During six weeks, we will examine all the aspects surrounding the last three years and the draconian and, at times, absurd manipulation of the media to convey a narrative that, it turns out, had little to do with your health and well-being. We’ll examine the demise of critical science, which some would argue is already long gone, but the pandemic brought it home. Covid shots and tech (mRNA) will be placed under a critical microscope and the origins of the virus that brought the world to a standstill will be discussed.

Make no mistake; if you’ve been jabbed against Covid, then you’ve been coerced into participating in the largest global medical trial ever undertaken. Good science weighs risk/benefit alongside risk/risk – the risk of the disease alongside the risk of the treatment.

Medika Life stands for objective science and exchange – proper critical science undertaken with the goal of improving lives. By that, I refer to sound critical science undertaken to improve lives, science that is open to criticism and uncensored peer review. Cautious science, designed to protect and save lives – to do no harm. A path that science currently, under the duress of politics and profit, has forsaken. Sometimes, science cannot be – should not be – rushed.

Take vaccines as an example, life-saving routine treatments critical to the safety of our children and treatments we would administer with little thought to safety. During the last two years, the “labeled” Covid vaccines have damaged the credibility of what vaccines are in many people’s minds – therapies that prevent disease and its transmission. Credibility that had taken generations to build. Ironic if you consider that the Covid products were nothing more than the equivalent of the flu jab and never a vaccine.

Each article in the coming weeks will examine a range of issues based on real hard data and facts, including the validity of the treatments (vaccines), mRNA technology, lockdowns and masks, virus origins, the actual reality of Long Covid – is it the result of long-term damage from the virus, reaction to the virus combined with the vaccine or another clinical pathway. What of people who have survived the so-called “Sudden Death” syndrome and more?

Read Medika Life and enjoy access to the most comprehensive analysis of our post-Covid lives. For more than two years, Medika has questioned numerous aspects of the pandemic, including mandates and the “vaccination” of children and healthy adults.

Facts have emerged subsequently to support these views and we’d like to provide you with an authoritative range of articles to refer to that are properly referenced and contain actual facts. Our goal is to get people thinking. Questioning is not a crime. It leads to new ideas and innovations.

Here is a list of reading to look out for. The links to these pieces will be activated as they are published and you are welcome to reach out to us with questions and suggestions.

• Welcome to The Covid Rabbit Hole: A dystopian maze filled with deception and misdirection.
• The Covid Global Clinical Trials for mRNA. Thank you for Participating.
• When is a vaccine not a vaccine?
• On the Origin of Covid, with apologies to Darwin
• Covid’s Elephant in the Room
• Sudden Death, Pure Bloods, Myocarditis and more.
• Lockdowns and Mandates, Politics, Medicine and Orwell.
• The Demise of Freedom of the Press and Censorship.
• Is Long Covid a real thing?
• Learning to trust again in a post-Covid society?

The post The Covid Files: A Series Separating Pandemic Fact from Fiction appeared first on Medika Life.

We first started hearing the stories a few weeks after the covid vaccinations started. Male colleagues who’d discovered the hidden side effect of the Covid vaccine, who’d discuss it in hushed tones of awe among their fellow male colleagues. “Did it happen to you too?” The sort of sheepish questions you’re hesitant to ask in case someone thinks you’ve lost the plot.

As it turns out, it was a shared experience, widely felt by inoculated health care workers and as we’re nosy by nature we set about examing ingredients from both the Pfizer and Moderna Covid vaccines to try and identify the culprit for this welcome side effect. We came up empty-handed. Granted we’re not chemists by trade, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to look through listed ingredients to ascertain if any could possibly cause the type of side effects men were experiencing.

We even went to the lengths of contacting two experts to ask the question. Nada, zippo, zilch. No ingredients listed in either of the vaccines could possibly result in the side effect experienced by our male colleagues. Whatever was causing it, sadly didn’t appear to be bottled inside that vaccine, so now the question remained.

Why were men experiencing prolonged and amplified sexual drive and desire for in some cases, up to two days after receiving their vaccination?

Note, this wasn’t simply restricted to medical staff. As the vaccine rollout reached other segments of the population, we still occasionally heard stories, but to a lesser degree than within the medical profession. That was the clue we’d been looking for and could have explained why so many doctors’ wives were nagging them repeatedly about not missing their appointment for that “second dose”.

The ultimate ‘happy ending’

Vaccine manufacturers had not inadvertently stumbled onto a new, amplified version of that now-famous little blue pill. What was going on here was good old-fashioned human psychology. The secret ingredient no one had thought to include in the vaccine ingredient list. Hope. The covid vaccine represented a life raft, a little yellow bobbing sign of hope within the grasp of the drowning men who’d spent the last year treading water, fearful for their own lives and those of their family.

