Police aware of ‘anti-vax’ leaflets distributed in Whitehead

East Antrim MLA Stewart Dickson is urging anyone with concerns about the Covid-19 vaccine to visit the NHS or PHA websites for information.
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The Alliance representative issued the advice after “anti-vax” literature was recently distributed to homes in the Whitehead area.

Mr Dickson said: “These leaflets that are being distributed amongst the community are completely abhorrent and pose a serious threat to our recovery from the pandemic.

“They contain dangerous misinformation as to how the Covid vaccines were developed and if these falsehoods were to take root in the minds of the public, many lives could be put at risk.

Stewart Dickson MLA.Stewart Dickson MLA.
Stewart Dickson MLA.

“People do not need to be reminded of the devastation that this pandemic has had on our society, our economy, and our general way of life.

“The vaccine roll-out programme is our ticket out and jeopardising the health and wellbeing of others is unacceptable.”

Mr Dickson added: ”The vaccines approved for use in the UK have had to meet strict standards of safety, quality and effectiveness, and have been tested, regulated and approved by the independent Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

“The vaccines currently being used in Northern Ireland have gone through all of the clinical trials and safety checks that all other licensed medicines go through.

“Any future vaccines will only be available on the NHS once they have been thoroughly tested to make sure they are safe and effective too.

“I implore anyone with concerns about the safety of the vaccine to talk to medical experts, make use of reliable sources such as the NHS website or the HSC Public Health Agency website, or get in touch for more information.”

Police have confirmed the literature has been reported to them.

A PSNI spokesperson said: “Police are aware of leaflets which have been distributed in the Whitehead area and enquiries are ongoing to establish whether any offences have been committed.”

East Antrim Ulster Unionist MLA Roy Beggs has also urged constituents to ignore “fake news” leaflets. For more on this story, read here

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