On March 17, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene made comments on the House floor in response to the possibility, according to Greene, that Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, would recommend a fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose. “He is also recommending a fourth COVID vaccine shot,” she said.
She then went on to make a false statement about the polio vaccine: “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’ve got to get your fourth.’”
Greene’s full remarks can be seen here.
The CDC actually does recommend four doses of the polio vaccine for children, with a recommended schedule of one dose each at 2 months old, 4 months old, 6 through 18 months old, and 4 through 6 years old.
Fauci has addressed the possibility of recommending a fourth COVID mRNA shot but is not doing so now. During a February 16, 2022, White House COVID-19 response team press briefing, he said: “The potential future requirement for an additional boost or a fourth shot for mRNA or a third shot for J&J is being very carefully monitored in real time. And recommendations, if needed, will be updated according to the data as it evolves.”
Currently, the CDC recommends a fourth dose of the mRNA vaccines only for “people ages 12 years and older who are moderately or severely immunocompromised,” but not for the general public.
If you have a claim you would like to see us fact check, please send us an email at factcheck@thedispatch.com. If you would like to suggest a correction to this piece or any other Dispatch article, please email corrections@thedispatch.com.
Please note that we at The Dispatch hold ourselves, our work, and our commenters to a higher standard than other places on the internet. We welcome comments that foster genuine debate or discussion—including comments critical of us or our work—but responses that include ad hominem attacks on fellow Dispatch members or are intended to stoke fear and anger may be moderated.