I have read many opinions and listened to many people over the last few months concerning COVID-19 vaccination. Some people see no real justification for not taking the vaccines and many go even further and support mandating of the vaccine. Some of these persons are quick to dismiss others who are reluctant to take the COVID-19 vaccine and describe them as selfish, unthinking, insane, among other unflattering adjectives.
But I can’t just dismiss those who do not wish to take a vaccine, especially those vaccines that use the new technology involving placing DNA instructions into the body to cause cells to produce the spike protein of the corona virus. This technology is used in the AstraZeneca, Johnson and Johnson, Moderna and Pfizer vaccines.
Clearly these vaccines work in the short term! and the short-term side effects of the vaccines appear to be worth the short-term benefits. For the most part, I buy these arguments. Let us accept that the vaccines work in the short term. Many people have accepted that after having followed the reports around the world about how the vaccines have thus far contributed to a reduction in deaths and severe illness from COVID-19 and some people have decided to take a COVID-19 vaccine based on these short-term observations, so let us all acknowledge that remaining vaccine hesitancy is not mostly about the short-term efficacy of the vaccines or short-term side effects. Yet many who are currently arguing for making the vaccine mandatory, point to these now mostly irrelevant issues related to misinformation concerning efficacy of the virus and the side effects and I suppose by “efficacy” they mean short-term efficacy although many appear to avoid arguments concerning long-term efficacy. This is perhaps dishonesty and I see that dishonesty displayed by many Caribbean leaders and others who argue for COVID-19 mandates. If it is not dishonesty, then it is intolerance or conceit – intolerance of the views of others and conceit or arrogance that they are right and others are wrong. I say intolerance because the jury is still out on the long-term efficacy of the vaccines and as a result there is no place for intolerance on that matter! This is a time for reasoning. People should not be forced to take a vaccine which they think could have severe long-term efficacy challenges when there is no scientific information to refute that. I have heard some argue that vaccines are such that if there are no adverse effects within a few months of use, then there is unlikely to be long-term adverse effects! That likely holds for vaccines that use traditional technology, but we can’t apply that to those vaccines that use the new technology. Where there is such doubt, it would be unethical to mandate a vaccine! There are credible arguments doubting the long-term efficacy of the vaccines that use the new technology. I have not been able to dismiss these arguments because there are no credible rebuttals to them in my view, and if anything, many of the professionals who encourage everyone to take the vaccines, including PAHO and WHO officials, appear not to raise the matter concerning the long-term efficacy, and perhaps they do so conveniently.
Now, all economies around the globe have been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and I understand the anxiety of governments to have this thing go away. The lock downs have affected the bottom lines of many businesses. Many are of the view that the only way for economies and businesses to return to normal is through mass vaccination! So, many businesses have already been requiring their employees to be vaccinated or else lose their jobs. Some Caribbean governments have already moved in that direction with respect to some categories of public workers and others will likely follow suit. But while I understand the predicament that the world is facing, I cannot support either businesses or governments making COVID-19 vaccines mandatory. Instead, I appeal for good senses to prevail. Governments should have totally honest discussions with their people and they should not conveniently withhold any information simple because they are anxious to boost their economies. Let people make their choices on this matter given where the science is at!
Dominicans, we must reject any attempt to mandate COVID-19 vaccines in Dominica but I encourage you to make an informed choice. If you take a risk, take it with your eyes wide open! But I, for one, will not let anyone force me into doing anything that I think has the potential to be detrimental to me or to the wider society. At this stage, I am inclined to take a COVID-19 vaccine that uses traditional technology – that is a vaccine that uses an inactivated corona virus to train the body’s own immune system to react. Meanwhile I am following all the COVID-19 protocols and I am boosting my immune system. Let us continue the discussion next week.
Yes DNO again you deleted my comment as in many other articles. Tanto Tanto.
Continue Hmmmmmm.
I do not know why but I guess you still moderating.
Have a blessed afternoon DNO.
The good Lord help you to do the correct thing.
I am watching, questioning etc.
ADMIN: From what we can see all your recent comments were approved. If you still do not see your comment try resubmitting it. You can also email [email protected] for further assistance.
