Posts share old video of Biden remarks on vaccination, hurricanes

Bill MCCARTHY, AFP USA Published on 28 September 2022 at 22:48

Social media users are circulating a clip that appears to show US President Joe Biden urging Americans to prepare for Hurricane Ian's landfall in Florida by getting vaccinated against Covid-19. This is misleading; the video is from August 2021, and Biden's full remarks reveal he was encouraging residents of hurricane-prone states to get the shots to minimize their risk of infection during potential evacuations or while huddling inside crowded emergency shelters.

"Joe Biden's hurricane defense plan," says the text over a video shared widely on Instagram as Hurricane Ian barrelled toward Florida.

Screenshot taken from Instagram on September 28, 2022

"Let me be clear," Biden says in the clip. "If you are in a state where hurricanes often strike, like Florida or the Gulf Coast or into Texas, a vital part of preparing for hurricane season is to get vaccinated now. Everything is more complicated if you are not vaccinated and a hurricane or natural disaster hits."

The clip was shared in dozens of other posts on Instagram and other social media platforms, such as Twitter and TikTok. Captions on those posts cast the president as inept or out-of-touch, while others accuse him of exploiting Hurricane Ian to force vaccinations on Americans:

"Biden telling people to prepare for the hurricane by getting vaccinated."
"Cat 4 hurricane racing towards Florida? Don’t get water, food, or evacuate … get vaccinated!"
"Yeah cause a jab will certainly stop mother nature’s 130+ mph SUSTAINED winds."

The remarks highlighted on social media are real. But Biden delivered them more than a year before Hurricane Ian, and the clips shared online omit key context.

Biden made the statement in question August 10, 2021 -- during that year's hurricane season and an influx of Covid-19 cases due to the Delta variant.

The clips circulating online cut Biden's remarks short. Here is what he said in context, with the statement shared online in bold:

"Cases and hospitalizations are rising faster in states with low vaccination rates, such as Florida, Texas, Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi, which are the states that -- from a hurricane-prone -- they are the states that are most at risk. So, we don’t want to wait until it is too late. And if, God forbid, a natural disaster strikes, we have to make sure we are ready to be protected against Covid-19 as well.
"Let me be clear. If you are in a state where hurricanes often strike, like Florida or the Gulf Coast or into Texas, a vital part of preparing for hurricane season is to get vaccinated now. Everything is more complicated if you are not vaccinated and a hurricane or a natural disaster hits.
"If you wind up having to evacuate, if you wind up having to stay in a shelter, you don’t want to add COVID-19 to the list of dangers that you are going to be confronting.Get vaccinated now so you are ready for whatever may come this month."

Biden did not call for Covid-19 vaccinations while discussing Hurricane Ian during a September 27, 2022 White House address or during calls with Florida officials, according to a readout of those conversations. A fact sheet detailing the administration's storm preparations did not mention vaccines, either.

AFP sent inquiries to the White House, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Florida Division of Emergency Management, but responses were not forthcoming.

AFP has fact-checked other misinformation about Hurricane Ian here.