Michael (86), Professor Of Medicine. Gisborne, NZ.

This submission is not intended to criticise government action in what was an emergency situation and in which there were was a unique opportunity to isolate and insulate the country from the Covid virus. However, lessons must be learnt.

I have a background in clinical medicine, research – including a research degree, and a special interest in the corruption of science and the stages to marketing of drugs used by large drug companies – well known by academics.

I took the vaccine and only questioned the benefit when I developed two rare conditions, including hospitalisation for one, and reactivation of a chronic condition and then severe fatigue, within 3 weeks of the booster vaccine. I do not conclude, but am suspicious, that the vaccine caused this. I was incredulous when I looked deeper into the reasons the vaccine was pushed.

It seems clear that the government misinformed the public – misinformation involves hiding or giving unbalanced information, some of which they knew, which indicates they lied. There are many lessons that could and should be learnt for the future that go well beyond the next pandemic.

“Those that cannot learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.” George Santayana.

COVID SUBMISSION

The New Zealand and other governments should have been cautious in pushing the Covid vaccine, and in censoring and gagging those with different views, instead of listening to them:

1) The drug industry, including Pfizer, had a reputation for, deception, fraud and criminal activity among corporations. (1-4) Indeed, they had corrupted all the stages of drug development from trials, their interpretation, writing, approval, publication and marketing. (4-12) Scientists and editors of the most prestigious journals, the New England Journal of Medicine, the British medical Journal and Lancet considered that research was being corrupted by large private drug corporations in order to profit and there were calls for research to be taken out of their hands. Peter Gotzsche (4) using a single search term fraud, combined with the names of the 10 largest drug companies reported between half – 27 million hits for each company and quoted an ex-VP of Pfizer who said “It is scary how many similarities there are between the industry and the mob.” (4) One of those involved in preparing a criminal case against a drug Corporation for illegally selling narcotics and who had previously gone after the mob said: ‘he thought he had seen it all, but whereas the mob went after bad guys competing with them, drug cartels went after the good guys.'(3)

2) ‘Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.' George Santayana.

The New Zealand government, among many, were deceived into stockpiling Tamiflu at great expense, from another large drug company, Roche, as an antidote for influenza- a later Cochrane review of all studies showed minimal if any effectiveness. (13-15) Fear and misinformation were used on the public to take the swine flu vaccine on inadequate grounds and then abandoned following side effects. (16)

3) Those who approve drugs and vaccines cannot be trusted: The US FDA, (68%) MHRA in GB (86%) and European agency (96%) which approves vaccines (and drugs) are funded by the Drug industry. (17) Individuals in the FDA receive royalties for patents-initially $400 million from Pfizer for the Covid vaccine; stand to gain from lucrative jobs on retirement as consultants, board members and lobbyists for the industry- the revolving door, (4-6,12,17) and even worse those who approve vaccines and drugs are allowed to own stock in the company concerned, and keep their names secret. (12) Fauci, a director in the CDC refused to give Congress information on who had received patents. Numerous scandals in the past led to a prestigious British Medical Journal stating: “Who owns the FDA”? The FDA did not monitor the Covid trials so that side effects were accurately recorded (18) and failed to respond to a serious complaint at one of the sites of the Pfizer trial. (19) Worse still, the FDA approved the Covid vaccine based on limited data supplied by Pfizer, not the complete research data, (18) and allowed Pfizer to forbid independent peer review of the data!!! (18,20,21) It is instructive to look at the British regulatory medicine and device agency (MHRA) because this was the subject of an all-party Parliamentary review of the pandemic response: they concluded that the ‘MHRA became an enabler for the pharmaceutical industry, that patient safety was no longer its primary concern, they failed to flag Covid vaccine side-effects and should be investigated.' They emphasised this was only the tip of an iceberg of failure: for example, 94 – 98% of bleeding from anticoagulant drugs were unreported. (22)

4) Completely new technology using messenger RNA to transfer a genetic message into the cell was used- especially dangerous in pregnant women. Vaccines had taken between four and 10 years for assessment in the past but this one, with new technology, took seven months to approval. mRNA technology had not been used in man before:

– It acted by a different immune mechanism than standard vaccines. (23)

– The spike protein increases coagulation, platelet aggregation and blood vessel damage, promoting clotting disorders such as stroke, heart attacks and pulmonary embolism and could disseminate widely. It had not been adequately investigated by Pfizer (23)

– It was contained in lipid nanoparticles which could enter the brain. (23)

– Could be contaminated by foreign ds DNA.