“ADMIN: While there are DNA vaccines in development the vaccines such as the recently FDA approved pfizer vaccine uses RNA technology not DNA technology.”
Thanks admin; I hope you will print the brief submission I wrote in regards to the RNA virus which is the COVID-19 virus!
As I said Dominica is a place where even the most educated people most of the time allow themselves to be used unknowingly to spread false information; such as in this article presents. If I am an author disseminating information, and materials I know nothing about is handed to me; one of my first option should be to have it verified; rather than simply hang it out there; only to allow people who knows about the subject loses confidence in following comments.
You know I got a couple of thumbs on what wrote; truth is I am educated in the science; my comments can be used as text book material, but the know not nothing can’t debate me
So, yesterday I wrote some comments on DNO regarding the authors commentary; I don’t know if my comments would be printed; I shed some light on the nonsense the author wrote regarding “DNA.”
I noted the vaccines went into use due to the emergency, and was under review awaiting full approval ; well as of today Monday the 23rd of August we have the following:
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. gave full approval to Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine on Monday, a milestone that may help lift public confidence in the shots as the nation battles the most contagious coronavirus mutant yet.The vaccine made by Pfizer and its partner BioNTech now carries the strongest endorsement from the Food and Drug Administration, which has never before had so much evidence to judge a shot’s safety. More than 200 million Pfizer doses already have been administered in the U.S. — and hundreds of millions more worldwide — since emergency use began in December.
“The public can be very confident that this vaccine…
Con:
“The public can be very confident that this vaccine meets the high standards for safety, effectiveness and manufacturing quality the FDA requires of an approved product,” said acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock. “Today’s milestone puts us one step closer to altering the course of this pandemic in the U.S.”
Thoughtful post, but what exactly is the efficacy argument being made here? That vaccines made the traditional way are guaranteed to have greater long term efficacy? What would be the basis for that assertion? And what would make long term efficacy a critical question, if the goal is preventing the overburdening of the health care system (not to mention decreasing avoidable suffering) in the near term? A global loss of trust in the health care establishment seems to be at the heart of this vaccine debacle. It may well be that in the inordinate amount of time spent on this debate, the virus’ mutations significantly changed the conversation we SHOULD be having. What is critical now is a serious attempt to rebuild that trust, by doctors leveling with the public like the adults they are and by the public accepting that Google/YouTube are no substitute for verified medical credentials and scientific consensus. A mandate cannot mend that 2-way street, but it just might shatter the bridge.
I wish someone out of Dominica would detail what is the traditional way to create, develop, and manufacture a vaccine!
This the following in quotation marks is public information; it is not my brain child:
” The discovery and research phase is normally two-to-five years, according to the Wellcome Trust. In total, a vaccine can take more than 10 years to fully develop and costs up to $500 million, the UK charity says. And even established vaccines aren’t universal.”
There are lots of viruses out there for which there are no vaccines. Lets take the common cold as an i.e.; it could take forever to find a vaccine for a common cold, if there was any such thing as a traditional way to develop a vaccine, why that method is not used to find a vaccine for a common cold?
Maybe I am dumb, and could be wrong, but I majored in Health Science, even if I did not graduate with a medical degree; but boy I sorry for Dominica!
“But I can’t just dismiss those who do not wish to take a vaccine, especially those vaccines that use the new technology involving placing DNA instructions into the body to cause cells to produce the spike protein of the corona virus.”
I wonder when will some Dominicans stop making the rest of the world laugh at us; due to the crap we talk; and the nonsense we write:
The author of that in the quote above do not know what he/she is talking about, that person doesn’t seem to know anything about human biology, nor anatomy which is a branch of science concerned with the bodily structure of humans or anything relating to health science.
This person is talking about replacing DNA?
That alone tells one they do not know what they are talking about because DNA as fare as I know that person would first have to unravel double-stranded helix but as usual it takes a Dominican to do that.
Con:
In cells the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is double-stranded; the configuration of the DNA molecule resembles a ladder in which the sides are the sugar-phosphate backbones, which are antiparallel; they run in opposite direction, and the rungs are hydrogen-bonded complementary bases; thus, the entire sequence along the two strands are complementary.
