No, video doesn't show long line for 'mpox testing' in Omaha, U.S.

What is the claim?

Social media users have shared a video claiming it shows "Long lines for monkeypox tests in Omaha, Nebraska." One X (formerly Twitter) user wrote, "It seems that COVID-19 has taught us nothing…In addition, masks, PCR tests, lockdowns, and vaccinations may resume." Another user claimed that the video showed people waiting for their "free mpox test" in Omaha, Nebraska. Examples of the claim can be seen archived here, here, and here. 

Screenshots of viral social media posts sharing the video. (Source: X/Facebook/Modified by Logically Facts)

The video also circulated on Instagram and Threads with the same claim.

However, the video shows people in line at a political rally held by Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz. 

What are the facts?

Through a reverse image search, we found that the Howard County Democratic Central Committee posted the video on August 17 on their Facebook account (archived here) and wrote, "There was an absolutely massive line to see Gov. Tim Walz in Omaha, Nebraska." Walz, the governor of Minnesota, was picked by U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate for President as her running mate on August 6, 2024.

We also found the video posted by an X user (archived here) on August 17, who wrote that it showed the turnout for Walz's rally in Omaha.

Video found on X user's account. (Source: X/Screenshot)

On August 23, the user shared another post on X (archived here), clarifying that the video belonged to him. They wrote that the video was circulating around the internet with the claim "that there was a massive mpox screening event in Omaha, NE," and called the claim false. According to the user, the video shows the long line to get into the rally held by Walz at the Astro Theatre at the La Vista City Centre on August 17, 2024. They added that there was a huge turnout and during their nearly two-hour-long wait to get into the rally, they took a video of the queue and posted it on X.

The Omaha World-Herald also reported on the rally on August 17, 2024. The report carried images of people waiting in line to get into the rally, one of which was similar to a frame of the viral video. The image caption specified that it showed people queuing up outside the Astro Theatre for the rally.

Comparison of the video frame to the image by Omaha World-Herald. (Source: X/Omaha World-Herald/Modified by Logically Facts)

We were also able to geolocate the place seen in the viral video on Google Maps, confirming that the queue was seen outside the Astro Theater in La Vista, Omaha, Nebraska.

Comparison of the video frame to the image on Google Maps. (Source: X/Google Maps/Modified by Logically Facts)

Tim Walz's rally

On August 17, Walz held a campaign rally at the Astro Theater in La Vista. The Associated Press reported that he expressed his happiness to be back in Nebraska and about the contrast between Harris and former U.S. President and Republic presidential candidate Donald Trump at this rally.

Mpox outbreak

On August 14, 2024, WHO declared mpox a global public health emergency after an upsurge of cases was seen in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and a growing number of countries in Africa, including Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda. You can read more about the current outbreak, which has caused a surge of misinformation here.

According to a release from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on August 22, 2024, there are no known cases of mpox in the U.S. resulting from the current outbreak. The risk to most Americans from clade I mpox is very low. The disease is circulating in Central and Eastern Africa, and cases outside of this area are associated with travel from Africa. The CDC added, "The United States is well prepared to rapidly detect, contain, and manage clade I cases should they occur domestically."

The verdict

The video shows people waiting in line to attend a Tim Walz rally and has been shared with the false claim that it shows people standing in queues to get tested for mpox. Therefore we have marked this claim as false.