To date, 34 million Americans have been infected and 600,000 have died from COVID-19, the deadliest pandemic in a century.
In Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s (R-Ga.) mind, those people died because they don’t eat right or exercise enough.
On Wednesday, the QAnon conspiracist whose state is currently bracing for Hurricane Elsa tweeted advice for people considering getting the vaccine: hit the gym instead. It’s a favorite talking point of hers. In April, Greene was roasted for posting a video of her doing a cross-fit workout for COVID-19 protection.
Greene was responding to White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki telling a reporter to rest assured that they “don’t take any of our health and medical advice from Marjorie Taylor Greene.”
The reporter asked Psaki about Greene’s criticisms of the Biden administration’s plan to go door-to-door asking if people have been vaccinated. (Greene was so outraged by this that she made yet another comparison to the Nazis.)
In a series of tweets on Wednesday, Greene said that the government should focus on curing obesity rather than increasing vaccination rates.
“Actually Jen, people should take some health advice from me,” Greene began, bragging that “as a former gym owner,” she’s “helped countless people lose weight, gain strength, and be healthy again.”
“None of you care about actually helping people solve the BIGGEST risk factor that will kill them, which is OBESITY,” Greene continued. (In reality, age is the number one risk factor—80% of all deaths were of people over 65.)
“With all the data right in front of your face, what a complete and pathetic failure all of you are that none of you will do anything to help people actually take the right steps to cure themselves of obesity,” Greene tweeted.
She concluded with some claims about Democrats making America a socialist country and an inaccurate interpretation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and asking about vaccine status.
When “Biden’s vaccine police” ask, Greene suggested people respond, “I’m taking advice from MTG! I’m meal prepping and working out to protect my health from [COVID-19].”
While it’s a good idea to maintain a healthy diet and fitness regime, based on the reactions, people aren’t inclined to choose this over getting vaccinated.
“I can promise you, for as long as I live, the one thing I will NEVER say is ‘I’m taking advice from MTG,’” said one.
From our friends at Nautilus
Many, including Bad HIPAA Takes, pointed out that Greene was wrong about what the legislation means.
“No, not a HIPAA violation to ask vaccine status at all, for anyone,” replied @drkoepsell.
COVID-19 deaths and cases are on the rise in unvaccinated areas of the country. Late last month, an Associated Press analysis of government data showed that 99% of all COVID-19 deaths in May were in unvaccinated people.