The whole structure is twisted so that the two strands form a double helix.
Once before each cell division a group of proteins splits the two strands apart, and as complementary nucleotides bond to the bases of each strand they are joined to form a new strand; through a process called replication, which results in the exact duplication of the DNA molecule, because each strand serves as a template; a “pattern” for the synthesis of its complementary strand.
When the cell divides, one copy goes to each daughter cell; hence; the genetic information is passed on from generation to generation without change except for very…
Con:
(hence; the genetic information is passed on from generation to generation without change except for very …) rare mutations, which results from copying errors or incorrect repaired breaks in the DNA molecule that change the base sequence.
The garbage written in his commentary makes no sense; because our personal genetic code is in our DNA; the reading of the genetic code involves two processes which are ” transcription; and transcription.” In transcription, a length of DNA is used again as a template to make a complementary strand of strand of messenger RNA (mRNA).
COVID-19 is an RNA Virus: RNA (ribonucleic acid) is a nucleic acid like DNA; the only differences are that the sugar, ribose, has an extra atom, the pyrimidine base, uracil (U), which also pairs with a adenine replaces thymine. In translation, the mRNA molecule is read by a structure called a ribosome, which produces the polypeptide specified by the mRNA message.
Right here I shall not get into…
“transcription; and transcription.” In transcription, a length of DNA is used again as a template to make a complementary strand of strand of messenger RNA (mRNA).”
So, let me correct an error in the above:
“transcription; and transcription.”
That should actually be; ” the reading of the genetic code involves two processes; transcription, and “translation.” In transcription, a length of DNA is used as a template to make a complementary strand of messenger RNA (mRNA).
Now; in translation, the mRNA molecule is read by a structure called a ribosome, which produces the polypeptide specified by the mRNA message. The genetic code is a triplet code; every triplet of bases along the strand specifies a single amino acid.
There are 64 possible triplets that can be formed from the four bases; each one specifies that one of 20 different amino acids be inserted in a growing polypeptide chain, or marks either the start or the end of a chain.
That’s it: no need to…
Young and in the Belgian army I took all my vaccines but they were not creating variants and plenty side effects. When you start to understand that your country is not managed by your politicians but politicians submitted to the world heath organisation that sabotage everything in the name of money. Bill gates in power, all the very rich families, bankers are shareholders of the company making the vaccines. I don’t want to obey knowing that cheap remedies are there to fix you and low amount of people are dying from the covid.
Total nonsense; who told you Bill Gates, and other rich people are involved in the development of the vaccines; do some research on the Pharmaceutical companies involved and see if Gates name is on any of the companies involved; one of which has an operation in Belgium.
From the Wall Steet Journal: The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has purchased shares in nine big pharmaceutical companies valued at nearly $205 million — an investment likely to attract attention more for its symbolism than its size.
Only took 5 seconds to find this. I am sure further research would turn up a lot more.
The whole world is at war with this invisible enemy called Covid-19 virus. During times of war governments decree that certain things must be and no one is permitted to violate these directives and not face repercussions. This enemy is attacking on two fronts viz the citizens and the economy. Governments have a responsibility to do what’s necessary to stabilize the situation. How dare you suggest that those of us who have taken the “risk” to try and hold the virus at bay must expose ourselves to the selfish ones who choose not be vaccinated? At this point it’s a pandemic of the unvaccinated because even if the vaccinated get the virus they are less likely to die from it. Then what about those who won’t even wear a mask to mitigate spread of the enemy. Those who want to exercise their right not to be vaccinated fly on aircrafts which we know have risk of major catastrophe and loss of life despite modern advances in aviation. The reluctant have little ground to stand on.
Why can’t Skerrit and his ministers speak to and reason with the people in the manner you do? My opinion some are leaders, others are simply lacking.
Because people have turned this issue into a political football. At what stage does the needs of the many outweigh the anxiety of the few. How can we ever get a handle on the pandemic when a segment of the population believe all this crap that they read on the internet by people who have no scientific background. The world is in crisis. Are we as humans willing to save humanity by letting go of our selfishness and lack of empathy for one another? Think my people. Think.
