Vaccine makers shielded from all liability as adverse reactions pile up

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a “Health Impact Event” means that someone is “unable to perform normal daily activities, unable to work, required care from doctor or health care professional”. The information was revealed by Dr. Thomas Clark, a CDC epidemiologist on the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, an independent panel that provides recommendations to the CDC.

Incidentally, the mRNA vaccines must be given twice, and the interval between the two doses is about three weeks. So one has a double risk of side effects.

At least five healthcare workers in Alaska experienced adverse reactions after getting the Pfizer vaccine, the Anchorage Daily News reported. One recipient, a nurse at the Bartlett Regional Hospital required emergency treatment for at least two nights.

An Illinois hospital halted vaccinations after four workers suffered adverse reactions.

The Washington Post quoted doctor and study participant David Yamane. He reported chills and headaches and having been so tired that he fell asleep on the couch in the afternoon and only woke up the next day bathed in sweat. “These symptoms are no joke,” the medical professional told the newspaper.

The reported allergic reactions that occurred in some are even more dangerous. They can show up in the form of rashes, but they can also cause shortness of breath and become life-threatening. It is believed that this reaction is caused by the nanoparticles in the lipid shell that surrounds the actual ingredient according to Dr. Peter Marks, the director of Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.

Four cases of facial paralysis also occurred when tested with the Biontech/Pfizer vaccine. The placebo group, i.e. those who received an ineffective injection instead of the vaccine, was not affected.

The most common short term – not long term – side effects that vaccine producer Moderna reported to the FDA were:

Injection site reaction in 91,6 percent of patients
Fatigue in 68,5 percent of patients
Headache in 63 percent of patients
Muscle pain in 59,6 percent of patients
Joint pain in 44,8 percent of patients
Chills in 43,4 percent of patients

Some have even argued that the Covid-19 vaccine could kill 8-16 times more senior Americans compared to no vaccine at all.

In October this year, US Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar said a countermeasures fund should cover injuries from Covid-19 vaccines, giving drug companies complete immunity from potential liability lawsuits.

But as the Wall Street Journal reported, the fund is not remedy for the American public. According to lawyers and vaccine experts, since it began processing claims, the fund has paid out $6 million on 29 claims, averaging $207 000 per person, compared with $585 000 on average per person for an older vaccine injury fund.

The new fund has an almost impossible threshold for proving a relationship between an injury and the vaccine, experts say. The newer fund also has a shorter statute of limitations, no avenue for appeals and does not pay damages for pain or suffering. It was set up in 2010 to cover harm resulting from vaccines for a flu pandemic, or drugs to treat an anthrax or Ebola outbreak.

In November, India and South Africa approached the World Trade Organization (WTO) to waive patent protections for Big Pharma’s vaccine roll-out. Both countries said they wanted to ensure that poor countries had equal access.

“There are several reports about intellectual property rights hindering or potentially hindering timely provisioning of affordable medical products,” India and South Africa maintained. They were backed by Pakistan, Argentina and Venezuela and many US nonprofit activists.

The Trump Administration’s Operation Warp Speed has spent more than $10 billion to advance vaccine clinical trials, manufacturing and distribution, according to the WSJ.