Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.), a noted vaccine skeptic, has once again cast doubt on the effort to inoculate Americans against the coronavirus on conservative radio ― this time by using real information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that has repeatedly been cited out of context by anti-vaccine campaigners.
Speaking with Vicki McKenna, a radio host in Madison, Wisconsin, Johnson brought up the VAERS system, saying, “We are over 3,000 deaths within 30 days of getting the vaccine. About 40% of those occur on day zero, one or two.”
CNN was first to report Johnson’s comments and, in statement to the network, a spokesperson for the senator said he “is not suggesting the deaths were directly caused by the COVID-19 vaccine,” but instead calling for authorities to take the VAERS submissions “seriously and research what is going on.”
The Food and Drug Administration requires health care providers to report any death that occurs after vaccination so the agency can investigate to see if the vaccine may have played a role, or if the individual died of unrelated causes.
“CDC and FDA physicians review each case report of death as soon as notified and CDC requests medical records to further assess reports,” according to the CDC’s website. “A review of available clinical information, including death certificates, autopsy, and medical records has not established a causal link to COVID-19 vaccines.”
The nation’s top medical experts also believe that COVID-19 vaccinations protect individuals much better than natural immunity developed by the body after a COVID-19 infection. Additionally, vaccines help protect others in a given community who may be more vulnerable to dying of the virus due to their age or health conditions.
This content was originally published here.
