Are We Truly Giving Informed Consent and Informed Refusal Around The World?
Are We Truly Giving Informed Consent and Informed Refusal Around The World?
My grandmother, Alice
Happy World Health Day. This year’s theme is building a fairer, healthier world for everyone and so I want to share the story of my grandmother.
My grandmother had an adverse reaction to the Covid-19 vaccine. She had a very strong reaction. I reported it to VAERS, The Vaccine Adverse Event System, a national early warning system to detect possible safety issues with vaccines in the U.S. It is managed by the CDC and the FDA. My parents were happy that I reported it. They were very worried. None of us had ever seen her in such a condition. Luckily, with my expertise for holistic health and wellness and being a medium, I was able to give her a natural remedy that relieved the symptoms and she is okay again. But my parents were not sure if she would ever be okay again.
My grandmother is 99 years and so with the virus we have been keeping her home. It’s difficult for her to walk so my parents called for a visiting nurse to give her the shot at home. The nurse asked her if she had any severe allergies and if she used an EpiPen (which she does not), but did not mention any of the side effects that my grandmother developed later as being a possible adverse reaction. The nurse stayed with her for 15 minutes but it was several hours before the adverse effects kicked in. When they kicked in, they kicked in forcefully and she was inconsolable.
Most people don’t know that they can report an adverse reaction to a vaccine. Some people mention it to their doctors, but if you experience an adverse reaction to the Covid vaccine or any vaccine, it is very important that you report it to VAERS.
Report adverse reactions to:
https://vaers.hhs.gov/reportevent.html
Doctors and pharmaceutical companies are supposed to report all adverse reactions they are aware of, but only 1% of all adverse events are reported to VAERS. It is very important for people to have informed consent and to do so they must be given all the possible side effects and know how common they are. But if people do not report their reactions data cannot be collected.
If you are considering a vaccine make sure you ask:
What are the ingredients in the vaccine? (If you do not understand the ingredients, research them. You should understand what is being put into your body.)
Ask about the possible side effects. Ask to see all the potential side effects written down.
Often times those giving shots, say, “It’s safe.” Or “It’s mild.” Or “Not worse than the virus.” Or “Typically just a sore arm or achiness later.” This is not specific information. This is not enough information for informed consent.
Read the list of side effects and ask questions, “Are these all the side effects or the most common? Is it safe for all health conditions? Is it safe with all medications and treatments?”
You can also research on CDC’s Web site for the list of adverse reactions and the number of deaths, as well as VAERS, (VAERS will include more detailed information including serious and long term complications.)
Remember this medication was fast tracked. Normally, it takes up to 15 years to develop a vaccine, to test on a trial basis for safety and efficacy and then years to be approved by the FDA for them to research the safety to ensure they are safe for millions of people. These vaccines were developed and approved in about a year. It is possible the vaccines could interact with medications that people take or health conditions they have. And if you use an EpiPen, you should not receive this vaccine. On the CDC Web site, it makes it clear that anaphylaxis has occurred in reaction to the vaccine. The nurse who gave my grandmother her shot specifically asked my grandmother if she had ever had a severe allergic reaction or used an EpiPen as one of her screening questions.
Several of my friends and family members have had adverse reactions from the vaccines and have not reported them. Again, I want to emphasize how important it is to report reactions. Many think it is the sole responsibility for pharmaceutical companies to report adverse reactions. If you know you had an adverse reaction you could help someone else or thousands of people by reporting it. If you do, pharmaceutical companies, the FDA, and the CDC may realize that the vaccine should not be mixed with certain medications, cannot be taken with certain health conditions or to check on certain batches that are resulting in adverse reactions. They will have a clear idea about the safety. It is important for us to know how common these adverse reactions are and ALL the possible side effects instead of just being told the side effects are mild or worth the risk. If we know how many people have had adverse reactions so far and how severe, we can make informed decisions if this is in our best interest.
To clarify, the primary objectives of VAERS are to:
Detect new, unusual, or rare vaccine adverse events;
Monitor increases in known adverse events;
Identify potential patient risk factors for particular types of adverse events;
Assess the safety of newly licensed vaccines;
Determine and address possible reporting clusters (e.g., suspected localized [temporally or geographically] or product-/batch-/lot-specific adverse event reporting);
Recognize persistent safe-use problems and administration errors;
Provide a national safety monitoring system that extends to the entire general population for response to public health emergencies, such as a large-scale pandemic influenza vaccination program.
I believe everyone has the right to informed consent and informed refusal. In the U.S., we have a right to informed consent and we have a right to informed refusal in most matters, but in some states vaccines are mandated for children to attend school or day care and there are many saying that everyone should be vaccinated with the Covid-19 vaccine. Also, there is talk about vaccine passports being required in the future to travel.
My grandmother is a perfect example of why vaccines should not be mandated for all in the U.S. or anywhere in the world.
I talked with a doctor yesterday who said that it seems the vaccines will be good for 6 months and most likely, people will need to get re-vaccinated every 6 months. My grandmother will never get another Covid vaccine. It’s not worth the risk.
Remember everyone is unique. And everyone has a right to make decisions that are in their best interests for them and their bodies. I believe in body autonomy, freedom of choice, and transparency about safety.
AstraZeneca, a vaccine not used in the U.S., but has been shipped to several countries, is now reporting the vaccine could be causing rare blood clots which are causing death and many countries have paused offering it to their people. But millions have already received these vaccines. Surprisingly, The European Medicines Agency is still encouraging people to get the vaccine.
When I filled out the VAERS form, I felt a sense of relief, of relief that I can share my voice, that I can be heard, that I can stand up for my grandmother who doesn’t have the means to fill out a form online, that all the information will be analyzed to see if this vaccine is safe for all or if there should be restrictions.
Keep your vaccination card. You will need the lot number when reporting your adverse reaction.
Going back to theme of today with World Health Day, I believe we should focus on having a fairer, healthier world for all. There is nothing more important than our health. We all have a right to freedom. We all have a right to informed consent and informed refusal. This means we must have all the information to make an informed decision. Don’t feel peer pressured into doing something that is not right for you or if you do not have enough information. Not everyone tolerates medication well. I believe that everyone should make the decision that is best for them. If you believe having the vaccine is best for you, you have the right to get it. If you believe the vaccine is not in your best interest, you have the right to refuse. But if you refuse, you should not be punished. In Israel, the government is sharing personal information about unvaccinated people such as their phone numbers and addresses. In the wrong hands, this could lead to bullying and feeling peer pressured into being vaccinated. Is this fair? Is this kind? Is this for the best health interest of all?
I am so glad my grandmother is okay. I am so glad she is no longer having an adverse reaction and I am happy that now she has a chance to reach her 100th birthday next month.
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