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- Tucker Carlson defended healthcare workers who've illegally bought fake vaccination cards.
- Those who lie about their vaccination status to keep their job are "forced into a corner by tyrants," per the Fox News host/
- There is broad consensus among medical professionals that healthcare workers should be required to get vaccinated.
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Tucker Carlson defended healthcare workers who've illegally purchased fake COVID-19 vaccination cards to circumvent their employers' vaccination mandates, claiming falsely that people are being "forced" to get shots.
The Fox News host took aim at Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, who on Tuesday charged 15 people with felonies for selling or purchasing counterfeit vaccination documents. Two women were charged with working together to sell hundreds of falsified cards for $200 each and entering unvaccinated peoples' names into New York State's immunization database for an additional $250 fee. Some of the individuals charged with illegally purchasing the cards work in healthcare facilities, including hospitals and nursing homes.
Carlson argued during his Thursday night program that people who buy fake vaccination cards and lie about their vaccination status are "in good conscience" preserving their "right to bodily autonomy." And he argued that mandating vaccines is a "serious crime" and officials should be "severely" punished for enforcing the law.
"Buying a fake vaccination card is an act of desperation by decent, law-abiding Americans who have been forced into a corner by tyrants," Carlson said. "You know what's a serious crime? Forcing Americans to take drugs they don't need or want."
In reality, unvaccinated people are simply being denied access to certain businesses, jobs, and services that require vaccination. Some hospitals and other healthcare facilities are requiring that their employees get COVID-19 vaccines in order to protect not only their staff but also vulnerable patients, including those who are immunocompromised or who can't be vaccinated for medical reasons.
Carlson claimed the healthcare workers refusing vaccination understand the science of COVID-19 and vaccination better than the "politicians" mandating the vaccine. In reality, there is broad consensus among medical experts that healthcare workers should be required to get vaccinated. As of June, 96% of practicing doctors reported being fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Scammers and anti-vaxxers are hawking falsified coronavirus vaccination cards on social media platforms and digital forums. Prosecutors across the country, including the National Association of Attorneys General, are pushing platforms to crack down on the sale of the cards on their sites.
"We will continue to safeguard public health in New York with proactive investigations like these, but the stakes are too high to tackle fake vaccination cards with whack-a-mole prosecutions," Vance said in a statement earlier this week. "Making, selling, and purchasing forged vaccination cards are serious crimes with serious public safety consequences."
-Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) September 3, 2021