The Recently Infected and Already Immune Do NOT Benefit From COVID-19 Vaccination.
A warning to the United States Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Since Fall 2020, I have been warning the US Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about the potential danger of indiscriminately vaccinating those recently infected with and naturally immune to COVID-19.
My warnings have fallen on deaf ears at these federal agencies — despite both their ethical and immunological power, predicting harm to at least a minority subset of unsuspecting Americans — and many more worldwide.
But this severe safety concern, which our federal public health agencies and the vaccine manufacturers are unable to address with integrity and are ignoring instead, is something that every day Americans understand very clearly.
It’s no wonder that about half of America is not willing to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
FDA and CDC leaders and public relations experts should understand that trust is earned, it is not imposed.
What’s shocking about FDA and CDC’s unwillingness to concede the potential danger of indiscriminate COVID-19 vaccination of the recently infected and currently immune, is that they already know the arguments against vaccinating such persons very well — both ethically and scientifically. There are two of them:
- Medical Necessity: It is a rigid medical ethical principle that when a medical treatment or procedure is offered to persons who stand to gain little to no benefit, only harm can be done. The truth is that the vast majority of the millions of Americans who’ve had natural COVID-19 infections, and especially those with serological evidence of immunity, stand to gain little to no benefit from added vaccination. When these persons are vaccinated indiscriminately, they are ONLY afforded the possibility of harm — NOT benefit.
- Immunological Harm: It is an immunological principle that vaccinating a person who is recently or concurrently infected can reactivate, or exacerbate, a harmful inflammatory response to the virus. This is NOT a theoretical concern. In fact, it is the reason why the Israelis are NOT vaccinating persons with a known history of COVID-19 infection. And, really, every self-respecting and decently trained American immunologist and physician grasps this idea — certainly most laypersons in America, whose own lives and their loved ones’ are in the line of fire, get it.
But even more deplorable is that CDC knows about specific cases of critical inflammatory disease that followed vaccination of previously COVID-19 infected persons. These are not statistical anomalies — these complications are happening and because they are totally avoidable, they classify as “HARM”. Here’s one CDC study describing just this hazard in 3 patients out of a set of 6:
Of course, there are plenty of anecdotes of this kind of harm, post-vaccination, in the main stream press. Folks like Dr. J. Barton Williams of TN or Mr. Christopher Sarmiento of NM, to name just two.
Sadly, FDA, CDC and the vaccine manufacturers are more oriented towards downplaying or ignoring these complications instead of being honest about what is almost certainly a causal link between a prior infection and an unnecessary vaccination.
Imagine, if FDA and CDC chose integrity and honesty with the American people instead of its dangerous “one-size-fits-all” public health narrative. How hard would it be for these agencies to level with America and let people know that if they have a history or COVID-19 infection or if they have any evidence of antibody immunity against SARS-CoV-2, they can hold off vaccination? Imagine if the patients studied in the above paper, or if J. Barton William and Christopher Sarmiento had been told this by FDA — Maybe they’d still be alive!
Instead, the current commissioner of the FDA proudly states in a Tweet that the gold-standard serological evidence of immunity to the SARS-CoV-2 (i.e., the antibody tests for Spike protein and Nucleocapsid) means nothing in 2021. No matter that this same clinical readout (i.e., antibodies against SARS-CoV-2) was used to assess the vaccine’s efficacy in the clinical trials leading to EUA approval of the COVID-19 vaccines.
Now if that’s not backwards and anti-scientific thinking from a seasoned FDA commissioner, who also happens to be an immunologist and rheumatologist herself, I’m not sure what is! I’m simply shocked by Dr. Woodcock’s inability to steer FDA and CDC right on this and protect already immune Americans from indiscriminate vaccination.
Woodcock knows better — or she should! But she’s choosing to act in lock step with the administration narrative, instead of staying true to her mission of defending EVERY American’s life.
To compound the problem, shameful and non-expert reporters from powerful news organizations like the New York Times also twist the narrative and project lies with impunity. Recently, NYTimes’ Apoorva Mandavilli stated that vaccinating previously infected people makes them “bullet-proof”….Tell that to the patients described in the CDC study above — and how about to J. Barton Williams, Christopher Sarmiento and Everest Romney and their families. Deplorable!
It’s truly deplorable to see non-expert reporters dominantly pushing a government narrative that is ultimately political and dangerous to real Americans’ lives. It’s such a shame that some of my good friends at the NYTimes aren’t questioning this unethical journalistic behavior.
Why is this contortion and unethical behavior happening in America? It’s simple. The vaccine will save far more people than it harms — THAT, is true and it’s a good thing. But this utilitarian calculus is all CDC, FDA, the vaccine manufacturers and the mainstream media care about — Majority benefit is easy, economically well lubricated and it can garner un-nuanced democratic support very easily. “Minority harm” is very easy to tolerate and ignore, when majority benefit is almost a certainty — and especially in an “emergency”. But America tolerates irreparable harm to minority subsets of people, at ANY time, at peril to her own body, soul and history. “We’ve done that experiment before.”
It is no wonder many every day Americans have lost trust in our institutions of the press and government. Our political and expert classes’ carelessness compromises unsuspecting lives in America every day — and EVERY day Americans are on the receiving end of it and see it — Our government, our experts and the press, do not deserve America’s trust today!
Here, I am publicly warning FDA and CDC that the United States should not be allowing indiscriminate vaccination of Americans who are recently infected and naturally immune — because such persons stand to gain little to no benefit and are only at risk of harm from vaccination. Certainly allowing American corporations and educational institutions to force, coerce or require such people to get such unnecessary and potentially harmful vaccines is anathema to the American ethos, if not to the constitution of our nation.
I know with certainty that nearly half of the American people see the hazard I have been warning the FDA, CDC and the vaccine manufacturers about. The American people see the hazard that “experts” are not willing to admit because they fear the politics of rocking the boat, or are comfortable with majority benefit alone, or are florid economic/professional beneficiaries of the practice.
Fellow citizen, #ScreenB4Vaccine is NOT a political entity— though by ignoring its critical importance to ensuring safety from indiscriminate vaccination, the Biden administration, FDA and CDC have made it one.
#ScreenB4Vaccine is a serious safety device every American can access to determine medical necessity of vaccination and ensure maximal safety from potential vaccine complications and harm. Use it. Ask for it. It’s as simple as a blood draw.
I write in defense of US public health, medical ethics and patient safety.
Hooman Noorchashm MD, PhD
noorchashm@gmail.com
