Winsome Sears on Covid: Virginia’s incoming governor questions vaccines for people who have had the virus before
Sears, who did not disclose her vaccination status during her successful campaign for second-highest Virginia, told CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union” that revealing it would make a “slope” to be asked to disclose to another individual information about her “DNA” and medical history.
“As soon as I started telling you about my vaccine status, we would go down to the bottom of the mountain to try to figure out how we got there because now you want to know what’s in my DNA. You would want to know this, that and that,” said Sears.
Sears, who won a historic victory as the first Black woman to hold the post, said she would not “force anyone” to get a Covid vaccine and urged government officials to allows individuals to decide for themselves what measures to take to protect against the virus.
“We have to remember that we are America. We love our freedom. We love our freedom. People are desperate to come to this country so they can do good for themselves and their families. Let’s not do it like some other countries. Let freedom shine,” said Sears.
Vaccine requirements are a major issue in statewide elections in Virginia earlier this month. Democratic candidate Terry McAuliffe repeatedly criticized Republican Glenn Youngkin for not accepting a strict mandate on vaccines. Youngkin, who won the election in November, has said he is not in favor of a vaccine mandate.
Sears repeatedly mentioned the often held lies about the Covid vaccine and the virus itself. She suggested that people already infected with Covid-19 do not need to be vaccinated and questioned the benefits that masks offer in protecting against transmission of the virus.
“Let’s ask ourselves, if the purpose of a Covid vaccine is to prevent us from contracting Covid, why should people who already have Covid get vaccinated? One doesn’t go after the other,” Sears said. , ignoring scientific data showing that the Covid vaccine prevents hospitalizations and deaths.
“Let me ask you this: If you wear a mask, then why should anyone else wear a mask?” Sears continued.
Health experts say people who test positive for Covid will have some protective antibodies, but those antibodies will fade over time. People who have tested positive for Covid should still get vaccinated for that reason, experts say, and evidence shows people can get better protection by being vaccinated. fully compared to when recovered from Covid-19.
The scientists also said that the widespread wearing of masks for people nearby could significantly reduce the transmission of Covid, more than when some or no one wore a mask. Studies show that face masks can help prevent people from spreading the coronavirus to others and can help protect wearers from getting infected.
CNN’s Jacqueline Howard contributed to this report.
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