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2 Groups Hold Mask Burning In Fort Lauderdale To Protest Mandatory COVID Vaccines

FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) – Some people in Broward County gathered Tuesday morning to protest the idea of mandatory COVID vaccines.

The groups "Reopen South Florida" and "Florida Freedom Keepers" met outside the Florida Department of Health building in Fort Lauderdale, holding signs against masks, vaccines and closures.

The groups held a mask burning as part of the protest.

A protester named "Nicole," who did not want to share her last name, said she's against wearing masks because it limited her oxygen intake.

"I'm not able to go to the gym or exercise because I have to wear a muzzle," she said.

According to a study in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society, changes in oxygen and carbon dioxide levels from wearing a mask were minimal, even in people with the most severe lung dysfunction.

"People can get plenty of oxygen, they don't become hypoxic, it doesn't accumulate carbon dioxide, and these are perfectly safe," Dr. Dean Blumberg with UC Davis Health told CBS Sacramento.

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It should be noted, all vaccines that are being given to health care workers right now are being done on a voluntary basis.

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