POLITIFACT

Fact-check: Did Kamala Harris say only vaccinated people are hospitalized with COVID-19?

Ciara O'Rourke
PolitiFact.com

Viral video on the Internet: Kamala Harris said only vaccinated people are hospitalized and dying from COVID-19

PolitiFact's ruling: Pants on Fire

Here's why: A video clip of Vice President Kamala Harris that is being shared on social media shows her making a surprising statement considering the Biden administration’s effort to get as many Americans as possible vaccinated against COVID-19.

But the reason it’s surprising is because she never said it. This video has been altered. 

"Virtually every person who is in the hospital, sick with COVID-19 right now, is vaccinated," she appears to say in the video. "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. … Literally every person who has died from COVID-19 that we have recently been seeing is vaccinated." 

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The original video of this speech shows Harris talking about "unvaccinated" people in the hospital and dying, not vaccinated people.

You can see her remarks starting around the 1:27:30 mark of this video the White House posted on YouTube. A White House transcript of the speech, which happened in July at a vaccine mobilization event in Detroit also reflects this. 

Harris can also be heard saying "unvaccinated" — not "vaccinated" — in C-SPAN’s video of the speech.

Harris also made similar statements in an interview with the Detroit Free Press the same day as her speech in the city. 

"The bottom line is that the vaccine will save your life," she said. "I just go back to the same point and I will repeat it over and over again because it’s such an important fact: The people who are currently hospitalized from COVID-19, the vast majority are not vaccinated. Same for those who have died."

We rate claims that Harris said only vaccinated people are hospitalized and dying as Pants on Fire!

Sources

  • Rumble post, Nov. 9, 2021
  • YouTube, Vice President Harris delivers remarks at a vaccine mobilization event, July 12, 2021
  • The White House, Remarks by Vice PResident Harris at a vaccine mobilization event, July 12, 2021
  • C-SPAN, Vice President Harris remarks at COVID-19 vaccine mobilization event in Detroit, July 12, 2021
  • Detroit Free Press, VP Kamala Harris urges vaccination in Michigan: 'This virus does not care who you voted for,' July 13, 2021