No, the CDC didn’t say refusing to take the vaccine is racist

An illustration of a person getting a shot in their arm has been spreading on social media. They’re wearing a face mask, and three large beads of sweat drip from their hairline.

"FACT: Refusing to take the vaccine is a form of racism since it harms people of color," the text reads. A logo for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention appears in the left corner. The website address for a CDC page about COVID-19 appears in the right. 

"The newest CDC campaign," read one of many posts sharing the image. "See who’s all working together yet?"

A reverse image search of the illustration in the Facebook post led us to tweets that shared the image but nothing connecting it to the CDC. 

However, we found a template for the image — no text, just the illustration, logo and link — that people can use to create their own memes. So we created one. It says: "I can type anything here."

Featured Fact-check

Facebook posts

stated on April 9, 2024 in a Facebook post

Notice from a New Jersey doctor’s office proves that COVID-19 vaccines are dangerous for athletes.

The CDC did not respond to PolitiFact’s query about the post. A spokesperson for the agency told Check Your Fact that the image in the post was "not developed or posted by CDC."

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky has spoken about the intersection of race and COVID-19. In an April 8 statement, she noted that the disease’s impact is "felt, most severely, in communities of color — communities that have experienced disproportionate case counts and deaths." But she didn’t mention the vaccine. 

And the image in the Facebook post is not from a real CDC campaign. 

We rate this claim post False.