Letter to the Hon. Denis McDonough, Veterans Affairs Secretary - Cortez Masto Urges VA to Combat Vaccine Misinformation, Encourages Veterans to Get Vaccinated

Letter

Dear Secretary McDonough:

In light of recent reports on veterans' concerns about the safety and efficacy of the coronavirus
vaccines, we write to urge the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to ensure veterans have
accurate information and to take action to stop the spread of vaccine-related misinformation.
VA medical facilities are an important resource and health care provider that veterans can trust.
As a result, the distribution of vaccines through VA medical facilities is a critical component to
our nation's strategy to move past this pandemic. We appreciate the efforts the VA has taken
thus far to ensure veterans have access to the Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson
coronavirus vaccines. As of March 17, your Department has administered more than 1.8 million
doses of the vaccines, and over 1.16 million veterans have been fully vaccinated.
However, we are concerned that the misinformation and disinformation surrounding the vaccines
will prevent some veterans from having a plan to receive a coronavirus vaccination. A recent poll
by the Blue Star Families found that almost half of veteran families surveyed do not expect to
receive a vaccine, with 75 percent of those families citing concerns regarding the safety and
efficacy of the vaccines1
.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, false information related to the coronavirus has spread
rapidly. In order to save lives, we urge you to continue to address vaccine hesitancy by
increasing educational efforts amongst VA recipients about vaccine misinformation. These
efforts would build upon the actions the VA has already taken to warn veterans against scams
soliciting money in exchange for vaccine availability. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and
Economic Security (CARES) Act included over $19 billion for the VA, and we encourage you to
use a portion of the remaining unspent funds to counter vaccine misinformation among our
veterans. It is crucial that veterans receive clear and accurate information about the vaccine, and
your agency can play a major role in helping them identify false information and recognize the
safety and efficacy of the vaccines.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

Source