FACT CHECK: No, The CDC Did Not Say The New COVID-19 Variant Is More Contagious Among Vaccinated People
A post shared on Instagram claims the CDC said the new COVID-19 variant is more contagious among vaccinated people than those unvaccinated.
View this post on Instagram
Verdict: False
There is no evidence that the CDC said this.
Fact Check:
The CDC recently said hospitalizations due to COVID-19 rose by another 19%, according to The Hill. In spite of this, COVID hospitalizations are still at record lows, 2.5 times lower than this same time last year, and 5.5 times lower compared to this week in 2021, ABC News reported.
The Instagram post purports the CDC claims the new COVID-19 variant affects vaccinated individuals more than those who are unvaccinated. The image appears to show a screenshot of an X post from an account called Leading Report.
“BREAKING: CDC says new COVID variant is more contagious among vaccinated people than those unvaccinated,” the alleged post reads.
There is no evidence for this claim, however. Check Your Fact found no credible news reports about the CDC making such a statement.
On Aug. 23, 2023, the CDC put out a risk assessment for the new variant, BA.2.86. The report says, “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.” It does not, however, suggest that vaccinated people might be less immune.
The original post cannot be found through a search of the X account that is seen in the screenshot, Leading Report. (RELATED: Did The CDC Confirm That 118,000 People Have Died Due To COVID-19 Vaccines?)
Check Your Fact has reached out to the CDC and Leading Report for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received from either source.
