Mass Covid-19 Vaccinations of British citizens soon gets underway. What is your view on vaccinations? 12 Points for Reflection.

British government told UK citizens this week it has granted permission for Pfizer-BioNTech, a US-German pharmaceutical company, to provide mass vaccinations for Covid-19 for the country.

Citizens require two vaccinations with the second vaccination taking place three weeks after the first.  The vaccination will be effective a week after that, said Pfizer. The cost of a vaccination is £15.00 (€17.00) per dose.

The decision to sanction the use of the vaccine will be of little surprise, given the escalating numbers of infections in the country. Worldometer reported today (5.11.2020) the death toll in the UK from Covid-19 has reached 61,014 with over 1.7 million UK citizens infected in the past 10 months – according to death certificates and tests for infection.

UK has the highest number of deaths in Europe and the second highest number of infections.

The government has gone from one crisis after another throughout the epidemic including thousands of deaths in homes for the elderly, erratic contact tracing, unclear lockdown policies, devastated businesses on the high street, huge financial anxieties for millions and an epidemic of mental health issues from stress, despair to domestic violence.

The government hopes that the entire population will agree to vaccination starting with elderly citizens, care staff and those who work in hospitals.

Pulsetoday, a website primarily for doctors, says the government will pay doctors £12.58 per jab. A doctor will only receive the payment of £25.16 after the person has returned for the second jab at the designated vaccination site.

British Medical Association (BMA) have informed doctors that trucks will deliver batches of 975 doses along with diluent, needles and syringes with doses stored at about -75c. Doctors can then store the doses at 2—8C once out of the freezer. The doses must be used within five days.

Once diluted doctors must vaccinate a person within six hours.

BMA state the doses are ‘not stable enough to transport a diluted solution to another venue.’ BMA told doctors they cannot give a Covid-19 vaccination within seven days of a flu vaccine. The sites for administering the Covid-19 will require ability for freezer/refrigeration storage. The logistics appear mind boggling with the potential to create much stress for many involved in the process of administering a vaccination including those receiving the vaccine.

It is hard to imagine how the world’s population, including the billions of poor people, can receive a Covid-19 vaccination, possibly once or twice a year. There are widespread doubts whether the infrastructure from transport of vaccinations to nations and within nations,  to refrigeration and endless costly details make it remotely possible for a global vaccination, A vaccination is a limited response.

Pfizer puts out reassuring statements daily regarding the vaccination for 16-year-olds and over. The government, medical scientists and the pharmaceutical industry naturally want Covid-19 vaccination to be safe and reliable in the short and long term for all UK citizens.  We hope so. Time will tell.

The British government has bought 40 million doses so far for 20 million people. Experts tell us the vaccination can produce antibodies to fight the virus proteins made by our cells. This prepares our immune system to fight the real virus if it infects us at a later date.

We can only trust  citizens of all ages with all ranges of health conditions will not find themselves in harm’s way because of complications in the hours, days or weeks after a vaccination.

People need to be mindful that a vaccination adds material into the body, bringing about a certain measure of change in the cells. A harmful change could include for a tiny number of people a  disorder in the immune system, a neurological impact, trigger allergies, diminish energy and more.

The medical science community has released in recent years scientific papers reporting safety deficits in vaccinations affecting from babies to the elderly,

This report does not have the intention to persuade readers to take or refuse a vaccination for yourself or family members, young and old alike. Please give the matter some thought. Engage in research. Please do not put pressure on other people to state whether he or she would have the vaccine or not. People experience enough pressure in their lives already.

Significant numbers of people will experience uncertainty in themselves about whether to have the Covid-19 vaccination. Judging from UK surveys, most people will accept the vaccination. Some people will adopt a wait and see approach. Some will keep faith with their facemask. A tiny number will ignore any approach.

Pfizer cannot answer some concerns until there have been sufficient vaccinations for analysis. Any published responses iby Pfizer or the government in the future will primarily serve self-interest.

Here are 12 Areas for Reflection and Inquiry concerning the Pfizer- BioNTech Covid-19 Mass Vaccination for Covid-19 for the UK

Various authorities in the science community have raised questions with regard to mass vaccination. These authorities include heads of laboratories, directors and professors of respiratory sciences, molecular virology, epidemiology, immunology, infectious diseases and pharmaceutical medicine.