Think of the soldier, eating his last meal, on the verge of being executed by his captors, when the sound of gunfire reaches his ears and his prison door is thrown open by liberating forces. He’s been saved, brought back from the ledge of death and the relief he experiences is instant and prolonged. For days he wanders aimlessly in a heady state of intoxicated elation thinking one thought, over and over “I’m alive”.

This is exactly what doctors and frontline healthcare workers faced with the coronavirus, day after day, month after interminable month, and while the threat was manageable, this kind of continued stressor wears away at you. Really, really wears away.

The threat of an unknown future and possible death. If it sounds melodramatic it isn’t. It is exactly what these individuals have lived with on a daily basis for over a year now. The covid vaccine represented the get of out jail card, the little yellow life raft, and the turn of the key in that jail cell. Freedom and the certainty of life tomorrow and the day after, for both the healthcare worker and their families. All you had to do was hang in there long enough to get vaccinated. A year is an awfully long time when you’re dodging bullets.

So the elation those little vials released was huge and immediate. The soldiers had just been handed their Kevlar and they felt invincible. Their wives and partners were about to experience the benefits of this rush of endorphins. In most cases, more than once. Being men, as soon as we’re not consumed by thoughts of our own impending death, we turn our focus to the really important stuff.

All across America, for the first time in months, bedroom doors were closed and children lay in the dark, listening to the sounds of parental bliss repeatedly issuing from behind those doors. For a few fleeting moments, all was forgotten and all forgiven. The warriors had returned triumphant, dragon slain and they were going to claim their sacrificial virgins.

And so, unbeknown to Pfizer and Moderna, they hadn’t just developed a simple viral vaccine, they’d also just happened on the most powerful aphrodisiac known to man. The promise of life.

Unfortunately, after the initial round of vaccinations, another unexpected administrative side effect has emerged. Hospital administrators are now having to process a growing mountain of requests from spouses. They are politely having to decline requests for additional covid vaccinations. Each response letter contains a carefully wrapped little blue pill.

The post This Secret Covid Vaccine Ingredient Just Received a Standing Ovation appeared first on Medika Life.

The Houston Methodist Hospital System made national news for being the first to require its staff to be vaccinated against Covid-19. The response was a mixed bag of support and public pushback. While many understand the benefit of vaccinated healthcare workers in a hospital setting, others felt uncomfortable with an employer mandate.

CEO Dr. Marc Bloom hopes to create the safest environment as possible for patient care. Increasing the number of vaccinated workers reduces the risk of spreading the infection from health providers to patients.

Hospital staff vaccinations create a safe environment for patient care. He stated, “When we choose to be vaccinated against COVID-19, we are prioritizing safety by helping stop the spread of this deadly virus and keeping our patients, visitors, and colleagues safe.”

Mandatory vaccination is a bold move but one backed by scientific evidence. A CDC report showed the messenger RNA vaccines are 90 percent effective at preventing COVID-19 infections in healthcare workers and first responders.

The CDC published updated information on vaccination’s safety and efficacy in healthcare workers in the March 29th Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. This update analyzed Covid-19 vaccines in a real-world setting. The findings showed the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna were 90 percent effective at preventing COVID-19 infections among healthcare personnel, first responders, and other essential frontline workers.

So far, 89% of the hospital employees are vaccinated. The Houston hospital gave out $500 bonuses to those who received their Covid-19 vaccines. Hospital administrators were required to begin the vaccine process in the middle of April.

The hospital is following the influenza vaccine policy it implemented in 2009. On June 7, unvaccinated employees will be placed on a two-week suspension giving them time to begin the vaccination process. Like other required hospital vaccinations, employees will not be permitted to return to work unless they are vaccinated. The hospital considers employee vaccinations to be a patient-safety issue.

The CDC recommends vaccinations for healthcare workers include physicians, nurses, emergency medical personnel, dental professionals and students, medical and nursing students, laboratory technicians, pharmacists, hospital volunteers, and administrative staff.

These vaccinations currently include Hepatitis B, Influenza, MMR (Measles, Mumps, and Rubella), Varicella, and Tdap (Tetanus, Diptheria, Pertussis). Most hospitals also require annual tuberculosis risk assessments. These recommendations are in place to reduce the risk of hospital-acquired infections. Healthcare worker vaccinations protect hospital staff exposed to infectious disease and reduce the risk of a healthcare worker transmitting an infection to a hospitalized patient.

The Houston Methodist system may be the first hospital to require vaccination, but others are considering their options. Texas Herman Hospital and the Baylor College of Medicine are evaluating the options.

Some have questioned the legality of a private company mandating Covid-19 vaccination for employees. A recent Equal Employment Opportunity Commission guidance indicates employers may require vaccination.

On Monday, March 29, 2021, everyone aged 16 and older was now eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in Texas.