U know what I want – statistics of death, ailments prior to the pandemic. probably using 2017 or earlier by ailments. It would appear that every death now is recorded as a covid death. No underlying sicknesses anymore. Investigate more about the one in Dominica too. If she had underlying conditions, why was she not made to quarantine home, close to PMH instead of Portsmouth? Now, this is not covid death. We have to identify whether she is fully vaccinated too. We must be truthful and not to use the young lady’s death to scare people. Another point to note the elderly are ok too. People dying but do have their underlying condition like cancer, sugar, old age, etc.,
Further investigations need to be done. Covid positive people are not given any medication as this is curable 99.9 %. they are only tested regularly and when they get negative are sent home. What is this – no treatment was given. Let us ask for wisdom. check for other conditions too 2 properly manage…
One of the absurdities being uttered by the pro-vaccine propagandists is that those who do not want to take the Covid vaccines are selfish.
Can anyone tell me what is it that the unvaccinated are refusing to share with the vaccinated that justifies them being branded as selfish by these pro-vaccine propagandists?
How can someone who is WISELY CAUTIOUS about putting into their body a vaccine for which no one at present can say what or if there are any medium or long-term side effects of that vaccine – a vaccine which does not prevent infection nor transmission of Covid – a vaccine which does not guarantee protection against serious illness or death – be considered as selfish by pro-vaccine proselytizers?
Here’s a thesis for a Phd candidate in Psychology to consider for their study:
Are persons who took the Covid-19 vaccines more likely to be those who are predisposed to being narcissistic, arrogant, condescending and egomaniacs?
@Channel 1, the scientific “facts” supporting the efficacy of the vaccines are there from credible sources for those who are sceptical yet they go fishing on YouTube and other places for fake news to convince themselves that their selfish positions are logical. Answer me this, if one of the hesitant ones or their loved ones get sick and requires a blood transfusion what will they do? Many people who have received the vaccines have donated blood so the foolish talk of conspiracy theories will go out the window if God forbid there is an urgent need to receive blood. When one isn’t really hungry they can bloviate about I’m not eating this nor that. Really hungry humans have had to eat other humans when they were very hungry and there wasn’t any alternative. Now that the Pfizer vaccine is authorized no longer “emergency use authorized”, they have no legs to stand on. I’m waiting to hear what they will do if there is an emergency requiring blood transfusion? I hope Mr Vital can…
Your article is an interesting read and brings up some good points. This said it misses a bigger picture. I as a vaccinated person should be allowed to associate with others that are vaccinated. If I ran a business, a bar, a bus, an airline company, I should be allowed to post a sign “no unvacinated allowed”. I should have the rite to only hire vaccinated persons, thats my “free will”.
It is rather obvious that the larger world will end up with some version of a vacine passport. This passport will allow the vaccinated to move more freely. So while I don’t object to the notion of “free choice”, it should be abundantly clear that free choice has consequences. The majority (those that have been vacinated) have every right to discriminate against those that are exercising thier “free choice”.
Let’s take this further, should we have 2 separate infrastructures. Should the unvacinated be allowed to jam up the hospitals or should the vaccinated expect service as well? Who…
I like this commentary. In my view, it was very balanced…. It’s now up to the reader to decide!!!
Very reasoned arguments Mr. Vital. I also took the vaccine and made sure the vaccine was made in the traditional manner.
Mark; I don’t want to make it appear as if I am picking on you; it might not be too much for me to ask you what is the traditional way to make a vaccine?
All viruses are not the same, therefore there cannot be a standard way to produce any vaccine!
However; the most common way that flu vaccines are made is using an egg-based manufacturing process; that has been used for more than 70 years.
Egg-based vaccine manufacturing is used to make both inactivated “killed” vaccine usually called the “flu shot;” and live attenuated (weakened) vaccine (usually called the “nasal spray flu vaccine”).
I don’t know where Vidal got his information; nevertheless, it is a dangerous thing for people to reproduced what they hear or read what people with no scientific knowledge write.
