept of Halloween.

The News4Jax I-TEAM is looking into claims that the U.S. government is flying immigrant adults and children into Jacksonville under the cover of darkness as they deal with an influx of people crossing the southern border.

Is the US Attorney General telling the FBI to mobilize against school board protesters and even go as far as labeling them domestic terrorists? That’s the claim News4Jax is running through our Trust Index.

News4Jax is running a viral social media claim through the Trust Index about U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents allegedly whipping Haitian migrants along the Rio Grande as they tried to get into the United States. The dramatic scene has drawn widespread condemnation from the White House, politicians and the public.

Now there is even more evidence that shows COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy is safe.

A photo has gone viral across the world, and the claim is that the picture shows American military working dogs left behind at the airport in Kabul as the United States pulled out of the 20-year war in Afghanistan. But the I-TEAM found that narrative doesn’t add up when we put it through the News4Jax Trust Index.

The News4Jax Trust Index team is fact-checking accusations that the government brought in a group of people who immigrated illegally and dropped them off in Green Cove Springs.

We’re putting through the Trust Index a statement from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office about children wearing masks in classrooms.

News4Jax put two comments about COVID-19 shots that President Joe Biden made at a town hall Wednesday night to the Trust Index.

Gov. Ron DeSantis made some comments during a news conference Monday related to the recent resurgence in COVID-19 cases and how it's affecting hospitalizations.

The News4Jax Trust Index Team is fact-checking an allegation circulating on TV and social media that accuses President Joe Biden of forcing Americans to reduce their red meat consumption as part of his plan to slash greenhouse gas emissions.

Ron DeSantis convened a hand-picked panel of health experts at his state Capitol on Thursday to help validate the actions he took against the pandemic. News4Jax put two of the claims made by the experts through the Trust Index. There is scientific evidence proving social distancing works. At one time Florida was among the epicenters of the disease, prompting DeSantis a year ago to shutter businesses and call for social distancing. AdDespite assertions by the governor’s panelists that masks, social distancing and contact tracing have been ineffective, Morris contends that those measures are in fact slowing the spread of COVID-19.

He continues to say Florida is handling the pandemic way better than Democratic-run states like New York, California and Illinois. With many people skeptical of his statements, the News4Jax Trust Index team looked into his claims. Claim No 1: Lockdowns don’t work“Florida, we’ve shown that these lockdowns don’t work,” the first-term Republican governor said. New York is higher, with 40 cases per 100,000, but California and Illinois are both lower, with 18 and 14 cases per 100,000 residents. 2: President Biden is going to quarantine Floridians or ban travel to and from the Sunshine State“We’re also not gonna let Joe Biden quarantine Florida or ban any travel for Florida,” DeSantis said Friday.

The president said that with those additional doses, there will be enough to fully vaccinate 300 million Americans by the end of summer. This week, the president also said that by summer, the United States should be “well on our way to heading toward herd immunity.”News4Jax put those claims to the Trust Index. The question is not only will there be enough shots available and vaccine sites up and running by spring, but will there be enough people willing to get the vaccine for herd immunity? The number of people who need to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity differs for each virus. Biden’s statement is true that if everything goes according to his plan, the country can be well on the way to herd immunity.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A lot of people are talking about what President Donald Trump has to lose if he’s impeached just days before President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration. Rod Sullivan, a constitutional legal expert, explains Trump would have to be impeached and convicted by the Senate to lose his benefits. “First of all, there’s an authorization for the benefits that he would lose if he was convicted under Article 2 of the Constitution and removed from office,” Sullivan said. So when you hear what Trump stands to keep and stands to lose as far as benefits, it comes down to whether he is impeached and convicted -- convicted being the key. The News4Jax Trust Index advises you to be cautious.

Daily COVID-19 deaths in December are listed on a trending social media graphic showing the 10 deadliest days in U.S. history. RELATED: The chilling story behind the ‘Deadliest Days in American history’ meme (CNET)RELATED: Did 4 of the deadliest days in U.S. history occur in December 2020? (Snopes)Recent daily COVID-19 death totals are among the worst in U.S. history, but the graphic leaves out other terrible days, including the entire Spanish Flu pandemic in 1918. 1, though we couldn’t find daily death totals. The meme shows daily COVID-19 fatalities for several days in early December rival these historic tragedies.

