Contrary to several false social media posts, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did not state that the new COVID variant is more contagious among vaccinated people than those who are unvaccinated.
The Centers For Disease Control And Prevention (Photo: NBC News)
Misleading Social Media Posts Regarding the Centers For Disease Control And Prevention Statement On The New Covid Variant
According to Ap News, one tweet that shared the article got over 15,000 likes and over 7,500 shares as of Monday. But this is a misrepresentation of how the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now views BA.2.86. The organization has not said that persons who have received the COVID-19 vaccination are more likely to contract the new variation than those who have not. Instead, it stated that people who have had a vaccination or have already had an infection may be more vulnerable than they were to earlier variations.
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention bolded the word “or” in a statement, “Based on what CDC knows now, the large number of mutations in this new variant raises concern that BA.2.86 may be more capable of infecting people who have previously had COVID-19 or who have received COVID-19 vaccines.”
Those making the false claim are misrepresenting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention risk assessment for the variant from August 23, which stated: “BA.2.86 may be more capable of causing infection in people who have previously had COVID-19 or who have received COVID-19 vaccines.” It went on to elaborate that “the large number of mutations in this variant raises concerns of greater escape from existing immunity from vaccines and previous infections compared with other recent variants.”
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The Centers for Disease Control And Prevention Sent A Statement To Politifact
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sent a statement in response to PolitiFact’s inquiries over the claim, stating that it is still determining how contagious this variant is in comparison to previous variants.
According to the statement of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Vaccination remains the safest strategy for preventing hospitalizations, long-term health outcomes, and death.” The COVID-19 vaccine works well to prevent people from becoming seriously ill, needing hospitalization, and passing away.
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