The Covid-19 Vaccines Miss the Mark on Efficacy

• The narrative that individuals must choose between vaccination and spreading the virus is made invalid by the ineffective Covid-19 vaccines.
• The purported 90%+ vaccine-induced immunity only lasts for a couple months.
• Healthy individuals are justified in resisting guidance to accept unknowns including near-term adverse effects and long-term side effects in exchange for transitory immunity.
• Public officials have been slow to acknowledge shortcomings of the Covid-19 vaccines. This hesitation may put us all at risk.

We all yearn for those pre-pandemic days when enjoying a day out with friends did not require a mask and hand sanitizer. Many of us celebrated when we heard about the 90%+ immunity rates in the vaccine trials and heralded their Emergency Use Authorization. It appeared the experts had developed the set of tools needed put SARS-COV-2 in the rear view so we could get back to normal.

Unfortunately, that optimism was met with reality: The recommended vaccine regimens only provide a couple months of protection from SARS-COV-2. It is likely that fully vaccinated individuals’ immunity drops to less than 65% within months after their second shot. Thus, the ineffective Covid-19 vaccines cannot adequately halt the advance of the virus.

“It is likely that fully vaccinated individuals’ immunity drops to less than 65% within months after their second shot.”

Reports of rising infections among fully vaccinated individuals are rolling in from a variety of settings including offices, medical facilities, and universities. At University of California San Diego Health (UCSDH), 130 of the 227 positive cases reported from March – July occurred in fully vaccinated workers. The findings were detailed in a letter to the New England Journal of Medicine. Several countries including the US, UK and Israel are reporting double-digit decreases in immunity within months of full vaccination.

Clues to this outcome existed before the rollout of the mRNA vaccines. EUA filings by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna each indicate patients would be in the dark regarding the length of immunity after 2 months.

“As the interim and final analyses have a limited length of follow-up, it is not possible to assess sustained efficacy over a period longer than 2 months.” – Moderna FDA Briefing Document, December 17, 2020

At best, the vaccines offer a temporary reprieve for those who are at risk of severe illness. That falls well short of the intended target. However, officials have been reluctant to budge from their ‘vaccines above all else’ approach even though the facts have moved against their methodology.

When the first positive cases among the fully vaccinated emerged, they were described as extremely rare “breakthroughs.” As “breakthrough” cases increased, officials blamed the unvaccinated for threatening the health of vaccinated people. Now that “breakthroughs” have become the norm, officials are pushing third doses marketed as “boosters.” What’s next?

Officials’ slow response to the data puts us all at risk. Thousands of businesses and institutions are operating under the assumption that a 2 shot regimen (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna) creates sufficient, long-lasting immunity for their staff. Vaccine-induced immunity underpins plans to return employees to the office, the relaxation of restrictions, and the implementation of penalties.  

Workers are being restricted from going to the office unless they get vaccinated even though the virus spreads between their vaccinated colleagues.

Furthermore, forcing a population to take an ineffective Covid-19 vaccine could lead to stronger and more resistant strains (i.e. vaccine-enhanced viruses).

“People without risk factors are beginning to question the logic of accepting the possibility of near-term adverse events and unknown long-term side effects in exchange for 2-3 months of immunity.”

People without risk factors are beginning to question the logic of taking ineffective Covid-19 vaccines, especially considering the low relative risk profile of SARS-COV-2 illness for healthy individuals. The question officials should be asking now: Will operating under illusory immunity eventually have a negative impact on reopening and the public trust?