Social media users support New York nurse who sold fake COVID-19 vaccine cards

On June 11, a former nurse practitioner in New York was sentenced to 840 hours of community service and five years of probation for selling fake COVID-19 vaccine cards. She was also ordered to forfeit $1.2 million. Several comments on a YouTube video of the nurse speaking on the news call her a “hero” and claim that her actions saved lives.

Recommendation: Trending conversations criticizing COVID-19 vaccine mandates provide an opportunity to educate target populations about the intentions of vaccine mandates and to recirculate existing content about the safety and importance of COVID-19 vaccines. Messaging may emphasize that vaccine mandates are intended to prevent severe illness and death caused by dangerous diseases, and research shows that COVID-19 vaccine mandates reduced the spread of COVID-19. Continuing to reiterate that COVID-19 vaccines have been rigorously tested and determined to be safe and that they prevent severe illness, hospitalization, long COVID, and death is recommended.