It is not superstitious to ask questions about the science behind the coronavirus vaccine and have concerns over its safety, Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson told his viewers on Friday night, defending his stance of being concerned about possible side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine.
“The authorities assure us that the new vaccine is completely safe. We want to believe that badly. On the other hand, it's not crazy to wonder”, said Carlson, whose remark followed news on Friday that Vice President Mike Pence and Surgeon General Jerome Adams had received the coronavirus vaccine in front of TV cameras, trying to reassure US citizens that the vaccine is safe.
On Thursday, the Fox News anchor criticised the campaign for the rollout of the coronavirus vaccine. Carlson’s key point was that the authorities should have explained all the risks and side effects of the vaccine rather than be aggressively promoting it through the media.
“Rushed development and a clumsy roll out do not fully explain the handful of incidents of adverse reactions, such as the three nurses in Alaska who have suffered allergic responses”, he added.
Carlson cited nurse Tiffany Pontes Dover’s case as an example of someone being affected by the vaccine’s side effects. Dover, 30, fainted after receiving the vaccine, but then confessed she has always reacted that way when feeling pain.
The Fox News anchor was heavily criticised on the same day for “going full anti-vax” and making such comments while the network’s owner Rupert Murdoch was receiving the vaccine. Some people even accused Carlson of risking people’s lives.
Tucker Carlson is going to get people killed. https://t.co/8w35k6oVTH
— Dr. Miranda Yaver (@mirandayaver) December 18, 2020
Rupert Murdoch got the Covid vaccine the day after Tucker Carlson spent his entire show sowing doubt about the Covid vaccine.
— Molly Jong-Fast🏡 (@MollyJongFast) December 18, 2020
On Friday, the US Food and Drug Administration approved Moderna's coronavirus vaccine for emergency use, allowing the vaccine to be rolled out in the US. President-elect Joe Biden announced that he would take the vaccine on Monday.
