I might understand the insistence on vaccine mandates if these vaccines approximated "sterilizing immunity". In 2015 U.S. and Canadian news outlets, among others, covered a study regarding vaccines for a type of herpes virus in chickens. The research purportedly had implications for "next generation vaccines" (mRNA). Rather than reduce the chance of additional variants, the research confirmed a theory — that so-called leaky vaccines increase pressure on viruses to mutate more rapidly. (In the case of chickens, this amounted to creating vaccine dependency since now all commercial poultry flocks throughout the world are in danger of being wiped out by a virus that was once largely survivable before efforts were made to develop vaccines 50-some years ago.) By "leaky" — or non sterilizing — such vaccines fail to do a sufficient job breaking the transmission chain, thus heightening the risk that more virulent variants will emerge in vaccinated subjects.
Unfortunately, a cherry-picking of the science can be made to "argue" any point one wishes to make about the value of mandating COVID-19 vaccines. Still, one thing is clear: This technology is too new to make assumptions informed by older assumptions about how vaccines ought to work.
Scientists concluded over six months ago that COVID-19 vaccines will not lead to herd immunity. Moderna's CEO a year ago told investors that the world must live with COVID-19 forever — in an apparent acknowledgement that producing durable immunity via vaccination to a coronavirus is a long shot.
Much of the media glossed over the news last year that herd immunity had moved out of sight. The public by in large failed to appreciate that the ultimate goal of any mass vaccination campaign — the gold standard of a successful vaccine — is herd immunity. Absent this knowledge the general public and even elected leaders in charge of COVID-19 decisions such as mandates continue to create policy that is reflective of the early — but unobtainable hopes — of this time last year.
As soon as that realization dawned on the scientific community that mRNA vaccines for COVID-19 would not achieve this ultimate aim, mandates in any part of the world no longer made sense. If the truckers wish to risk their lives by not receiving what amounts to a pre-exposure therapeutic — to reduce symptoms at best — it should be their choice. Mandates are not, however, a valid public health pursuit because 2020 vaccines do not function to reduce viral load in infection, nor adequately block breakthrough risk given Omicron's 50+ mutations.
Too many people — including so-called experts — seem to fall behind the data and instead repeat news narratives, which they mistake for "the science". Dig into current studies and one will find plenty of reasons why citizens no longer wish to comply with vaccine mandates.
Those who work in media may wish to "fact check" away the unknowns but nonetheless they exist: mRNA vaccines did not exist for widespread application outside clinical settings and certainly not for use in coronaviruses prior to this pandemic. As long as we are breaking new ground in the vaccine arena it is vital to remain humble because we do not KNOW what we do not know about long term safety. Citizens must be permitted to make their own informed choices.
For those who doubt, consider a key question: If bodily autonomy is no longer defensible in a Western democracy, what human right is safe? Once citizens of Western nations reject basic assumptions about how life in a "free society" works, we have reached the end of an era, having surrendered our way of life to a virus that appears to have "escaped" a PRC-controlled Chinese research lab. If our respective leaders have their wits about them, they will stop before they — we — regret these self-inflicted mortal wounds upon democracy.
This has not ever been about the science OR the medicine. The absolute silence of the media on this event, here in the US, is proof that these maneuvers are about power. And always have been.
I might understand the insistence on vaccine mandates if these vaccines approximated "sterilizing immunity". In 2015 U.S. and Canadian news outlets, among others, covered a study regarding vaccines for a type of herpes virus in chickens. The research purportedly had implications for "next generation vaccines" (mRNA). Rather than reduce the chance of additional variants, the research confirmed a theory — that so-called leaky vaccines increase pressure on viruses to mutate more rapidly. (In the case of chickens, this amounted to creating vaccine dependency since now all commercial poultry flocks throughout the world are in danger of being wiped out by a virus that was once largely survivable before efforts were made to develop vaccines 50-some years ago.) By "leaky" — or non sterilizing — such vaccines fail to do a sufficient job breaking the transmission chain, thus heightening the risk that more virulent variants will emerge in vaccinated subjects.
Unfortunately, a cherry-picking of the science can be made to "argue" any point one wishes to make about the value of mandating COVID-19 vaccines. Still, one thing is clear: This technology is too new to make assumptions informed by older assumptions about how vaccines ought to work.
Scientists concluded over six months ago that COVID-19 vaccines will not lead to herd immunity. Moderna's CEO a year ago told investors that the world must live with COVID-19 forever — in an apparent acknowledgement that producing durable immunity via vaccination to a coronavirus is a long shot.
Much of the media glossed over the news last year that herd immunity had moved out of sight. The public by in large failed to appreciate that the ultimate goal of any mass vaccination campaign — the gold standard of a successful vaccine — is herd immunity. Absent this knowledge the general public and even elected leaders in charge of COVID-19 decisions such as mandates continue to create policy that is reflective of the early — but unobtainable hopes — of this time last year.
As soon as that realization dawned on the scientific community that mRNA vaccines for COVID-19 would not achieve this ultimate aim, mandates in any part of the world no longer made sense. If the truckers wish to risk their lives by not receiving what amounts to a pre-exposure therapeutic — to reduce symptoms at best — it should be their choice. Mandates are not, however, a valid public health pursuit because 2020 vaccines do not function to reduce viral load in infection, nor adequately block breakthrough risk given Omicron's 50+ mutations.
Too many people — including so-called experts — seem to fall behind the data and instead repeat news narratives, which they mistake for "the science". Dig into current studies and one will find plenty of reasons why citizens no longer wish to comply with vaccine mandates.
Those who work in media may wish to "fact check" away the unknowns but nonetheless they exist: mRNA vaccines did not exist for widespread application outside clinical settings and certainly not for use in coronaviruses prior to this pandemic. As long as we are breaking new ground in the vaccine arena it is vital to remain humble because we do not KNOW what we do not know about long term safety. Citizens must be permitted to make their own informed choices.
For those who doubt, consider a key question: If bodily autonomy is no longer defensible in a Western democracy, what human right is safe? Once citizens of Western nations reject basic assumptions about how life in a "free society" works, we have reached the end of an era, having surrendered our way of life to a virus that appears to have "escaped" a PRC-controlled Chinese research lab. If our respective leaders have their wits about them, they will stop before they — we — regret these self-inflicted mortal wounds upon democracy.
Well put. Are you writing on substack?
Thank you. I should write for substack. I have a blog at socialcritic.us, which Google doesn't index.
This has not ever been about the science OR the medicine. The absolute silence of the media on this event, here in the US, is proof that these maneuvers are about power. And always have been.