Sen. Ron Johnson Says He is ‘Highly Suspicious’ of ‘Big Push to Make Sure Everyone Gets a Vaccine’

Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) said he was “highly suspicious” of the push to vaccinate Americans against Covid-19, arguing in an interview that the vaccines, which he conceded have been shown to be highly effective, should be reserved for the vulnerable and not pushed on young people.

In an interview with Vicki McKenna, a right wing radio host who has spread loony conspiracy theories about Covid-19 vaccines, Johnson made the case that public health efforts to encourage vaccinations are somehow worthy of suspicion. The interview was first reported by Forbes.

He noted that while he supported Operation Warp Speed, the U.S. coronavirus vaccine initiative, the distribution of the vaccines should be limited “to the vulnerable” and not pushed on those who are “very young.”

“What is the point? The science tells us that vaccines are 95% effective. So if you have a vaccine, quite honestly, what do you care if your neighbor has one or not?” Johnson said.

The Wisconsin Republican added that he is “highly suspicious” of the “big push to make sure everybody gets a vaccine:”

You’ve got a vaccine. Science is telling you it’s very, very effective. Why is this big push to make sure everybody gets a vaccine, to the point when you better impose it, you’re going to shame people, you’re going to force them to carry a card to prove that they’ve been vaccinated so they can just stay in society. I’m getting highly suspicious of what’s happening here.

“It’s about control, and it’s about power,” McKenna replied, before wishing Johnson a happy Earth Day.

There is no mandate in the United States for Americans to take the coronavirus vaccine, although public health campaigns are encouraging it as a means to end the pandemic that has rocked the economy and killed more than 550,000 people.