Those responsible for the harm caused by the COVID-19 vaccine must face justice

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

“If I had vaccinated the 6,000 patients I treated for C0VID, I would have made $1,500,000.” Mary Talley Bowden MD

People must be held accountable for the suffering, pain, and death caused by the premature promotion and distribution of a vaccine that was insufficiently tested. It is unacceptable that certain governments incentivized doctors to vaccinate large numbers of individuals without ensuring the vaccine’s safety and efficacy.

In the heat of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was hope for a rapid end to the pandemic, and our world governmental officials promised their citizens that an effective vaccine would be a surefire solution. From the beginning there were risks that came with a fast-tracked vaccine.

Vaccinations began on December 14^th, 2021, and according to data collated by a COVID-19 Data Working Group — a volunteer group of academics and data analysts — at least 234,000 doses had been administered, mostly to front-line healthcare workers and long-term care residents and employees. To increase vaccination rates several countries mandated vaccination for eligible candidates as soon as vaccines were approved.

Researchers were already sounding warning alarms that testing timelines and approvals could expose all of us to unnecessary dangers related to the vaccine. While preclinical trials to evaluate the potential safety and efficacy of vaccine candidates were likely to include tens of thousands of patients, it was still unclear whether that number would be large enough and a trial would last long enough to evaluate safety for a drug that would be administered to so many. When looking at the numbers it was found that one serious adverse event per thousand of a vaccine given to 100 million people meant harm to 100,000 otherwise healthy people.

Aside from questions of safety that attend any vaccine, there were good reasons to be especially cautious about the Covid19 vaccine. Some vaccines worsen the consequences of infection rather than protect, a phenomenon called antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE). ADE has been observed in previous attempts to develop coronavirus vaccines.

What some of us don’t know is what was happening to some communities across America. Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Medicaid released an incentive program for doctors and health care professionals sharing the rhetoric that became commonplace during the pandemic; “Vaccinating against COVID-19 is one of the best and safest ways people can protect themselves and their families against the virus. As a participating practice in the COVID-19 Provider Vaccine Incentive Program, we recognize your hard work by offering incentives for helping patients make the choice to become vaccinated.”

The COVID-19 Vaccine Provider Incentive Program was open to doctors and healthcare providers if they were a participating Kentucky primary care provider with an Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Medicaid (Anthem) panel size of 25 or more members.

The results were calculated for two time periods:

September 1^st, 2021, Initial incentive payment

If a doctor’s practice met the below thresholds for vaccination with at least one dose by September 1^st, 2021, they received the initial incentive payment based on the following rates:

• 30% Anthem members vaccinated – $20 bonus per vaccinated member
• 40% Anthem members vaccinated – $45 bonus per vaccinated member
• 50% Anthem members vaccinated – $70 bonus per vaccinated member
• 60% Anthem members vaccinated – $100 bonus per vaccinated member
• 75% Anthem members vaccinated – $125 bonus per vaccinated member

The final incentive payment was calculated if a doctor’s practice met the below thresholds for vaccination with at least one dose by December 1^st, 2021. They would receive the final incentive payment based on the following rates:

• 30% Anthem members vaccinated – $100 bonus per newly vaccinated member
• 40% Anthem members vaccinated – $150 bonus per newly vaccinated member
• 50% Anthem members vaccinated – $175 bonus per newly vaccinated member
• 60% Anthem members vaccinated – $200 bonus per newly vaccinated member
• 75% Anthem members vaccinated – $250 bonus per newly vaccinated member

USA Today did a fact check on the same claim made by actress Cherie Johnson on December 2^nd, 2021. “Blue Cross Blue Shield pays your doctor a $40,000 bonus for fully vaccinating 100 patients under the age of two. If your doctor manages to fully vaccinate 200 patients, that bonus jumps to $80,000.”

“It doesn’t provide incentives solely based on the number of patients vaccinated, as the post suggests. Incentive programs vary by state and require doctors to meet goals related to a number of different practices and services. The purpose of any performance-based incentives, where they exist, is to reward implementation of well-established, evidence-based best practices in the care of our members,” a Blue Cross Blue Shield spokesperson said in an emailed statement. “While vaccinations may fall into that category, they would not be the sole performance measure.”

The spokesperson said incentives cover a broad collection of practices, and decisions on whether to vaccinate “Ultimately rested with the provider and the patient (and) parent.” When asked to address the figures in the post, the spokesperson emphasized that arrangements are made by local individual companies, and said Blue Cross Blue Shield does not control, or have access to the details of specific value-based contracts.

What we have had to deal with as world citizens is circular speech, also known as circular reasoning, or circular argument. It is a logical fallacy where the conclusion of an argument is assumed in the premise, creating a loop where no new information or evidence is provided. This type of reasoning fails to provide a valid argument because it relies on the conclusion to support itself. Our mainstream media, and political figures utilize circular reasoning to keep us confused, and unsure of what to think. A trick that has been utilized for years.

Those responsible for the harm caused by the COVID-19 vaccine must face justice for their reckless disregard for human life and the trust placed in them by the public. The integrity of our healthcare systems and the well-being of our communities depend on holding these perpetrators accountable.