Idaho’s Southwest District Health Board voted 4-3 to halt COVID-19 vaccine distribution across six counties due to “safety concerns.”
This measure makes Southwest District Health the first health agency in the nation barred from distributing COVID-19 vaccines by its governing board.
The decision, cheered by locals wary of government overreach, reflects Idaho’s growing trend of resisting federal health mandates.
Many residents, as seen in the public comments submitted, argue that taxpayer funds shouldn’t support COVID vaccine programs, which they believe overstep personal medical freedom, according to AP.
“We are here to protect the public,” said Dr. John Tribble, the only physician representative on the board. “If we have the possibility that we are doing harm, we need to take a step back.”
Tribble described the CDC’s recommendations as “patently absurd,” stating that the vaccines “present much more risk than benefit,” according to KTVB.
Other presenters who joined the teleconference include Dr. Peter McCullough, who said, “[The vaccines] were never safe; they were never effective.”
Earlier this year, Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach announced that he is suing pharmaceutical giant Pfizer for misleading Kansas residents about the safety and efficacy of its COVID-19 vaccine.
During a press conference in Topeka, alongside Deputy Attorney General Fran Oleen and Assistant Attorneys General Kaley Schrader and Melanie Jack, Kobach detailed the allegations lodged against Pfizer.
“Kansas is filing a civil suit against the Pfizer Corporation under the Kansas Consumer Protection Act, seeking enhanced civil monetary penalties, damages, and injunctive relief for misleading and deceptive statements made in marketing its COVID-19 vaccine. Pfizer also violated previous consent judgments with the state of Kansas, in which Pfizer promised never to use deceptive information to market their products,” said Kobach.
The complaint, lodged in Thomas County District Court, accuses Pfizer of misleading Kansans about the vaccines’ risks, including potential harm to pregnant women and the risk of myocarditis. The suit further alleges that Pfizer falsely claimed its vaccine was effective against COVID variants, despite evidence to the contrary.
During the conference, Kobach mentioned that Kansas is among the first five states to file a lawsuit against the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer.
“Kansas’s case is the first of a multi-state collaboration, with Kansas being the first of five states to file suit,” Kobach said during the press conference.
