FACT CHECK: Viral Video Claims To Show Kamala Harris Saying Everyone Currently Hospitalized With COVID-19 Is Vaccinated

Mecca Fowler | Contributor

A video shared on Twitter purportedly shows Vice President Kamala Harris saying, “Virtually every person who is in the hospital sick with COVID-19 right now is vaccinated.”

 


Verdict: False

The video has been altered to make it seem like she said “vaccinated.” However, the transcript and original footage show she actually said “unvaccinated.”

Fact Check:

In the viral clip, Harris stands in front of a podium, seemingly saying more than once that “virtually” every person who “is in the hospital right now sick with COVID-19” is vaccinated and that “virtually” every person who “has recently died from COVID-19” was too.

Check Your Fact located the original footage on the White House YouTube channel through a keyword search and found the video being shared on Twitter has been deceptively altered to change what Harris said, making it appear that she said “vaccinated” rather than “unvaccinated.” The footage dates back to July of this year, when Harris was in Detroit, Michigan.

The White House transcript of Harris’ remarks also shows she said “unvaccinated” in the instances where the edited clip attempted to portray her as saying “vaccinated.” (RELATED: Was Kamala Harris Arrested In Singapore?)

“This Delta variant, it spreads faster, and it is in many cases reported to be much more serious in terms of its impact. And the vaccine will protect you from it. And here’s how I know: Virtually every person who is in the hospital sick with COVID-19 right now is unvaccinated,” the transcript and the original footage shows the vice president saying. “I’m going to repeat that. Virtually — it’s a fact — paying attention — virtually every person who is in the hospital right now sick with COVID-19 is unvaccinated.”

She goes on to say, “And even more regrettably, virtually every person who has recently died from COVID-19 was unvaccinated. The loss. The tragedy of that loss. Literally every person who has died from COVID-19 that we have recently been seeing was unvaccinated,” according to the original footage and transcript.

Upon closer examination of the Twitter clip, it shows clear indicators that it has been altered, such as there being noticeable jumps at the roughly 24-second and 43-second marks. The movement of her lips also doesn’t always line up exactly with the audio.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states on its website that COVID-19 vaccines “are effective at helping protect everyone ages 5 years and older against severe disease and death from the virus that causes COVID-19, including known variants currently circulating.” Over 194.1 million people in the U.S. have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of Tuesday, according to CDC data.

Mecca Fowler

Contributor

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