Many social media users are posting claims that CNN host Anderson Cooper said he supported denying unvaccinated individuals from receiving social security benefits during an interview with Microsoft CEO and billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates in August.
The claim, which has been found to be false, is a misrepresentation of the host's discussions with Gates during their Aug. 4 meeting. One Twitter post argued that Cooper wanted to keep social security benefits from people who have not yet been vaccinated against the coronavirus infection.
Social Security Benefit for Unvaccinated People
Another user who posted on Facebook said that Cooper and Gates agreed that the American government should prevent people from getting social security benefits if they did not choose to get vaccinated. They also asked others whether or not they thought that the decision was a little bit extreme.
Some social media posts included clips of the Aug. 4 interview on the CNN host's "Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees." During that specific episode of the show, Gates talked about his divorce with Melinda Gates, his experiences with the coronavirus pandemic, and his relationship with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, Reuters reported.
But in contrast to the claims, Cooper never actually said he was supportive of denying unvaccinated people from receiving social security benefits. He merely asked Gates whether or not the Microsoft CEO agreed to impose such mandates to encourage individuals to get inoculated against the coronavirus.
"Do you think the federal government or state governments, or the very least federal government should mandate, if you want to get on an airplane, you have to be vaccinated; if you want to get Social Security, you need to be vaccinated; if you want to get whatever benefits they give, you need to be vaccinated for", asked Cooper during the Aug. 4 show with Gates, Nicki Swift reported.
Support for the Mandates
While he did not specifically say that he supported the mandates and simply posed the questions to Gates, a viral video clip was posted on Twitter on Dec. 24. Many of the responses were quite divisive, with some praising the CNN host for his alleged stance against anti-vaxxers while others criticized him for being a monster.
The claim comes as many Americans are still refusing to get vaccinated against the coronavirus infection despite the rapid surge of cases related to the new Omicron variant. In Ohio, many hospitals are running low on available beds and staff recently had to take out a full-page newspaper advertisement to request help from unvaccinated people to get the coronavirus vaccines.
Health experts revealed that about 15% of the adult population in the United States has yet to receive their first coronavirus vaccine shot. They argued that they are the ones who are at the greatest risk of severe illness and even death from the Omicron variant. The possible surge of patients could overwhelm hospitals that are already filled with coronavirus patients.
A hospital unit at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, where the Omicron variant is rapidly spreading, is already completely full of coronavirus patients. The problem is made worse by data that showed the number of first-time vaccinations appears to be flat-lining this month, the New York Times reported.
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