Some social media users are claiming Dr. Anthony Fauci's sister published a book about the omicron variant of the coronavirus just as it started to spread around the world.
A Dec. 31, 2021, Facebook post shows a screengrab of a book titled "Omicron and the other Covid-19 variants: All you need to know about Covid-19 vaccines and variants." The purported author: "Dr. Angelique Fauci."
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"Published on the same day the world health organization named it as a variant of concern," the post reads, citing a Nov. 26, 2021, publication date.
Another Facebook post claims the two Faucis are related.
"Yeah, think about that," the post reads. "Angelique is Tony's sister."
More: US coronavirus cases surge past previous records: How omicron is shaping the pandemic
The claim appears to stem from a Dec. 15, 2021, tweet, which received more than 500 retweets and 600 likes before it was deleted. But it's false.
Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, doesn't have a sister named Angelique – and there's no evidence his real sister has published a book about omicron. The book referenced in the posts was self-published and later removed from Amazon.
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USA TODAY reached out to Facebook and Twitter users who shared the claim for comment.
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