This guy is talking about DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid; which contains human genetic codes: something it appears doesn’t know about; this guy is not a medical scientist, who is his medical science…
Look at this Mark!
“The fact that shots available in the United States—made by Pfizer and BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson (J&J)—have been authorized on an emergency basis but have yet to be fully approved. Antivaccine activists, talk show hosts, and far-right politicians have made the vaccines’ “experimental” nature a talking point.”
Full approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) could help win over skeptics, says Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease physician at the University of California, San Francisco. “
It means something to people for it to be approved,” she says.
“It just seems like the simplest, easiest thing we could be doing right now.”
My point here is this; If the vaccines are not fully approved yet by the American FDA, because they are still under review, but because there were no alternative was allowed to be utilized because of this emergency; thank God they work; where Vidal got his scientific information?
All he talking about…
What? A covid-19 vaccine? Face palm emoji. People like you people will want to listen to to make “informed” decisions.
This commentary is as sensible as anything I have read on the vaccine debate.
I might add: eighteen months ago there was talk of a ”new normal”. That I would have welcomed, for in many respects the ”old normal” was way beyond its sell by date. However, it now seems that the ”new normal” will be just a rehashing of the ”old normal” and as such we are destined to make the same mistakes all over again.
Eighteen months ago Dominica – a small island with limited access and the potential for self-sufficiency – could have been the envy of the rest of the world. But alas, we blew it!
Kent (I beg your indulgence to use your first name)
There is a lot in your post to disagree with – there are not enough characters allowed in the reply to list them all – but the biggest issue I have with it is your blurring of the lines between what has to be answered by science, and what which is clearly conjecture. You cannot seriously be arguing that a vaccine mandate be unethical because a vaccine has been created from ‘new technology’. Since when does time in and of itself provide evidence of efficacy or even safety (which are the only bases upon which the ethicality of a mandate should sit). Health officials and by extension the country’s leadership have to make a decision on whether our health system is going to survive Covid induced stress if they allow vaccination levels to plateau at too low a level. If, based of the scientific information available , the conclusion is that it will not, then they have a DUTY to mandate. Dereliction of that duty is surely not an option.
The government does not have a duty to decide for me, or anyone for that matter, what medical procedures are applied to my body. What ever happened to my body, my choice? Are you suggesting that the government can at their whim and fancy force me to be injected with an experimental drug? I can read the scientific literature as well as any government minister or health professional and do a risk-benefit analysis of said experimental drug. Some of us are still looking for reparations from the colonial masters. I do not have any masters who own my body and therefore get to decide what is done to it without my consent. If you are still enslaved, be it mentally or physically, please do not presume the same for me.
Seriously? Imagine telling medical professionals who took care of COVID patients for more than a year, that in order for them to feed their families they have to have a vaccine that is brand new and no one can tell them the long term side effects. Imagine doctors and nurses who are breastfeeding, pregnant or trying to get pregnant and have no idea if this will affect their baby, but officials are telling them they do not have a choice. Imagine someone who has gotten COVID twice, and recovered in three days like it was nothing, but then being told that they have no choice but to take a vaccine. Does that seem ethical to you? Imagine the same people who say my body my choice, now saying you really don’t have a choice when it comes to the jab! You really don’t see what’s going on here? Go read the Book of Revelations!
There is 100% proof you can still get covid after the vaccine. British health officials stated 40% of in hospital covid patients were 100% vaccinated, thats almost half. That means that you are almost as likely to be hospitalized in the UK for covid with the vaccine as without. This is FACT.
Research studies show that those that have already had covid have antibodies, more so than those a vaccine can give. This is FACT
Less than 400 people under 18 have died of covid. Of that 400 ALL had underlying health issues. This is FACT.
I could go on about reasons not to FORCE …… into a persons body with ZERO, yes we have ZERO proof of long term effects, this is FACT.
ADMIN: We wish to encourage discussion on this forum based on factual evidence.
At the same time, there is also an incredible amount of false and harmful information circulating about COVID-19 and the available vaccines in particular.
In order to have your comment published in the future, you need to provide the source for your claim. For example: “Less than 400 people under 18 have died of COVID.” Where is the source for this information and in which country? The comment was published ,in this instance, as we have found some indication that this figure may be applicable to the United States..