There are three FDA-approved vaccines for Covid-19. The two messenger RNA vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer offer 95% protection against Covid-19. The Covid-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna use messenger RNA (mRNA). A single strand of mRNA delivers instructions to human cells to produce an antibody against the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.

The Johnson and Johnson’s Janssen vaccine offers 72% protection against infection and 86% against severe disease. The Janssen vaccine uses Adenovirus 26 (AD26) as the vector to deliver DNA material into our cells to provoke an immune response.

The FDA resumed administration of the Johnson and Johnson’s Janssen vaccine after a temporary pause to study the risk of rare but severe blood clots in a small number of cases. The FDA has determined “that the available data show that the vaccine’s known and potential benefits outweigh its known and potential risks in individuals 18 years of age and older.”

The Moderna and Janssen vaccines are approved for those 18 years old and up. The Pfizer vaccine is approved starting at age 16.

All three vaccines are highly effective in preventing death.

The post Houston Methodist Hospital Will Fire Employees Who Do not Get a Covid-19 Vaccine appeared first on Medika Life.

1. A 100 Billion Dollar Plus Blue Sky Market Valuation

In June of 2020, Moderna was valued at $25 billion despite having no federally approved drugs on the market. Fast forward to April of 2021 and you get an idea of just how much Moderna’s fortunes have changed. Still with no federal approval but now boasting a EUA for its mRNA vaccine, the future looks incredibly bright for this company. In February of 2021 Hartaj Singh, managing director and senior analyst of biotechnology at Oppenheimer said that similar companies’ sales trajectories showed what Moderna could experience in the future.

“What we do is point people to other companies in the biotech sector that have peaked or hit a valuation when they launched their first set of products. Companies as diverse as Alexion, Regeneron, and Vertex, currently, and they essentially peaked at about ten times future sales, future sales being three to five years out.”

“I think with Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine franchise, and they’re also starting to develop flu vaccines which should hit the market in the next couple of years … you know, we could see a $10 billion franchise five to seven years from now. If you put a ten times sales multiple on that then, you can do the math, then it’s a $100 billion-plus market cap company.

In December of 2020, Moderna was valued at $60 billion.

2. The NIH Jointly owns the Moderna mRNA Intelectual Property

NIH and Moderna have researched coronaviruses, like MERS, for several years, and signed a contract this past December that stated “mRNA coronavirus vaccine candidates [are] developed and jointly owned” by the two parties. The contract was not specific to the novel coronavirus, and it was signed before the new virus had been sequenced. Separately, four NIH scientists have filed for a provisional patent application entitled “2019-nCoV vaccine,” according to disclosures in a pending scientific paper. Moderna scientists co-authored that paper, but none are listed as vaccine co-inventors.

3. Modified and DNA combined

Originally known as ModeRNA Therapeutics, the companywas formed in 2010 to commercialize the research of stem cell biologist Derrick Rossi. Rossi had developed a method of modifying mRNA. He approached fellow Harvard University faculty member Tim Springer, who solicited co-investment from Kenneth R. Chien, Bob Langer, and venture capital firm Flagship Ventures. The group formed ModeRNA, the result of the combined terms “modified” and “DNA”.

4. A record-breaking IPO in 2018

In 2018, the company rebranded as “Moderna Inc.” with the ticker symbol MRNA. In December of the same year, Moderna became the largest biotech initial public offering (IPO) in history, raising $621 million (27 million shares at $23 per share) on NASDAQ, and implying an overall valuation of $7.5 billion for the entire company. Not too dusty, considering Moderna had not as yet brought a product to market in their 8-year lifespan.

5. Board Members and Star Trek

In March of 2020, the FDA approved clinical trials for the Moderna vaccine candidate, with Moderna later receiving an investment of $483 million from Operation Warp Speed. Moderna board member, Moncef Slaoui, a Moroccan-born Belgian-American researcher was appointed head scientist for the Operation Warp Speed project.

6. Dictatorships and domination

CEO Stéphane Bancel, a French businessman with a pharmaceutical sales and operations background has led Moderna since 2011. His leadership style has been described as egotistical, authoritarian and secretive, with a zero-tolerance policy for employees that do not fully embrace the company ethos. Interestingly Bancel is listed as a co-inventor on more than 100 of Moderna’s early patent applications, unusual considering Bancel is not a Ph.D. scientist. Bancel is the third-largest individual shareholder in the company after Noubar Afeyan (Flagship Ventures) and Robert Langer. His current net worth is $5.6 billion according to Forbes. Bancel, when questioned about his abrasive management style, had the following comment.

“You want to be the guy who’s going to fail [patients]? I don’t. So was it an intense place? It was. And do I feel sorry about it? No.”