Must expose real signatures!”We reviewed the consent decree and it contains nothing that would prevent Georgia election clerks from scrutinizing signatures. Georgia state leaders agreed, signing the consent decree in March to set statewide standards for judging signatures on absentee ballot envelopes. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, said that not only is it entirely possible to match signatures but that the state requires it. Election officials compare that signature to the signature in voter registration files before a ballot is sent to the voter, Raffensperger said. This process was spelled out in detail in the consent decree, a legal settlement that was signed March 6.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – President Donald Trump and his son, Donald Trump Jr., have accused the drug manufacturer Pfizer of deliberately delaying the release of information about a COVID-19 vaccine until after the election. On Monday, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla announced early study data revealed the company’s COVID-19 vaccine was 90% effective in preventing people from getting the virus. Later that afternoon, President Trump tweeted:As I have long said, @Pfizer and the others would only announce a Vaccine after the Election, because they didn’t have the courage to do it before. Based on our current trial enrollment and dosing pace, we estimate we will reach this milestone in the third week of November.”This means the numbers Pfizer announced Monday were released a week earlier than expected. With that information, the Trust Index finds the claim that Pfizer intentionally delayed its announcement until after the election to be NOT TRUE.

Nearly a week after Election Day, many Americans are still questioning the results, making claims of voter fraud and illegal votes being counted. ClaimOne claim is that illegal votes were counted in the 2020 election and that helped Joe Biden become the projected president-elect. It’s a corrupt system”That statement has put focus on states like Georgia, Pennsylvania, Arizona and Nevada -- states he claims he won. Trump stated there were 100 million mail-in ballots. That meant mail-in ballots couldn’t be opened until after the polls opened at 7 a.m. Tuesday.

As election officials in states across the country continue releasing vote totals for the presidential election, some claim that ballots counted after Election Day must be illegal. “If you count the legal votes, I easily win,” Trump said during a briefing at the White House on Thursday. CLAIM: Votes counted after Tuesday are illegal because they did not reach election offices by Election Day and the counting underway right now is not what’s usually expected at this point during an election. THE FACTS: The Trust Index team at our sister station in Orlando verified that election laws in many states allow votes to be counted as long as they are postmarked by Election Day, even if they arrive later. After reviewing the facts, the Trust Index team has determined that votes being counted after Election Day are legal, as long as state laws are being followed.

"I really believe that’s why they did the mail-in ballots where there’s tremendous corruption and fraud going on. Experts and officials predicted that the record number of mail ballots — 65 million, double that of 2016 — would inevitably result in delays. That’s because mail ballots take more time to process and verify than those cast in person. And in some states — including Michigan and Pennsylvania — it’s against the law to count those ballots before Election Day. After all, the president repeatedly and publicly undermined the legitimacy of mail ballots, making it less likely for his supporters to vote by mail.

Here are five tips for navigating what could be a deeply confusing and anxious period:Even after states declare, keep in mind that the race isn’t over. You can share any election-related posts you’re seeing with the Trust Index fact-checking team and we’ll get to work on it. Use the Trust Index form to send it to trained fact-checkers for review and possible debunking on a newscast or online. They also helped created Trust Index, our fact-checking team. The Trust Index team fact checks questionable information circulating on social media and in our communities.

As Election Day finally arrives it is going to be easy to feel overwhelmed by the volume of information being aimed at every single voter in the country. As polls open here are five things to watch for on Election Day 2020:Many, many reports, photos, and videos of long lines. You can also share what you are seeing with the Trust Index team and we’ll get to work on it. Use the Trust Index form to send it to trained fact-checkers for review and possible debunking on a newscast or online. The Trust Index team fact checks questionable information circulating on social media and in our communities.

