Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican, was swiftly fact-checked after she claimed that she's "never seen" the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend boosters for vaccines before, in what amounted to yet another example of her spreading misinformation about COVID-19 and its resultant vaccines.
Greene, maligning COVID-19 booster shots, claimed that she had never heard of the CDC recommending boosters for diseases like polio, which is incorrect.
You can hear what Greene said in the video below
Greene: I have never seen the CDC coming out and saying you\u2019ve got to get your second Polio shot, you gotta get your third..pic.twitter.com/KqXjvZpBFt— Acyn (@Acyn) 1647557450
Greene said:
"I don’t know about you guys, but many of us were vaccinated as kids against polio, we had our MMR, and I have never seen the CDC coming out, saying, ‘Oh you’ve got to get your second polio shot, you’ve got to get your third, you got to get your fourth, and this may continue to keep going.’"
"I think the question we all should ask is when does this stop? And when are enough vaccines enough?”
Polio, a viral disease which may affect the spinal cord causing muscle weakness and paralysis, was eradicated in the United States by 1979, thanks to a successful vaccination campaign.
The CDC recommends that children get four doses of polio vaccine, with the first dose at two months of age and the last between the ages of four and six. The agency notes that 99 out of 100 children "who get all the recommended doses of polio vaccine will be protected from polio."
Greene was immediately criticized, particularly by medical professionals.
Dear @RepMTG:\n\nYou are an ignoramus, a liar, a traitor, and a disgrace to the people you are paid to represent.\n\nPolio vaccination is a four shot regimen, as stated on the CDC website.\n\n#TheMoreYouKnow \nhttps://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/polio/public/index.html\u00a0\u2026https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1504591114233212943\u00a0\u2026— Newsericks (@Newsericks) 1647692319
Four, you actually get four. Does this woman not own a computer?https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1504591114233212943\u00a0\u2026— Missy McMurray (@Missy McMurray) 1647564434
The Polio vax is 4 shots given before a child's seventh birthday, but what do I know?https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1504591114233212943\u00a0\u2026— Dr. Jorge A. Caballero stands with \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Dr. Jorge A. Caballero stands with \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1647579648
Hi America, I\u2019m a pediatrics resident who works in a clinic where I admin all my own vaccines\u2026 and I can confirm the CDC recommends FOUR doses of inactivated poliovirus immunization for all children.https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1504591114233212943\u00a0\u2026— Michael O\u2019Brien, MD \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08\ud83c\udf3b (@Michael O\u2019Brien, MD \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08\ud83c\udf3b) 1647605323
Ok, MMR is actually a 2 shot regimen starting at 12-15 mo, & the 2nd dose at 4-6y. CDC recommends that kids get 4 doses of polio vaccine, at 2 mo, 4 mo, 6-18 mo, & 4-6 y. Hep B is 3 doses, DTP is 4 doses. I know she\u2019s not a doctor but has she ever heard of Google? Such ignorance.https://twitter.com/acyn/status/1504591114233212943\u00a0\u2026— Jonathan Reiner (@Jonathan Reiner) 1647566472
It\u2019s pathetic. I thought stories of people this stupid were just skits on #SNL, but it appears that actual people voted for this goon. Are they just as stupid? Baffling to anyone with a modicum of common sense. Her idiocy is astounding, even now.https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1504591114233212943\u00a0\u2026— TulsaTeresa (@TulsaTeresa) 1647575000
If only there was a vaccine to cure stupidity #ExpelMarjorieTaylorGreenehttps://twitter.com/acyn/status/1504591114233212943\u00a0\u2026— Tara Dublin \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\udf3b (@Tara Dublin \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\udf3b) 1647578568
I have never seen a person elected to Congress with so little brain power.https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1504591114233212943\u00a0\u2026— Robert Crooks (@Robert Crooks) 1647608335
#antivaxxers, this is what most of you sound like. Fools. https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1504591114233212943\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/fHMkjQv7Ky— \ud835\udd40 \ud835\udd52\ud835\udd5e \ud835\udd52\ud835\udd5f \ud835\udd38\ud835\udd57\ud835\udd63\ud835\udd5a\ud835\udd54\ud835\udd52\ud835\udd5f \ud83c\udf0d\ud83c\uddff\ud83c\udde6 (@\ud835\udd40 \ud835\udd52\ud835\udd5e \ud835\udd52\ud835\udd5f \ud835\udd38\ud835\udd57\ud835\udd63\ud835\udd5a\ud835\udd54\ud835\udd52\ud835\udd5f \ud83c\udf0d\ud83c\uddff\ud83c\udde6) 1647666343
Greene has made a name for herself by regularly sharing misinformation and trafficking conspiracy theories about the COVID-19 pandemic.
She previously referred to vaccine mandates as a form of "segregation" and stoked significant controversy after she invoked the Holocaust in reference to lockdown measures and mask-wearing.
Greene was previously suspended from Twitter after she violated the platform's rules regarding Covid-19 misinformation. At the time, she claimed the FDA "should not approve the covid vaccines" and vaccines were "failing" and not actually curbing the spread of the virus.
A Twitter spokesperson said the tweet "was labeled in line with our COVID-19 misleading information policy" and "The account will be in read-only mode for a week due to repeated violations of the Twitter Rules."
