Up until now I have been very neutral about the Covid vaccination. In my opinion it is a personal choice. I am all for informed consent, and I disagree with mandates and all other forms of coercion- if you have to be vaccinated to keep a roof over your head or feed your children it’s not a choice.
And on the topic of “informed” consent I have concerns about how informed people in New Zealand have been.
But, adults aside, our children need us to make an informed decision in their best interest.
I have spent the past two years reading many studies and articles written by experts about Covid, vaccination, and early treatment options. My first year of University as a Pharmacist I learnt to analyse scientific papers- and it is not as easy as reading the abstract. In fact many Health Professionals now do not take the time to properly read and analyse studies because their time is short, so they rely on experts telling them what to do and how to do it.
This is what my personal research has lead me to conclude:
Children on the whole do not have serious complications from Covid. Their risk of serious illness or death is extraordinarily low. Yes, there have been tragic cases, and children with preexisting conditions may be at a higher risk, but in general for 99%+ of children the risk is low. This makes the risk benefit ratio different to that of someone in their 70s, who has a much higher risk of serious complications from Covid. The Pfizer clinical trial in children only had 2,300 children enrolled – and there were zero cases of serious illness or death in either group.
There is always, with every pharmaceutical drug or vaccine, a risk of adverse effects. The Pfizer clinical trial in children only had 1,500 children enrolled in their treatment group – which is a small number and far too small to see any serious side effects. Some of the risks that we know in the adults vaccine include myocarditis which has killed two adults in NZ (these two cases are those published and accepted by the Ministry of Health). When you look at CARM in NZ and VAERS in USA and Yellow Card Reporting in the UK there are large numbers of reports of sudden death in the weeks after vaccination and many reports of serious adverse reactions. While there may be events reported that are not linked to vaccination, it is generally agreed that all of these databases underreport vaccine and drug injuries. A non peer reviewed study of 15 people who died after vaccination showed that 14 of them could be attributed to vaccination, up to 6 months after vaccination, due to T cell heart inflammation and autoimmunity. This means the “risk” portion of our risk benefit ratio is higher.
The Covid vaccine is now known to be a non sterilising vaccine – this means it does not stop you contracting Covid, or passing it on to others.
“Just two doses” has already become more for adults. Waning immunity has been seen after 3-6 months and already NZ is saying boosters are available for adults 4 months post their second vaccination. Are we setting our kids up to be re vaccinated every 4-6 months?
I asked this question in a Pharmacy group when someone stated the need for not just a 3rd jab but also a 4th and 5th. If there is viral drift (like the change to delta and now omicron variant) and the viral envelope changes, meaning the single spike protein that our vaccinated immune system recognises is different, what is the point in 1) having more and more boosters and 2) vaccinating our children against a variant that no longer seems to exist?
There is another important immunity phenomenon known as Original Antigenic Sin. It ties in with the above viral drift. Basically how it works is that the first time you come across a virus your body produces antibodies for that virus. Over years, the virus slowly mutates – aka viral drift – but each time the body comes into contact with it it still produces those original antibodies. If you think of it like a colour gradient from blue to yellow, when you first get exposed to blue, you make blue antibodies. Over time the virus changes adding more and more yellow, but because green still has blue pigment you can still recognise it. The less blue and more yellow the less effective your immune response will be, because every time you come across a green virus your body is still primarily producing blue antibodies. If the original alpha variant, that the spike protein in the vaccine is blue, but we are now on delta and omicron that are shades of green, the blue is not going to be as effective. Over time the virus will continue to change, and if we are first exposed to a green variant we will have a better response in the future than if we can only recognise blue. A layering of different colours as the virus mutates over time will also mean we have a better population (“herd”) immunity. Also consider that the vaccine only codes for a single protein- the spike protein- which makes the chance of the virus escaping vaccine immunity higher compared to a traditional vaccine that uses a whole attenuated virus or bacteria.
Please, make your own decision, do your own research, ask questions and look for the answers. In NZ we have the Immunisation Advisory Centre, but for another side of the story look at The Health Forum NZ on Facebook (or MeWe or Telegram) and consider SubStacks such as Alex Berenson and Steve Kirsch.
As I stated above, I am pro choice, which means if you choose to vaccinate your children, I will support you, and them. I have several remedies that can be used prior to and post vaccination to support the body, and I have made sure I have remedies available for Covid-19 the viral illness as well as adverse reactions to the vaccine. I will not judge you for your choice, and I will continue to see people who are vaccinated and people who are vaccine free.
Arohanui x