It can sometimes be difficult to know what in your social media feed is legitimate news or opinion and what is there to purposely misinform you. Fergus Bell, one of the founders of Fathm who helped News4Jax establish the Trust Index, was on The Morning Show on Monday to talk about how to look for misinformation and disinformation on Election Day and beyond. We’ve seen elsewhere in the world that people have died because of misinformation that has been shared on social media. If you have questions about any information you are seeing, you can always send it to the News4Jax Trust Index Team. For more examples of claims we have already explored, check out the Trust Index page.

Trust Index: How you can become a fact-checker on Election DayPublished: November 2, 2020, 10:34 amFergus Bell, one of the founders of Fathm who helped News4Jax establish the Trust Index, talks about how to look for misinformation and disinformation on Election Day.

At one point during the debate, Trump claimed Biden takes a lot of money from Wall Street and that Trump doesn’t take any. MORE: Trust Index: Fact-checking the final Trump, Biden debate“You’re the one that takes all the money from Wall Street. You have raised a lot of money, tremendous amounts of money,” Trump said. “You shouldn’t be bringing up Wall Street. Trump also claimed that Biden got $3.5 million from Russia.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The News4Jax Trust Index Team is fact-checking statements made during the final presidential debate on Thursday night between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden. Trump on ChinaThe final presidential debate featured a fiery exchange between Trump and Biden over foreign policy in China. Biden on Social SecurityIn one exchange, Biden went after Trump on Social Security. “If in fact, [Trump] continues his plan to withhold the tax on Social Security, Social Security will be bankrupt by 2023 with no way to make up for it,” Biden said. Trump on Super PredatorsDuring the debate, Trump said Biden called Black Americans “superpredators” during the crafting of his controversial 1994 crime bill.

President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden sparred Thursday in their final presidential debate, hoping to sway undecided voters in the Nov. 3 election. Four members of our Trust Index team worked through and after the debate to help get to the factual information you deserve. Here is what they found | Trust Index: Fact-checking the final Trump, Biden debateThursday’s debate from Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, was the candidates' second and final face-to-face meeting, with Election Day less than two weeks away. The debate was moderated by NBC News White House correspondent Kristen Welker -- the first Black woman to serve as the moderator of a presidential debate since Carole Simpson in 1992. Tweets from Trust Index team and nonpartisan fact-checking professionals

“School closures should be off the table," DeSantis said while speaking at Jacksonville Classical Academy. Putting aside the pros and cons of virtual learning versus in-person instruction — does temporarily closing a school help to slow an outbreak? The CDC confirms that closing a school is a viable strategy under certain circumstances and school administrators at Douglas Anderson and Fletcher High School determined those circumstances applied. News4Jax asked about 10 to 14-day school closures for a Covid-19 outbreak, like the ones being utilized in Jacksonville. So, do school closures cause physical and mental harm to students?

Both promise coverage for pre-existing conditions. One which would amend the HIPAA law to make sure that pre-existing conditions are always covered. The other bill ... is actually a bill that should the ACA be struck down by the Supreme Court, that it would require that pre-existing conditions still be covered,” Rutherford said. It explodes costs and it puts a ceiling on what insurance companies are willing to pay," Deegan shot back. The rest are White,” Rutherford said.

According to the White House, contact tracing was performed after Trump’s diagnosis Oct. 1. Yet some within the medical community wonder if the contact tracing conducted after President Trump’s diagnosis was thorough enough. To help shed more light on the issue, News4Jax is running the so-called “15-minute rule” through the Trust Index. Dr. Sunil Joshi, president of the Duval County Medical Society Foundation, said it depends on whether the infected person has symptoms. Because of that, we’re going to rate the “15-minute rule” as “Be Careful."