I had used some of their questions. These authorities have no conflict of interest to declare.

I would suggest to readers that you Google a question and explore three responses. It is the same principle if you plan a major expenditure. You would probably get three quotes. Question and answer sessions appear in the media? It would be helpful for readers or viewers to know whether the authority has any conflict of interest.

Here

What happens if the duration of the vaccine is relatively short?

What will be the impact of the vaccine upon those who already have major health issues?

What impact will be impact on the vaccine of those  have with  major or minor allergies?

Pfizer’s  first primary objective analysis based their  evaluation of 170 cases of Covid-19. 162 were observed in the placebo group versus eight in the vaccine group. Is this enough cases? This is how the figure of 95% was reached in the trials.

Does the vaccine alter the severity of disease in patients who became unwell having received vaccine?

mitigating measures would need to remain in place until sufficient numbers of individuals have been vaccinated to protect those at most risk of needing hospital care or of dying from disease from becoming very unwell by catching the infection from a vaccinated, asymptomatically infected person.

What will be the impact of a vaccination upon those with Covid-19 and circulating antibodies.

What steps will be taken for those who do not respond to the vaccination?

“Other practical problems still need to be addressed – how will GPs and other providers deal with the -70C storage?  How long can the defrosted vaccine remain useable (up to 5 days?) – so there will be inevitably some wastage if a certain number of doses are defrosted that are then just not used in time?

How will the vaccine perform if repeated boosts are needed if the duration of the vaccine-induced immunity is relatively short?

How can any reduction in the appearance of symptoms in people who would otherwise have experienced mild infection, have a major benefit.

“How will vaccine perform with those with diabetes, hypertension, chronic heart, lung, kidney disease which makes them particularly vulnerable to COVID-19?

“How will the vaccine perform in those who have already had COVID-19 and have circulating antibodies?

“What is the reason for those who fail to respond to this vaccine?

“- 80C  is beyond the capabilities of the usual cold storage and transport used for frozen goods.  This temperature and two injections will complicate vaccinations for the great majority of people in the world. How will this issue be addressed?

-80 degree storage and two injections will severely complicate vaccinations in many parts of the world

“Hopefully more data will be forthcoming to give us more reassurance about the efficacy and safety of this new Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine – and help us understand and perhaps even predict, to some extent, the responses to the other COVID-19 vaccines that are currently in development.”

1. The company uses a new type of vaccine called an RNA vaccine which has never been applied before, outside the trials, to the general population.
2. Pfizer has not published the full safety and clinical trial results.
3. Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), who approved the vaccine for the UK, has not published its results.
4. EU said their Covid-19 procedure required more evidence and more checks on a vaccine than the UK’s emergency procedure.
5. The UK government has given an indemnity to Pfizer so that patients cannot sue Pfizer in case of complications arising from a vaccination. If a person suffers a ‘permanent disability of harm because of a vaccine’ then or she can seek a one-off payment from the government under the Vaccine Damages Payments Act.
6. The government sanctioned the vaccination under emergency authorisation for use in the UK (population 66 million).
7. Pfizer do not know how long the vaccination will protect people from Coronavirus. Views in medical science range from six months to a year.
8. Pfizer do not know if there will be any major short- or long-term impact on different people of the vaccination due to regularity of biannual or annual vaccinations. Trials revealed only mild side effects lasting a day or two.
9. Pfizer cannot know of unforeseen side effects to people of different ages, health conditions or ethnicity.
10. Citizens have not received in their mail information from the Government on the Pfizer vaccination in order to make an informed choice.
11. Pfizer starts trials soon on 12 to 16-year-olds. Parents will have important decisions to make as their children of this age undergo major emotional and biological changes. Pfizer do not appear to have issued plans for trials on children and babies.
12. Public concerns do not go away about this new vaccine, which is also a new type of vaccine. Pfizer want their vaccine to have worldwide use. Distribution of the vaccine takes place after 10 months instead of five or 10 years of research and trials.

May all beings stay well

May all beings make wise decisions

May all actions ensure compassion as the priority.

PS. Am currently writing a short book (150 pages)

on the  impact of the global pandemic on the

mind with analysis, mindfulness practices and actions.

The  book will include the above blog,

subject to changes in social circumstances.