Fear over post-vaccination deaths

 

Last week, I received a message via WhatsApp from several friends that a deputy director-general of the health ministry by the name of Dr Chua had died soon after getting a Pfizer booster shot.

I believe the message was widely shared by many Malaysians.

It turns out that there is no deputy director-general of health by the name of Chua. It also turns out that whoever originally posted the message got the name and designation wrong. Which again shows us the need to verify the facts.

However, a senior principal assistant director at the health ministry by the name of Dr Chai Koh Meow did die eight days after getting a booster jab.

Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, on Nov 18, clarified that Chai had a booster shot on Nov 9 and died on Nov 17. Chai did not report any extraordinary side effects.

Urging the public not to speculate, Noor Hisham said the ministry was investigating the cause of the death. The fact is, people will continue to speculate so long as some people die soon after getting vaccinated for Covid-19 – whether there is a connection or not.

Although health authorities everywhere have brushed off as baseless claims about deaths resulting from Covid-19 vaccines, fear remains among a section of people everywhere, not just in Malaysia.

When we hear of young or supposedly healthy people collapsing and dying suddenly of a heart attack or brain stroke soon after getting a Covid-19 jab, of course we will be alarmed.
Even doctors are concerned about the side-effects of the vaccines. For instance, on Feb 28, a group of doctors wrote to Emer Cooke, executive director of the European Medicines Agency in The Netherlands, about their concerns.

Among other things, they said: “We note that a wide range of side effects is being reported following vaccination of previously healthy younger individuals with the gene-based Covid-19 vaccines. Moreover, there have been numerous media reports from around the world of care homes being struck by Covid-19 within days of vaccination of residents.

“While we recognise that these occurrences might happen, every one of them, have been unfortunate coincidences, we are concerned that there has been and there continues to be inadequate scrutiny of the possible causes of illness or death under these circumstances, and especially so in the absence of post-mortem examinations.”

In June, a meeting of the advisory committee on immunisation practices, a panel of expert advisers to the US’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), agreed that mRNA vaccines were likely linked to cases of myocarditis and pericarditis. However, they said the benefits of vaccination outweighed the risks.

In saying the benefits outweigh the risks, the CDC and other health authorities are admitting there are risks. This risk stares us in the face when we are told to sign consent forms agreeing to take responsibility for the vaccination. That adds to the fear.

We have read news reports or heard of people suffering from cardiac arrest, cerebral venous thrombosis and stroke soon after being vaccinated, although these may not have been caused by the vaccine administered. Some countries even suspended or limited certain vaccines following research reports of serious adverse effects.

According to the CDC, as of Nov 10, more than 16 million doses of the Johnson&Johnson/Janssen Covid-19 vaccine had been given in the US. It has identified 50 confirmed reports of people who got this vaccine who later developed thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS), “including five confirmed reports of death”.

The CDC said reports of death after Covid-19 vaccination were rare. “More than 442 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines were administered in the United States from December 14, 2020, through November 15, 2021. During this time, VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System) received 9,810 reports of death (0.0022%) among people who received a Covid-19 vaccine. FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) requires healthcare providers to report any death after Covid-19 vaccination to VAERS, even if it’s unclear whether the vaccine was the cause.

“Reports of adverse events to VAERS following vaccination, including deaths, do not necessarily mean that a vaccine caused a health problem. A review of available clinical information, including death certificates, autopsy, and medical records has not established a causal link to Covid-19 vaccines.

“However, recent reports indicate a plausible causal relationship between the Johnson&Johnson/Janssen Covid-19 vaccine and TTS, a rare and serious adverse event that causes blood clots with low platelets, which has caused 5 deaths.”

I’m not aware of Malaysian health authorities releasing similar reports on the adverse effects of vaccines.

What Malaysian authorities need to do is be more transparent and to continue educating the public that, right now, being vaccinated is the best course of action.

They should investigate every case of suspected or alleged death after vaccination and inform us of the truth of the matter.

I believe the main reason people share news about deaths and vaccinations is that, deep down, they are seeking some assurance; or they hope that least someone will point out whether it’s true or not.

I don’t believe anyone is out to intentionally scare anyone else by sharing such messages.

The authorities should not threaten members of the public who don’t wish to be vaccinated. They should rather educate by quoting research, such as that by Public Health England, which indicates that the risk of death for those who have had two doses of vaccines decreases by about 20-fold against unvaccinated people with the same underlying risk profile.

The truth of the matter is that members of the public have no recourse but to rely on the government to act responsibly and transparently – and to respond swiftly – to keep us safe from possible harm or death caused by diseases such as Covid-19, and also from the vaccines and treatment for these diseases. - FMT

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.