MARCH 16 ― This fear-mongering Whatsapp message has been making its rounds recently by the same set of individuals and NGOs.
This is the same group whom I have replied their 19 questions and debunked their baseless allegations on Covid vaccines.
Instead of replying with facts and figures, they chose the immature and cowardly route of being personal and using gutter politics. Grow up guys!
These are the same guys who insisted the MoH roll out our Ivermectin without any further clinical trials as required by many international institutions like the National Institute of Science (US) [2-4].
Lo and Behold! The first Randomised Clinical Trials (RCT) have shown that their magic cure, Ivermectin is not effective. [5]
The FDA has not approved Ivermectin for use in treating or preventing Covid-19 in humans. Ivermectin tablets are approved at very specific doses for some parasitic worms, and there are topical (on the skin) formulations for head lice and skin conditions like rosacea. Ivermectin is not an anti-viral (a drug for treating viruses). The FDA warned:
― Taking large doses of Invermectin is dangerous and can cause serious harm.
― If you have a prescription for Ivermectin for an FDA-approved use, get it from a legitimate source and take it exactly as prescribed.
― Never use medications intended for animals on yourself. Ivermectin preparations for animals are very different from those approved for humans.
I actually malas nak layan these echoes of conspiracy theorists and anti-vaccination lobbyists who are doing the bidding for their masters in the west. Now konon-nya “earth-shaking” dangers of mass vaccinations proposed by Dr Geert Vanden Bossche. These guys obviously do not read history.
George Santayana warned that those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it
In the 20th century alone 350-500 million died from smallpox. The World Health Organisation (WHO) kick started mass smallpox vaccination programmes in the 1950s.
Through this global programme, smallpox was eradicated in 1980.
In 1985, there were 400,000 cases of Polio. Following the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), which is a universal polio vaccination programme of at least 3 doses in first year and 2 boosters thereafter ie. mass vaccination for every child in the world, Polio cases have plummeted by 99.9 per cent to 33 reported cases in 2018.
If we do not listen to these guys and Dr Geert Vanden Bossche, the world will very soon be Polio-Free.
And if we persevere with the WHO Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) we can also hope to eliminate measles and congenital rubella.
However, they are now scare-mongering about the global Covid mass immunisation programme. They obviously have no facts to substantiate their claims except for conjectures and conspiracy theories.
It is sufficient to debunk their wild allegations by sharing the real world experience of countries that have successfully rolled out the mRNA and other Covid vaccines.
This report from the Israel MoH, dated March 10, 2021 is extremely reassuring of the success and positive impact of the mass vaccination against Covid. [7]
55 per cent of Israelis have received at least 1 dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccine (which these guys are terribly against without any sound evidence to prove their case). 43 per cent have been immunised with two doses.
The Vaccine Efficacy (VE) of the Pfizer mRNA vaccine against symptomatic Covid is 97 per cent, which is actually higher than the 95 per cent in the Pfizer Phase 3 Trials.[8]
The VE against asymptomatic Covid is 94 per cent. This means NOT only does the vaccine prevents one from getting Covid, it also prevents the spread of Covid.
They quoted Dr Bossche who warned that mass vaccination “creates more asymptomatic cases to spread the virus as the vaccines DO NOT prevent infection and transmission”.
I think they need to keep abreast of the most current literature on the Covid pandemic and not rehash old and outdated press reports!
Their allegations are obviously misinformation because:
1. There are 55 per cent less cases of Covid after the mass Pfizer mRNA vaccine immunization program
2. There are 71 per cent less COVID deaths
3. There are 44 per cent less admissions to ICU
They allege that it “helps create new variants and teaches the virus on viral immune escape”.
Yes, there have been some new variants namely the UK B117, South Africa B1351 and Brazil P1 mutant strains. [9]
This is actually anticipated, thus not surprising, as has happened with other pathogens, for example, the need to immunize annually against influenza due to the antigenic mutations.
Note that 80 per cent of the mutant strains in Israel was the UK B117 variant and yet the Pfizer mRNA was effective against this escape mutants.
Guys! If you are living in Israel, and you like the few anti-vaccine Israeli guys, refuse the vaccine, the risk of you getting Covid is 44 times higher, and the risk of you dying from Covid is 29 times higher.
That is why the MoH in Israel is trying very hard to scale-up the coverage of the vaccination (NOT stop the programme like you guys are asking) with warp speed to achieve the herd immunity of 70-80 per cent so they can protect:
1. Children and adolescents below 16 years old who are not presently eligible for the vaccine
2. Those who have a history of anaphylaxis, allergies to Poly Ethylene Glycol and Polysorbates who cannot be immunised
3. Guys like you who refuse the vaccines!
The UK is probably one of the top five nations in the world to effectively rollout the Covid vaccines. I hope you guys can appreciate that the Covid cases, admissions and deaths have seen a drastic decline. [10]
I am hoping that the vaccine rollout by the JKJAV and the MoH which is literally at turtle-speed can be ramped-up to warp-speed to enjoy the benefits of mass vaccination programmes, which are:
1. Less Covid cases, especially severe Covid since all vaccines prevent against severe Covid disease
2. Less hospital admissions which will not overwhelm our healthcare services and allow out HCW to have a much needed break and respite
3. Less Covid deaths, which is a terribly painful experience since families cannot be beside their loved ones during their hour of need
I hope these individuals and NGOs would cease spreading misinformation and if they insist on writing on Covid issues, kindly share their references so that we can verify and validate their claims.
References:
2. https://www.covid19treatmentguidelines.nih.gov/statement-on-ivermectin/
3. https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-148845/v1
5. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2777389
9. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2034577
10. https://www.ft.com/content/6d4ff17b-b3a2-4f9a-bb73-84e50ba614b6
* Dr Musa Mohd Nordin is a Consultant Pediatrician at Damansara Specialist Hospital.
