logo
Please note!
This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
Brief Publisher Logo
FACT BRIEF

Does a study say massive viral loads in vaccinated health care workers make them a threat to the unvaccinated?

By Alexis Tereszcuk
Copy link
email
Copy featured image
email
NO

The claim in an article published by Children's Health Defense distorts what a medical research paper actually says.

The research paper studied vaccinated health care workers who were infected with COVID-19 in June 2021 versus infected health care workers in March and April 2020. The paper found workers infected by the delta variant in 2021 carried viral loads 251 times higher than those infected with earlier strains of the virus. But the increased viral load had nothing to do with "leaky" vaccines, as the Children's Defense Fund article said. Nor did the research paper discuss infected health care workers posing a threat.

The research paper simply said those infected in 2021 with the delta variant have a much higher viral load than those infected with earlier strains.

Children's Health Defense is headed by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a well-known anti-vaccine advocate.

See a full discussion of this at Lead Stories
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
SSRN Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 Delta Variant Among Vaccinated Healthcare Workers, Vietnam
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.
FACT BRIEF BY
Brief Publisher Logo
Latest fact briefs
facebook
twitter
email
email
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.