STÉPHANE BANCEL, MODERNA CEO

7. Get your cancer cure here

Where other CEOs are cautious about raising unrealistic expectations of their companies and products, Bancel suffers from no such restraint, often touting the mRNA technology as a potential cure for cancer, right down to having it engineered for each patient. In 2018, in an article published in Wired, Moderna president Steven Hoge made the following statement;

“We’re going to be able to make medicines that address diseases in different people in very different ways as a result of mostly removing humans from the process, It’s not something that is like ‘oh, this is the right color for you,’ it’s actually, “no, we invented this color for you.’”

8. AstraZeneca bets big

In 2013 Moderna, who had up to that point been subsisting on the financial smell of an oil rag, signed a staggering $240 million partnership with UK pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca. It was the most money pharma had ever spent on drugs that had not yet been tested in humans. The NYT article published in the wake of the deal sums it up aptly in its headline: “AstraZeneca Makes a Bet On an Untested Technique.”

9. Regenerating your heart

It’s not just vaccines and cancer that interest Moderna. An excellent example of the widespread applicability of mRNA to treat disease is their therapeutic, AZD8601, developed in conjunction with AstraZeneca, for restoring blood vessels and oxygenation to the heart muscle. Currently, in Phase 1 Clinical trials, the vice-president of AstraZeneca’s IMED Biotech Unit Dr. Regina Fritsche-Danielson made the following comment in a blog post.

“In preclinical studies [for AZD8601], we have seen new blood vessels appear at the borders of damaged heart muscle. This was in response to injections of VEGF-A mRNA, carefully targeted at areas where oxygen levels were low. More than that, we have also seen improved cardiac function in these preclinical models as a result of the improved blood and oxygen supply being delivered to the heart.”

10. 2021 Shkreli Award winners for blatant overpricing

Every year The Lown Institute issues its top ten list of the worst examples of profiteering and dysfunction in health care. This year they highlighted bad actors from the Covid-19 pandemic. In February, CEO of Brigham and Women’s Hospital Dr. Elizabeth Nabel wrote an op-ed defending high drug prices as a necessity for innovation. In the piece, she did not disclose her role as a member of the board of biotech Moderna, which was developing a Covid-19 vaccine at the time. As a Moderna board member, Nabel received $487,500 in stock options and other payments in 2019.

Nabel sold $8.5 million worth of Moderna stock in 2020, after the company’s stock nearly quadrupled this year on news of early success with its COVID-19 vaccine. In response to criticism, Nabel resigned from the Moderna board.

In August, biotech company Moderna set an estimated price for its Covid-19 vaccine at $32-$37 per dose for “some customers” (the vaccine requires 2 doses). This price is higher than any other Covid-19 vaccine so far, even though 100% of Moderna’s development costs were covered by US government funding. Since Moderna was nominated, their lower bound for vaccine price has declined, in part due to public scrutiny.

Moderna’s CEO clarified in November that they will charge governments $25 — $37 per dose, depending on the amount ordered. Although the US has placed an order for $1.5 billion in doses of the vaccine at a discounted $15 per dose, given the upfront investment by the US government, we are essentially paying for the vaccine twice.

An insane achievement

As a final thought, it may be worthwhile to mention that this company produced a working and administrable version of the vaccine within 25 days of receiving the DNA sequencing for the coronavirus. This is an unprecedented achievement in vaccine development. To place it onto context, it is akin to Edmund Hillary running up to Everest’s summit in a few hours, rather than his arduous trek over weeks.

On March 16, 2020, Jennifer Haller was the very first recipient of the Moderna vaccine for Covid to be administered in America and globally. This signaled the beginning of phase 1 trials in the US. The rest, as they say, is history. The article below describes in detail Bancel and Moderna’s journey through the development of the vaccine and makes for insightful reading. It’s from the Boston Magazine and we highly recommend it.

The potential of this method of delivering instructions to the body to produce its own chemicals and drugs is almost limitless. The technology is being explored as a treatment for almost every disease and condition we can think of including cancers, HIV, heart conditions, atrophied blood vessels, the list never ends and we’re as excited and hopeful as Bancel.

The post Ten Facts You Didn’t Know About Moderna and Their mRNA Vaccine appeared first on Medika Life.

These expanded guidelines come at an optimal time as the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex copes with an increase in Covid variants. Opening up the eligibility pool will help reach the 29 million Texas residents. After Governor Abbot reopened the state 100%, the race is on to see if Texas can vaccinate enough people to beat the variants’ rise. 

So far, Texas has administered 9.3 million doses, and the state expects to receive an allotment of 900,000 more this week. Six million Texans have received at least one dose, and 3 million are now fully vaccinated. Recent data from the Texas CARES project, the largest Covid-19 testing database in the United States, showed only up to 24% of Texas have Covid-19 antibodies. 

