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  • 2021-09-17 (xsd:date)
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  • Did Biden Say Vaccines Protect Against Hurricanes? (en)
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  • In September 2021, a video of U.S. President Joe Biden started circulating on social media along with the claim that the commander-in-chief said that the COVID-19 vaccine would protect people against hurricanes. The video features a brief statement from Biden and then a clip from the Adam Sandler movie Billy Madison: Biden did not say that vaccines protect people from hurricanes. This clip comes from a briefing on hurricane preparedness. The president was saying that it is important for people to get vaccinated in the event they have to evacuate their homes and possibly shelter in close quarters with strangers. This video was taken on Aug. 10, 2021, as Biden met with FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, Chief Medical Advisor and NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci, Homeland Security Advisor Liz Sherwood-Randall, and COVID-19 Response Coordinator and Counselor to the President Jeff Zients to discuss the state of the COVID-19 pandemic during the approaching hurricane season. Biden said at the start of the meeting: The viral clip features a single out-of-context sentence. In the video, Biden can be heard saying, If you’re in a state where hurricanes often strike — like Florida or the Gulf Coast or into Texas — a vital part of preparing for hurricane season is to get vaccinated now. Just before this sentence, however, he says, We have to make sure we’re ready to be protected against COVID-19 in the case of a hurricane, and just after this sentence, he says everything is more complicated if you’re not vaccinated and a hurricane or a natural disaster hits. You can see Biden's full statement here. We've included the relevant portion below. The single sentence included in the viral clip is highlighted in bold text: Biden did not say that vaccines protect against hurricanes. The president said that it was important for people to think ahead and to get vaccinated for COVID-19 before they were forced to evacuate in the event of a hurricane. Or, as Reuters wrote at the time: President Joe Biden on Tuesday urged Americans in hurricane-prone states to get vaccinated against COVID-19 to protect themselves in case they have to evacuate from their homes, warning that serious hurricanes could strike this month. More than a month after Biden held this meeting, social media users took a single sentence from the president's statement, presented it out of context, and falsely claimed that the president made the absurd claim that vaccines protect against hurricanes. (en)
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