Says Anthony Fauci “wants Americans to get 4 shots per year.”
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No, Fauci didn’t say he wants Americans to get four COVID-19 vaccine doses each year
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- This claim originated on a site that publishes misinformation. Dr. Anthony Fauci has encouraged Americans to get a COVID-19 booster shot, but he didn’t say he wants people to get four doses annually.
Amid conversations and speculation about how many COVID-19 vaccine shots may ultimately be necessary to ward off the virus and its variants, some people are sharing a headline about Dr. Anthony Fauci that originated on a website that posts misinformation.
"Fauci wants Americans to get 4 shots per year," the headline says.
"AND SO IT BEGINS," wrote one Facebook account that posted it. "YOU SHEEP CAN ENJOY YOUR 5 SHOTS A YEAR. WAKE UP!"
This post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)
The headline was posted alongside a story that quotes one supposed anonymous source on a site called Real Raw News, which we’ve previously investigated. It has a disclaimer that the content it posts is satire.
Fauci, the country’s top infectious disease official, has not said that he wants Americans to get four shots a year.
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Rather, on Nov. 23, a few days before this story was posted on Real Raw News, Fauci said that a majority of Americans who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 should get a booster.
On Dec. 8, Pfizer officials said that a fourth vaccine dose could be necessary to protect against the omicron variant.
But there is no evidence that Fauci wants Americans to get four COVID-19 vaccine shots every year.
On Nov. 24, the Journal of the American Medical Association noted that some companies that produce COVID-19 vaccines are planning for annual COVID-19 vaccine boosters, but that it’s not yet clear if that will be necessary.
In any case, we know one thing: Fauci didn’t say that he wants Americans to get four shots each year.
We rate that claim False.
Our Sources
Facebook post Nov. 26, 2021
Real Raw News, Fauci Wants Americans to Get 4 Shots Per Year, Nov. 26, 2021
JAMA, COVID-19 Vaccine Makers Plan for Annual Boosters, but It’s Not Clear They’ll Be Needed, Nov. 24, 2021
Washington Post, Omicron may require fourth vaccine dose sooner than expected, Pfizer says, Dec. 9, 2021
Reuters, Fauci Says Vast Majority of Vaccinated Americans Should Get a COVID-19 Booster, Nov. 23, 2021
The White House, Press Briefing by White House COVID-19 Response Team and Public Health Officials, Nov. 22, 2021
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No, Fauci didn’t say he wants Americans to get four COVID-19 vaccine doses each year
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