COLUMBUS – Governor Mike DeWine spoke out in defense of vaccines as state lawmakers consider a bill that would prohibit Ohio businesses or the state government from requiring vaccinations.
During a news conference introducing the latest winners of Ohio’s Vax-a-Million incentive lottery Thursday, DeWine said he would oppose the legislation, saying that vaccines have historically proven to prevent deadly diseases.
“Deaths from tetanus, whooping cough, are almost unheard of today and many doctors have never even seen a case of measles,” he said.
The hearings on the bill in the House this week attracted nationwide attention and derision when nationally-known vaccine opponent Dr. Sherri Tenpenny, of Middleburg Heights.
“I’m sure you’ve seen the pictures all over the internet of people who have had these shots and now they’re magnetized,” Tenpenny claimed during testimony before the House Health Committee on the Vaccine Choice and Anti-Discrimination Act.
There is no evidence to support claims that COVID-19 vaccines metals or microchips that make a person magnetic after receiving an injection.
The state Thursday reported that 5.4 million Ohioans, or 46.4% of the state’s population, had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and that 4.8 million had been fully vaccinated.
There were 344 new cases reported and the statewide incidence rate fell to 36.7 cases per 100,000 residents.