Young Americans for Liberty (YAL) is a libertarian student activism organization headquartered in Austin,Texas. Formed in 2008 in the aftermath of the Ron Paul 2008 presidential campaign,YAL establishes chapters on high school and college campuses across the United States,for the purpose of "advancing liberty on campus and in American electoral politics."
Sherri J. Tenpenny is an American anti-vaccination activist and conspiracy theorist who promulgates disproven hypotheses that vaccines cause autism. An osteopathic physician by training,she is the author of four books opposing vaccination. In 2023 the State Medical Board of Ohio indefinitely suspended Tenpenny's medical license for failure to participate in its investigations.
Children's Health Defense (CHD) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit activist group mainly known for anti-vaccine disinformation,and which has been called one of the main sources of misinformation on vaccines. Founded under the name World Mercury Project in 2007,it is chaired by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The group has been campaigning against various public health programs,such as vaccination and fluoridation of drinking water. The group has been contributing to vaccine hesitancy in the United States,encouraging citizens and legislators to support anti-vaccine regulations and legislation. Arguments against vaccination are contradicted by overwhelming scientific consensus about the safety and effectiveness of vaccines. Its $15-million budget is funded through donations from individuals and affiliate marketing revenues.
Del Matthew Bigtree is an American television and film producer who is the CEO of the anti-vaccination group Informed Consent Action Network. He produced the film Vaxxed:From Cover-Up to Catastrophe,based on the discredited opinions of Andrew Wakefield and alleges an unsubstantiated connection between vaccines and autism.
2020 Maine Question 1 was a people's veto referendum that sought to reject a new law which eliminated religious and philosophical exemptions from school vaccination requirements and for employees of nursery schools and health care facilities. The question appeared on the March 3,2020 statewide ballot.
Anne Dauphinais is an American politician. She is a Republican currently serving Connecticut House of Representatives District 44,comprising the towns of Killingly,Plainfield,and Sterling. Dauphinais grew up in Killingly and graduated from the Northern Maine Vocational Technical Institute and from Eastern Connecticut State University. She worked in nursing,sales,and for the Connecticut Department of Correction before being elected to the House in 2016,2018 and 2020. Beginning in 2019,Dauphinais was a prominent leader opposing vaccine legislation in Connecticut and later protesting public safety measures put in place to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Protests,demonstrations and strikes occurred around the world against national responses to the COVID-19 pandemic by governmental bodies. Some were driven by the financial hardship resulting from government measures to contain the virus,including restrictions on travel and entertainment,hitting related industries and workers hard. Protests also occurred in opposition to restrictions on people's movements,compulsory wearing of face masks,lockdowns,vaccinations and other measures. Some protests were driven by COVID-19 misinformation,conspiracy theories,far-right and other extremist groups and individuals.
There have been several COVID-19 protests in New Zealand held since 2020,where people protested the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand,in particular the lockdown measures in place in March–May 2020,August 2020,and August–November 2021 and the later vaccine mandates. Most politicians both within and outside of Government and the vast majority of people have condemned these protests and view them as grandstanding by the organisers,and fear they may have spread the virus.
Jennifer Gross is an American politician and former nurse serving as a member of the Ohio House of Representatives from the 45th district. Elected in 2020,she took office in 2021. During her tenure in the state House,she has been a leading supporter of anti-vaccine legislation. Her voting record has shown a general tendency towards big government.
Laurel Dawson Munsell Libby is an American activist,Republican politician and interior designer from Maine. She is the representative for Maine House District 64,representing Minot and part of Auburn. Libby was a leader of the 2020 people's veto campaign opposing childhood vaccination laws in Maine and protested public health measures implemented to prevent the spread of COVID-19. She was elected to the Maine House in November 2020. Libby was one of seven conservative House Members to be stripped of their committee assignments over refusal to comply with mask mandates in the State House during the COVID-19 pandemic.
COVID-19 vaccination in New Zealand began on 20 February 2021,and will continue throughout the pandemic with the goal of vaccinating all willing New Zealanders aged 5 or older. Those aged 5 to 11 require a parent,caregiver or legal guardian accompany them to their appointment and provide consent for them to be vaccinated. As of 1 September,anyone in New Zealand,regardless of their immigration status,is eligible to be vaccinated.