The Texas Department of State Services (DSHS) associate commissioner Imelda Garcia said, “We are closing in on 10 million doses administered in Texas, and we want to keep up the momentum as the vaccine supply increases.” 

New DSHS guidelines have encouraged sites to prioritize those over age 80 as these patients are the most at risk for severe disease, hospitalization, and death from Covid-19. People over 80 qualify for a vaccination with or without an appointment and are to be moved to the front of the line. Pregnant women and teachers already qualify under existing regulations. 

Dallas county offers vaccination at multiple sites. Local businesses, like Krispy Kreme, are encouraging vaccine compliance through special offers. Health officials are making efforts to overcome vaccine hesitancy and racial disparities.

There are three FDA-approved vaccines for Covid-19. The two messenger RNA vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer offer 95% protection against Covid-19. The Covid-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna use messenger RNA (mRNA). A single strand of mRNA delivers instructions to human cells to produce an antibody against the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. 

The Johnson and Johnson’s Janssen vaccine offers 72% protection against infection and 86% against severe disease. The Janssen vaccine uses Adenovirus 26 (AD26) as the vector to deliver DNA material into our cells to provoke an immune response.

The Moderna and Janssen vaccines are approved for those 18 years old and up. The Pfizer vaccine is approved starting at age 16. 

All three vaccines are highly effective in preventing death.

The AstraZeneca vaccine is expected to be approved soon under the Emergency Use Authorization providing the United States with a fourth vaccine option. Data released on March 22 showed the vaccine is 79% effective at preventing mild disease and 100% effective at preventing death. An approved vaccine from AstraZeneca would give the US a fourth safe and effective option along with the Pfizer, Moderna, and Janssen/Johnson & Johnson vaccines.

Here is what we know about post-vaccine immunity with the two Covid-19 vaccines currently available in the U.S.: In phase 3 clinical trials, the Pfizer vaccine showed a 95% efficacy seven days after the second dose. The Moderna vaccine offers 94% immunity at least 14 days after dose number two. The Janssen vaccine takes effect after 14 days as well. 

Two weeks after completing the vaccination course, recipients can rest assured their risk of severe disease from Covid-19 is very low. But we must remember that the risk is not zero.

The Covid-19 vaccine protects us from getting the disease. However, at this moment, we do not yet know if the vaccine prevents transmission. There is a growing amount of encouraging evidence regarding the protective effect of the vaccine against transmission, but at this moment, we don’t currently know whether a vaccinated person can still transmit the SARS-CoV-2 virus to others.

No vaccine is 100% effective, and according to the current data, 5% of those getting a Covid-19 mRNA vaccine may still be at risk. 

Vaccine recipients should continue to wash their hands, wear a face mask in public, and practice social distancing.

Texas residents can register for the vaccine here.

The post Health Officials Prepare as Texas Opens Covid-19 Vaccination to All Adults appeared first on Medika Life.

A new preprint study from the Florida Atlantic University Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine shows more great news about vaccination during pregnancy. Their research confirmed the first known case of a baby born with detectable protective antibodies after maternal Covid-19 vaccination.

The paper titled “Newborn Antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 detected in cord blood after maternal vaccination” follows the clinical course of a pregnant healthcare worker who received the first dose of the Moderna mRNA vaccine. Florida Atlantic University offered all front-line healthcare workers the Moderna mRNA. The mother had no previous known Covid-19 infection. She qualified for and received her vaccination at pregnancy week 36.

The paper titled “Newborn Antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 detected in cord blood after maternal vaccination” follows the clinical course of a pregnant healthcare worker who received the first dose of the Moderna mRNA vaccine. Florida Atlantic University offered all front-line healthcare workers the Moderna mRNA. The mother had no previous known Covid-19 infection. She qualified for and received her vaccination at pregnancy week 36.

Three weeks later, she had a spontaneous vaginal delivery at term (39 weeks gestation). After delivery, she received her second dose as per the standard 28-day vaccine process. At the time of birth, the research team tested the healthy female infant’s umbilical cord blood for the presence of Covid-19 antibodies. The results showed a high level of IgG antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.

These findings are not surprising. Other vaccines given during pregnancy like Tdap and influenza are known to transmit immunity from mom to baby. Both influenza and Tdap vaccines reduce the risk for newborn babies who are too young to get vaccinated. These vaccines transfer antibodies from mom to baby through the placenta, protecting infants until they are old enough to receive their own vaccinations.

The placenta is the organ inside the uterus that keeps the baby alive. Maternal blood circulates through this internal filtration system allowing the growing baby to get oxygen and nutrients from the mother. The placenta removes carbon dioxide and waste products while also serving as the defense system against invading infections like bacteria and viruses.

This paper is critically important to Obgyns, like me, as it serves as a proof of concept verifying maternal vaccination offers some degree of protection to newborn babies. Improving our maternal vaccination rates can prevent hospitalizations and potentially save lives.

