I am appalled that the Gazette would be so irresponsible as to publish the letter to the editor by Karen Selick (Reader appalled by factual ignorance, The Picton Gazette, Dec. 17, 2020).

This reader makes totally unfounded, unscientific and wholly refutable statements about vaccines and vaccination. But then she and others like her clearly are in self delusion if they think we are those suffering from “factual ignorance”. In her contentions, she mirrors Jim Carrey and Jenny McCarthy, who are personally responsible for thousands of parents shunning vaccines for childhood illnesses and resultant great harm.

This is not just a freedom of speech matter – you and other publications, electronic and print, have a public duty to fact check before you publish. Would you have published if she had slammed small pox or polio vaccine? The least you could have done is check with Hastings Prince Edward Public Health or any physician in the Quinte region.

I have a background in microbiology and vaccine research, the company I owned conducted scientific and ethical reviews of dozens of vaccine research studies. I would be happy to sit or speak with you to refute her misstatements point by point. Please don’t contribute to the fear and uncertainty by publishing and implicitly endorsing junk science and misinformation about the best and only chance the world has to quickly bring the pandemic to an end through vaccines.

Regards,

Jack Corman

Picton