Louis Luchini is an American Democratic politician and former professional long-distance runner from Maine. Luchini served in the Maine Senate representing District 7,Hancock County from 2018 to 2022. Luchini was born and raised in Ellsworth,Maine and began running competitively in middle school. He was a state champion runner at Ellsworth High School and continued to Stanford University where he earned a degree in human biology and was an all-American runner. Luchini graduated from Stanford in 2004 and signed a contract with Nike to run professionally,also participating in the U.S. Olympic Trials in 2004 and 2008. He returned to Maine in 2009,joined the cross-country coaching staff at Ellsworth High School and ran for the Maine House of Representatives in 2010. Luchini served four terms in the Maine House before running successfully for the Senate in 2018. In 2020,Luchini was re-elected to Senate District 7 for a second two-year term. In January 2022,he resigned from the Senate to accept a job in the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Chris A. Johansen is an American politician from Maine. He served as a Republican in the Maine House of Representatives for Maine's 145th House of Representatives district,which comprises 20 towns in Aroostook County. An outspoken opponent of state-mandated public health measures put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic,his wife later died from the disease. He resigned from office on November 19,2021.
Protests over responses to the COVID-19 pandemic have occurred around the world. There have been several protests against lockdowns and other restrictions introduced by the Commonwealth and state governments in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia since 2020. Some joining protests have also been against vaccinations,while others have also subscribed to various conspiracy theories or misinformation about COVID-19. Protests have been held in several state capitals,with most occurring in including Sydney and Melbourne. While some protests were peaceful,others ended in clashes between protesters and police. Australian police have issued fines against protesters for breaching lockdown restrictions.
COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in the United States is the sociocultural phenomenon of individuals refusing or displaying hesitance towards receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in the United States can be considered as part of the broader history of vaccine hesitancy.
Anti-vaccination activists and other people in many countries have spread a variety of unfounded conspiracy theories and other misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines based on misunderstood or misrepresented science,religion,and law. These have included exaggerated claims about side effects,misrepresentations about how the immune system works and when and how COVID-19 vaccines are made,a story about COVID-19 being spread by 5G,and other false or distorted information. This misinformation has proliferated and may have made many people averse to vaccination. This has led to governments and private organizations around the world introducing measures to incentivize or coerce vaccination,such as lotteries,mandates,and free entry to events,which has in turn led to further misinformation about the legality and effect of these measures themselves.
Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic,COVID-19 vaccine mandates have been enacted by numerous states and municipalities in the United States,and also by private entities. In September 2021,President Joe Biden announced that the federal government would take steps to mandate COVID-19 vaccination for certain entities under the authority of the federal government or federal agencies. Most federal mandates thus imposed were either overturned through litigation,or withdrawn by the administration,although a mandate on health care workers in institutions receiving Medicare and Medicaid funds was upheld. All federal mandates were lifted when the national emergency was declared to have ended in May 2023. A small number of states have gone in the opposite direction,through executive orders or legislation designed to limit vaccination mandates.
A vaccine passport or proof of vaccination is an immunity passport employed as a credential in countries and jurisdictions as part of efforts to control the COVID-19 pandemic via vaccination. A vaccine passport is typically issued by a government or health authority,and usually consists of a digital or printed record. Some credentials may include a scannable QR code,which can also be provisioned via mobile app. It may or may not use a COVID-19 vaccine card as a basis of authentication.
Health Freedom Idaho is an anti-vaccine group that also opposes health regulations,such as mask requirements and restrictions on the operation of businesses due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Founded sometime shortly before October 2016,the organization describes its mission as including "preserv[ing] our freedoms in regard to the health care of our choice." While the group's activities have mainly taken place in the Boise area,the organization has a northern chapter.
Tracy Quint is an American politician from Hodgdon,Maine. She is currently serving in the Maine House of Representatives from the 8th district,having first been elected in 2020 from the Republican Party.