This case report showing maternal antibody transmission to the baby after vaccination comes on top of other news showing antibodies are passed through breast milk. Previous studies confirmed that moms pass protective antibodies to their baby after natural Covid-19 infection and secrete antibodies during lactation.

The United States is now vaccinating 2.5 million people per day and reached the 100 million dose milestone on March 19. At this rate, all adults who want it are on schedule to be vaccinated by the end of May. Pregnant patients need evidence-based, reliable, and actionable information as soon as possible to help make informed decisions about their pregnancies.

Scientists learn more each day to help find answers regarding the novel coronavirus’s effects on pregnant people, newborns, and Covid-19 vaccination in pregnancy. Guideline and recommendations will continue to change and evolve as more data becomes available. Based on current research, we know most pregnant people who contract Covid-19 have excellent outcomes and have an increased risk of ICU admission and preterm labor. 

Pregnant and lactating people are eligible for any of the three Food and Drug Administration-approved vaccines, including the two messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna and the single-dose vaccine from Janssen/Johnson & Johnson. The CDC states, “There is currently no evidence that antibodies formed from COVID-19 vaccination cause any problem with pregnancy, including the development of the placenta.”

To continue to monitor the safety and efficacy of Covid-19 vaccinations, the CDC established the v-safe COVID-19 Vaccine Pregnancy Registry. Any pregnant person may choose to participate in the registry to help the world gain more knowledge and improve vaccine recommendations.

To join the V-safe pregnancy registry, click here.

Pregnant and lactating individuals are categorized as 1B in most states and1C in others. To find a Covid-19 vaccine near you, click here.

The post Baby Born With Protective Antibodies After Maternal Covid-19 Vaccination appeared first on Medika Life.

I was sad to see the headline in the LA Times yesterday, but not surprised. A large number of California’s healthcare workers are refusing to get vaccinated against Covid and it’s created an uproar. The article, entitled, Some healthcare workers refuse to take COVID-19 vaccine, even with priority access, has created an uproar and highlights systemic failures within the current government’s vaccine campaign. 

It has also highlighted the ethical dilemmas around vaccination and vaccine safety at a time we can least afford it. Are these healthcare workers within their personal and professional right to refuse the vaccine?

The problem California’s frontline healthcare is highlighting is not a vaccine issue. They trust vaccines. They are almost to a man (women, other) vaccinated and they vaccinate their children. Their problem is one of trust. If the covid vaccine had been touted as a medicine or treatment rather than a vaccine, they would still be refusing it. It’s just hugely unfortunate, at this point in our history, that it happens to be a vaccine. 

I’ve linked to the tweet of the article below to allow you to gauge the public response, which is an overriding one of indignant anger. Should we be upset with these healthcare professionals and do we have the right?

Safety and Obligation

The obvious and most worrying issue posed by their decision not to get vaccinated is the question of safety, not to the nurses and doctors themselves, but to patients, particularly the high-risk sectors of the community. Do the unvaccinated doctors pose a greater risk to patients in terms of transmission of the coronavirus to patients?.

Many elderly patients require constant medical attention for one ailment or another. The same applies to people with known risk vectors, high blood pressure, heart conditions, obesity, etc. Do they now have the right to refuse care from professionals that have chosen not to receive the vaccine? Do patients have a right to be told who has been vaccinated and who hasn’t?

And what of the healthcare workers? Are they not obliged, in the interests of patient safety to take the vaccine. Are they not obliged, as responsible members of the medical community to set an example. 

Perhaps, the most relevant question is this. Why do these science-based professionals not trust the process and assurances given by Pfizer, Moderna, and the FDA regarding the safety of the vaccine? A small percentage of these individuals suffer from the same issues that trouble the public. A lack of reliable information. Conflicting narratives have plagued the war against covid in the US from the outset.

Should we perhaps consider enforcing vaccination for certain public-facing sectors that offer vital services? For example, should vaccination be compulsory for healthcare, policing, and social services, not to mention the politicians?

It’s a complex, ethical nightmare riddled with really complex questions, some of which I have raised above and unfortunately, most of the blame for the current sad state of affairs must be laid squarely at the door of the Republicans and the incumbent President. 

To try and understand the positions of the healthcare workers who, don’t forget, are still risking life and limb, vaccinated or not, let’s try and unpack the individual components that have led us to this point. They will point to why the vaccine itself is actually not the major underlying reason for people’s refusal of it. 

The role of Trump’s toxic America

President Donald Trump’s lasting legacy will be the American divisions he highlighted and fed during his four years in office. He inherited a divided America and he has amplified those divisions for his own gain. 

