Mainstream media is silent about the fact that our world citizens are still suffering because of the COVID-19 vaccine

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

During the COVID-19 pandemic, mainstream media over played their role in keeping the public informed. From infection rates to vaccine rollouts, the news was: relentless, intense, and pervasive. They highlighted the strain on healthcare systems, the race for vaccines, and the importance of public health measures. The urgency was palpable, and they ensured that the coverage reflected the gravity of the situation.

Fast forward three years, and as the world emerges from the shadow of the pandemic, the focus of mainstream media has shifted. The intense scrutiny of government actions and decisions during the pandemic has waned, replaced by a return to pre-pandemic norms. There are numerous fallouts from how our governments handled the pandemic. Economic repercussions, mental health crises, and questions about the efficacy and transparency of governmental decisions especially when it comes to the COVID-19 vaccine. Yet, these stories are not being sensationalized. The media’s spotlight has dimmed on these critical issues.

This is a far cry from what was being done during the pandemic. The selective lens of mainstream media means that as consumers, we need to be more vigilant. We must pay attention to how they are picking and choosing what we know about how the world really works. This week, we want to dive into another round of discussions when it comes to the COVID-19 (vaccines) injections.

As early as January 2022, National Institutes of Health (NIH) researchers were aware of at least 850 peer-reviewed case reports and/or research articles about COVID-19 vaccine reactions. This is according to emails obtained by Children’s Health Defense (CHD). The January 9^th, 2022, email included a list of “persistent symptoms following the Covid vaccines” and the names of researchers who were studying these conditions, which included:

• Dysautonomia: Dysautonomia is a nervous system disorder that disrupts autonomic body processes. These are automatic functions like your blood pressure and heart rate. Having dysautonomia means these functions don’t work properly, causing disruptive symptoms. These symptoms are often manageable, but diagnosing and treating dysautonomia is sometimes difficult.
• Neuropathy
• Tinnitus
• Multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS): Multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS) is a rare but serious condition associated with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in which different internal and external body parts become inflamed (heart, lungs, kidney, brain, skin, eyes, gastrointestinal tract)
• Myocarditis
• Blood clots
• Paresthesia

The emails were part of a 309-page batch of documents released to CHD  that originated from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requested NIH researchers for input on a report highlighting several injuries common among people who received the vaccines. CHD requested the documents via a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the NIH in November 2022. When the NIH hadn’t responded by April 2023, CHD sued the agency. What I most recently found out is that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) corresponded with people injured by the COVID-19 vaccines throughout 2021 and initially acknowledged their injuries. All of a sudden abruptly ceasing communication with them in early 2022.

The NIH filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, but in July 2023, withdrew its motion and agreed to release the documents, but only after NIH officials on two occasions claimed the agency had no knowledge of “adverse vaccination reaction reports. In an October 2023 settlement, the NIH agreed to produce up to 7,500 pages of documents at a rate of 300 pages per month.

None of this is good news, and now more than ever “Empathy, and investment is needed to address vaccine-related injuries,” says Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Kizzmekia Corbett-Helaire.

Kizzmekia Corbett-Helaire, assistant professor of immunology and infectious diseases, was one of the developers of the COVID-19 vaccine. On an episode of STAT News’ First Opinion podcast, she discussed her experience working on the vaccine, her path to a career in science, and her approach to being a role model as a Black woman in science. She also talked about her opinion piece in STAT, in which she wrote that she believes more empathy is needed for people who report experiencing long-term side effects from the COVID-19 vaccine.

In the STAT piece, Kizzmekia listed concrete steps that everyone in the vaccine field — herself included — should take. These steps include establishing a better system through which people can report vaccine-related injuries, creating and widely distributing guidelines for healthcare providers to better communicate with and care for patients who experience these injuries, and conducting more and deeper scientific investigations into these injuries. Such investigations, she added on the podcast, would not hamper further development of vaccines. Rather, they would further the quality and effectiveness of vaccines, as well as bolster public trust.

What I appreciate about Kizzmekia is that even though she is partly responsible for the development of the vaccine, she is not afraid to admit that there are certain aspects of what has happened that must be addressed.

As media consumers, it is our responsibility to seek out the full story. We must question the narratives presented to us and demand comprehensive reporting. Only then can we ensure that we are truly informed about the world we live in. The power of the media lies in its ability to inform and empower. Let us hold it to the highest standard, ensuring that every story, especially those that shape our future, is told.

REFERENCES:

https://www.cdc.gov/mis/about/index.html

https://childrenshealthdefense.org/wp-content/uploads/NIH-FOIA-59265-06.21.2024-Production.pdf

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/6004-dysautonomia

https://winnipegsun.com/opinion/opinioin-covid-cure-was-worse-than-the-disease-researchers

https://nypost.com/2024/06/10/opinion/excess-post-covid-deaths-the-collateral-damage-of-lockdown/