Bottom line: mail-in voting is a safe way to vote. And both states have strict rules about who can apply for and pick up absentee ballots on behalf of another voter. News21, a national investigative reporting project that tracks cases of election fraud, found 24% of reported election fraud prosecutions from 2000 to 2012 involved mail-in ballots. When asked about that, Trump claimed that voting from out of state is different than sending an in-state mail-in ballot. Claim: Mail-in voting allows you to vote twiceYou can try to vote twice, but we don’t recommend it, since it’s a felony.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Vice President Mike Pence was asked during Wednesday night’s debate if he agreed with the scientific consensus that man-made climate change has made hurricanes wetter, slower and more damaging. Pence sidestepped the question and offered this response:“With regards to hurricanes, the National Oceanic Administration tells us that actually, as difficult as they are, there are no more hurricanes today than there were 100 years ago.”The Trust Index verdict? According to analysis from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, there has been little change in the number of hurricanes we’ve seen recently compared to 100 years ago. “If you’re looking at hurricanes over 100 years, you have to apply the context that we didn’t have satellites before 1966,” Barry said. As NOAA notes, it’s likely the effects of climate change “will cause hurricanes in the coming century to be more intense globally and have higher rainfall rates than present-day hurricanes.”The National Climate Assessment takes things a step further.

The global COVID-19 pandemic was the first topic discussed during the vice presidential debate Wednesday night and saw Democratic candidate Sen. Kamala Harris make an oft-repeated claim about President Donald Trump’s characterization of the pandemic. "Can you imagine if you knew on Jan. 28 as opposed to March 13 what they knew? The word “hoax” has been employed by President Trump in relation to the pandemic, but the word was only used to describe the Democratic criticism of his administration’s pandemic response. One example of the Biden campaign’s framing of Trump’s “hoax” comment came in a March 3 video posted to social media. Because of that, the News4Jax Trust Index team is rating this claim by Harris as “Not True.”After review, we've found this information is Not True.

During the first and only scheduled debate between Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Kamala Harris, the Democratic senator claimed the White House removed references to climate science from its website after President Donald Trump took office in 2017. ″Did you know this administration took the words science off their website and then took the phrase climate change off the website? We have seen a pattern with this administration, which is that they don’t believe in science," Harris said during the debate. In the final days of the Obama administration, one of the issues listed on whitehouse.gov was “climate change.”Soon after President Trump was inaugurated, the list of issues changed on the website. Even though climate change or climate science were not on the site when President Trump took over as commander in chief, it’s important to point out that whitehouse.gov started as a blank slate with the new administration.

The topic of the coronavirus and the Trump administration’s response to it was the first topic discussed during the vice presidential debate Wednesday night between Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Kamala Harris. While Trump did restrict travel from China, his policy was not an actual ban. The News4Jax Trust Index team rates this claim as “Be Careful” because there was no actual ban of all travel from China, starting on Feb. 2. Pence also criticized Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, claiming the former vice president called Trump’s travel restrictions from China to the United States “xenophobic.”While Biden has called the president’s response to the virus “xenophobic,” the comments were never in direct reference to the travel restrictions. https://t.co/nQ5aLVrpyb — Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) March 18, 2020The News4Jax Trust Index team is warning readers to “Be Careful” as this claim can be considered misleading.

We’re fact-checking the Oct. 7 vice presidential debate — and you can help. Using the form below, tell us which statements from the debate you want the Trust Index team to review. If your submission is selected, we’ll check it out and report back.

We’re fact-checking Wednesday’s vice presidential debate between Vice President Mike Pence and Senator Kamala Harris as they square off in Salt Lake City for their lone showdown before the November election. LIVE COVERAGE: Pence & Harris meet for 2020 vice presidential debateTypically, vice presidential debates aren’t a big draw. The vice presidential debate, which is set to air Wednesday from 9 to 10:30 p.m. EST, will be televised by Channel 4 and streamed live on News4Jax.com, along with real-time analysis. Fact-checking the debateAs part of our commitment to keeping your informed heading into the election, News4Jax is fact-checking the claims and statements made by the vice presidential candidates during their debate. WEIGH IN: What should we fact-check from the vice presidential debate?

