Utah GOP Governor Blames Right-Wing Media for Reluctance to Vaccine: “It Kills People”

Utah Republican Gov. Spencer Cox said Thursday he believed “propaganda” from right-wing media sources was partly to blame for the reluctance to vaccinate which is contributing to the spread of COVID-19.

“I think it’s harmful. It’s definitely not helpful,” Cox said at a KUED press conference. The governor, who said he did not have reliable data on vaccine reluctance, expressed frustration over a recent push by right-wing media like Fox News and Newsmax to slander the COVID-19 vaccination .

Rob Schmitt, a prime-time host for Newsmax recently said that vaccines go ‘against nature’, that certain diseases are ‘supposed to wipe out a number of people’ and that ‘vaccines kind of get in the way of that. “.

Newsmax, however, said the Washington Post the network did not share Schmitt’s point of view.

“Medical professionals who appeared on Newsmax have strongly encouraged Americans to get vaccinated,” the spokesperson said. “From time to time, a guest or host may not be as supportive of these efforts. However, they do not reflect Newsmax’s position.”

A recent segment from CNN presenters John Berman and Brianna Keilar showed recent footage of anti-vaccination rhetoric from Fox News hosts. Media Matters, a left-wing media organization, recently released a list of Fox News anti-vaccination statements gathered since President Joe Biden announced a new outreach program on July 6 to get more Americans vaccinated, which included a possible door-to-door. out door effort to reach low-income Americans.

Jesse Watters, Fox News host The five, was mentioned on the list for a comment made on a recent episode.

“If someone comes onto my property, it’s not always a good result. And I’m a lightweight. Think of the people of Texas,” Watters said.

Fox host Kayleigh McEnany called the outreach idea “Orwellian,” saying, “We cannot allow the government to seize a COVID-19 outbreak to take our liberties in this way.” She and host Jeanine Pirro both compared the outreach of federal agents going door to door to confiscate firearms.

“We have these talking heads who have been given the vaccine and are telling others not to get it. This stuff is dangerous, it is damaging and it kills people,” Cox said.

An overwhelming majority of recent COVID-19-related deaths in the United States have been among unvaccinated people. Cox said Utah’s vaccination rate has started to rise, but there has also been a steep slope in new COVID-19 cases. This could be due to the relaxation of pandemic restrictions, as well as the Delta variant which is more contagious, as it now accounts for the majority of COVID-19 cases in the country.

News week has contacted Governor Cox’s office for comment.