For Immediate Release: March 5, 2021
Media Contact: info@oregoniansformedicalfreedom.com

The statewide grassroots organization Oregonians for Medical Freedom recently delivered a “Cease and Desist” letter to the Oregon Health Authority to stop the agency from spreading misinformation to the public about COVID-19 vaccines.

The OHA had been falsely stating on it’s website and social media posts that the COVID-19 vaccines have been “approved by the Food and Drug Administration and the Western Pact Vaccine workgroup.” Oregonians for Medical Freedom, through its attorney Robert Snee, sent a cease and desist letter to the OHA and Governor Kate Brown in January demanding that they correct the misinformation regarding the status of COVID-19 vaccines. To date, there are NO vaccines for COVID-19 that have been approved by the FDA. The vaccines currently in use have only been granted Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) which allows for the use of unapproved products during times of emergency.

An initial demand letter was sent by OFMF on January 24, 2021 to OHA requesting corrections within 10 days, but was ignored. Once OFMF’s attorney sent a second letter on February 15th, giving the OHA 72 hours to respond or face a lawsuit for an injunction, the agency only partially complied with requested changes. While OFMF applauds the OHA for correcting the false statement on their website landing page, the following is one of the conditions of the granted EUAs that OHA is still violating:

“All descriptive printed matter, advertising, and promotional material relating to the use of the [Moderna/Pfizer BioNTech] COVID-19 Vaccine clearly and conspicuously shall state that: This product has not been approved or licensed by FDA, but has been authorized for emergency use by FDA, under an EUA to prevent Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) for use in individuals 18 years of age and older.”

This is the third official letter from OFMF addressed to OHA public officials in recent months, in an attempt to correct public information the agency publishes, concerning vaccines. A certified letter was sent to OHA director Patrick Allen concerning false statements made in a daily coronavirus update email regarding the flu shot and COVID-19, sent out on October 20, 2020. Like the initial cease and desist letter sent in January, that letter also was ignored.

“Government institutions clearly are not immune from spreading misinformation,” stated OFMF Executive Director Nicole DeGraff. “This should serve as a reminder to the OHA, Governor Brown, and others that OFMF is monitoring activities closely,” she added. “Government agencies cannot spread false information, as misrepresentations could not only jeopardize the distribution of vaccines under the EUA, if the FDA chooses to rescind the authorization for violating the conditions they attached to use of the unapproved and unlicensed COVID-19 vaccines it also simultaneously blurs the lines of informed consent for Oregonians choosing to opt-out. OFMF will continue to protect informed consent for all Oregonians, and we will continue to monitor the situation to ensure OHA fully complies with all conditions of the EUAs.”

Oregonians for Medical Freedom is a grassroots non-partisan organization, consisting of medical professionals, educators, parents, and citizens concerned with upholding the medical ethic of full informed consent for all medical procedures and practice, including vaccination. For more information about Oregonians for Medical Freedom, visit www.OregoniansforMedicalFreedom.com or contact info@oregoniansformedicalfreedom.com.

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