Weld County Commissioners agree to no longer publish information about COVID-19 beyond the county website. That means the health department can’t either.
By Kelly Ragan
Weld County Commissioners agreed to no longer publish information about COVID-19 following pushback on social media posts.
At a board meeting Nov. 24, three members of the public approached the board reprimanding them for Facebook posts on the Weld County Government page – a page also used by the Weld County health department – regarding vaccines.
“I am sick of these Facebook posts that the Weld County Government page is putting on Facebook advertising this vaccine, this gene therapy, to our children,” said Sonia Miller, a Greeley resident. “This is toxic. This is poisonous.”
Miller went on to say the vaccines were dangerous and causing children to have heart attacks.
“There is blood on your hands for this, all of you,” she said. “You will not be held harmless by the public.”
(Fact check: According to medical experts with Johns Hopkins, the vaccine is safe and effective at preventing serious disease or death due to COVID-19. While there have been rare instances of myocarditis (inflammation of the heart) in teens and young adults following the second dose of Pfizer and Moderna, most of the cases were mild and cleared up on their own, according to Johns Hopkins.)
One particular Facebook post drew ire from Commissioner Lori Saine, who recently announced she’s running for Colorado’s new 8th congressional district.
Posted on Nov. 9, the graphic broke down a timeline for when folks should get either the Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, or Moderna vaccine if they wanted to be fully vaccinated in time for the holidays.
The post reads:
“Getting vaccinated means you can look forward to safer holiday activities and gatherings with at-risk family and friends you may have missed last year.
If you haven’t been vaccinated against COVID-19 yet and would like to be on Thanksgiving Day, plan to get your one-dose Johnson & Johnson shot by November 11.
If you haven’t been vaccinated against COVID-19 yet and would like to be on Christmas Day, plan:
To get your first dose of the Moderna vaccine by November 14. You would get your second shot on December 11.
To get your first dose of the Pfizer vaccine by November 20. You would get your second shot on December 11.
To get your one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine by December 11.”
Commissioner Scott James said he was the one who approved the Facebook post and that he was wrong for doing so.
“I will ensure a post that involves a COVID vaccine will not get my approval,” James said.
Why is this a big deal?
Weld County Commissioners have been consistent on their stance on masks, vaccines, and personal freedom. This doesn’t exactly seem like a surprising move.
But it’s important to remember that Weld is a home rule charter county -- meaning it does not have an independent board of public health. If commissioners say they will no longer publish information about COVID-19 on the county’s social media platforms and beyond, the same goes for the health department.
And the pandemic isn’t over.
According to the county website, 509 people have died due to the virus. About 46 of those deaths happened last month.
There are just four ICU beds available between UCHealth Greeley and North Colorado Medical Center, according to the website. There are just eight ICU beds available in hospitals used by Weld residents regionally.
No moving the needle?
Beyond the few residents who spoke at the board meeting, Commissioner Scott James said the county paid a consultant to conduct a study into vaccine rates in Weld.
Using part of a $25,000 grant from the state of Colorado, James said the county spent about $6,000 to look into whether it was possible to move the needle on vaccine rates.
Essentially, commissioners say they found that those who wanted to get vaccinated have already or knew where to go to get vaccines, and those who haven’t have made up their minds.
However, according to the county’s own vaccine dashboard, thousands of people received their first vaccine in the last month.
The NoCo Optimist has requested to view a copy of the study.