A prestigious medical science magazine raises questions about public health control measures
Meanwhile, red flags turn up in US and UK vaccination data
Last week The Lancet, one of the world’s most prestigious medical science magazines, published an article titled: “The epidemiological relevance of the COVID-19-vaccinated population is increasing.” Here is the main text of the letter (key points in bold):
High COVID-19 vaccination rates were expected to reduce transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in populations by reducing the number of possible sources for transmission and thereby to reduce the burden of COVID-19 disease. Recent data, however, indicate that the epidemiological relevance of COVID-19 vaccinated individuals is increasing. In the UK it was described that secondary attack rates among household contacts exposed to fully vaccinated index cases was similar to household contacts exposed to unvaccinated index cases (25% for vaccinated vs 23% for unvaccinated). 12 of 31 infections in fully vaccinated household contacts (39%) arose from fully vaccinated epidemiologically linked index cases. Peak viral load did not differ by vaccination status or variant type. In Germany, the rate of symptomatic COVID-19 cases among the fully vaccinated (“breakthrough infections”) is reported weekly since 21. July 2021 and was 16.9% at that time among patients of 60 years and older. This proportion is increasing week by week and was 58.9% on 27. October 2021 (Figure 1) providing clear evidence of the increasing relevance of the fully vaccinated as a possible source of transmission. A similar situation was described for the UK. Between week 39 and 42, a total of 100.160 COVID-19 cases were reported among citizens of 60 years or older. 89.821 occurred among the fully vaccinated (89.7%), 3.395 among the unvaccinated (3.4%). One week before, the COVID-19 case rate per 100.000 was higher among the subgroup of the vaccinated compared to the subgroup of the unvaccinated in all age groups of 30 years or more. In Israel a nosocomial outbreak was reported involving 16 healthcare workers, 23 exposed patients and two family members. The source was a fully vaccinated COVID-19 patient. The vaccination rate was 96.2% among all exposed individuals (151 healthcare workers and 97 patients). Fourteen fully vaccinated patients became severely ill or died, the two unvaccinated patients developed mild disease. The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identifies four of the top five counties with the highest percentage of fully vaccinated population (99.9–84.3%) as “high” transmission counties. Many decisionmakers assume that the vaccinated can be excluded as a source of transmission. It appears to be grossly negligent to ignore the vaccinated population as a possible and relevant source of transmission when deciding about public health control measures.
The letter is significant given the stature of the publication, but its conclusion will come as no surprise to anyone paying close attention. Even Bill Gates, a top WHO donor and major investor in vaccines, admitted the same a few weeks ago.
This past week South Korea, one of the most vaccinated countries in the world, saw its largest single-day Covid case increase on record (5,266). Denmark, which has vaccinated 87% of its population, also saw its highest single-day spike (5,120). You can see a list of 40 places—including Israel, Germany and Netherlands—that experienced all-time highs in cases after large-scale vaccine rollouts here.
Last week, nonetheless, also saw many governments press ahead with coercive measures designed to bolster vaccination rates. Germany joined Austria in locking down its unvaccinated population, while its incoming chancellor and other key political figures signaled their support for compulsory vaccination—a policy that Austria has also already adopted.
On Wednesday, European Union Commissioner Ursula von der Leyen said it was time for all members of the block to consider compulsory vaccination, a measure that critics argue would violate the Nuremberg Code, which holds that “the voluntary consent of the human subject is absolutely essential” when being administered an experimental medication. In South America, the Colombian government also declared its intent to require the vaccination of its entire population.
In the United Kingdom, meanwhile, the government announced that it was authorizing up to four boosters shots per year. The WHO, in response, said there was no evidence booster shots would provide greater protection to healthy people.
Last week the UK government also released a new tranche of data revealing that Covid deaths in the previous month had occurred overwhelmingly among the vaccinated:
Over the past 14 weeks, according to this analysis, the fully vaccinated have accounted for 70% of Covid hospitalizations in the UK, as well as 85% of deaths.
An academic research team analyzing England’s November mortality data also released a report last week casting doubt over vaccine effectiveness.
But on Friday the Times of London reported that the government’s scientific advisors are now saying that Covid will be a “threat” to the country’s healthcare system for at least the next five years, and that “testing and vaccines may be needed for a decade or longer.”
As the government doubles down on its vaccination campaign, a rise in non-Covid excess mortality in the United Kingdom has already begun to garner attention. In Scotland, excess deaths have increased by as much as 30%. On his Substack, former New York Times reporter Alex Berenson has analyzed data showing that in England vaccinated people under the age of 60 have been dying at twice the rate of their unvaccinated peers. (He responded to critiques of his analysis here.)
Other highly vaccinated countries are experiencing excess mortality as well, including Germany, which has seen little benefit from the jabs, according to this analysis.
Amid reports of a surge in hospitalizations in the United States, all-cause mortality in the country has also increased significantly from 2020 to 2021:
Reported Covid deaths in 2021 have already surpassed last year’s total in the United States, despite the 464 million jabs already administered. Over that time span, almost a million adverse reactions to Covid vaccines have been reported to VAERS, the government’s tracking system. As seen in the graph below, this has driven an exponential increase in such reports when compared to the previous 30 years:
It’s important to keep in mind, however, that VAERS could significantly undercount vaccine-related deaths.
The American Heart Association recently released a report finding that the risk of developing heart conditions increased by 11 to 25% in recipients of mRNA vaccines. But those who shared the report on Twitter discovered this past week that followers who clicked on the link were redirected to the following message: