“Yes to chlorine dioxide”: anti-vaccine movement protested with sit-in in Bogotá

A group of about 50 people gathered in front of the health portfolio headquarters at the Bogotá International Center, to oppose immunization, in particular to the digital card which has been promoted to prevent the falsification of the document which certifies compliance with vaccination.

Despite the more than 123,000 deaths and around 5 million people infected with covid-19 in the country, protesters unfurled banners calling the pandemic a “hoax” and rejecting measures to promote vaccination.

Its main opposition, despite the fact that vaccination is a voluntary process, is the digital à la carte announced by the Minister of Health, Fernando Ruiz Gómez, as a measure to prevent falsification of the document, increase the application of the drug and assess the restrictions for those who are not vaccinated or incentives for those who stick to the pledge.

One of the anti-vaccine banners read: “No to the Nazi vaccination pass. My body, my decision. Yes (sic.) Chlorine dioxide “. The demonstrators organized the sit-in in front of the facilities, delivered speeches and even called for a debate with the officials of the institution.

The Families for Truth movement, made up of Christian activists who define themselves as “pro-life and pro-family”, they claimed the sit-in call and announced other similar actions for the weeks to come. This same group distributed brochures containing unsubstantiated statements and questions about the national immunization plan.

For example, the consumption of chlorine dioxide has been alerted by many international organizations, with scientific evidence to support it, to avoid its consumption because it is dangerous for the human organism. Since July 2020, PO warned not to take products containing chlorine dioxide, sodium chlorite, sodium hypochlorite or derivatives. Precisely because “the ingestion or inhalation of these products could cause serious undesirable effects”. In August 2020, the organization insisted on its call to avoid these products in light of the promotion of products containing chlorine dioxide or derivatives that falsely claimed to have healing properties for COVID-19.

The UN explained in an article that chlorine dioxide and sodium chlorite “react rapidly in human tissues”, thus if ingested “they can cause irritation of the mouth, esophagus and stomach, with a severe irritative digestive picture, with the presence of nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, as well as serious hematological and cardiovascular disorders. and kidneys “.

Further, the group claims the global immunization plan is a so-called “experiment” but does not support this claim. On the contrary, Studies with which the efficacy of covid-19 vaccines have been tested have been published and all biologics authorized for emergency use, except for the passage of research phases, have been the subject of reviewed studies. in pairs. All of this research has shown that vaccines are safe and effective in preventing severe cases and death from the pandemic virus.

For example, Bogotá’s Health Secretary Alejandro Gómez announced this Wednesday morning that the immunosurveillance promoted by the District Public Health Laboratory since February has determined that Out of a sample of 60 people over the age of 80 who received the Sinovac vaccine, only 2% were infected with COVID-19 after vaccination and none of them died.

Some protesters claim that the vaccines are fake or that they are killing patients, but the opposite is true. Oncologist Elmer Huerta, University expert George washington and former president of the American Cancer Society, said that “while it is true that recent data indicate that the efficacy is lower in the prevention of Delta variant infection, the efficacy in the prevention of serious illnesses and deaths is very high. Proof of this is that 99.5% of all deaths in the United States have occurred in unvaccinated people. “

To prevent a greater number of deaths from covid-19 and to be able to continue the reactivation of the country, health authorities are urging people to be vaccinated, due to the presence of the Delta variant in several cities, as scientific evidence confirms that they are effective and prevent serious illness and death.

KEEP READING: