The Poynter Institute Menu Donate State Editions * California * Florida * Iowa * Michigan * New Hampshire * New York * North Carolina * Pennsylvania * Texas * West Virginia * Wisconsin Issues * All Issues * Online hoaxes * Coronavirus * Health Care * Immigration * Extremism * Taxes * Marijuana * Environment * Crime * Guns * Foreign Policy * LGBTQ+ People * Joe Biden * Kamala Harris * Donald Trump * Mitch McConnell * Hakeem Jeffries * Ron DeSantis Media * PunditFact * Tucker Carlson * Sean Hannity * Rachel Maddow * Bloggers * PolitiFact Videos Campaigns * 2024 Elections Truth-o-Meter * True * Mostly True * Half True * Mostly False * False * Pants on Fire Promises * Biden Promise Tracker * Trump-O-Meter * Obameter * Latest Promises About Us * Our Process * Our Staff * En Español * Who pays for PolitiFact? * Advertise with Us * Suggest a Fact-check * Corrections and Updates * Newsletters Donate #### Follow us The Facts Newsletter Sign up English Español ### Get PolitiFact in your inbox. * Weekly Email Newsletter * Daily Email Newsletter Your Email Address Sign Up ![](\\" ![](\\" YourContent stated on March 1, 2020 in an article: “Florida hospital reports a coronavirus ‘infestation’ with multiple confirmed patients.” ![\\"true\\"](\\" false/33efdb6633e5e2fdc2d4e2f63383a1e0.jpg.\\") ![\\"false\\"](\\" false.jpg\\") * Public Health * Facebook Fact-checks * Coronavirus * YourContent ![\\"Florida](\\" Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, center, gestures as he stands with Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez, left, and State Surgeon General Dr. Scott Rivkees during a news conference March 2, 2020, in Tampa, Fla. (AP) ![\\"Daniel](\\" By Daniel Funke March 2, 2020 # False news site publishes unproven story about Florida coronavirus patients #### If Your Time is short * The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention presumptively confirmed two cases of the 2019 coronavirus in Florida. * No Florida hospital has reported multiple confirmed patients. See the sources for this fact-check A popular article is inflating the number of 2019 coronavirus patients in Florida. The story was published March 1 by a website called YourContent. Using an anonymous source, it claims there are multiple patients with the coronavirus at Doctors Hospital in Sarasota, Fla. \"A total at least (sic) three but possibly as many as 8 individuals have been exposed,\" the article reads. \"However, that figure does not include individuals that might’ve contracted the virus prior to the patient’s initial arrival, the source says.\" The article was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.) It has been shared several hundred times. ![](\\" (Screenshot from YourContent) Neither the state, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention nor the hospital in question have confirmed the report. The story comes from a website run by Nikolaos Hatziefstathiou, a Pennsylvania man who has been accused of fabricating documents, impersonating journalists and writing false news stories. In August, he was charged with tampering with public records, forgery and identity theft. Public domain records show that YourContent runs digital ads. In a March 1 press release, the Florida Department of Health announced that there were two presumptively confirmed cases of the virus in Florida. One patient is a resident of Manatee County, which is directly north of Sarasota, and is being treated at Doctors Hospital. #### Featured Fact-check ![](\\" ![](\\" Jeffrey Barke stated on August 23, 2024 in an Instagram post Food and Drug Administration approval for updated COVID-19 vaccines requires a public health emergency declaration. ![\\"true\\"](\\" false/33efdb6633e5e2fdc2d4e2f63383a1e0.jpg.\\") ![\\"false\\"](\\" false.jpg\\") By Jeff Cercone • August 27, 2024 \"This person did seek health care, is isolated and will continue to remain isolated until cleared by public health officials,\" the Health Department said. Presumptive confirmation means that a patient has tested positive for a disease by a public health laboratory but is pending confirmation testing from the CDC. _RELATED:_All fact-checks for Coronavirus Also on March 1, images of a letter Doctors Hospital sent to patients and staff about the case started appearing on social media. \"This patient was admitted to our facility in late February, and remains in our care,\" the letter reads. \"Upon recognizing that the patient was a potential COVID-19 case, Doctors Hospital of Sarasota immediately and appropriately activated all protocols for handling potential COVID-19 cases, including immediate isolation.\" YourContent cites the letter in its story. But the letter does not say anything about additional cases of the coronavirus or how many people may have been exposed to the infected patient. We reached out to Doctors Hospital and YourContent for comment, but we haven’t heard back. Since its outbreak in Wuhan, China, in December, the 2019 coronavirus has infected more than 87,000 people in 58 countries. In the United States, there have been 43 confirmed cases and six deaths, as of March 2, not including those repatriated to the country. The Florida hospital mentioned in the article did not \"report a coronavirus ‘infestation’ with multiple confirmed patients.\" We rate this claim False. #### Read About Our Process The Principles of the Truth-O-Meter ### Our Sources Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the U.S., March 2, 2020 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Key Terms Used in Case Classifications, accessed March 2, 2020 Florida Department of Health, \"Department of Health Announces Two Presumptive Positive COVID-19 Cases in Florida,\" March 1, 2020 New York Post, \"Pennsylvania man Nikolaos Hatziefstathiou busted for impersonating journalists,\" July 25, 2019 The Philadelphia Inquirer, \"In Delco, an alleged ‘fake news’ reporter heads to trial,\" Aug. 29, 2019 Sarasota Herald-Tribune, \"Coronavirus: Two Florida residents test ‘presumptively’ positive; DeSantis declares emergency,\" March 1, 2020 The Washington Post, \"Live updates: Washington state announces 4 more coronavirus deaths, bringing virus death toll in U.S. to 6, officials say,\" March 2, 2020 World Health Organization, Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) Situation Report – 41, March 1, 2020 WPVI-TV, \"Action News Investigation: Was an alleged racist email by Delaware Co. official fabricated for headlines?\" July 25, 2019 WWSB, \"Doctors Hospital of Sarasota Chief confirms to Congressman Vern Buchanan that a presumptive Coronavirus patient is being treated at the facility,\" March 2, 2020 YourContent, \"Florida hospital reports a coronavirus ‘infestation’ with multiple confirmed patients,\" March 1, 2020 ## Browse the Truth-O-Meter ### More by Daniel Funke ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on March 31, 2021 in a video: \"mRNA is not a vaccine\" — it\'s \"actually an operating system\" that\'s run by Bill Gates to program humans. ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Daniel Funke • April 1, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on March 24, 2021 in a post: \"Suez Canal blocked by huge container ship named Evergreen. 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Florida hospital reports a coronavirus infestation’ with multiple confirmed patients