October 15, 2020.
At the October 15 WA State Department of Health Vaccine Advisory Committee (VAC) Meeting, it was announced that they are doing a “heavy push” and “large ad buy” to lay the groundwork for COVID-19 vaccine acceptance. They are partnering with the Gates Foundation, starting in November, regarding COVID-19 vaccine messaging and surveying the “audience” responses, “thoughts and feelings”. The Gates Foundation has been actively directing Governor Inslee’s response to COVID-19 through their IDMOD organization directly, as well as through other organizations that have financial ties to Gates, such as UW’s IMHE, and the McKinsey & Company consulting group.
ICWA Board and members would like to know why the Gates Foundation is allowed to be so heavily involved in WA State Public Health policy decisions, and if it’s legal for such extreme outside participation and influence?
And where is there evidence even of a need for a vaccine? When the recovery rate of an infection is greater than 99.9% in the vast majority of the population, and factors that increase susceptibly are known, allowing for targeted protection and care, and treatments exist, then mass vaccination is not the ethical solution. Add that there has never been a successful vaccine for a coronavirus before (not for lack of trying, but because of safety issues), the experimental nature of some of the vaccine platforms, and the adverse reactions that have halted several trials, and this full-speed ahead approach seems irresponsible and unnecessary.
The VAC committee discussed how they would overcome public concerns and increase confidence in the vaccines–even though the risks of any COVID-19 vaccine will not be known for years. The Department of Health is developing, and paying marketing firms as they have in the past, for “vaccine hesitancy” and “vaccine confidence” campaigns to convince the public to roll up their sleeves.
The committee presenters and members spoke often of needing to “build confidence” without seeming to comprehend that it is impossible to declare any vaccine “safe” without years of research and longterm clinical trials. Where is this confidence supposed to come from? Or are they counting on the desperation that has built up after months of lock-down, distancing, masking, depression, fear, loneliness? (To hear the presentation on “communication” that is now beginning to roll out, go to the 1:09:27 mark on the above video). They bolded the bullet point:
Willingness to “do anything” is high
While citizens are following the science closely and are very concerned about clinical trial safety signals and the inability of some the vaccine candidates to actually even prevent infection and transmission, the DOH are putting their full trust in the drug companies who provide the data to the federal agencies.
All of the data regarding vaccine candidates is coming from the drug companies only. This is standard. The drug companies present to the FDA, to VRBAC, to ACIP. There is never independent verification of any of the findings or data. The HHS, CDC, and FDA don’t attempt to replicate findings. It’s an honor system in which—inexplicably—our federal agencies trust information coming from companies that have a history of criminal fraud and deceiving the public about the safety and effectiveness of their products. The companies have been funded by the billions with federal tax dollars.
The drug companies making the vaccines are shielded from liability for injury and death (covered under the PreP Act), and they will reap all the profit, year after year for annual double-dose vaccinations. That is, if this massive push doesn’t immediately cause massive harm and shut down the programs sooner, rather than later. Please see our COVID-19 Vaccine page and Children’s Health Defense for posts about serious concerns regarding safety, efficacy, and even necessity. How much faith do the drug companies have in their vaccine candidates? Moderna’s executives began selling off their stock as soon as about a half a billion of our tax dollars were funneled to them.
This is a massive undertaking. All of the acquiring, storing, distributing, promoting and marketing of the for-profit, liability-free products is funded by your tax dollars, both state and federal.
It bears repeating— where is there evidence of a need for a vaccine? When the recovery rate of an infection is greater than 99.9% in the vast majority of the population, and factors that increase susceptibly are known, allowing for targeted protection and care, then mass vaccination is not the ethical solution.
For the 99% of the population not at risk of severe disease outcome, exposure to experimental vaccines is all risk and no benefit.
Therapeutics—effective, inexpensive protocols for both prevention and treatment—which already exist—are the only ethical approach. It was said in the meeting that even if a vaccine arrives and uptake increased over phases spanning 24 months—(two years? Over two “flu seasons”? With the Covid virus ever-changing?)—masking and social distancing must continue. What? For two years? Clearly, vaccination is not a solution. Treatments are.
