Medical experts call for probe of Covid-19 vaccine

Court action launched by three non-profit companies

MEDICAL experts, scientists and rights groups have called on the government to halt its Covid-19 vaccination campaign immediately, citing devastating side-effects among patients.

They accused the government, in court documents, of disregarding the wellbeing of millions of people by driving Covid-19 vaccination programmes, in spite of not properly investigating the efficacy and safety of the vaccines.

They claimed that authorities ignored people who suffered debilitating side effects, harassed outspoken medics and were engaged in data scrubbing and other irregularities to water down the impact the jabs had on South Africans.

The Covid Care Alliance, Transformative Health Justice (THJ) and Free the Children, three non-profit companies, have filed a case on an urgent basis, in the Pretoria High Court this month.

President Cyril Ramaphosa, Health Minister Dr Joe Phaala, his department’s acting director, Dr Nicholas Crisp, the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) and Treasury have been listed as the respondents.

The applicants said coupled with the findings that have emerged and their “conscience”, in addition to the doctors who have taken their Hippocratic Oath, they could not keep silent on a “life and death” issue like Covid-19 vaccines.

Around February last year, 70 doctors endorsed the THJ’S letter to SAHPRA and the Department of Health, (DOH), outlining their concerns. THJ now has the support of nearly 200 doctors.

Shabnam Mohamed, the founder of THJ, who filed an affidavit on behalf of it said they launched an independent Covid-19 shot reporting platform (SA Vaccine Adverse Events Report System, an independent, public interest body) in May 2021, and, via its various electronic platforms, received 1097 reports from families of deceased or people with Covid-19 vaccine injuries.

The platforms gave victims and survivors a voice and enhanced transparency through their questionnaire, Mohamed said.

The survey’s youngest participant was 13 and the oldest 96. Some of the other findings were 6 244 negative vaccine effects, including 494 deaths.

She said Dr Jessica Rose, a Canadian researcher, analysed the SA VAERS and noticed “severe underreporting of adverse effects from vaccines”.

Mohamed said the higher prevalence of underreporting was due to illness, lack of awareness, mistrust in government systems, many South Africans were poor, and might not have access to data, electricity and smartphones.

She noticed that July 2021 was the last occasion that the DOH released mortality data to the public.

Usually, vaccine development took 10 years before it reached the production and distribution stage, but Mohamed said the jabs were in use after 10 months.

“Four local children, under the age of five, were unlawfully and recklessly injected, and sanctioned and promoted by the respondents. The respondents have no genuine interest in or control over the safety of children or adults. Instead of listening to ethical doctors, they listen to their funders.

She said it seemed like SAHPRA were “covering up such cases” by “fudging” statistical data.

“The respondents cannot be trusted with approving, injecting, monitoring babies, children and adults with the experimental injections,” she said.

Mohamed was wary that some pharmaceutical companies had allegations of corrupt practices hanging over their heads and suggested a commission of inquiry be convened into issues raised by the applicants.

Stephanus de Wet Oosthuizen, a Tongaat-based doctor with 45 years of experience and a member of the Covid Care Alliance, submitted an affidavit.

He said a key objective for the court action was to compel the respondents to conduct a joint, detailed investigation (including the applicants’ nominated experts) into the medical and scientific safety of the Covid-19 vaccines.

He said investigations would give insight into the “rare medical conditions” witnessed by him and various doctors around the country when consulting people vaccinated for Covid-19.

Oosthuizen was puzzled by analysis of blood samples of vaccinated people showing “concerning changes” to its structure, which experts cannot explain.

Medical conditions that came upon “young and healthy” people, and death in some instances, startled Oosthuizen In praying for an urgent interim order, which would benefit millions of people, Oosthuizen said they hoped it would result in the respondents ceasing and desisting from promoting Covid-19 vaccines as safe and effective.

Vincent Magwenya, spokesperson to the president, and Yuven Gounden, the SAHPRA’S spokesperson, said they could not comment on a court matter.

Foster Mohale, the Doh’s spokesperson said they would respond legally and clearly state their case.

“Anyone with allegations should provide evidence,” said Mohale.