Michael Abrahams | Some unanswered questions about COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has been plaguing us for over three years. During this time, measures such as vaccination have helped to prevent the sequelae of infection with the virus from being even more catastrophic than it has been. However, I am very concerned about some of the actions and inactions of several persons and organisations charged with managing our health during the pandemic, and I have several questions.

WHY WAS NATURAL IMMUNITY DOWNPLAYED?

Natural immunity is the protection acquired from exposure to a disease organism through infection with the actual disease. It was discovered during the pandemic that people who contract COVID-19 develop some degree of natural immunity following infection. More recently, in February 2023, The Lancet, one of the most respected medical journals, published the most comprehensive study to date on natural immunity. The researchers examined 65 studies from 19 countries. They found that for people who have been infected at least once before, natural immunity against severe disease was strong and long-lasting for all variants.

So why was the value of natural immunity downplayed even though it was known to offer some protection? Why were people coerced to get vaccinated even when recently infected? Many persons who had a history of recent infection, but were not vaccinated, were dismissed from their jobs and restricted from entering certain buildings, attending events, or travelling to particular countries. Health includes physical, mental, and social well-being, but these restrictions significantly and unnecessarily affected the mental and social well-being of many. So why were these actions taken?

WHY NOT EMPHASISE OTHER MEASURES?

COVID-19 vaccines help the body to mount an immune response to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the disease, and by doing so, have saved many lives. But there are also other factors that can affect the body’s response to the infection. For example, multiple studies in peer-reviewed journals have shown that physical inactivity, being overweight or obese, and having vitamin D deficiency increase the risk of severe morbidity should you contract COVID-19. Making people aware of these facts could save lives as the above-mentioned factors can be addressed in persons at risk, reducing the likelihood of them becoming very ill if they become infected. So why aren’t global health entities and mainstream media putting this information on blast?

WHY ATTACKS ON IVERMECTIN?

During the pandemic, several studies found the drug Ivermectin to be of value in fighting COVID-19. On the other hand, other studies found the drug to be of little or no value. Ivermectin has an excellent safety profile. It may or may not work, but it is unlikely to cause harm. To date, there is no widely available, affordable, and effective anti-viral to be used by persons diagnosed with COVID-19 to help them recover.

So even if you think the jury is still out on the drug, why vilify, mock, and ridicule it and the people who prescribe it and those who take it? It is a fact that outlandish claims have been made about it being a miracle drug, that some have promoted its use instead of getting vaccinated, and that some people have taken animal-grade preparations of the drug in dangerously high doses, and these are genuine causes for concern. But why have some doctors who have prescribed doses that are not unsafe for humans, in an effort to save lives, been punished? Why has mainstream media, and even the Food and Drug Administration, fed into and spread the narrative that Ivermectin is a horse dewormer when it is well-known that about four billion doses of the drug have been administered to humans over the past forty years for infestations such as filariasis, onchocerciasis, head lice, and the skin condition rosacea?

WHY THE CENSORSHIP?

Censorship during the pandemic has been off the chain. Persons expressing genuine concerns about COVID-19 vaccines and even making factual statements have been censored. For example, studies on both sides of the Atlantic have shown an association between COVID-19 vaccination and changes in menstrual cycles. I went on Twitter and shared the information. The tweet was, “Ladies, just a heads up. If you get vaccinated for COVID-19, you may experience abnormal bleeding afterwards.”

That was a statement of fact. However, Twitter blocked me until I took the tweet down, telling me I was spreading “misinformation that could cause harm”. And I am not the only victim of draconian censorship. There are countless examples of persons, including accomplished physicians and scientists, who have been silenced for simply speaking the truth about vaccine-adverse effects. Why shut people down for being honest?

WHY NOT TELL WOMEN ABOUT POSSIBLE MENSTRUAL CYCLE DISTURBANCE FOLLOWING COVID-19 VACCINATION?

As mentioned above, menstrual cycle changes following the jab is an adverse effect that has been well documented. However, some major health authorities do not share this information with women. For example, when I visited the World Health Organization website and looked up the side effects of the COVID-19 vaccines, this side effect was not listed. Why would they not do this? Don’t women have a right to know about the possibility of this happening to them and prepare themselves mentally before being vaccinated?

WHAT IS THE PRIMARY AGENDA?

The reluctance to highlight factors other than vaccination that would offer additional protection against morbidity from infection, the bastardisation of a drug with an excellent track record of safety, the censorship, and the failure to adequately warn women of a side effect that may affect them are unsettling to me. When these actions are observed and reflected on, it is not unreasonable to wonder whether the primary agenda of some health and governmental entities is saving lives or getting as many needles into arms as possible. And if it is the latter, what is the reason for that?

Michael Abrahams is an obstetrician and gynaecologist, social commentator and human-rights advocate. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and michabe_1999@hotmail.com, or follow him on Twitter @mikeyabrahams.