As the COVID-19 global epidemic persists, misinformation continues to circulate widely. Journalists and public health officials continue to struggle to debunk these false and misleading claims, an especially challenging task in the U.S. where COVID-19 has become a highly polarizing issue. Are these efforts successful? According to a new study published in Nature Human Behaviour, fact checks can successfully reduce misperceptions about COVID-19 immediately after people read them but do not have lasting effects over time.