America has for decades been divided along party lines. It’s been nasty, sometimes unpleasant, and, at times, downright dirty, but there was always a thin veneer of civility and humanity plastered across the festering sore of political division. 

Trump tore away this social bandage and has continued throughout his four-year tenure, to pour poison into the wound, feeding his own agendas at the expense of the American soul. Americans, duly primed, erupted, spurred on by the ever-supportive yes-men of the Republican Party. 

Guilt for the current pandemic response, perhaps better described as a clusterfuck of monumental proportions, is shared equally by all Republican politicians and should be owned accordingly. No political maneuvering by them can obfuscate their complicity in the sea of misinformation and the resulting loss of American lives. Their sad legacy continues to hound the covid vaccine.

Trust was one of the first victims of this remorseless onslaught. Decades of questionable but “sounds iffy, but we’ll give you the benefit of the doubt” believability in the American political system was destroyed overnight. 

It is this absence of trust that lies at the heart of the Californian worker’s refusal to be vaccinated. They no longer trust the system or any players involved in the system that created the vaccine. Read Pfizer, Moderna, the FDA, CDC, HHS, Lightspeed, or any other government agency or associated party. 

Every one of the large Pharma companies was embedded with government agencies over the last few months, all hoping to be the first across the finishing line. Many prominent US politicians, it can be argued, are in the pockets of, or politically beholding to, large pharma. Money and favors have undoubtedly changed hands in the past few months and will continue to do so. 

The FDA and CDC have squandered most of their credibility over the course of the pandemic. Once seen as the bastions of American healthcare and the seat of reliable and trustworthy information and opinion, their voices are now questioned openly and their halcyon days may never return. 

A complete press and social media crackdown on any contrary Covid related material was also seen by many as an attempt to control the narrative and sell an official story. A typical backlash to any form of censorship.

So from a systemic point of view, can you really blame the covid vaccine? It is a victim of circumstance and is viewed by many Americans as a product of a corrupt and unethical Kabal, led by the king of falsehoods and ably supported by his minions. 

Equally, can you blame individuals for questioning the narrative (regarding safety) produced by this Kabal to sell the vaccine to the public? Remember this is the same group that was telling us not to wear masks, that failed to provide any logistical support for healthcare workers early into the pandemic, and that has failed at every turn to effectively combat Covid. They lied for months and continue to do so. 

Why believe them now? Why gamble with your health on a product simply because they assure you it is safe? Any rational debate centered on the covid vaccine issue cannot ignore the fact that this erosion of trust is a key component. Restoring trust is a long and challenging process that requires time, a luxury we currently do not have. So what alternatives are there?

Enforcing Vaccines

Does your Government have the right to enforce vaccination? There are no doubt proponents for this course of action within the US and other governments globally. 

The answer is an emphatic and resounding NO. This would be an egregious violation of your human rights and your freedom to choose. You are not simply a vessel of the state, but an individual with rights and personal freedoms. Additionally, your current vaccination status should in no way impact your life or be used to deny you access to services.

This extends to making any form of employment dependant on taking the vaccine or being vaccinated. The reason is simple and straightforward. There is no scientific data to suggest that vaccinated people will not shed the coronavirus. As far as we know, the vaccinated are still a vector for infections. It’s why we are still advised to wear masks after we’ve been vaccinated. 

Let’s take a closer look at exactly what the vaccine does to your body, so we’re all on the same page. Importantly, to start with, vaccines aren’t an impenetrable shield against viruses. They are simply a tool to enable your body to combat viral intruders more effectively, preventing you from developing a serious reaction to specific viruses.

You can still contract the coronavirus after being vaccinated, the difference is that vaccinated people are far less likely to develop serious illness (covid). Vaccinated people will get flu-like symptoms (or perhaps none) for a few days and then you can get on with your life. A far better alternative to weeks of hospitalization and the very real prospect of death. 

The vaccine isn’t foolproof. Some vaccinated people will still become seriously ill, realistically that figure is probably between 5 and 10% of those who are vaccinated, potentially it could be far fewer. Again, we still lack sufficient data. We don’t have exact numbers and this isn’t proof the vaccine doesn’t work, it simply means it isn’t 100% effective at stopping serious covid infections.

Extrapolate that percentage into the current deaths in the US and your figure drops from over 350 000 dead to between 17 and 35 000 people. That’s a lot of people who could have been around to celebrate 2021 but aren’t, and it’s why the vaccine really matters. 

The accompanying strain on medical resources from a high death toll is also a major issue that impacts patients requiring urgent medical attention for any number of non-covid related conditions. Full hospitals cant offer you a bed when you may desperately need one.

With the very real possibility of another 350 000 Americans dying from covid in 2021 the danger is far from over. The difference now is that we finally do have access to a vaccine, numerous actually. As of now, getting people vaccinated is critical to reducing deaths in the coming months. That is a fact.

