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FactCheck.org's Weekly Update

May 22, 2021

SciCheck

Posts Distort Testimony of Federal Health Officials on Employee Vaccinations Posted on Friday, May 21st, 2021

Federal health officials testified at a Senate committee hearing that about 60% of their employees have been vaccinated against COVID-19 so far. But viral online posts have distorted their comments to misleadingly claim that half of the employees “are refusing” the vaccines. The officials did not say anyone had refused to get vaccinated.

Websites and Social Posts Misrepresent CDC Director’s Comments on Breakthrough Deaths Posted on Friday, May 21st, 2021

In a May 16 interview, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director said the agency knew of 223 breakthrough fatalities among fully vaccinated individuals, but “not all … died of COVID.” That is not an admission that “many, many hospitals” previously “overcounted” COVID-19 deaths, as conservative websites have reported.

The Wuhan Lab and the Gain-of-Function Disagreement Posted on Friday, May 21st, 2021

A disagreement between Republican Sen. Rand Paul and Dr. Anthony Fauci has put $600,000 of U.S. grant money to the Wuhan Institute of Virology back into the spotlight, while making “gain-of-function” research a household term — all amid calls for more investigation into the origins of SARS-CoV-2.

Instagram Posts Spread Texas Lawmaker’s False Claims on Vaccine Testing Posted on Wednesday, May 19th, 2021

Animal testing and clinical trials were conducted before the COVID-19 vaccines were authorized for use in the U.S. But a Texas state senator falsely claimed at a hearing that animal tests were “stopped” because the “animals were dying.”

FactCheck Posts

Cruz Distorts Nominees’ Defund Police Positions Posted on Tuesday, May 18th, 2021

Sen. Ted Cruz has falsely tried to label “every single” Senate Democrat as “supporting abolishing the police,” based on a misleading interpretation of the words of two of President Joe Biden’s nominees.

Debunking False Stories

Video Doesn’t Prove Capitol Police Allowed Jan. 6 Protesters to Enter Capitol Posted on Friday, May 21st, 2021

More than 400 people have been charged in relation to the Jan. 6 events at the U.S. Capitol, and there is ample evidence that many protesters defied and assaulted Capitol Police officers that day. Yet viral social media posts are falsely claiming a video clip proves that “Capitol Police gave protesters OK” to enter the building. The video clip does not depict that.

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