From virus to vaccine: A journey of misinformation
Once upon a time there was a bat some dude may have eaten (or some human-to-bat contact) that unleashed a terrible plague on humanity in the year 2020. While humanity fought to control this plague, a group of the misinformed, preaching bombastic nonsense, threatened to plunge the world into further madness. It was only through the accomplishments in medicine and science that the world was brought back to its senses.
In the beginning, muddling technocrats insisted that 5G radio waves were the cause of this plague, officially designated SARS-COV-2. Such a claim was, of course, absurd. The novel coronavirus which causes the disease COVID-19 is just that, a virus. While 5G is just radio waves.
Some ‘wise’ people bought all the toilet paper available; enough to clean 500 yards — you know what? That’s a lot of wiping. One survivalist, anticipating a long period of quarantine, told CNN, “If we run out of toilet paper, what do we replace it with?” An Australian newspaper immediately rose to the occasion, printing eight extra pages to serve as emergency toilet paper. Ouch!
An unwise king, thinking he was wise, going by the name Donald Trump, trumpeted that he had a master plan to trump the virus — bleach. He floated the idea of using disinfectant to treat COVID-19 patients. “Is there a way we can do something like that by injection inside, or almost a cleaning?” he asked publicly.
Where is God? Diseases were regarded as a divine judgement; like sending plagues against Egyptians refusing to free the Jews. “The virus is a judgement to bring us back to fall in love with God,” said the clergyman acknowledged to be the wisest of men. If they fail to be rational, what hope is there for us lesser mortals? And, alas, there have been times when their wisdom has not been very obvious. “God is telling humanity to change its ways,” is the message that twothirds of Americans believe.
Vaccines are finally here. Injecting a foreign substance into your body (not bleach) can be disconcerting. Almost no one questions the efficacy of the vaccine, but all is concerned about its safety. Is it safe? Let’s look at the evidence. The manufacture of a vaccine undergoes three clinical trials involving several thousands of volunteers. National regulators and the World Health Organization (WHO) oversee and evaluate these trials for safety, side effects, dosage, etc.
One concern is, because the vaccines were developed quickly, are they safe and effective? Many organisations were involved, backed by enormous funding. Furthermore, because MRNA (messenger RNA [ribonucleic acid]) technology has been around for at least a decade, it was relatively easy to formulate
The choice is clear. Either we allow millions to become infected with an additional million deaths before achieving herd immunity (slowly), or we quickly immunise; achieving herd immunity more quickly and with fewer deaths. The quicker we immunise, the quicker we will prevent replication. Viruses don’t mutate to become new strains and variants if they don’t replicate
the MRNA which was used by the two earliest-approved vaccines — Pfizer Biontech and Moderna — which encodes the spike protein (not the whole virus) of the coronavirus into the vaccine with a shorter development time. Traditional vaccines typically use a weakened version of the whole virus, which is technically more difficult.
Another belief is that the vaccine changes our DNA, in effect changing our genes. The vaccine does not enter the nucleus, where the DNA is located, and therefore there is no interaction.
Injections always seem to create fear and outrageous claims in the minds of people. Some claim that the vaccines contain toxins — a reminder of the debased conspiracy that vaccines cause autism. EX-US President Donald Trump celebrated that the vaccine is a victory, but years ago repeated the false claim that vaccines can cause autism.
On the subject of injection, being a medical doctor, I have noticed big, strong, ‘brave’ men often panicking at the sight of a needle, while frail elderly ladies would insist on having an injection. Simply put, a triumph of brains (rationality) over brawn. Firemen, soldiers, and police officers, take note!
The choice is clear. Either we allow millions to become infected with an additional million deaths before achieving herd immunity (slowly), or we quickly immunise; achieving herd immunity more quickly and with fewer deaths. The quicker we immunise, the quicker we will prevent replication. Viruses don’t mutate to become new strains and variants if they don’t replicate.
Enough misinformation, here are are the facts. Tweaking the immune system with vaccines eradicated the scourge of smallpox and virtually eradicated polio, measles, diphtheria, etc, from large regions of the planet. Vaccines, unlike antimicrobials (antibiotics and antivirals), which are more effective in treating existing infections, not only prevent and protect individuals from becoming infected, but also control the spread of a disease throughout a population.
Man is a rational animal, or so I have been told, although recent events seem to indicate the contrary. Credulous animal as he is, he must believe something. In the absence of good grounds for beliefs, he will be satisfied with bad ones.