Sam Frost received widespread backlash after she uploaded a video revealing she was unvaccinated and called on the public to be less judgmental.
Now, The Bachelor’s Dr Matt Agnew has joined the chorus of those criticising Home And Away’s Sam for peddling misinformation online.
Posting to Instagram on Saturday, the 34-year-old astrophysicist shared an essay lampooning Sam’s claims about the Covid jab, as well as her use of the word ‘segregation’ when referring to the way society ‘judges’ unvaccinated people.
‘At its simplest, it’s a dog whistle’: The Bachelor’s Dr Matt Agnew, 34, (left) has slammed Home And Away’s Sam Frost, 32, (right) for ‘dog whistling’ about the Covid jab and ‘inappropriately’ using the word segregation in her tearful video about being unvaccinated
‘Sam Frost has opened up with a lengthy monologue about being unvaccinated. At its simplest, it’s a dog whistle,’ Matt began his post.
Insisting that he doesn’t want to ‘add to the pile on’, Matt proceeded to expertly dissect and disprove the claims The Bachelorette star, 32, put forward in her video.
First, Matt responded to Sam’s assertion that ‘there are lots of different reasons why people are not getting vaccinated’ including ‘medical history, their concerns, family history or religious reasons.’
Pro-vaccine advocate: Posting to Instagram on Saturday, the astrophysicist shared an essay lampooning Sam’s claims about the Covid jab, as well as her use of the word ‘segregation’ when referring to the way society ‘judges’ unvaccinated people
Matt explained that a person’s beliefs are not a valid reason why someone should be exempt from getting the life-saving jab.
‘There are NOT a lot of different reasons why someone shouldn’t be getting vaccinated. There is one reason: medical. And that is a rather broad reason too,’ he wrote.
‘It encompasses many things including immunocompromised individuals, people that may experience anaphylaxis to particular components of the vaccines, and (in the case of *live* vaccines) pregnant women.’
‘You are affecting others’: Insisting that he doesn’t want to ‘add to the pile on’, Matt proceeded to expertly dissect and disprove the claims The Bachelorette star put forward in her video
He then took aim at Sam’s emotional video, in which she broke into tears and spoke about her mental heath struggles due to being judged for refusing the jab.
‘An appeal to show compassion and empathy was made, while displaying none of those characteristics by choosing to put the lives of those who *can not* get vaccinated at risk,’ Matt wrote.
‘Anti-vaxxers often skip this step. You are affecting others,’ he wrote.
‘It should not be used haphazardly’: Matt also slammed Sam for using the word ‘segregation’ – a term usually used to describe societies that are divided due to race, religion, sexual orientation
Matt proceeded to slam Sam for using the word ‘segregation’ – a term usually used to describe societies that are divided due to race, religion, sexual orientation.
‘The use of the word, ‘segregation’, is inappropriate considering the historical significance of the word. It should not be used haphazardly when it carries such immense weight and meaning to others,’ Matt wrote.
Finally, Matt took a final swipe at Sam for using her public platform to disseminate ‘misinformation’.
‘With a social media presence, there comes a social and moral obligation’: Finally, Matt took a final swipe at Sam for using her public platform to disseminate ‘misinformation’
‘With a social media presence, there comes a social and moral obligation. Misinformation is a hugely problematic issue, and the unregulated proliferation of information through people with large social media followings is a large contributor to that.’
Matt has been a vocal pro-vaccine advocate and regularly called out other reality stars and Aussie celebrities who have either shared vaccine misinformation or confessed their reasons for not getting the jab.
Sam deactivated her Instagram account on Saturday afternoon, shortly after revealing in an emotional post that she was unvaccinated and her mental health had suffered as a result.
The Home and Away star called for less judgement towards unvaccinated Australians.
‘I was really hesitant about doing a video or even speaking up about this sort of thing, but I feel like it’s getting to a point now in the world where there’s a lot of segregation,’ she said.
‘There’s a lot of harsh judgement and opinions being thrown around a lot and it’s taking its toll on my mental health for sure, and I know people around me are struggling – particularly if they’re on the side of they don’t want to get vaccinated, for whatever reason.’
Gone: Sam deactivated her Instagram account on Saturday afternoon, shortly after revealing in an emotional post that she was unvaccinated and her mental health had suffered as a result
‘There are lots of different reasons why people are not getting vaccinated and it might be because of their medical history, their concerns, they might have family history, it could be religious reasons.’
Sam then shared that she herself has not been vaccinated, but clarified that she had spoken to her medical doctor as well as her psychologist about her decision.
Breaking down in tears, the star said: ‘It’s a really hard time to be in society right now and you feel like you are less of a human and you feel like people judge you.’
‘And you’re too scared to talk about your opinion or your feelings and part of you wants to go, ‘Well it’s none of your damn business why I’m not! And there’s good reasons why I’m not and I don’t want you to judge me.”
Medical: The Home and Away star shared that she herself has not been vaccinated, but clarified that she had spoken to her medical doctor as well as her psychologist about her decision
She explained that it was important for the unvaccinated to look after their mental health, especially as freedoms return for fully vaccinated Australians.
‘I’m struggling a lot with my mental health and I like to think that I’m pretty on to it. I see a psychologist regularly. So I can’t imagine what it’s like for people who don’t have a support network around them,’ she said.
She also admitted that she could ‘get in trouble’ for coming out publicly as unvaccinated, before urging people to treat each other with more kindness and compassion.
It’s unclear if Sam’s choice to remain unvaccinated will affect her role on Home and Away.
Future: It’s unclear if Sam’s choice to remain unvaccinated will affect her role on Home and Away