Michigan Rep. Jewell Jones falsely questions COVID-19 vaccine safety in social media posts

DETROIT – Michigan Rep. Jewell Jones offered to write COVID vaccination exemption letters for people who don’t want to get vaccinated against COVID.

Jones, from Inkster, is facing drunk driving criminal charges in a widely publicized arrest on I-96 that happened earlier this year. During that arrest he wanted everyone to know that he’s close with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Now, on Instagram, he’s showing that he’s not close with Whitmer.

Jones posted on Instagram that he was offering a letter endorsing people for an exemption from the COVID vaccine.

“If anybody needs letter from me to support you filling out an exemption for vaccination for work or school purposes, let me know,” he said on Instagram.

He accompanied that post with another, showing actor Jon Hamm in a meme.

On Tuesday (Aug. 31), House Democratic Leader Donna Lasinski said in a statement that, “as House Democratic Leader I stand with the well-documented science showing that COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective. With the delta variant once again filling hospitals with largely unvaccinated patients and stretching our healthcare workers to their limit, we need shots in arms to make it safe for students and teachers returning to classrooms, for businesses to remain open and to put this pandemic behind us once and for all.”

When Local 4 reached out to Jones he declined to comment. He did say that he was getting a COVID test and then had to study. He did offer to discuss this situation at another time.

Read: Michigan COVID: Here’s what to know Aug. 31, 2021

Michigan reported 5,020 new cases of COVID-19 and 26 virus-related deaths Monday -- an average of 1,673.3 cases over a three-day period. Monday’s update brings the total number of confirmed COVID cases in Michigan to 946,698, including 20,256 deaths.

These numbers are up from 941,678 cases and 20,230 deaths, as of Friday. Cases are rising again in Michigan.

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