After reading this latest article from statnews.com[1] I was slightly gob smacked. Yes they really are trying to downplay the side effects of this vaccine already.
You’ll love the opening paragraph[1]:
While the world awaits the results of large clinical trials of Covid-19 vaccines, experts say the data so far suggest one important possibility: The vaccines may carry a bit of a kick.
That’s right, they are referring to the side-effects when they say ‘carry a bit of a kick’.
The article continues:
In vaccine parlance, they appear to be “reactogenic,” meaning they have induced short-term discomfort in a percentage of the people who have received them in clinical trials.
This kind of discomfort includes headache, sore arms, fatigue, chills, and fever.[1]
Typically ‘reactogenicity’ is seen in response to adjuvants, though not explicitly so. However, at this point in time it’s unclear what the exact ingredients of the Covid-19 vaccines are.
While this is often sold to the public as a good sign, for example, this article even states:
in fact, they may be signals of an immune system lurching into gear[1]
Which is of course not a scientific statement, hence the ‘maybe’. It’s merely a guess, one which helps to soften any concerns over the side-effects.
Kathryn Edwards, scientific director of the Vanderbilt Vaccine Research Program in Nashville, Tenn said, “I think one of the things we’re going to have to realize is that all of these vaccines are going to be reactogenic…. They’re all going to be associated with reactions,”
So don’t worry folks, all is well, side-effects are normal, in fact they may even be a good sign. There is no way it could be a bad sign, because injecting a virus, whether attenuated or live, mixed with various adjuvants and other goodies directly into your bloodstream, bypassing your body’s natural filtration system via the mouth or nose is no cause for concern.
But as I pointed out yesterday in the post regarding Moderna’s vaccine safety trials[2] , these are not necessarily just mild side effects. As they even point out further down this article, where 90% of readers never fail to reach:
…one of the volunteers who received the highest dose in the Moderna Phase 1 clinical trial, ended up seeking medical care after he spiked a fever of 103 Fahrenheit 12 hours after getting a second dose of the vaccine[1]
and as we reported yesterday regarding the Moderna Vaccine trials:
….80% of healthy subjects (avg age 33 years old) in the 100 mcg and 250 mcg dose groups resulting in moderate to severe adverse events after the 2nd vaccination[2]
High dosage group has now been abandoned, but vaccines are produced in their final form as a ‘one size fits all’. So a healthy 35-year-old male will get exactly the same quantity of ingredients as a 2-year-old or a 68-year-old woman with multiple health conditions.
So we need to look at the high dosage group as an example of potential side-effects in weaker bodied people. But again, no one wants to talk about this.
They know there are going to be issues and they are priming the public now with these issues, downplaying them in order to gain the trust they need.
The article finishes with a statement from Brian Southwell, senior director of the science in the public sphere program at the Center for Communication Science at RTI International:
“There might be a much greater case for acceptance if we do our work in building trust now and laying the groundwork now. But we’re not necessarily as focused on that as we could be.”[1]
Would you take a Covid-19 Vaccine if or when it’s available?
