LA CROSSE — Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, a vocal skeptic of the COVID-19 vaccine, hosted a media event yesterday to disparage effective vaccine mandates and raise false alarms by spotlighting rare side effects of people who claim to have had adverse reactions to the vaccine. This event comes after Sen. Johnson has repeatedly spread anti-vaccine misinformation and refused to support vaccine mandates.
Dr. Bob Freedland, MD, Wisconsin State Lead for the Committee to Protect Health Care and a retired ophthalmologist in La Crosse, released the following statement in response to Sen. Ron Johnson’s latest disinformation panel:
“Sen. Ron Johnson is using his same old tricks to sow misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines that protect people from the deadly disease. By continuing to embrace and promote baseless conspiracy theories, Sen. Ron Johnson is contributing to preventable deaths and making it harder for health professionals to protect our patients and their loved ones. The scientific facts about the COVID-19 vaccine remain: it is safe, it is effective, and adverse reactions to the vaccine are extremely rare. Furthermore, mandates are an effective and popular tool to protect communities and our most vulnerable. As our U.S. senator, Ron Johnson has the obligation to stop spreading disinformation and instead promote vaccination mandates as a tool to help our hospitals, schools, and businesses to keep their employees, patients, students, and customers safe.”
