Harm From Unnecessary COVID-19 Vaccination of the Already Naturally Immune Will Disproportionately Affect Communities of Color in America.

People of color in America have been disproportionately harmed and killed by COVID-19 infections. At present many more persons of color are either recently infected by or naturally immune to SARS-CoV-2. It follows that indiscriminate COVID-19 vaccination of such already immune or recently infected persons will impose a higher rate of harm also.

Facts and logic are stubborn things.

Here, I am presenting the facts and logic pointing to a serious, but totally avoidable, hazard from indiscriminate COVID-19 vaccination of the naturally immune or recently infected in communities of color in America.

I believe that this risk of “minority harm” that I am describing here is currently operational in all naturally immune or recently infected persons, but is being missed, ignored or downplayed by the United States government agencies.

Let me explain.

America confronted the COVID-19 pandemic unprepared — and our polarized politics exacerbated the magnitude of devastation the nation has experienced with nearly 600,000 Americans dead as of this writing, and many more struggling with severe morbidities.

But not only were we unprepared, this pandemic exposed all of our socioeconomic weaknesses too.

In my opinion, one of the most cataclysmic dimensions of American weakness, which the COVID-19 pandemic fully exposed was the socioeconomic vulnerability of communities of color, and other disadvantaged communities, in America.

Health, health literacy and economic dimensions of social disparity in America translated into a significantly larger burden of harm and deaths from SARS-CoV-2 infections amongst communities of color, and the disadvantaged of all colors and ethnicities.

Demographically, black and hispanic Americans have been disproportionately naturally infected by SARS-CoV-2 since January of 2020, when the pandemic reared its head in America.

Though the morbidity and mortality cost to these communities of Americans from natural infection has been huge, it is also a highly likely fact that the rate of robust natural immunity is now also higher amongst Americans of color.

In other words, a higher proportion of Americans of color are either naturally immune to SARS-CoV-2 or are recently infected by it at the moment.

Since January 2021, and before, I have been raising alarms with FDA, CDC and the vaccine manufacturers about the potential for harm from indiscriminate vaccination in persons with natural immunity to or recent SARS-CoV-2 infections. You may follow my writings at noorchashm.medium.com

For starters, the vast majority of naturally immune people are equally, if not better, protected from COVID-19 infection. Data from Israel is already confirming this basic immunological reality. So, indiscriminate vaccination of the already immune is truly an unnecessary medical treatment in the vast majority of naturally immune persons. Because the majority of such persons not benefit, or only marginally benefit, from vaccination, they are only or predominantly exposed to the risks of harm associated with this medical treatment. Everything from blood clots to anaphylaxis to myocarditis, etc. The fact that these complication may only occur in a “minority subset” of vaccinated people does not justify indiscriminate vaccination these persons, who do NOT benefit from it.

But more importantly, indiscriminate vaccination of the recently or concurrently infected is prognosticated to do harm. We already know from experience described by the British that the previously infected experience a higher rate of adverse reactions to COVID-19 vaccination. We also know that CDC itself recommends against vaccinating persons with known or recent COVID-19 infections, because the agency knows that so doing poses a risk of harm to recently infected people— of course, paradoxically, CDC does not recommend identifying who is infected at the time of vaccination. This is a serious error of negligence on the part of CDC’s public health experts — I shall hope that it is not a deliberate one, though it is hard to imagine they are unaware of the problem.

I have been concerned for some time that indiscriminately vaccinating persons with recent infection might produce severe adverse reactions and deaths — and have written many public letters of concern about it. In fact, there have been a few prominent examples of this hazard reported in the mainstream American press: Dr. J. Barton Williams of TN, Mr. Christopher Sarmiento of NM, Ms. Brandy Parker-McFadden of TN….to name a few whose stories have been told in the press were all COVID-19 infected prior to their vaccination.

So, here is the “logic” part of my argument: IF, we know that a) it is unnecessary and only risky to indiscriminately vaccinate the already naturally immune, b) it is highly likely harmful to indiscriminately vaccinate the recently infected, and c) a disproportionate number of people of color in America are recently infected or already naturally immune — THEN, does it not logically follow that indiscriminate COVID-19 vaccination as a national policy would impose a higher risk of harm to communities of color in America? And, again, that it’s likely to only be a “minority subset” of such persons being harmed by indiscriminate vaccination does NOT justify the mindlessness being exercised by the United States Federal agencies in charge of guiding our COVID-19 vaccine policies.

I would go as far as to say that because the US public health agencies, and the Biden administration, are FULLY aware of the facts I’ve delineated above, their willingness to indiscriminately vaccinate the people, and especially people of color — without any attempt at excluding the already immune and recently infected who will not benefit and may be harmed — is profoundly harmful and intolerably and implicitly….RACIST.

It is pure unadulterated “implicit racism” to know scientific and clinical facts that point to risk and the possibility of harm being done disproportionately to communities of color — and to willfully ignore them and not act to mitigate.

That the Biden administration, whose main platform is anti-racism, and for whom I voted over trumpist foolishness in 2020, is acting in such a mindless and implicitly racist fashion towards indiscriminate vaccination of black folk in America is truly intolerable.

Symbolism alone is NOT demonstration that new forms of implicit racism are being sought and fought. It is an easy path to power to hide behind such symbols, while fully ignoring errors in ethics and policy that are certain to be harming “minority subsets” of people — and especially those who are most socioeconomically vulnerable by virtue of race, ethnicity or geography. Beware president Biden!

It is easy to hide behind the symbols of equality and justice fought for by the giants of past generations. It is far harder to behave ethically in real time and to recognize implicitly racist behavior, and mindlessly utilitarian government policies, on the part of establishment structures and leaders who wave those hard-earned flags and symbols to cover up their atrocious mindlessness, today.

Here, I am warning every member of America’s communities of color (and the Biden administration): Beware of indiscriminate vaccination of all persons in your community who are either naturally immune or recently infected with COVID-19. I respectfully recommend a #ScreenB4Vaccine approach to avoid unnecessary and potentially harmful COVID-19 vaccinations in all Americans — but especially black folk.

I write in defense of US public health and in the name of Dr. Amy Josephine Reed of Yardley, PA whose charge is the defense of ‘minorities’ from harm.

Hooman Noorchashm MD, PhD

noorchashm@gmail.com.