FROM the very start of the introduction of the U.S. vaccines, Pfizer and Moderna in December 2020, the Western media had propagandized them as “95 percent effective in preventing confirmed infection,” while at the same time spreading pejorative disinformation against the main Chinese vaccines, Sinovac and Sinopharm, alleging them to be “… only 50 percent effective” and asking, “Is that good enough?”
After two years of real-world vaccine experience against COVID-19, I believe even as a layman, anyone can now form a fairly objective and acceptable evaluation of the early claims made by Western media based on empirical historical observation.
This is necessary because of the deliberate or inadvertent proliferation of confusing half-truths about the vaccines on the part of the Western media, apparently to boost Western vaccines profits, destroy competition and “vaccine humanitarianism” being espoused by China.
Have the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines really been proven as up to “95 percent effective against infection” as incessantly publicized all over the world?
Or, are the more modest reports and claims from countries such as by ‘Jakarta Globe,’ which reported, “Indonesia says Sinovac’s vaccine 98 percent effective to prevent deaths from Covid-19.”
Chilean media, for their part, reported, “China’s Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine 67 percent effective in preventing symptomatic infection.”
A new evaluation is imperative at this point due to the continuing fantastic claims of Western media about the mainstays of US vaccines, the mRNA, such as this headline from the BBC, “Could mRNA make us superhuman?” while the empirical evidence from the uncontrolled rampage of the Covid-19 and its variations currently rage like wildfire in Western countries that have primarily used Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to fight off the pandemic.
The new assessment is also necessary as the disinformation war against Chinese vaccines continue unabated, such as this item citing selectively a Hong Kong originated report that has been continuously repeated by Google news feed and repeatedly rehashed in international media, “Sinovac booster insufficient against Omicron, study shows” and, “2 Sinovac plus Pfizer booster less effective against Omicron variant.”
In early January 2022, World Health Organization (WHO) Incident Manager, Dr. Abdirahman Mahamud, Western Pacific Region, said that Chinese-produced vaccines, Sinopharm and Sinovac, will protect against “severe hospitalization” due to the Omicron variant but this had to be circulated in social media by independent bloggers and e-news sites since it was not reported in any mainstream Western and Philippine media outlets.
The Hong Kong report cited by one of the original news sources, the ‘Straits Times’ dated December 15, 2021, alleged, “Sinovac shot offers inadequate shield from Omicron variant, says HK (Hong Kong University) study.”
Western news sources like Bloomberg followed and spun the article with other creative but misleading headlines and excised vital facts such as those pointed out by Straits Times contributor Foong Swee Fong, who wrote:
“But what the newspaper did not mention is that the researchers found that Sinovac’s vaccine produces much higher levels of T-cell responses which help in destroying infected cells and are thus important in limiting severity and fatal outcomes.
“The researchers go on to say that this finding is consistent with high levels of protection against hospitalization and death in Sinovac’s vaccine observed in Chile and Turkey despite lower antibody neutralization.”
What about Pfizer effectiveness? The best place to look at to find answers to these is Israel where Pfizer and Moderna have almost total exclusive use.
In an August 18, 2021 report in the New York Times entitled, “Israeli Data Suggests Possible Waning in Effectiveness of Pfizer Vaccine…
“The new number still show overwhelmingly strong protection against severe disease but diminished effectiveness against infection.”
“Analyzing the (Israeli) government’s national health statistics, researchers estimated that the Pfizer shot was just 39 percent effective against preventing infection in the country in late June and early July, compared with 95 percent from January to early April.
“In both time periods, however, the shot was more than 90 percent effective in preventing severe disease.”
Over this fact, the only conclusion, devoid of Western media lies is that if Pfizer is 90 percent effective against preventing severe disease, then it is no different from Sinovac!
What shocks us is the now established fact that Pfizer mRNA vaccines effectiveness go down to as low as 39 percent, based on Israel’s research findings against preventing infection, a fact so far from the 95 percent effectiveness originally claimed with much bravado and trumpeting in late 2020 by Western media when it was approaching approval for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA).
In fact, the British Medical Journal always denied Pfizer and Moderna ever proved its early claims.
As far back as November 2020, two leading medical science experts already cautioned against accepting Pfizer and Moderna claims giving the impression that the 3-phase trials were completed and “95 percent” vaccine efficacy has been achieved.
These experts, Dr. Peter Doshi of the British Medical Journal and, Professor Emeritus of Immunology at Osaka Uiversity, Dr. Masayuki Miyasaka, made a notable statement:
“The American companies may have thought they could more easily have the vaccines approved by creating the impression from an early stage that their vaccines are effective.
“Intense competition probably plays a part in this… the Americans did this and fortunately, the Chinese never followed (them) and continues to this day to be reliable with their information.”
An expanded, 2,000 words version of this article will be available at SovereignPH.com.
(Samahan si Ka Mentong Laurel at mga panauhin sa “Power Thinks” tuwing Miyerkules @6pm Live Global Talk News Radio (GTNR) sa Facebook at sa Talk News TV sa You Tube; at tuwing Linggo 8 to 10am sa RP1 738khz AM sa radyo.)