HONOLULU – Hawaiʻi Department of Health Director Dr. Elizabeth Char, FACEP released the following statement on the Pono Coalition for Informed Consent:

“This week, COVID-19 took the lives of 19 Hawaiʻi residents. Over 9,000 of our family, friends, and neighbors are sick with COVID. The tragedy of this spike in cases is that by and large, it’s preventable. We have vaccines that will save the lives of Hawaii residents.

“We listen to all sides in public health. We believe in dialogue. But in this case, the science is clear. More than 350 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered under the most intense safety monitoring in U.S. history. The vaccine will protect you against severe illness, hospitalization and death.

“The Pono Coalition for Informed Consent is spreading misinformation about these lifesaving vaccines. This is dangerous. The Coalition proliferates misinformation about the severity of the disease and the safety of the vaccines.

“I want to be clear—hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin should not be used to treat COVID-19. Taking unprescribed large doses of ivermectin or doses intended for animals can cause serious harm.

“We are in a crisis. COVID-19 will continue to take lives until we do the right thing and come together behind vaccination. Those with questions about the safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines should seek information from official sources like DOH or the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”

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PDF: DOH Statement on the Pono Coalition for Informed Consent