Two further banners spreading conspiracy theories about the coronavirus vaccine have appeared in Glenrothes.
One urging people not to vaccinate their children says that “our corrupt [government] don’t care about them”, while another rails against “forced vaccines”.
We reported last week how similar banners had appeared on the viaduct between Leslie and Glenrothes, with similar anti-vaccine messages.
The latest banners appeared on the B921 Kinglassie Road, with the posters hung from a flyover.
The first read: “No forced vaccines. The media lie to us all every day.”
The second banner, which was visible on Monday afternoon, appeared to say: “Don’t vax… kids. Our corrupt gov don’t care about them.”
The coronavirus vaccine in Scotland is currently voluntary, and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said she is not considering making it a legal requirement for Scots to get the jab.
The vaccine is also unavailable to most young people under 16, except those aged 12-15 who live with people who are immunosuppressed or have other serious health conditions.
However, chief medical officers are considering whether a rollout to that age group might be beneficial.
Mid Fife and Glenrothes MSP Jenny Gilruth says that while the the posters are concerning, the vast majority of her constituents have taken up the offer of the vaccine.
She told The Courier: “While it is concerning to see the appearance of anti-vaccination posters across Glenrothes, I know that the vast majority of my constituents have now been double vaccinated against Covid-19.
“Vaccination is the best way to protect yourself and the population at large against the virus and I am really pleased that vaccine uptake across Fife remains high.
“I would encourage all eligible constituents to get vaccinated at the earliest possible opportunity and make use of the multiple drop-in vaccination clinics across Fife.”
How to report banners
Fife Council said previously that the public could report material that may cause offence to the local authority.
Kirstie Freeman, service manager for safer communities, said: “We aim to remove any material that could cause offence as soon as possible after it is reported to us.
“We rely on the public coming forward and reporting this kind of activity to us.
“You can do this online or phone 03451 55 00 22.”
Councillor David Ross, Labour Co-Leader of Fife Council, said that without the protection of vaccines Fife could be back in lockdown.
“Anything that undermines the message that everyone who can, should go for a vaccination, threatens our efforts to recover from the pandemic,” Mr Ross said.
Councillor Derek Noble, who represents the area where the banners appeared, said the messages were “very dangerous”.
He said: “These kinds of messages and misinformation are very dangerous, and I am disappointed and concerned that they are being peddled locally, even if it is by a very small minority of people.
“We need as many people as possible to take up the offer of vaccination if there is to be a prospect of returning to something like normality.”
Do vaccines work?
The Courier’s data team has analysed the latest data to show the impact of the vaccine on the number of acute hospital admissions and deaths linked to coronavirus.
The team also looked at the seven-day case rate per 100,000 people, comparing it to data collected before and after the rollout of the jabs.
Charts compiled by the data team show 3,096 people who were unvaccinated had died from Covid-related deaths compared to 264 people who died after having received two doses of the vaccine.
Coronavirus in Scotland – track the spread with these charts