The various ‘adverse reaction’ reporting schemes operated by health authorities round the world are a valuable tool in capturing the raw data necessary to direct research into potential side effect of the Covid-19 vaccines. It quickly identified the tiny risk of anaphylaxis and prompted the change in advice about who should get the AZ vaccine
Unfortunately it has also provides a valuable tool for anti-vaxxers too. Like all of us, they know that the adverse reaction reporting systems are simply that, records of incidents that occurred after someone was vaccinated without any assessment of whether the vaccine played any part in it. They know the difference between correlation and causation. So when they claim that the data from European Medicines Agency of 354,177 injuries and 8,430 deaths or the 215,939 injuries and 1,102 deaths recorded under the UKs ‘Yellow Card’ scheme were caused by the vaccines and is proof of the risks associated with being vaccinated, they know they are lying. The know that they are spreading misinformation designed to dissuade people from being vaccinated (even if they’re not an anti-vaxxer). And so should we.
Anyone can submit an ‘adverse reaction’ report. I had a look at the latest UK data for the Pfizer vaccination:
A lot of people went to the bother of reporting that the spot where they were injected was sore, red, bruised or swollen after the jab. A couple of people said they had a scab. I believe them.
Amongst the reactions that are harder to believe were caused by the vaccine were tooth decay, bad breath, chapped lips, chilblains, hunger (6 people), screaming (some ‘high pitched’ screaming) and a bed-bug infestation,
Three people apparently became allergic to arthropod stings or bites. Unfortunately only one clarified it was from a ‘mite’ so the other two could have been anything from fleas to lobsters. Presumably they weren’t allergic before the jab.
Over 600 people were sure that the vaccine gave them Covid-19 even though it’s impossible, over 700 got influenza, 4 got mumps, 2 got measles, one got gonorrhoea and one syphilis.
Most mystifying perhaps were the 12 people who broke their collar bone, the broken leg and wrist and fractured spine and skull (presumably their nurse was very heavy handed) and the 8 people that had an electric shock and one that suffered a ‘bite’ (presumably their nurse was a sadist).
Helpfully 15 people completed a ‘Yellow Card’ to say that their adverse reaction was that they had no adverse reaction. Perhaps they were disgruntled conspiracy theorists.