Today, the American Independent reported that Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis continued to stoke vaccine skepticism when he “held a town hall on Tuesday during which he announced he would seek to impanel a grand jury to investigate ‘any wrongdoing’ by COVID-19 vaccine makers.”
The report notes that the event, called a “COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine Accountability Roundtable,” allowed anti-vaccine figures to spread more lies about vaccines — “even though studies have shown they are safe and effective and have saved more than 3 million lives and prevented 18 million hospitalizations since their release.”
The American Independent: Ron DeSantis Holds Anti-Vaccine Roundtable As Speculation About 2024 Bid Grows
By Emily Singer | December 14, 2022
Key Points:
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“Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis held a town hall on Tuesday during which he announced he would seek to impanel a grand jury to investigate “any wrongdoing” by COVID-19 vaccine makers.”
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“During the event, which DeSantis called a ‘COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine Accountability Roundtable,’ anti-vaccine figures talked about the perils of the vaccines — including myocarditis — even though studies have shown they are safe and effective and have saved more than 3 million lives and prevented 18 million hospitalizations since their release.”
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“After the so-called ‘vaccine-injured’ people spoke, DeSantis then touted his record of opposing vaccine mandates in his state. ‘You had a lot of elites in this country trying to condition society so that if you didn’t bend the knee then you were basically a second-class citizen, and so in Florida, we rejected that and made sure that people could make their own decisions,’ DeSantis said.”
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“DeSantis hosted the event as speculation mounts about whether he’ll challenge former President Donald Trump for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination. Much of the Republican base opposes vaccine mandates and COVID-19 mitigation efforts such as mask-wearing and social distancing. According to polling and updated data on vaccination rates, Republicans are less likely to support vaccine requirements and less likely to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Studies also found that more Republicans died from the disease than Democrats after vaccines became available, as fewer Republicans got vaccinated.”
Read the full report here.
Published: Dec 15, 2022