The majority of those not yet vaccinated are hesitant for a diversity of legitimate reasons. A small but influential minority of the unvaccinated are anti-vaxxers driven by ideology who produce and disseminate disinformation intended to obfuscate, confuse and create hesitation. They also lead the angry and dangerous mob actions against hospitals and schools that require the enactment of safe zones. The following is a July 15 article from Paula Larsson addressing the racist roots of the anti-vaxx movement.

This is a September 21 article by Josh Roose, a senior research fellow at Deakin University, Victoria, Australia. It focuses on how far right nationalists, anti-vaxxers, libertarians and conspiracy theorists have come together over COVID, and capitalised on the anger and uncertainty simmering in some sections of the community.

This is a September 19 article by Sibo Chen, an assistant professor at the School of Professional Communication, Ryerson University. It focuses on the worrisome convergence of the anti-vaccine movement and far-right political extremism.

RNAO condemns the acts of harassment against patients and health-care workers by protesters close to hospitals all across Ontario.

RNAO issued today the following media release in response to the recent protests.

Addressing misinformation and disinformation in social media -- the distinction between the two is important and its explained below -- is crucial to ending the pandemic and pursuing healthy public policy. The following is an article from the World Health Organization on the COVID-19 infodemic.

We’ve begun a new year with even more determination to address the challenges brought forward by the relentless COVID-19 virus. RNAO continues its central role in the media, speaking about key issues and continuing our advocacy efforts to mobilize change and help bring an end to this pandemic. This is a summary of our January interventions.

As we all wait anxiously for the final tally of votes in the United States, I sit to finalize my blog while remaining glued to the media updates and elections maps. It has been a long wait – four years – of deepening inequalities, growing anti-Black discrimination, homophobia, Islamophobia, and as of late, mask-phobia. I don’t recall a time in recent history where nurses – and most health professionals – shared so widely a political preference. This US election is not necessarily about a political party but about someone who personifies everything that is abhorrent and contrary to the health of a nation.

Last week I posted RNAO’s thoughts on preparing for upcoming waves of COVID-19. RNAO has argued since January that we must prepare for the worst and hope for the best. We raised 15 lines of action, many of them interrelated, as part of that required preparation. Keep sending us your feedback, as it is very important and much appreciated! Here we discuss the flu vaccine, masks and schools, batch testing, and harmful disinformation.