Tufton vows to push back at anti-vaxxers

Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton has vowed to continue to push back at the anti-vaccination movement.

He said the campaign by anti-vaxxers is creating challenges. As an example, he pointed to reports of nursing home residents whose relatives have been preventing them from receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.

"We will continue to push back against this, and we have to do a lot more to push back," Tufton told journalists yesterday during a tour of the COVID-19 vaccination drive at the Sean Lavery Faith Hall in Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland.

"It has become more of an issue, because the anti-vaccination movement has become well-resourced and has utilised alternative media to push this narrative that somehow vaccination is bad for you. But the truth is that vaccines have saved many lives. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) says vaccines save two million lives a year," Tufton said. "So those who advocate that kind of nonsense should be soundly rejected, and I am prepared to reject them in the morning, at noon, in the evening and at night."

Citing concerns

Supporters of the international anti-vaccine campaign are hesitant or outright opposed to vaccinations, citing concerns about the safety of vaccines and alleged links to health conditions, such as autism. The campaign was identified by the WHO in 2019 as one of the top 10 threats to global health.

Tufton also said that while individuals have the right not to participate in the current COVID-19 vaccination drive, which is expected to target 50,000 people islandwide by Tuesday, they should not push their anti-vaccination beliefs on others.

"Frankly speaking, I pity those persons because what they are actually doing by advancing that argument is putting themselves and their families at risk. Those who buy into that narrative and who may want to put themselves at risk, that is their choice, but they should not try to put others at risk," said Tufton.