Text messages. I’ve also received political text messages. Some text messages appearing to be sent by a political action committee provide links to websites. That’s why election officials are urging voters to do their research before responding to a political text message or clicking on a link. So based on elections officials and some real-life cases, when it comes to political text messages, the News4Jax Trust Index team is warning you to be careful.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Medical experts and the News4Jax Trust Index team debunked a warning against wearing face masks that claimed the coverings can pose a risk to the wearer’s health. The rumor implies that the use of a face mask, which has been recommended by the CDC for months, will cause the person wearing it to inhale toxins and waste that they exhaled. “I know my kids are getting sick from wearing muzzles," a mother said in a Sept. 9 Facebook post. "Yes, they are always washed!”This screenshot shows a concerned mother claiming that her children are becoming ill due to the use of face masks. Still, experts say the claim that masks pose a danger to the wearer is not true.

LEARN MORE: Visit our special section on #FluVaxJax | TRUST INDEX: View recent Trust Index storiesBut some say they won’t get the flu vaccine for a variety of reasons. To find out what’s true and what’s not, we put common flu vaccine concerns through the News4Jax Trust Index. “People who get the flu vaccine can still get the flu, but it is much less likely to be a complicated disease process if you’ve had the vaccine,” Joshi explained. Finally, another myth is that people allergic to eggs cannot get a flu vaccine. Asked if there are any medical reasons why someone shouldn’t get a flu vaccine, Rathore replied with a laugh: “Yeah, it hurts a little.”

“Is that accurate?” It’s a question we’re all asking about social media posts and online reports a lot these days. The Trust Index team is here to help.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump claimed accomplishments he didn’t earn on the pandemic, energy and veterans at a Republican convention finale that also heard Black Lives Matter baselessly accused of coordinating violent protests across the country. His shutdown would inflict unthinkable and lasting harm on our nation’s children, families, and citizens of all backgrounds.”THE FACTS: That’s false. You haven’t seen that in a long time.”THE FACTS: Trump seems to be taking credit for lower prices that were the byproduct of a pandemic that has killed more than 180,000 Americans. There’s no evidence that Black Lives Matter or antifa, or any political group for that matter, is infiltrating racial injustice protests with violence. Cotton also played into the convention’s pattern of attributing every questionable action of President Barack Obama’s administration to Biden personally.

CHICAGO (AP) — False claims that Kamala Harris is not legally eligible to serve as U.S. vice president or president have been circulating in social media posts since 2019, when she first launched her Democratic primary campaign. ... It’s not something that we will be pursuing.” Asked point blank if Harris is eligible, Trump replied: “I just told you. I have not got into it in great detail.”A look at the claim:THE CLAIM: Harris is ineligible to serve as vice president or president because her mother is from India and her father is from Jamaica. Trump said Thursday that he “heard” the California senator doesn’t meet the requirements, adding, “I have no if idea that’s right.”THE FACTS: That’s false. Harris was born on Oct. 20, 1964, in Oakland, California, according to a copy of her birth certificate, obtained by The Associated Press.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans tuned into the Democratic National Convention were told Thursday that the higher minimum wage favored by presidential candidate Joe Biden would lift all full-time workers out of poverty. SEN. CORY BOOKER: “Together, with Joe and Kamala in the White House, we’ll raise the minimum wage so no one who works a full-time job lives in poverty.”THE FACTS: That’s an improbable outcome for the $15 minimum wage supported by Biden. Moreover, the report estimated a $15 minimum wage would cost 1.3 million people their jobs because they would be priced out of the market. That finding suggests that a $15 federal minimum would not take all full-time workers out of poverty. Trust IndexThe Trust Index team fact checks questionable information circulating on social media and in our communities.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is muddying the facts about mail-in voting and vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris. Mail-in ballots are cast in the same way as absentee mail ballots, with the same level of scrutiny such as signature verification in many states. That means they can use mail-in ballots for any reason, regardless of whether a person is out of town or working. Five of those states relied on mail-in ballots even before the coronavirus pandemic raised concerns about voting in person. THE FACTS: Harris, a senator from California, is without question eligible.

