Frederica Freyberg:

In just a moment we will hear from a state epidemiologist about respiratory viruses hitting children and the interplay with COVID-19 and also about the new delta variant. People who are vaccinated are mostly protected from that new variant, but at a time when vaccinations are not only protecting people, but leading to a back-to-normal lifestyle, Wisconsin U.S. Senator Ron Johnson is focusing on the downside of vaccines. At a Milwaukee press conference this week, he introduced a group of people who experienced negative side effects from getting the shot.

Ron Johnson:

None of us are medical doctors. None of us are medical researchers. We’re not pretending to be. But we can see the publicly-available information. We can look at the numbers. We can take a look at this data and go this is concerning. This ought to be taken seriously. This ought to be looked at.

Frederica Freyberg:

Wisconsin medical professionals gathered this week in a Zoom event to take exception to Senator Johnson’s stand on vaccinations, including a community health clinic physician from Milwaukee.

Madelaine Tully:

Senator Ron Johnson is extremely out of place in trying to give medical advice. Not only that, because of his position of power, Ron Johnson is extremely dangerous. I worry that events like the one Senator Johnson held yesterday will cost the lives of people here in Milwaukee and across our state. That’s why I’m here with my colleagues today. As physicians, we call on Senator Ron Johnson to do the responsible thing: share with people that COVID-19 vaccines are demonstrably safe and effective and encourage people to protect themselves against COVID-19 by getting vaccinated.

Frederica Freyberg:

The state’s largest newspaper had scathing words for Senator Johnson in an editorial this week that maligned him for continuing to cast doubt about science. They wrote, “He is the most irresponsible representative of Wisconsin citizens since the infamous Senator Joseph R. McCarthy in the 1950s.”