FACT CHECK: No, The CDC Did Not Admit It Faked 99% Of COVID-19 Deaths To Encourage People To Get Vaccinated
A post shared on Instagram claims the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) admitted that it faked 99% of COVID-19 deaths to encourage people to get vaccinated.
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Verdict: False
There is no evidence for this claim. It stems from The People’s Voice, a website known for spreading misinformation.
Fact Check:
The CDC announced on Wednesday that it will no longer be issuing COVID-19 vaccination cards, according to NPR. Instead, individuals can go to their state’s health department immunization information system to request a digital or paper copy of their vaccination history, USA Today reported.
An Instagram post appears to show a news article claiming that the CDC faked COVID-19 deaths to encourage people to get vaccinated. The post follows up this image with several other articles allegedly related to the claim.
“CDC Admits It Faked 99% of COVID Deaths To Scare Public Into Taking Vaccine,” the alleged headline reads.
There is no evidence for this claim, however. Check Your Fact found no credible news reports about the CDC making such a statement. The screenshot stems from an article from The People’s Voice. The site’s “Terms of Use” page indicates that it “makes no representations about the suitability, reliability, availability, timeliness, and accuracy of the information, software, products, services and related graphics contained on the site for any purpose.” Check Your Fact has previously debunked other claims from this website.
The Instagram post includes articles from The Guardian, Earth.com and the New York Post. The New York Post and Earth.com articles cite data from the CDC that shows that 1.6% of weekly total deaths in the U.S. during the week of August 19 were due to COVID-19. This does not, however, prove that 99% of reported COVID-19 deaths are not caused by the virus. The New York Post article speaks about recent deaths, not ones from the beginning of the pandemic. (RELATED: Does CDC Data Say The COVID-19 Vaccine Could Take 24 Years Off A Person’s Life?)
Check Your Fact has reached out to the CDC for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received.
