CHARLOTTE, N.C. — If you live in Gaston County, you may have seen a travel trailer that says CDC on the side, near the Eastridge Mall.
Many people are wondering what the trailer is doing there and if it has anything to do with COVID-19 vaccinations.
Posts on Facebook that had some in Gaston County believing the CDC trailer is there for COVID-19 vaccinations.
THE QUESTION:
Is the CDC at the Eastridge Mall in Gaston County there to vaccinate people?
OUR SOURCES:
THE ANSWER:
No, the CDC trailer at East Ridge Mall in Gaston County is not there to vaccinate people. It's actually there to collect data to help understand Gaston County's health.
WHAT WE FOUND:
According to the CDC, The National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey also known as NHANES provides national data on public health issues.
Dixon tells us since 1960, NHANES had collected data from different counties to help understand the nation's health.
Gaston County is one of 15 counties picked, and each year 5,000 residents across the nation participate in NHANES.
"Without participants, we wouldn't know that led-in gasoline is dangerous, and it would have never got removed. We now know that secondhand smoke is hazardous to people because of the data we collected," Dixon said.
People in Gaston County are selected at random to participate and go through three steps. Dixon tells us they will get sent mail to let them know they were selected, then go through a phone interview, and then have a physical exam at the trailer.
"How many people have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or we learn about there are additives that are causing health problems, and we can't do it without participants," Dixon said.
Dixon tells us they are not vaccinating anyone who comes to the trailer because they are not there for COVID-19 vaccinations but health data.
"We are not vaccinating anyone in the trailers that are located at the Eastridge Mall," Dixon said.
According to Gaub the survey started in October and will wrap up near the end of December.
Contact Meghan Bragg at mbragg@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
VERIFY is dedicated to helping the public distinguish between true and false information. The VERIFY team, with help from questions submitted by the audience, tracks the spread of stories or claims that need clarification or correction. Have something you want VERIFIED? Text us at 704-329-3600 or visit /verify.