Kamala Harris clip saying every person in hospital with COVID-19 is vaccinated has been edited
Kamala Harris clip saying every person in hospital with COVID-19 is vaccinated has been edited
(Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris did not say that virtually every individual in hospital with COVID-19 is vaccinated, despite a video circulating online. The clip was edited to make it appear that the vice president said the word ‘vaccinated’ instead of ‘unvaccinated’.
One user who shared the edited clip via Twitter said: “You couldn’t make this up. Clown world. ‘Everyone I known [sic] in hospitals is vaccinated get the shot’.” (here). The tweet gathered over 52,000 views and 1,400 likes by the time of publication.
Harris is heard in the altered video as saying: “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 vaccinated. I’m going to repeat that. Virtually, it’s a fact. Virtually every person who is in the hospital right now sick with COVID-19 is vaccinated. And even more, regrettably, virtually every person who has recently died from COVID-19 was vaccinated. The loss, the tragedy of that loss. Literally, every person who has died from COVID-19 that we have recently been seeing was vaccinated. So, it is time, it is time, to roll up your sleeves to get the shot.”
One user added in the comments: “Not even Orwell could have imagined this level of doublespeak” (here).
Another individual who shared the video on Facebook said: “Kamala Harris ‘people who died or are in hospital with Covid are vaccinated.’ This woman is just totally insane” (here).
The clip is altered, however. The audio was edited to make it appear that Harris said most people in hospitals with COVID-19 were vaccinated. In the original, unaltered video, Harris said that most people in the hospital were unvaccinated.
The original clip can be seen in a live stream published on July 12, 2021 (45 minutes and 50 seconds onwards) (here).
Harris was speaking at a vaccine mobilization event in Detroit, Michigan. The full transcript of Harris’ comments at the event is viewable on The American Presidency Project website, UC Santa Barbara (here).
VERDICT
False. The audio of the video has been edited to alter Kamala Harris’ statement on July 12, 2021. The original, unaltered audio, shows Harris saying that most sick of COVID-19 in hospitals were unvaccinated.
