Social media users accuse New York City mayor of corruption due to COVID-19 vaccine mandates

At a town hall meeting with New York City’s mayor, an audience member reported the mayor said “it was un-American” to not allow migrants to work while thousands of New York City employees were terminated for not complying with vaccine mandates. She asked the mayor why he is still fighting them in court if it’s not about the vaccine, saying, “That’s over and done with, right? But why is New York City still fighting the thousands and thousands of us that are still out of work?” Thousands of social media users shared a video clip of the audience member’s question. Some social media users who shared and commented on the video called the mayor “corrupt” and said that anyone who lost their job for refusing to comply with COVID-19 vaccine mandates should sue.

Recommendation: Trending conversations about school vaccine mandates provide an opportunity for community-based organizations and other partners in New York City to use existing content and materials to educate the public on the safety and importance of COVID-19 vaccines. Messaging may emphasize that vaccine mandates are intended to prevent severe illness and death caused by dangerous diseases. Ensuring that informational materials use prebunking messaging to explain how COVID-19 vaccines help to protect against severe illness, death, and long COVID is also recommended.