SAN ANTONIO – As the local leaders push for more COVID-19 vaccinations, a billboard spreading an anti-vaccine message is on display on the North Side of San Antonio.
The billboard with the words “Don’t Be Bullied” was displayed by U.S. 281 near Hollywood Park. The message has been placed in Minnesota, Idaho, Wisconsin and Texas.
The Citizens Council for Health Freedom out of Minnesota is behind the campaign. The group said they’re trying to raise awareness and build resistance to vaccination mandates.
“The numbers aren’t lying. Eighty-five to ninety percent of those that have been hospitalized have been unvaccinated. So, you know, we can’t let those kinds of things detract us from our goal,” said Justin Rodriguez, Bexar County commissioner for Precinct 2.
“This certainly raises questions. When an organization out of Minnesota has interest in buying San Antonio billboards, clearly they have a political agenda,” said Ron Nirenberg, mayor of San Antonio.
The city reports that almost 1.2 million Bexar County residents are fully vaccinated, and 1.4 million people have received at least one dose.
“We are, I think, singularly on a mission to defeat this pandemic, defeat COVID, and we know the way to do that is to get vaccinated,” Rodriguez said.
Army retiree Tim Harris says he knows this now. He had the chance to get vaccinated last year but didn’t do it.
After contracting COVID-19 and being on a ventilator, he had a change of heart and is now fully vaccinated.
“If you have something against the vaccine, before you decide not to take it, do your research first. Don’t take someone else’s word for it. Look at the facts,” Harris said.