Anti-vax campaigners ‘play games with lives’
Conspiracists target doctors as health chief condemns ‘bullies’
Anti-vax campaigners twisting the truth, telling lies and manipulating people Public health director Lisa McNally, above
MEDICS and health chiefs have spoken of the frightening abuse they have endured for encouraging hesitant people to take up their Covid vaccines and boosters – and hit back at the ‘cruel, misguided’ messages denying the virus.
One female doctor, who wished to remain anonymous, has told how her personal phone and email details – not publicly available – were traced by anti-vaxxers.
They inundated her with messages accusing her of brainwashing people and causing harm, with threatening overtones, after she urged pregnant women to get their jabs.
The intensity and frequency of the messages was such that she was left fearful for her children’s safety.
But she says she is determined ‘they won’t win’ and she is continuing to speak up to urge vaccine takeup.
“I was inundated with messages to my personal phone, my inbox, and at work. I was not so much scared for myself but was very worried for my kids,” she said.
The doctor has witnessed for herself the traumatic impact of the virus on unvaccinated mothers-to-be including seeing babies born prematurely to try to save their mothers battling Covid, while other young patients have died without ever holding the baby they had longed for.
She was targeted to the point where the health trust she worked for insisted on taking her out of the public eye, amid fears for her safety. The incidents were reported to West Midlands Police.
Meanwhile, other health professionals have highlighted how distressing it is for hard working colleagues to see messages flood social
media in denial of the severity of the virus – after they have spent day after day seeing people struggle to breathe, and lost loved ones of their own to Covid.
Public health director Lisa McNally, at Sandwell Council, has frequently been on the receiving end of abuse for standing up to anti-vaxxer ‘bullies’ including vile letters, emails and messages on social media – all
intended to intimidate her into silence.
She has made a point of calling out the ludicrous claims of some antivaxxers on social media, triggering more attacks – but says she will not let up in highlighting and correcting misinformation.
She said: “Anti-vax campaigners are playing games with people’s lives. They are twisting the truth, telling lies and manipulating people. They have even targeted children outside local schools, all to gain some attention for themselves. Luckily, in most cases they are failing and people are increasingly seeing through their nonsense.”
Julie Booth, deputy director of infection prevention and control at Sandwell and West Birmingham hospitals, said it was “very difficult” for medics on the frontline to read and hear of those in denial and spreading misinformation.
“The reality is we are living and breathing this every day. We have seen some very sad cases and deaths, and lost family members – you cannot sugar-coat any of that. This virus makes people lose their lives.”
Mel Roberts, the trust’s Chief Nurse, said the number of Covidpositive inpatients at City and Sandwell Hospitals has nearly doubled in just five days.
“I have got a fantastic team of staff and their resilience through three waves of Covid has been incredible – but they do get upset about those claiming it is unreal. Our respiratory and ICU staff see it at its worst.
“We support our teams daily but watching someone with Covid, very unwell, and sometimes the way Covid is seeing patients improve and then deteriorate quickly is terrible, for their families and our staff. Long Covid too is extremely challenging.
“Our staff just want to do the right thing and do their best to ensure people stay safe – and that includes encouraging people to take the vaccine.”
Latest research shows that the majority of Covid patients who end up in intensive care are unvaccinated.