Ohio renews license of physician who says COVID-19 vaccines magnetize recipients

"The State Medical Board of Ohio has renewed the license of prominent anti-vaccine advocate and osteopathic medicine physician Sherri Tenpenny, DO, according to the Ohio Capital Journal.

Her medical license, first issued in 1984, was set to expire Oct. 1. It was renewed for another two years on Sept. 16.

Dr. Tenpenny drew national attention this summer when she spoke to the Ohio House Health Committee, claiming COVID-19 vaccines magnetize recipients and "interface" with 5G cellphone towers. The physician was deemed a nonexpert by a federal judge in a vaccine injury lawsuit.

Previously, Dr. Tenpenny has called vaccines a "method of mass destruction"; charged for her "boot camp" training people how to convince others to refuse vaccination; and is the author of Saying No to Vaccines: A Resource Guide for All Ages, sold on Amazon for $526.

State law allows the board to discipline physicians for "making a false, fraudulent, deceptive, or misleading statement" tied to practicing medicine.

Jerica Stewart, a spokesperson for Ohio's state medical board, confirmed Dr. Tenpenny's license renewal with the Capital Journal. She said the board monitors 92,000 practitioners and automatically renews applications. She offered no direct comment regarding Dr. Tenpenny.

"A recent renewal does not prevent the board from taking future disciplinary action," Ms. Stewart told the news publication.

Dr. Tenpenny is one of the 12 most prolific spreaders of COVID-19 misinformation on social media, according to research from the Center for Countering Digital Hate. People on the list were selected because they have a large number of followers, produce high volumes of anti-vaccine content or have rapidly growing social media accounts.

Despite warnings from several national medical boards saying physicians who spread vaccine misinformation could lose their medical licenses, many are still in practice, a Sept. 14 NPR report found."