Republican activist cum Deputy DA Kelly Ernby was unvaccinated as she died after developing COVID-19, as per her spouse Axel Mattias Ernby’s social media comments. Despite the information, GOP leaders who not only considered Ernby a friend but also supported her opposition to vaccination mandates stated that their stances have not changed.
Orange County Board of Supervisors member Don Wagner stated that he plans to be vaccinated, unless there is a religious exemption or genuine health issue, and to speak out against those mandates. Interestingly, Wagner spoke with Deputy DA Ernby at a recent rally against the mandate in Irvine. One wonders whether Wagner participating and speaking in such events may dissuade people from getting vaccinated or whether his stance is a public health threat. When asked about the above-mentioned, Wagner stated that almost everyone knows the risks of non-vaccination and has already arrived at their decision.
Ernby’s vaccination status was unclear when the news of her death came. Ernby’s colleagues and friends told OC Register that she opposed vaccine ordinances before coronavirus even arrived. Take the 2019 period where she campaigned against those ordinances, for instance. As of writing this, OC Register has not yet reached out to her family for their comments about the latest speculations about the deputy DA.
Ernby’s husband took to Facebook to share the deputy district attorney’s vaccination status as a response to fake claims about her. The death of Ernby has triggered reactions of people from around the globe who are for and against coronavirus mandates. Many individuals lament the reality that Ernby died of a health condition that is seldom fatal for a healthy person with vaccine and booster shots against it. Some people dug up an earlier tweet where Ernby compared the ordinances to Nazi Germany’s rules. Some shared Darwinian signs and stated that they no longer sympathize with the unvaccinated population as the COVID-19 death toll in the US exceeds 826,000 individuals.
However, some Republican activists, like former Assembly hopeful Jon White, made a false claim that the deputy DA had got vaccinated and attributed the vaccine to her death. Those comments made Ernby’s husband respond to the commenters. He requested one commenter to not spread lies about his late wife.
He stated that the issue was that the deputy DA was unvaccinated. Ernby died a few days before her seventh wedding anniversary.
Ernby’s sibling commented that one of her brothers would get his vaccine shot soon and that almost every member of her family had got vaccinated. She also requested the public to let her family mourn the death of Ernby peacefully.
Some comments claimed that she died after getting a vaccine against coronavirus, whereas others suggested that she deserved to die as she would not get it. Wagner found it frustrating to notice those kinds of social media comments that use Ernby’s death to make political statements.
Wagner and his immediate relatives are vaccinated against coronavirus and he does not oppose the move. However, Wagner stated that, like Ernby, he also believes that it is up to people to be vaccinated.
Wagner stated that Ernby apparently chose not to get vaccinated before she got the coronavirus infection. Despite knowing Ernby’s outcome, Wagner stated that he does not change his stance about government-enforced vaccine requirements. Wagner added that if the government browbeat people in OC to make a decision on vaccination, it would polarize them more. Wagner stated that almost 70% of residents of Orange County have a full vaccination status.
On December 30, 2021, Orange County reported 5,930 COVID-19 cases. A candidate for California’s 45th congressional district, Amy Phan West, spoke with Wagner and Ernby at the rally on December 04, 2021, in Irvine. West did not react to questions on whether the death of Ernby might impact her position about such issues in the future and whether she is personally vaccinated.
Describing Ernby as her friend, West stated that the former would be sorely missed and that she would not convert her death into some partisan issue. West requested people to join her in mourning Ernby’s passing and celebrating the life of the deputy DA.