An independent vice-presidential hopeful is publicly critiquing a vaccine created during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nicole Shanahan, the tech entrepreneur running with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., posted a photo on X with a man wearing a shirt that reads “At least my tin foil hat won’t give me myocarditis!”
“One of us took 3 doses of the Moderna mRNA vaccine, and the other did not. Guess who?” she wrote in the post. “Here is the devastating reality: it is not a safe vaccine, and must be recalled immediately. Many people are suffering who took it.” One of us took 3 doses of the Moderna mRNA vaccine, and the other did not. Guess who?
Here is the devastating reality: it is not a safe vaccine, and must be recalled immediately. Many people are suffering who took it.
For those who took it like I did, here are two accounts that… pic.twitter.com/2Q9ctYv6zh
— Nicole Shanahan (@NicoleShanahan) April 16, 2024
Moderna applied for full approval of its vaccine in June of 2021, six months after the Food and Drug Administration granted an emergency use authorization. At the time, over 100 million doses of the shot had been administered.
The vaccine is comprised of two doses given four weeks apart.
After their rollout, mRNA vaccines were linked to a rise of heart problems among the injected – specifically among young men. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the pattern of myocarditis documented among teens and young men within seven days of the second dose. Symptoms of myocarditis include chest pain, muscle pain, fever, palpitations, and heavy sweating, per USA Today.
Kennedy has publicly addressed his concerns about the potential dangers of vaccines. His stance prompted several media outlets to classify him as an “anti-vaxxer” which he, in turn, has denied.
According to the PBS News:Kennedy’s anti-vaccine organization, Children’s Health Defense, currently has a lawsuit pending against a number of news organizations, among them The Associated Press, accusing them of violating antitrust laws by taking action to identify misinformation, including about COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines. Kennedy took leave from the group when he announced his run for president but is listed as one of its attorneys in the lawsuit.
Shanahan has also objected to claims that Kennedy is an “anti-vaxxer” and has argued that the label deters debate and research.
“He's not an anti-vaxxer; he's just someone who takes vaccine injuries seriously,” she said during an interview with Newsweek.
Shanahan shares a four-year-old daughter with her ex-husband, Google co-founder Sergey Brin. She told the outlet that she believes her child’s autism and other special needs were caused by environmental toxins. The attorney also said the Democratic Party has not done enough for environmental causes and children’s health issues.
"My plan is to leave the party, and I don't take that lightly," Shanahan said. "I always thought Democrats were the party of compassion and the working class, and that incremental assistance could change people's lives."
