Americans typically prepare for Hurricane season by stocking up on water and nonperishable food, but the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) raised eyebrows Monday when the government agency stated coronavirus vaccines are essential to weathering the storm.
Health officials have stressed that fully vaccinated individuals have a high degree of protection against COVID-19, and that the true risk is for unvaccinated populations. The Biden administration has continued to urge Americans to receive the shots as soon as possible, but in some states the demand for vaccines has fallen, even with ample supplies available.
The CDC’s website tied the vaccine with planning for hurricane season and even listed the jab ahead of preparing emergency food, water and medical supplies, under a section titled, “Prepare for hurricane season.”
Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC feels coronavirus vaccines are essential to preparing for hurricane season.
The CDC’s first bullet point is “Understand that your planning may be different this year because of the need to protect yourself and others from COVID-19,” while the second is, “Get a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as you can. COVID-19 vaccines help protect you from getting sick or severely ill with COVID-19 and may also help protect people around you.”
The CDC got around to advising Americans to stock up on emergency supplies after sounding the alarm about vaccines. Musician Bradley James Skistimas, a fierce critic of the Covid vaccines, took notice and tweeted an image of the CDC’s hurricane readiness tips complete with a few face palm emojis.
The CDC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The CDC website also urges Americans to keep six feet apart for social distancing concerns when checking on neighbors during a hurricane, asks people to put masks and hand sanitizer in emergency kits and provides a friendly reminder that anyone who is “unconscious” can do without a mask.
Just under half of all eligible Americans have received full vaccinations against the coronavirus. Recent polling by Gallup has shown that one in five Americans have no plan to get vaccinated at all.
Many people took to Twitter with disbelief after Skistimas flagged the website:
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Fox News’ Peter Aitken and Alexandria Hein contributed to this report.
