Republican county clerk candidate Aaron Davidson also told Utah county commissioners that the coronavirus vaccine was killing young athletes, which has been refuted.
(Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune) Aaron Davidson holds up a sign inviting others to hug him at an April 2020 protest over coronavirus restrictions. Since then, Davidson has cited misinformation about vaccines when speaking out against monkeypox.
Aaron Davidson, the Republican candidate for Utah county clerk, suggested the county should not spend tax money on the monkeypox vaccine because it would benefit gay men.
He also falsely claimed that the coronavirus vaccine was killing young athletes and suggested that those taking the monkeypox vaccine were human subjects of a biomedical experiment.
The Republican candidate made those comments during the Utah County Commission’s Sept. 14 hearing on federal regulations surrounding monkeypox vaccine availability and distribution. The county receives the vaccines free of charge from the federal government and must waive any administration fees that normally accompany other vaccines.
During the public comment period of the mid-September meeting, Davidson urged commissioners to reject the deal.
“This is not an FDA approved drug, just like the COVID vaccine that we saw so many adverse side effects. Pericarditis, myocarditis, all the children who died from it. Young athletes who are dying for it,” Davidson alleged.
Davidson was citing a debunked claim that athletes around the world were dying from coronavirus vaccine side effects. According to fact checkers at the Poynter Institute, there is no evidence that athletes are collapsing from heart problems due to vaccinations.
Davidson also claimed that the monkeypox vaccine had not been approved for use by the Food and Drug Administration and that those who took the vaccine were “human subjects of a biomedical experiment.”
“There could be more deaths from that. This is an unapproved vaccine, and I don’t think any county funds should be used for this effort,” Davidson told the council.
Nancy Flake, director of immunizations for the Utah County Health Department, quickly corrected Davidson, saying that the JYNNEOS vaccine was approved in 2019 and received an emergency authorization for monkeypox earlier this year.
“We can’t give anything that isn’t approved by the FDA,” Flake said.
Davidson also opposed the use of public funds in a program that he says primarily benefits the “MSM” community, or men who have sex with men.
“They chose to live that lifestyle, and if something happens to them, I think it should come out of their own pocket through their own medical providers. It shouldn’t come from county offices or taxpayer money,” Davidson said.
“We get the vaccine for free from the federal government,” Flake replied. “It is given to us by the state, and we simply waive any type of administrative charge. It is completely free for the recipients.”
The vast majority of reported monkeypox cases have been among men who have sex with men, but framing it as impacting only that population is misleading. The Utah County Department of Health website says the limited supply of monkeypox vaccine should be reserved for those who have had “close intimate contact” with someone who has the virus or for men who have sex with mens.
When the commission reviewed the issue during its Sept. 28 meeting, Davidson again brought up misinformation about vaccines during the public comment period. He stated that the US Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) showed more than 70 adverse reactions to the monkeypox vaccine in Utah.
“I don’t know if the health department has really looked into how they should implement this procedure,” Davidson said.
The VAERS database is a “passive reporting system” that allows anyone to submit vaccine side effect reports with very few protections against false reporting. Last year, the VAERS database claimed more than 1,300 deaths due to the coronavirus vaccine, with side effects ranging from brain death to gunshot wounds. The CDC has warned users that VAERS data is inaccurate. Anti-vaccine activists have used the database to scare the public, according to Science.org.
The commission ultimately voted to approve the deal with the CDC for the monkeypox vaccine.
Davidson is the only major party candidate for Secretary on the November ballot. His opponent is US independent candidate Jake Oaks, who has said he will not issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples if he is elected. Candace Jacobson has filed as a write-in candidate.
Davidson did not respond to requests for an interview or comment.
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