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Although the world had been pondering over when the COVID-19 vaccine would be released and available for everyone, there were a good few who were still skeptical. Despite ex-Vice President Mike Pence publicly receiving the vaccine on live television and professional medical platforms that testify to the safety of this vaccine, there are people who are still against receiving this shot. The reason for government officials to have first received the shot was not for mere show, but to gain their citizens’ trust and to show that it is safe to be vaccinated.

One highlighted group that seems to be the most bothered by the vaccine are far-right extremists. The same people who have pushed their political agenda with the Stop the Steal Movement have started to spread misinformation about the virus and the vaccination process. The Stop the Steal Movement was started by the right in an attempt to overturn the election results of 2020. Although from their perspective, their loss is unfortunate, their spread of information is now raising controversy in another area.

The Stop the Steal Movement tried to bring Trump back into office and to eventually have the government work in a way that was advantageous to the Republican party. Now that President Biden has been officially inaugurated, far-right activists have been throwing in efforts to undermine the government. They attack the credibility of the vaccine, government officials and even medical professionals. If anything, the American public should push their trust toward the medical professionals, who can give objective feedback, rather than the opinions of far-right extremists who publish their own subjective opinions with no form of medical proof.

One of the major ways that they have been shaking public opinion is by continuously spreading misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine. While medical professionals and online platforms are publishing as much credible information as they can, skeptics seem to be diluting these findings with their own false ideas. They have published their own articles without any basis in scientific fact and with fearmongering headlines, which only wreaks havoc and incites fear among the American public.

Despite the COVID-19 vaccine increasing in availability, skeptics of the vaccine have created their own pandemic by spreading fear and distrust toward something positive and our best chance to get out of this pandemic. While far-right extremists may not be the only group of people that are against the vaccine, their public efforts of spreading misinformation about the virus do not help the mindsets of those who are easily swayed by the media.