Archived Opinion

Some anti-vaxxers spread lies

Some anti-vaxxers spread lies

To the Editor: I recently read in The Smoky Mountain News the article regarding the January 17, 2023, county commissioner meeting on the grant offered to Haywood County to help educate people about the safety of the COVID vaccine. 

The article was well written and only told the real truth about the safety of getting the vaccine for those who might choose to get it. It did not say people had to get the vaccine. That is each person’s choice. 

Unfortunately, a few anti-vaxxers disrupted the meeting, trying to cajole the commissioners into rejecting the grant offer. These anti-vaxxers think they should be able to prevent people from getting the vaccine. These anti-vaxxers chose not get the vaccine. That was their choice. Nobody told them they had to get it. These few anti-vaxxers have no business trying to hide the truth about the safety of the vaccine nor telling people they do not have the freedom to make the choice for themselves. It makes me utterly sick to see them trying to spread their unfounded lies about the vaccine. 

So far only one of them, Janet Presson, has provided any website backing her claim that the vaccine is unsafe and might kill you. So by checking that website one can find it shows the site is a flat out lie (mediabiasfactcheck.com/openvaers). 

These anti-vaxxers are nothing more than a small group of conspiracy spreaders. I believe examples of such sites, as the following, tell the truth and anyone that does not believe them can fact check these sites: 

CDC.Gov/coronavirus/2019

NPR.Org (which clearly states only about 12 people are behind spreading vaccine lies on media sites) 

Hopkinsmedicine.org

FactCheck.org (Guide to coronavirus coverage). 

The commissioners will do Haywood County residents a disservice if they do not accept the grant and allow a very small group of outspoken anti-vaxxers to control their decision. An intelligent person can google all the research on the vaccine and they can then fact check that site to make an informed and educated decision whether or not to take the vaccine. 

Ron Rokstool 

Maggie Valley

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