A News4JAX viewer wrote Trust Index, our fact-checking team, to ask: Is it true there is a $300 payment available for Duval County seniors? Residents who are at least 72 years old or receive Social Security disability benefits can apply for a one-time $300 payment starting at 8 a.m. on Aug. 29. Payments from the Senior and Disabled Financial Assistance Program are limited to 3,000 qualifying residents. Those who receive a payment card will then need to call the customer service number provided with the card to activate it. Trust IndexThe Trust Index team fact checks questionable information circulating on social media and in our communities.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Michelle Obama assailed President Donald Trump on Monday for ripping migrant children from their parents and throwing them into cages, picking up on a frequent and distorted point made widely by Democrats. She’s right that Trump’s now-suspended policy at the U.S.-Mexico border separated thousands of children from their families in ways that had not been done before. At the height of the controversy over Trump’s zero-tolerance policy at the border, photos that circulated online of children in the enclosures generated great anger. But prominent Democrats have continued to cite cages for children as a distinctive cruelty of Trump. The Obama administration separated migrant children from families under certain limited circumstances, like when the child’s safety appeared at risk or when the parent had a serious criminal history.

A Sports Illustrated compilation of numbers reported by schools and local media found at least 800 college football players have tested positive for the virus. News4Jax can find no similar national numbers for high school players. But this week a coach at Greenville High School in Tennessee said six of his players had tested positive, a high school in Corpus Christi, Texas, suspended practice after football player tested positive, and two dozen players and five coaches at Tavares High School in Central Florida are quarantined after two players tested positive. The 27-year-old was reported to have tested positive for coronavirus but had recovered. Kantor added that because athletes may be unaware that they have the virus, they could unknowingly expose someone else.

A Sports Illustrated compilation of numbers reported by schools and local media found at least 800 college football players have tested positive for the virus. News4Jax can find no similar national numbers for high school players. But this week a coach at Greenville High School in Tennessee said six of his players had tested positive, a high school in Corpus Christi, Texas, suspended practice after football player tested positive, and two dozen players and five coaches at Tavares High School in Central Florida are quarantined after two players tested positive. The 27-year-old was reported to have tested positive for coronavirus but had recovered. Kantor added that because athletes may be unaware that they have the virus, they could unknowingly expose someone else.

Ron DeSantis has claimed in various ways that children run an incredibly low risk for contracting coronavirus. The risk for corona, fortunately, for students is incredibly low, he said Saturday. No, the risk is not incredibly low, Goldhagen said. Goldhagen said while it is true that someone under age 18 does have a decreased chance of contracting COVID-19, school children will indeed be at risk of contracting the virus in school. Those assumptions are wrong.Based on this pediatricians experience and the state data we gathered., we give a Be Careful rating to DeSantis statement that that theres an incredibly low risk to school children.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. Were all feeling the summer heat, but the question is: How will it impact the spread of COVID-19? By and large, the virus does not like sunshine, heat and humidity, DeSantis said. The claim: That coronavirus by and large does not like sunshine, heat and humidity. According to the Centers for Disease Control, it is not yet known whether weather and temperature affect the spread of COVID-19. World Health Organization - Heat and COVID-19The World Health Organization found that exposing yourself to the sun or temperatures higher than 25C (77 F) does not protect you from COVID-19.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. Each day, when the Florida Department of Health releases the latest number of reported COVID-19 cases in the state, it also includes that most recent COVID-19 testing data. On Tuesday, the states COVID-19 dashboard reported there have been nearly 2 million total people tested.But that doesnt mean that nearly 2 million unique individuals have taken a COVID-19 test in Florida. The state has acknowledged that retests are counted in the total test count. If a patient tests positive for COVID-19 the Florida Department of Health recommends the patient goes into a two-week isolation period. News4Jax emailed the Florida Department of Health asking the total number of people tested and the number of retest the state has done, but so far they have not sent us an answer.

