To counter irresponsible journalism, I will rebut each erroneous point about vaccines made by letter writer
To the Editor:
I’m incredibly disappointed at the irresponsibility and lack of journalistic integrity demonstrated by this newspaper, evidenced in the vaccine disinformation published in last week’s “Viewpoints.” We are in the middle of a raging pandemic that is killing people. I do not blame the author of the letter, who has been failed by public health outreach and education efforts, but I absolutely condemn this newspaper for publishing wild, unsubstantiated allegations that threatens public health. In this letter, I will rebut each point made by last week’s author (in bold), and implore you, as a reader and a publisher, to think twice about including disinformation that threatens people’s lives in your newspaper.
1. The German government reported 87% of vaccinated individuals lost all immune function and developed acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). When I researched this claim, I found the source Sue was referencing on Facebook quite easily. It’s an article by The Expose that in turn references a weekly report published by the Robert Koch Institute at the end of December 2021. The article makes claims that the rate of coronavirus infection is higher in the vaccinated population compared to the unvaccinated population, then interprets that as evidence that the vaccine is causing AIDS. One, the original data was incorrect and was updated in January 2022. The vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals have similar rates of infection. Two, while vaccines can lose efficacy over time due to viral mutations, that does not mean they’re not protective against severe disease. Three, there is no way a vaccine can cause AIDS. AIDS is caused by HIV destroying immune cells. The vaccine absolutely does not reduce immune function. These claims are baseless and fearmongering. Sources: Weekly report from the Robert Koch Institute from December 30, 2021; Andrews, N. et al., (2022). Duration of Protection against Mild and Severe Disease by Covid-19 Vaccines. The New England Journal of Medicine.
2. In the last two years there has been a 40% rise in deaths, mostly in working populations, not attributed to Covid. “The only factor that is uniquely different... is the shot.” When I researched this claim, I was surprised to find that the mortality data was true. The difference is that the interpretation that it’s caused by the vaccine is flawed. The factor that has changed in the last two years is the pandemic, not the vaccine. Many of us have had access to the vaccine for less than a year, and the data demonstrates that this trend in increased mortality begins in 2020, well before the premier of the vaccine. In fact, if you consider the excess mortality trend, it’s reduced after the vaccine becomes widely available. While correlation does not equal causation, it does suggest that Covid-19 related deaths are vastly underestimated. Sources: Excess Deaths Associated with Covid-19. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
3. The only immune system vaccinated people have will be supplied by vaccines. I could not find a source for this claim, but it seems related to the claim above that the vaccine causes AIDS. It does not. None of the vaccines available for the coronavirus affect your immunological response or memory to other infectious diseases unrelated to coronavirus. The author did reference a report by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) advising against too many vaccines too close together. Multi-dose vaccine series are administered based on immunological memory. We are studying and actively trying to understand how long our immune systems “remember” this virus. There will be differing opinions until we have that data, but the data right now suggests that immunity wanes over the span of months and boosters are advisable. Source: EMA regular press briefing on Covid-19 from January 11, 2022. European Medicines Agency.
4. The coronavirus vaccine causes cardiomyopathy and blood clots. In a study published in June 2021, 23 men developed cardiomyopathy after the second dose of the mRNA vaccine, out of 2.8 million administered doses. That’s an incidence of around 1 per 100,000 individuals. Additionally, 60% of the 23 men did not notice and would not have sought medical help, and all of them fully recovered. In unvaccinated Covid-19 patients, the incidence of cardiomyopathy is 22 per 100,000 individuals, with 628 in 100,000 individuals dying of Covid-19 globally. Similarly, blood clotting associated with vaccination is around 1 per 100,000 individuals for women ages 30-49, which was the highest risk group. Blood clotting for unvaccinated Covid-19 patients is 13 in 100,000 individuals overall. The risk presented by Covid-19 far outweigh the risks associated with vaccination.
A hospital is considered under extreme stress when over 20% of the beds are occupied. Last week, 33% of in-patient beds and 54% of the ICU beds at the Newton Medical Center were taken up by Covid-19 patients. Unvaccinated people are still dying of this disease. To publish this disinformation is a violation of the ethics of journalism and frankly contributing to people dying in this community. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions concerning the vaccine, the pandemic, and public health efforts.
Dr. Monica Watson
Sparta