Fact check: Health and Human Services' Brett Giroir confirms vaccine distribution is tracked to ensure dosing

Madeleine Ngo, USA TODAY
·5 min read
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The claim: Adm. Brett Giroir, an assistant secretary at the Department of Health and Human Services, said the COVID-19 vaccines have tracking mechanisms

Since last year, social media users have been circulating false claims that COVID-19 vaccines contain tracking devices. Now some are purporting that a top health official confirmed in a viral video that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have tracking mechanisms.

“Did I just hear what I thought I heard about this vaccination?!? Holy cow folks. This is Department of Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary Admiral Brett Giroir,” a Facebook user captioned a post that included a short video of Giroir speaking at a press conference.

Another user shared the same clip, captioning the post: “Notice the part where he says ‘we have very sophisticated ways of tracking.’ Lol, yeah cause it’s built into the injections.”

“MILITARY ADMIRAL SAYS IT IS A TRACKING DEVICE ALSO,” a different user wrote.

In the 94-second video, Giroir discusses the need for people to receive two shots of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, noting that recipients have to take the same manufacturer's shot both times.

“There are very sophisticated tracking mechanisms as well as important incentives — financial incentives — for those who are providing the vaccines to make sure they get the second vaccine into the same person,” Giroir said.

More: Fact check: Syringes with RFID technology track vaccines, not recipients

USA TODAY has reached out to the users for comment.

Giroir did not say there were tracking mechanisms in the vaccine

A video of Giroir's full remarks, which took place at a Dec. 2 press conference with Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, shows Giroir was directly responding to a reporter’s question about how the federal government will ensure that people receive the second vaccine dose and whether there will be a tracking system to aid this process.

While Giroir said there were “tracking mechanisms” when discussing the vaccines, he did not say there were tracking devices in the vaccines themselves.

Admiral Brett Giroir, assistant secretary for health at the Department of Health and Human Services, speaks as Vice President Mike Pence. and White House coronavirus response coordinator Deborah Birx listen during a White House Coronavirus Task Force press briefing at the Department of Education Washington, July 8, 2020.
Admiral Brett Giroir, assistant secretary for health at the Department of Health and Human Services, speaks as Vice President Mike Pence. and White House coronavirus response coordinator Deborah Birx listen during a White House Coronavirus Task Force press briefing at the Department of Education Washington, July 8, 2020.

The Department of Health and Human Services did not respond to USA TODAY’s requests for comment on Giroir’s remarks.

There is no evidence that either COVID-19 vaccine contains any form of tracking device. There are, however, systems that help vaccine providers and government officials track who has been immunized.

At a different Dec. 2 press conference, Army Gen. Gustave Perna, chief operating officer of the Trump administration’s vaccine initiative Operation Warp Speed, said there are various ways to ensure that people receive second doses.

Perna said pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens have established tracking systems that allow them to set up appointments or send reminder notifications. He added that the federal government could send out second dose reminders if it is in collaboration with individual states’ regulations and policies.

More: Fact check: What's true and what's false about the COVID-19 vaccine

Health care systems, hospitals and private providers also use records systems to track patient information, according to HHS.

Federal and state databases help officials track who has been immunized against COVID-19, USA TODAY reported. Immunization information systems — databases managed by states — help keep track of people’s immunization records and can remind families when a vaccination is due, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC has also rolled out a new optional application called the Vaccine Administration Management System, which patients can use to track appointments or receive reminders for a second dose, according to USA TODAY.

The United States has administered about 14.3 million vaccine doses as of Jan. 18, according to Bloomberg’s vaccine tracker.

No evidence of tracking devices in vaccines

Neither the Pfizer nor Moderna vaccine contains microchips or tracking devices.

“Our vaccine has no tracking mechanism within its ingredients or capabilities,” Pfizer spokesperson Jerica Pitts said in a statement.

"Moderna has no tracking mechanism in its vaccine," Moderna spokesperson Colleen Hussey said in a statement.

More: Fact check: Americans won’t have microchips implanted by end of 2020

Last year, social media users started circulating false claims that Microsoft founder Bill Gates wants to use mass coronavirus vaccinations to implant microchips into billions of people. Gates has denied these allegations, and the claim has been debunked multiple times, USA TODAY reported.

False claims that COVID-19 vaccine syringes with RFID chips will be used to track vaccine recipients’ locations have also gained traction online.

RFID technology allows health officials to access real-time vaccination coverage maps and reports from across the country, USA TODAY reported. The chips can also check expiration dates and detect counterfeit vaccines.

The technology, however, cannot track vaccine recipients’ locations. The chips, which are located on the outside of the container holding the vaccine, are not injected into patients.

Our ruling: Missing context

The claim that Brett Giroir, assistant secretary of Health and Human Services, said the COVID-19 vaccines have tracking mechanisms is MISSING CONTEXT, based on our research. Giroir said there were "tracking mechanisms" when discussing vaccine distribution, but he did not say they were in the vaccines themselves. Neither the Pfizer nor Moderna vaccine contains a tracking device. There are, however, systems that help vaccine providers and government officials track who has been vaccinated to ensure everyone receives a second dose.

Our fact-checking sources:

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: COVID-19 vaccines tracked to ensure second doses