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Experts say COVID-19 misinformation is a major threat

Posted at 10:29 AM, Jul 22, 2021
and last updated 2021-07-22 11:29:16-04

OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — It's a pandemic among those unvaccinated.

That's the message from the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as she urges people to get the facts about COVID-19 and the three available vaccines.

RELATED: Medical expert weighs in on vaccine misinformation shared by police union president

Hospital beds are again slowly filling back up with COVID-19 patients as the delta variant becomes the dominant strain in the U.S.

Dr. Andrea Jones with Nebraska Medicine said most of the patients she is now treating could have avoided sickness by just following the facts.

"I just told a gentleman yesterday, one thing you could do for me while you're in the hospital is to call five, 10 of your friends and tell them this is real. I'm here in the hospital, get your vaccine as soon as you can and just encourage others and that's what's going to help is firsthand experiences, unfortunately," said Jones.

The vaccine has also become politicized over the last six months.

The latest CBS News poll shows Republicans are far more likely than Democrats to say they will not get vaccinated.

According to the CBS News poll, the top reasons for not getting the vaccines are people are worried about the side effects, they don't trust the government or they don't trust the science behind the vaccines.

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