5) The initial research on the Pfizer- BioNTech vaccine, published in the NEJM, (24) was of poor quality, unsurprisingly given that it was carried out by a large drug corporation with a past bad record using smaller private research corporations, whose goals were profit not scientific integrity: the initial trial data of the 44,060 subjects in 153 trial sites was collected, organised, analysed and stored by administrators from Pfizer- BioNTech and even the monitoring board(DSMB) was incredibly chosen by them. (18,20,21) And then shamefully the FDA agreed that none of the original trial data should be made available for independent review by the world's medical research community for 75 years!!! It was initially not tested beyond 2 months and only 43.9% completed this period and cases were then added. The trial data- but not all of it, was only obtained by litigation using the freedom of information act.

The first independent review showed problems with trial design, inappropriate shortness of the trial due to unbinding at 20 weeks when the vaccine was offered to those unvaccinated, even though it showed no effect in saving lives, thus confounding interpretation of the side effects of the vaccine because most of the unvaccinated group took it. Covid cases were only counted 28 days after the first vaccine. (25) Monitoring of side effects was poor, haphazard lacked transparency (26,27) and was corrupted by the majority of those unvaccinated receiving the vaccine at two months. 4.2% discontinued the vaccine and most were lost to follow-up but varied between sites and in some over a thousand were lost to follow-up: discontinuation could have been due to vaccine side-effects. Severe adverse effects were only solicited up to 7 days after injection and unsolicited only accepted a median of eight weeks after injection. A considerable increase in serious adverse events occurred in those vaccinated (25) and 3.7 times more heart events in those vaccinated was disregarded – which may have led to action against emergency authorisation by the FDA. (18) Due diligence was clearly not done and the harm from the vaccine clearly not established.

Complaints of a whistleblower, including falsifying data, untrained vaccinators and failure to follow-up adverse events, backed by other employees, were made at one private research site. Even worse the research lacked relevance.

It did not show that the vaccine was safe and effective, saved lives, prevented death or intensive care admission: there were no deaths from Covid in the 20,700 unvaccinated and only eight severe cases.

– 116 had to be vaccinated to prevent one case of Covid. (26)

– The short duration of the trial precluded conclusions about the duration of the vaccine.

– There was no evidence for preventing transmission.

– There was no evidence, that the vaccine was as good as natural immunity from Covid infection. Later evidence indicated it was much less.

– It was not initially tested in pregnant women or children but inappropriately recommended. None of the 1.8 million children in Sweden, who were not vaccinated, died.

– Boosters were of small – questionable effectiveness. (28,29)

– There was no evidence for effectiveness against Covid variants. (26)

The important question on which a vaccine is indicated is whether the prevention of serious infection and death is worth the serious side effects and death from the vaccine. There were only 8 serious Covid cases but no deaths in the unvaccinated compared to vaccinated but considerably more serious adverse events in those vaccinated. (21,27) The trial data showed that to prevent one serious case of Covid 2716 would have to be vaccinated. Was this worth the side effects of the vaccine? This may have been more serious because of short, poor and biased surveillance to detect side effects and failure to consider quality of life years lost. (QUALYS) Whereas the death from Covid may have been a blessing in those with severe dementia or metastatic cancer and life short, it was so much more in those who were young and healthy in whom death from Covid was rare, potential life long and healthy and side effects from the vaccine may have been a greater risk. It is important to emphasise that the severity of Covid was greatly exaggerated by the illusion created by the PCR test and including those who died with Covid rather than from Covid.

Later research in children 6 months – 4 years was abysmal and should have been rejected. However, it was useful in showing how poor research had become in the hands of drug companies. (30)

Pfizer-BioNtech were clearly realistic about the limitations of their vaccine compared to governments: The New Zealand government refused to give details of the contract to the public and so the information was obtained from other countries, such as South Africa, in which the contract was published. Pfizer stated that ‘the contractor acknowledges that its effort to manufacture and develop the vaccine were aspirational in nature and there may be long-term effects not currently known.' (31) In essence: We hope the vaccine works and because long-term harm could not be known the government was required to give indemnity – taxpayers would pay for harm. (31)

Despite this, Pfizer embarked on a program of creating fear and deception to profit: (25, 30,31) the well-known tactic of instilling fear followed by a psychological nudge to change behaviour. They claimed the vaccine was safe and effective and would end the pandemic and trumpeted a decrease in relative risk, 95%, a common deception (31) used by drug companies -relative risk depends on the frequency of disease. (12) How many of the public grasped that 116 had to be vaccinated to prevent one case of Covid infection and there were no deaths in the trials. Effective?? For example, if a vaccine or drug reduced the risk of a disease from 1 million to 2 million, a reduction of relative risk by 50%-but who would take a vaccine which reduce the risk by one in a million!! The vaccine was not even serialised by batch so that it could be traced if was defective.

The death rate was greatly exaggerated to instil fear. Rather than 3.5 per 100, touted on inadequate evidence, it was probably less than one in a 1000 based on robust surveillance figures from Austria and Sweden. (33)

Pfizer claimed the vaccine prevented transmission without evidence, and gave greater immunity than natural immunity when it was much less.

