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FACT BRIEF

Did the CDC director say vaccinated people are ‘the super-spreaders’ of COVID-19?

By Dean Miller
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NO

Although discoveries about the delta variant continue to change knowledge about it as scientists learn from its rapid spread, the CDC has not declared vaccinated persons to be "the super-spreaders" of the infection.

Any person infected with the delta variant can spread it, even vaccinated persons with a so-called "breakthrough infection."

The CDC director on July 31, 2021, shared rough results of a study of the July 4 weekend delta variant outbreak in Provincetown, Massachusetts. That study indicates vaccinated people infected with the delta variant can carry as much viral material as unvaccinated people who are infected.

The CDC did not say vaccinated infected persons carry more viral load than the unvaccinated. From the CDC statement: "High viral loads suggest an increased risk of transmission and raised concern that ... vaccinated people infected with Delta can transmit the virus."

See a full discussion of this at Lead Stories
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Centers for Disease Control Statement from CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky, MD, MPH on Today’s MMWR
Centers for Disease Control Outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 Infections, Including COVID-19 Vaccine Breakthrough Infections, Associated with Large Public Gatherings — Barnstable County, Massachusetts, July 2021
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Lead Stories
Lead Stories is a fact checking and debunking website at the intersection of big data and journalism that launched in 2015. It scouts for trending stories, images, videos and posts that contain false information in order to fact check them as quickly as possible. It actively monitors the fake-news ecosystem and doesn’t wait for reader tips or reports before getting started on a story.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.