“There is 100% proof you can still get covid after the vaccine.”
Health officials have never claimed that the vaccine was 100% effective at preventing infection. This article from the Guardian (a long standing and independent global news organization) may help provide useful and factual guidance for those seeking some clarification. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/22/rates-of-double-jabbed-people-in-hospital-will-grow-but-that-does-not-mean-covid-vaccines-are-failing
@Admin, on what basis and where is his facts that the vaccine is a poison?
ADMIN: Thank you for pointing that out. We apologize as that was a regrettable oversight on our part.
Regardless if people think they are good or bad, the current facts do not support the idea that the available vaccines are anything more than vaccines.
So when the vaccines were originally released they were boasting 90+ % efficacy in preventing you from contracting or spreading the disease. Now they have been forced to admit that the vaccine doesn’t do that but rather prevents you from being severely ill and being hospitalized or dieing.
They blame it on the “variants” but surely these “experts” should have known that viruses always produces variants which is why the flu vaccine is a yearly thing. We already know that this vaccine has no long term efficacy because they are already talking about booster shots and the possiblity that they will have to be taken yearly.
So considering that this vaccine does not work as they advertised it and that there are documented side effects of this RNA treatment (which is what it is in reality), how can they possibly justify mandating it? Even if it did work as intended the mandate would still be unethical because no government can force you to take anything that alters your body.
ADMIN: While there are DNA vaccines in development the vaccines such as the recently FDA approved pfizer vaccine uses RNA technology not DNA technology.
Calibishie Warrior, I totally agree with you, that guy; I don’t know where; or who gave him such information, but I am sure some first year Health Science Majors are laughing at that guy!
@Calibishie Warrior, I am with you here!
These people are just not willing to encourage the people of Dominica to become vaccinated against this deadly virus. It is all about their political views, which is not necessary at a crucial time like this.
I personally, do not see how “mandate” for taking the Corvid -19 vaccine is some kind of forcing people. Forcing is like holding a gun at someone’s head to do as is commanded or else.
But with the Law, people have their free will ability but they should be prepared to suffer the consequences of their choice.
God is not holding a gun at anyone’s head to abide by His Laws? But those who do not will know His judgments at His appointed time. The same is for those who will not abide by the rules against this deadly virus.
Kent Vidal is speaking against his own political party, as headed by Bernard Hurtault, who is willing to work with the Government for the good of the people–how unfortunate!
Are you aware more than 60% of health officials, nurses and doctors, in Dominica haven’t taken the vaccine? The same goes for all Caribbean countries and in many Western countries. There is no consensus or overwhelming majority of doctors or scientists promoting this, only those who are allowed to promote the agenda.
People say believe the science are the same people saying there are more than 2 genders. Are there an infinite amount of genders?
Also, aren’t you aware that every year there are dozens of FDA approved drugs being recalled for side effects not foreseen during testing, which usually takes a minimum 7 years. All of a sudden, science is so advance that 6 months we can produce a …produced vaccine with no side effects. Are we being serious? Are we giving in to fear mongering and propaganda?
Let sane heads prevail, a vaccine without 90% approval/ acceptance within a society shouldn’t be mandatory.
I beg to differ regarding knowledge of long term efficacy. There are countries like Israel already giving a third booster shot. Why do they need boosters if not due to the waning “protection” of the vaccines? Very few bring up what some of the world’s top scientists, Luc Montagnier, just to name one, have expressed concern over. They are very concerned about the dangerous consequences of mass vaccination during a pandemic. The very real concern about antibody dependent enhancement (ADE). The development of more harmful strains within vaccinated individuals. Already, there are new fears concerning delta, lambda and epsilon variants.
Thank you. All I want is a vaccine with the inactivated virus which would then train and show my immune system how to recognize and fight it. This is the case with MMR, Smallpox, chicken pox meningitis, yellow fever ( which I have taken).
I am not against vaccines but this INJECTION is not that. Plus the way they want to shove it down our throats, leaves alot to be answered.
Make an informed choice for yourselves.