Pfizer failed to inform the public of the potential harm of the vaccine. When the more benign delta variant surfaced claimed the vaccine was effective and the booster was effective when they had not been tested.

The FDA even emphasised the deception of using relative risk, the lack of evidence for duration of the vaccine longer than two months and the lack of evidence that the vaccine prevented transmission.

Pfizer went beyond deception in surveillance and censorship, including calling dissenters' criminals, and organising misinformation in the media. The US state of Texas sued Pfizer for deception and fraud. (25) There was considerable reason for caution.

THE GOVERNMENT RESPONSE

What were government responses around the world, given that there was initially no evidence for prevention of death, transmission, effectiveness against later variants and serious illness was minimal in those tested; it was a new unproven technology; serious adverse effects could not be excluded; and research had been carried out by private corporations for profit and was monitored by them; external review of data forbidden-peer review; and approval given by an agency, the FDA, with a conflict of interest and poor track record who had not seen the raw data, basing approval on data supplied by and monitoring by a board chosen by Pfizer.

Instead of caution, governments around the world, including New Zealand, acted as a propaganda machine for Pfizer, exaggerating the harm of Covid and the effectiveness and safety of the vaccine and prevention of transmission – the approach of Joseph Goebbels. ‘Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it and eventually they will believe it.'

In addition, fear as it has been used throughout history for control, was instilled to promote vaccine uptake: Fear causes the more rational frontal cortex to be bypassed to the posterior part of the brain, including the limbic system, geared for survival not careful thought. Nudges are then given, often by psychologists, to take the vaccine – manipulation? (32) The death rate was exaggerated by the lack of a robust surveillance system to properly identify Covid cases- by inclusion of those who died with Covid rather than from Covid. (33) Less than 1% were hospitalised in the US. (34) Indeed, reimbursement in the US was given for those on ventilators with a positive Covid PCR test leading to a perverse incentive for over-diagnosis. (34) Death rates in countries with a more robust surveillance system were much lower: Austria .08 case fatality and Sweden .026%. (33)

However, governments went beyond instilling fear and misinformation: Dissenters were labelled unpatriotic and suppressed, gag clauses implemented, censorship, cancellation of platforms, prevention of access to mainstream media organised and even punishment inflicted. Private corporations to spy on and prevent disinformation had been established well before Covid erupted. This enabled the US government to become the greatest spreader of misinformation in the world using them – the Censorship Industrial Complex. However, the Australian government was particularly shameful in its approach: Dissenters could lose their license and jobs; those with positive tests or contacts with Covid could be forcibly taken to quarantine camps and those who refused the vaccine lost their jobs – later considered unlawful and in breach of human rights by Australian courts. For example, Ros Nealton – Cook, (32) a highly intelligent, caring psychologist in Australia, with a well- balanced view of the harm of lockdown, especially in children, lost her license and was threatened with jail when she spoke out against lockdown.

Governments co-opted the mainstream media and popular platforms to push the establishment line to spread the illusion of consensus in the setting of fear and social responsibility and misinformed and censored dissenters. For example, Forbes and CNN recorded there were no safety concerns, the vaccine was effective against the delta variant for which it had not been tested and other media emphasised it was a pandemic of the unvaccinated and that vaccine prevented transmission. The Guardian was even asked by the UK government to soften its reporting of Covid or suffer exclusion from press briefing. (35) The Telegraph newspaper In Great Britain received a threat from the vaccine approving body, the MHRA. (35) Numerous officials misinformed and lied relentlessly. Even the BBC failed to give a balanced and truthful view. (32)

The US CDC (Centre Disease Control) and National Institute Health were in on the act, pushing the line that the vaccine was safe and effective. The CDC labelled true articles misinformation and excluded the risk of myocarditis from consideration; a former FDA and board member categorised the more benign virus variant ‘the most dangerous virus you can get in a lifetime'. Even the US Intelligence agencies were organised for public surveillance and prevention of dissent.

Pregnant women were pushed to take an untested chemical: a clear failure to learn from thalidomide's past teratogenic tragedy. Health providers were coerced to push the vaccine without completely giving complete truthful information and therefore failed in their obligation to give informed consent. (32) The resulting lack of trust resulted in failure to take future vaccines.

The government response was a top-down totalitarian response and they forgot the Westminster declaration that “Discourse is the central pillar of a free society”.

