Last Updated on September 3, 2024 by Nivedita
Quick Take
A rumour has started spreading across social media claiming that hospitals in New York are refusing to hand over new born babies if parents are unvaccinated. We fact-checked and found that the claim is false.
The Claim
The claim was probably raised on Twitter by a person named Dr. Afzal Niaz who wrote, “NYU Langone and other Hospitals in New York and Long Island are Forcing that if the Parent is not VAXXED they will not release Babies From NICU to Parents or after birth as per CDC Guidelines. You Need to Show VAX-Passport to see your own New Born Baby.”
The rumour further spread among other users on Twitter and Facebook who started claiming the same.
Fact Check
Did CDC pass a guidelines for hospitals instructing them not to handover new born babies to unvaccinated parents?
No. There is no such guidelines released by CDC that is available on public domain. The CDC website has no such circular listed and there have not been any such news covered by any credible media.
Rather, on its website, the CDC clearly mentions that there is very little chance of a new born baby to get the disease from their infected parents if proper measures are taken.
A widely circulated social media post share a video that shows police personnel in Australia separating a man from his child. The police are forcibly separating the child, who is Covid positive, from his father.
Are hospitals refusing to handover new born babies to unvaccinated parents?
Dr. Niaz named NYU Langone, a health centre in New York. NYU Langone refuted the claim publicly on Twitter. They wrote, “NYU Langone DOES NOT prohibit a parent/guardian from taking a child home from the NICU due to their vaccination status—we vehemently discourage the spread of this inaccurate, harmful information.”
The other people who posted the claim presented no proof in terms of any parent identity or day or time when such a thing happened.