Rick Scott that the strain now circulating in Florida is less aggressive caught people who study these things by surprise. So theres some reports globally out of Italy that theres a less aggressive strain circulating, but certainly were still telling people to be careful and not be lax about this, Rolle said. A News4Jax scan of recent scientific literature found limited speculation about a less aggressive strain of COVID-19. On the contrary, there were reports of a mutated strain of the virus that makes it more infectious. At this point, there is no data to back up the claim that the COVID-19 strain spreading rapidly in Florida is less aggressive.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – There so much information circulating about coronavirus and a lot of data and studies -- sometimes with conflicting information -- is coming at us. The Trust Index is here to help sort through those claims along with a photo circulating on social media that gives exact percentages of COVID-19 transmission when wearing a mask or not wearing one. First: The medical community is in agreement that wearing masks is useful in limiting the spread of this virus. Bottom line: The Centers for Disease Control has recommended face coverings for months and still does. As for specific claims, including the graphic you may have seen in your Facebook feed, we’re rating it a “Be Careful.”

Trust Index is Graham Media Group’s initiative to combat misinformation and provide viewers and readers fact-checked information to share with others. All sources are disclosed in a Trust Index story on our website. Each Trust Index story receives one of three labels:Trust Index badges include: "It's True," "Be Careful," and "Not True." The designated label is assigned after a claim of information is reviewed through the Trust Index process established in our newsrooms. You can email the Trust Index team at: trustindex@grahammedia.com.

The News4JaxTrust Index team looked into the claim and found it is not true. The quarter was put into circulation in February to honor the National Park of American Samoa, a U.S. territory in the Pacific. Every year since, the U.S. Treasury has minted different quarter designs depicting national parks and other national sites. According to the U.S. Mint, the design is intended to promote awareness of the Samoan fruit bats threatened status due to habitat loss and commercial hunting. After reviewing the claims circulating online, the Trust Index Team determined the claims of government knowledge about the coronavirus based on the quarter's illustration is NOT TRUE.

The placement gave the impression this damage was caused by a fire caused by hand sanitizer. The firefighters wrote, quote, “By it’s nature, most hand sanitizer is alcohol-based and therefore flammable. We asked the head of Jacksonville’s firefighter union whether excessive heat could cause a hand sanitizer bottle to explode. He said hand sanitizer is flammable if the alcohol content is over 90%, but only if there’s an ignition source. Our conclusion is on this claim is that the photo that circulated with the warning of hand sanitizer does not appear to be the result of a hand sanitizer explosion in a car.

But with social distancing, face masks and other efforts to minimize the spread of the coronavirus new normal, would it be safe to go in the water? News4Jax put information circulating on social media saying you could catch coronavirus from pool water or in a hot tub through our Trust Index testing to get you a reliable answer. There is no evidence that the virus that causes COVID-19 can be spread to people through the water in pools, hot tubs, spas, or water play areas," according to the CDC. The thought is echoed by the IHRSA, which writes on its website: A well-run, clean swimming pool with appropriately treated water using chlorine at internationally accepted levels should provide adequate disinfectionAfter consulting the experts, weve found the statement that coronavirus can spread in poll water not true. LISTERINE has not been tested against the Coronavirus and is not intended to prevent or treat COVID-19," the company wrote.

Anyone else finding themselves spending more time than usual on social media, considering the coronavirus pandemic? But like most things, Facebook is whatever you want to make it. You don’t have to give up on social media in general, or even Facebook in particular. The social media giants say they’re working hard behind the scenes to remove bot accounts and build a better platform. In the meantime, here are some simple yet effective things you can do to make your own Facebook interactions less contentious and more civil.

“Is that accurate?” It’s a question we’re all asking about social media posts and online reports a lot these days. The Trust Index team is here to help.

Graham Media Group has announced the launch of Trust Index, a new initiative to combat misinformation campaigns targeting local media. “We are providing timely training and processes to our six newsrooms to help in the fight against misinformation campaigns attacking local news.”Graham Media Group is partnering with Fathm, a global leader in the fight against misinformation, in the effort. “It is fantastic to be working with an organization like Graham Media Group, which is putting a high-priority focus on such an important initiative,” Bell said. Later this year, Bell will complete newsroom training sessions for all Graham Media Group stations, including at News4Jax in Jacksonville. Increasingly, the industry is seeing coordinated campaigns designed to trick local newsrooms into reporting false or misleading stories.