My statement:
“I am receiving increasing correspondence from local people who are alarmed and angry about anti-vax activities and misinformation in our town and on local social media about Covid.
“It is completely unacceptable for anybody to peddle lies that you shouldn’t get a vaccine because Covid doesn’t exist or it’s just a bit of flu or pushing conspiracy theories about doctors lying on death certificates and the government setting up fake hospital wards and statistics.
“Thousands of people are in our hospitals manning wards, treating people who are ill, missing their own families and wearing uncomfortable PPE for hours each day. What greater disrespect is there to those putting their lives on the line to treat the sick and all the grieving relatives of the dead than this utter rubbish?
“Attempting to undermine our health professionals and encouraging misinformation as facts is just about as irresponsible as it can be during a pandemic. I would like the government and social media platforms to do more to stop it. This is harming our community, potentially risking lives and our recovery from the virus.
“One vaccination is now being administered across the country and another is due for approval. I will be receiving mine when I am called and I urge everyone else to do the same.
“Vaccinations save lives. Their effectiveness is well documented for many other serious diseases in history from smallpox to polio. I know this is an inconvenient fact to these dangerous antivax ‘campaigners’, but it’s the truth.
“I stand with the majority of people who understand that measures are required to tackle Covid and vaccines are rigorously tested and independently approved by experts before they are permitted to be used.
“If anyone is worried about the vaccination then I urge them to access information from the government or reputable websites like the BBC or prestigious medical journals like The Lancet. They can also speak to their GP. Please do not pay attention to unregulated social media posts and demonstrations purporting to be from experts."