SAN JOSE, Calif.—Nearly 100 people gathered in front of San Jose City Hall on Nov. 3 to protest against COVID-19 vaccine mandates and to call for freedom of choice.
People from various cities across the United States participated in a “worldwide walkout” in which they took a day off from work to voice their opposition to vaccine mandates. San Jose was one of 64 cities to host a walkout.
Protesters in San Jose waved U.S. flags and held signs with messages such as “No Vaccine Mandate,” “Freedom of Choice,” and “Just Say No.”
“The biggest agenda that people need to be concerned about is this health passport and vaccine passports,” Jeff Roberts, vice president of operations for the Committee to Recall Santa Clara County Supervisors, told NTD Television at the protest.
Attendees said vaccine passports are against the idea of freedom. They’re calling for more walkouts to hold the government accountable on the issue of mandates.
“The importance of the walkout is that the mandates are illegal, because all the shots that are available on the market today [are] under emergency-use authorization only, and so they cannot be mandated,” Alix Mayer, president of Children’s Health Defense California Chapter, told NTD Television.
Rally attendee Louisa Ip spoke out against government overreach regarding the vaccine mandates.
“If we don’t question, we just let the government or the social media or bosses of the businesses [tell] us what goes into my body ... you are giving up your body [and] mind,” Ip told NTD Television.
Other attendees shared personal stories with NTD Television about their experiences regarding the vaccine.
Jamie Ivan, a rally attendee, said her mother and two other family members died after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.
“I have clients that have taken the vaccine, and especially the Moderna, and their hair is falling out now, and most of them have anxiety. What I realized is that I wanted to be a voice for the voiceless,” Ivan said.
Attendee Victoria Joan told NTD Television about a family discussion she had with her granddaughter regarding the vaccine.
“My granddaughter is only 7 years old. She herself has voiced to me that she does not want the shot,” Joan said. “So far, she stands by that even though she’s that young, but I think young children can understand danger.”
Nov. 3 was also the day Santa Clara County began offering the vaccine to children aged 5 to 11, following the Food and Drug Administration’s emergency use approval of Pfizer’s pediatric vaccines. The pediatric vaccines are one-third of the dosage of vaccines for people aged 12 and older.
The county of Santa Clara has begun accepting appointments for young children to receive the Pfizer jab. A county medical officer had previously said vaccination clinics could begin visiting school campuses as early as Nov. 4.
“Our public health team operates multiple mobile clinics, and starting tomorrow, they will be visiting multiple schools in our highest-risk communities, where parents may not be able to take time off work, but have consented for their children to get vaccinated,” Dr. Jennifer Tong, associate chief medical officer of Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, told NTD Television.
Tong also advised parents to be attentive to potential side effects that their children may experience, which can include soreness in the arm, a slight fever, or, in some rare cases, heart inflammation. She said these are similar to the side effects that children aged 12 and older and adults have previously reported.