But the government response was more harmful than the misinformation and lies. Lockdown and closure of schools may have been more destructive than Covid itself because both had serious consequences: (30,32-,34) small businesses became bankrupt, jobs were lost, while large retailers such as Amazon benefited, inflation increased the cost of food and shelter (30) in the US, families disintegrated, poverty, child- wife abuse, homelessness, alcohol and drug abuse, mental disease and suicide increased. The effects on children were particularly severe because of the above and schools' vital social function, so well described by the Australian psychologist, Ros, who was shamed, mocked and lost her license for speaking the truth. (32) Teachers, refusing the vaccine, lost their jobs. Sweden without lockdown did better than Germany with it and none of its 1.8 million children died. (35) Loss of trust in government, in health providers and failure of democracy was severe. (30.34) There was no evidence of benefit from masks and misuse of PCR tests. (30,34)

The harm from the vaccine itself was unfortunately not established with confidence because of poor surveillance (18,26,27): however there appears to have been an increase in myocarditis, autoimmune disease, neurological symptoms, cancer and more disturbing blood clots;( 37,38) and uncertain problems such as brain fog, fatigue and exercise intolerance. (33) Spike protein disseminates throughout the body rather than being confined to the vaccination site (23) and foreign DNA may contaminate vaccines. Vaccines have been banned in parts of Europe. The most serious concern is the problem of excess deaths which occurred in many countries, including New Zealand, and disturbingly continue to this day when infection decreased and the virus mutated to a more benign form. (37,38) Politicians of both parties in Great Britain have recently demanded the release of data, previously only given to drug companies, to ascertain whether excess deaths are due to the Covid vaccine. Is the vaccine and pandemic response set to take over from the Purdue OxyContin scam as the ‘crime of the century'?

Money gouging was extreme despite the US taxpayers funding the majority of m RNA technology, investment in the vaccine, both before and after Covid, a guarantee of purchase and legal indemnity. The US government was outrageously fleeced, resulting in an enormous profit – a familiar example of corporations under extreme capitalism feeding off the government and then taking advantage of them. The cost of the vaccine for Pfizer – BioNtech was approximately $1 -3 dose. When the US stopped purchase of the vaccine, they said they would charge Insurance companies $100- $130 a dose. (,39,40) A frightening possibility is that the virus emanated from the Wuhan laboratory. (41) CONCLUSIONS:

There is no robust evidence that the benefit of the vaccine were greater than the harm from vaccine side effects, lockdown and school closures.

Large drug corporations for profit cannot be trusted in the era of extreme capitalism. The purpose of drug corporations is profit not health.

Given the perverse influence of money and corruption, the approval and regulatory process for drugs in the US, Europe and UK cannot be trusted.

Government misinformed, lied, surveilled, censored, violated human rights and punished dissenter without justification.

Part of the civil service, the Public Health service in various countries, failed in their duty and are not fit for purpose.

The media acted as a propaganda tool of the government and failed in their duty of giving balanced and authentic news and views, instead censoring, deceiving and misinforming the public.

The most important conclusions are:1) the overall failure of sound government and democracy- citizen control is a normal instinct in those who seek or wish to maintain power; 2) politician skills are in deception- self-deception and compromise which makes them vulnerable to poor decisions compared to those who skill is in science, research, public health and other attributes.

How the greater good is used as a tool of social control and to justify authoritarianism. (42)

Citizen control is increasing around the world by manipulation of the masses through fear and stoking partisanship, promoting a single establishment line, mass surveillance, capturing the media, censorship, misinformation and coercion. This is not only authoritarian but inefficient because bad decisions are more often made when a single animal rather than many make decisions, especially in man: a single person or small group does not have the knowledge and experience in most areas concerned, but self-deception and overconfidence lead to prioritising their own views and asking other opinions is viewed as a sign of weakness. (12) Should we believe Donald Trump on global warming who said this was a Chinese hoax- or the best scientists? Or George Bush on weapons of mass destruction???? What then must we do?

The prime mandate of government, which should be enshrined in a constitution is to serve, not control its citizens, and to preserve human rights.

In a future pandemic a more measured, careful approach should be taken with research carried out or supervised and monitored in the public domain and peer reviewed.

Truthful information should be given to the public, dissenting views welcomed and abuse of human rights forbidden. But much more is needed:

The most urgent are a publicly owned television and newspaper, insulated from ads and politics with a constitution to give balanced, accurate news and views and counteract misinformation, run by an independent board.

Part of the civil service giving advice and important information to society should attract some of the best in society, be insulated from politics and corporations with a constitution embedding truth and science. – an important additional plank of governance.

These two measures combined will do much to curb the increasing control of citizens and authoritarianism around the world.

Regulators should be publicly funded, insulated from political, corporate pressure and conflicts of interest.

Research should never be hidden from peer review, for example on the basis of corporate sensitivity, and ideally should be taken out of the control of those who profit from it.

Ownership by the public of essential goods is important for real democracy: Health – drugs are an important component of this, should be owned by the public. Their organisation can be by public, private or a combination.

Research on bioterrorism in laboratories must stop.

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