Wisconsin Republican Senator Holds Milwaukee Event Promoting Fear and Doubt Over Vaccine Side-Effects

Another political leader discourages Covid-19 vaccines

Doctor with a vaccine syringePhoto by Mika Baumeister on Unsplash

On June 28th, Republican Senator Ron Johnson attended a well-publicized roundtable event in Milwaukee, intended to give a forum to those who believe they've experienced detrimental or debilitating side-effects after receiving their Covid-19 vaccination.

Johnson has himself been proud to declare that he hasn't received his shot, nor does he intend to. In contradictory statements he's also acknowledged that more than 300 million doses have been given to people in the US and “for the vast majority of people, the vaccine has been given with little or no side effects.”

The move has been criticized by a number of public officials and health experts, and also prompted a statement to be issued by the Milwaukee Health Department who described his actions in angry terms:

“The scientific facts about the COVID-19 vaccine remain: it is safe, it is effective, and complications are extremely rare... More importantly, it saves lives. The burden of disease, hospitalizations, and deaths due to COVID-19 are the lowest the City of Milwaukee has experienced since the start of this pandemic.”

Misuse of vaccine data to support personal agendas

Johnson has repeatedly faced criticism for publicly and irresponsibly sharing such views, particularly in relation to supposed links between Covid-19 vaccines, and those who've died after receiving their shots. In dismantling Johnson's claims, CNN have pointed to analysis of statistics from the CDC relating to the more than 318 million doses of the vaccine given in the USA to date.

The CDC points out that they have:

" ...received 5,479 reports of death (0.0017%) among people who received a COVID-19 vaccine... A review of available clinical information, including death certificates, autopsy, and medical records has not established a causal link to COVID-19 vaccines,"

Meanwhile, figures like Senator Johnson continue to spread misinformation and make public statements merely by holding such events as that held in Milwaukee that spread fear, uncertainty and doubt among the public.

Source: Twitter

A faltering vaccine rollout threatens herd immunity

The US rollout of the Covid vaccination is going well by most measures - Bloomberg reports today that over 3.01 Billion shots have been adminstered worldwide, with over 325 million of these being given in the USA. But progress is undeniably slowing and 1 in 4 Americans saying they don't intend to get vaccinated. This would leave a gap in vaccine coverage compared to the levels required to reach herd immunitty where the virus dies out. Each disease has its own level of herd immunity and the World Health Organization recognise that 95% of a population needs to be immune against Measles for that population to achieve herd immunity (for example) or 80% for Polio.

The Mayo Clinic estimates that around 70% of the population of the USA would need to have Covid-19 immunity either through having had and recovered from the virus, or having received the vaccine.

The spreading of misinformation as Senator Johnson seems intent on doing, causes citizens to question whether they should get vaccinated. As a result, there's a risk that the virus can continue to take lives, as well as it mutating into new forms of the disease through being able to survive amongst those who aren't immune.

A need for responsible leadership

If we are to see Covid-19 dying out as a threat to humanity, it will likely be a result of a combination of factors. Continued social-distancing and mask-wearing are measures that prevent the spread. Political leaders should also be trying to encourage citizens to get their vaccine, even if further incentives are required besides protecting health.

Different states (both Democrat and Republican-ruled) have explored ways to encourage and incentivize their residents to get vaccinated, including lotteries (in Ohio, California and Maryland) and free beer or pot (in New Jersey and Michigan respectively) for those who get their shot.

Pebble painted with Vax and RelaxPhoto by Belinda Fewings on Unsplash

The use of vaccine passports that allow venues and events to open up again in a controlled and responsible are another measure that could help to restore normality to our lives, but in a way that prevents super-spreader incidents like those witnessed in 2020. It's puzzling then that various states including Florida, Alabama and Texas have all enacted laws to prohibit the use of vaccine passports.

It shouldn't be a controversial idea to think that political leaders at state and national levels might contemplate ways of protecting public health rather than outlawing measures that would protect citizens and justifying it as a means of guarding freedoms and rights. And yet, right now leaders such as Senator Johnson are acting in defiance of that expectation. The effects of their actions will doubtless emerge over time.

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