Whanganui letters: Evidence needed to discount Covid flyer claims

Retired nurse Rosemary Thompson was alarmed when a pamphlet questioning the Covid 19 vaccine was put in her letterbox. Photo / Mike Tweed

On the front page of Saturday's Chronicle (May 29) we were treated to the headline "A whole lot of hogwash: Concerns Covid-19 vaccine flyer 'not backed by evidence' will cause fears".

Apart from the fact that just about every news report and public statement about this virus causes "fears", the proper response to something like this flyer is to show how it is wrong not just toss around terms like "hogwash".

The actual flyer lists eight "facts" about the Covid vaccine "you probably haven't heard". If you look at the website the flyer refers you to, each of the eight has references, including to the NZ Herald.

Number seven, the second down the list, says that "All Covid-19 vaccines are currently experimental", which is true and a fact that I assumed was commonly known and understood.

Now if these facts listed on the flyer, or the references the website offers for these facts, are incorrect, bogus, untrue, or even just misleading, surely the medical professionals quoted in the article can point out how and why? This would be far more effective and believable than simply fearmongering about the flyer, declaring its information "hogwash" and claiming that it is "fearmongering".

The funniest part about this article is the claim that the flyer makes statements "not backed up by evidence", thus simply dismissing the points and references, without offering any evidence to prove the claim! Surely our Chief Medical Officer of Health can do better than that.

KA BENFELL
Gonville

Dog fees bewildering

It is with total bewilderment that I read about the charges levied by the Whanganui District Council concerning dog ownership ...

Being one of those who actually did School Cert maths and received a pass, it appears to me that even if you are as pure as Snow White the council expects you to cough up $60 for the privilege of having a canine companion who is properly confined, controlled and non-confrontational.

I have recently seen a council decision that having three cats is okay and no fees are applicable. I may be an elderly bloke, but I cannot see a single dog wreaking havoc among the native bird population to match that of three predatory cats. I don't have one dog using my garden as a dunny, but several cats seem to think that they have discovered crap-city.

D PARTNER
Eastown

Boldness needed on velodrome

Yet another of your correspondents hits the nail right on the head. Ross Fallen (Letters, June 8) has a cogent analogy for those council doubters, the success of the Upokongaro Bridge. I bet no consultant predicted it, no councillor imagined it and I am sure some probably still cannot believe it.

Therein may lie some of the reasons they voted so negatively for the LT Plan velodrome proposal! But it is not yet over and a full council needs to confirm that thoughtless decision ... will some of our elected representatives show more courage, accede to the wishes of the majority of plan submitters and demonstrate boldness and vision for a change. As Ross says - "Huh?"

TERRY COXON
Otamatea

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