TULSA — Congressman Frank Lucas says the need for Oklahomans to get fully vaccinated against COVID-19 has become more urgent than ever, with a more dangerous strain of the virus now filling up hospitals.
He says the national debt ballooned by $8 trillion last year, largely due to the direct and indirect costs associated with the pandemic, and the country simply can not afford another lockdown.
No one wants more mask mandates, like the one imposed on Lucas and his Congressional colleagues Tuesday.
“Why have the disease when you can get a vaccine for it?” he asked, rhetorically, in a conversation with KRMG Wednesday morning.
Yet a majority of Oklahomans continue to refuse full vaccination, and that has him somewhat puzzled.
“Let’s bear in mind in Oklahoma, only about 39 percent of our fellow citizens are fully vaccinated. So that means 60 percent have either had one shot of a two-shot series, or no shot at all,” Lucas said. “Think about that. Sixty percent of us, un-fully vaccinated.”
He understands the frustrations people have had with conflicting advice on masks and other public health measures from the CDC and other health authorities over the last year and a half.
But, he adds, people refusing vaccination are forcing the issue, with the more virulent Delta variant now spreading rapidly.
“Because 60 percent of us in Oklahoma won’t be vaccinated, and we still are literally human Petri dishes out there growing bugs, they’ve had to step back from it,” he said, referring to the earlier guidance that allowed vaccinated people to go without masks. “So I understand why they’re trying to get ahead of this latest round.”
It’s also tough to stay on top of all the ridiculous assertions about the vaccines circulating on the Internet.
“It’ll melt your DNA, we’re putting tracking chips in there, we’re gonna sterilize you - it’s nonsense,” he said. “It’s just pure nonsense. If people don’t trust the CDC, look up your local medical sources online. Go to OSU med school, or go to OU med school. Or call your doctor! Talk to a nurse!”