This recent move by Tennessee comes one day after they fired their top vaccine official for promoting vaccines for children. Dr. Michelle Fiscus, the medical director for vaccine-preventable diseases and immunization programs at the Tennessee Department of Health, said she was fired on Monday afternoon.
Source: The Tennessean
The Tennessee Department of Health will halt all adolescent vaccine outreach – not just for coronavirus, but all diseases – amid pressure from Republican state lawmakers, according to an internal report and agency emails obtained by the Tennessean. If the health department must issue any information about vaccines, staff are instructed to strip the agency logo off the documents.
The health department will also stop all COVID-19 vaccine events on school property, despite holding at least one such event this month. The decisions to end vaccine outreach and school events come directly from Health Commissioner Dr. Lisa Piercey, the internal report states.
Additionally, the health department will take steps to ensure it no longer sends postcards or other notices reminding teenagers to get their second dose of the coronavirus vaccines. Postcards will still be sent to adults, but teens will be excluded from the mailing list so the postcards are not “potentially interpreted as solicitation to minors,” the report states.
Additionally, this news comes at a time when Covid infections have doubled in the past two weeks and the positivity rate has gone from 2.2% to 5.4%
Killing the kids to own the libs. #Tennessee https://t.co/UfhGSPrWbD
— Paulette Aniskoff (@PAniskoff) July 13, 2021
Tennessee Department of Health halts all vaccine outreach to kids – not just for COVID-19, but all diseases – amid pressure from GOP. All. Polio. Measles.
I can't live in this country anymore.— Renee Libby 🇺🇸 (@ReneeAlida) July 13, 2021
1/🧵 I’m surrounded by an #AntiVaxxer govt now willing to hurt kids!
👎 My home state of #Tennessee made the BONEHEADED decision to halt outreach to kids on ALL #Vaccination, NOT just #COVID19. I’ve lived here since 1997. I’m embarrassed, angry & sad.
https://t.co/jer4HsORfa— WesElyMD (@WesElyMD) July 14, 2021
Not everybody agrees though. These two Mensa candidates are applauding.
I support Tennessee’s decision to stop pushing the experimental COVID vaccine on minors. Young people are at LOW risk for COVID and we still don’t know the side effects and potential long term side effects of this vaccine. Stop the incessant push!!!
— Tomi Lahren (@TomiLahren) July 13, 2021
For those suggesting that Tennessee has now ceased all vaccine outreach to children, that simply isn't true: they've shifted it over to the Department of Education rather than the Department of Health, according to the original report pic.twitter.com/UFbIF9fLGC
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) July 13, 2021
