As previously reported in the Trends Journal, nations across the globe have been rushing to get out a COVID-19 vaccine as quickly as possible.
The winners of the COVID vaccination sweepstakes are headline news:
- “Coronavirus vaccine: Short cuts and allegations of dirty tricks.” – BBC, 22 August
- “Wealthy countries have already pre-ordered more than two billion doses… deals to buy more than two billion doses of coronavirus vaccine in a scramble.” – Nature.com, 24 August
- “COVID vaccine rush could make pandemic worse, say scientists.” –Guardian, 30 August
- “Russia, China Rush to Fill COVID-19 Vaccine Void” – Washington Post, 15 October
The mad scramble taking place around the globe continues despite clear warnings of the dangers surrounding past vaccines. On 26 May, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) published an article titled, “Adverse Consequences of Rushing a SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine.”
The article was authored by Dr. Brit Trogen, pediatric physician at NYU’s Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital; David Oshinsky, Pulitzer Prize winning historian at NYU; and Arthur Caplan, Professor of Bioethics at NYU.
The authors stated, “There is grim historical precedent for allowing expediency to rule vaccine development.” Among the historic evidence presented:
“In 1955, the inactivated polio vaccine developed by Jonas Salk was declared ‘safe, potent, and effective’ following the largest public health experiment in the nation’s history, involving more than a million schoolchildren. Within weeks, however, the miracle vaccine intended to end the scourge of polio stood accused of causing it. Years in development, the Salk vaccine had been rigorously tested in preparation for the massive trials.
But the very success of these trials led to an understandable outcry for the immediate, but premature, public release of the vaccine. Five pharmaceutical companies were given Salk’s formula and left to produce the vaccine without significant oversight. As speed took precedence over caution, serious mistakes went unreported.
One company, Cutter Laboratories, distributed a vaccine so contaminated with live poliovirus that 70 000 children who received that vaccine developed muscle weakness, 164 were permanently paralyzed, and 10 died.”
Swine Flu Fiasco
The doctors also noted:
“In 1976, concerns about the emergence of a new swine flu strain reminiscent of the lethal 1918 version led President Gerald Ford to convene a panel that recommended a government-backed mass vaccination program.
Poorly conceived, the attempt to vaccinate the U.S. population at breakneck speed failed in virtually every respect. Safety standards deteriorated as one manufacturer produced the incorrect strain. The vaccine tested poorly on children who, depending on the form of vaccine tested, either developed adverse reactions with high fevers and sore arms or did not mount an immune response at all… Once again, the pressure to rapidly distribute a vaccine undermined the scientific integrity of the process and damaged public trust.”
Troublesome Trend Warning
The authors of “Adverse Consequences of Rushing a SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine” point out that the problematic history of mass vaccinations is a concern with the current rush to get one out for COVID-19:
“Failing to abide by standards of safety and scientific rigor during the COVID-19 crisis will fuel the argument that physicians and scientists cannot be trusted. Vaccination rates, which are declining due to widespread concern about visiting clinicians’ offices, could further decrease.”