Will the Vaccine slow the virus down?

We cannot argue at this point, based on scientific data, that the vaccination will slow the spread of Covid. That is a disingenuous and misleading statement and although it may prove true in the coming months, we just don’t have the data to currently support that statement, so we shouldn’t make it or use it to justify getting vaccinated. The truth is what matters now.

Whatever statements epidemiologists may make at this point regarding the vaccine and transmission, these are conjectural, based on assumptions and modeling that is not yet supported by any existing data. 

Stop persecuting healthcare professionals. NOW. 

This covid vaccine is a personal choice. It always was and always will be. That doctor or nurse who has refused the vaccine because of personal concerns is fully within their rights to do so. They are also within their rights to expect that decision to remain private.

It’s not a choice they’ve made lightly and it doesn’t mean they will stop treating covid patients. They will still expose themselves to the risks, they just choose to rely on their own body’s defense mechanism. It is their choice. 

The covid vaccine doesn’t make them any less capable of treating you and possibly saving your life, at risk to their own. It also, as we have established, doesn’t make them any more or less of a risk for transmitting covid. 

So please stop your persecution of them on social media and in the press. They are putting their lives on the line, not yours, and to be honest, you’re in no position to pass judgment, so stop. 

What we actually know about the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines

The following isn’t lab-based or trial data, but real facts for consideration when you assess the covid vaccine. Hopefully, this will assist you in making your own personal decision. 

• Over 3 million Americans have already been vaccinated against Covid. This excellent resource from the New York Times will keep you up to speed. 
• None of those vaccinated have died whilst receiving the vaccine. It’s given under strict medical supervision and in the very rare event of an anaphylactic (allergic respiratory response) reaction, doctors or nurses are on hand to offer treatments. 
• To my knowledge, and we are a few weeks into the vaccination program, none of those vaccinated have died as a direct result of the vaccine. Those are pretty good odds in favor of a good outcome for you.
• It is far too soon to make assessments about the long-term effects, if any, of the vaccines, but these concerns are limited to younger candidates.

It would appear that both Moderna and Pfizer’s products are safe, based on the above figures. Long term effects aren’t a consideration at this point, particularly for the elderly. Today and tomorrow matter far more than events ten years away when you’re seventy. So if you’re elderly, definitely get vaccinated. If you’re in an at-risk category, get vaccinated. 

We cannot address concerns over long-term safety until the vaccine has been in the marketplace for months and possibly years. The same is true of any drug. Currently, the benefits of vaccination for the aged by far outweigh any undocumented long term risks that may or may not be present in the vaccines.

What about the other covid vaccines?

Slow down, and the FDA should take heed of this warning. You risk jeopardizing the reputation of your two successes by rushing through other EUA’s. There is a strong argument to be offered in terms of more rigorous testing prior to licensing additional vaccines and there is no longer the urgent need. 

We know Pfizer’s and Modena’s vaccines don’t pose a risk, based on actual evidence in the field. Three million is a lot of ‘trial’ subjects. 

Authorizing every new applicant to the market should now be done with far more circumspection and require more rigorous testing to ensure safety.. There is a definite risk involved with a rushed product and just because two companies have succeeded, huge companies with limitless resources, doesn’t mean that every other vaccine will be safe or without issues. 

Releasing one of these vaccines that could potentially prove dangerous to the public would be an unmitigated disaster to vaccination campaigns and the urgency has passed.

Pfizer and Moderna have offered us the opportunity to slow things down a little and apply more robust checks and balances on other vaccines. We should avail ourselves of the opportunity and be far more circumspect. 

This brings me to my final points. Reputation and resources. 

Both Pfizer and Moderna are massive companies that can not afford to fail. They have staked their reputations on the success of their products and this shouldn’t be overlooked. 

Failure on a global scale would be spectacular, and the results crippling for any company. 

Secondly, the fact that all America’s top tier politicians and healthcare workers have been targeted as first recipients for the vaccine speaks volumes to the manufacturer’s confidence in their products. While few tears would have been shed for the politicians, the healthcare industry matters. 

Kill off all America’s healthcare frontline and we’d really be up the proverbial creek hunting for a paddle. This reason alone would make me seriously consider the vaccine were I in your positions, troubled by uncertainty, rumors, and misinformation. Look at what is happening on the ground.

A final word for the US media

Now, more than ever, you need to avoid your clickbait headlines, particularly if it involves the use of the word vaccine. 

Show restraint and research topics thoroughly. Be circumspect in what you choose to publish. Your business of selling the early morning addition shouldn’t pose a threat to public health. That is something that can and will be regulated under a Biden administration. 

The cowboys are leaving the building. 

The post Why Some Californian Healthcare Workers Are Refusing the Covid Vaccine appeared first on Medika Life.