Media disqualify doctors who warn patients about COVID vaccine side effects
Warning patients about possible side effects that might result from the COVID-19 injections is now “controversial,” according to new media reports.
Florida’s Health Department last week issued a health alert in which it warned that the COVID-19 vaccine may bring with it serious adverse events. The Health Department cited a 1,700% increase in Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) reports since the COVID injection’s release, and a 4,400% increase in reports of life-threatening conditions.
Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo sent a letter to the CDC and FDA emphasizing the need for more transparency in light of these data.
The health alert then urged medical professionals to make patients aware of the injection’s possible side effects:
To support transparency, the State of Florida reminds health care providers to accurately communicate the risks and benefits of all clinical interventions to their patients, including those associated with the COVID-19 vaccine as additional risks continue to be identified and disclosed to the public.
But media outlets appear not to agree with Florida’s Health Department that patients should be made aware of the possible side effects, calling the guidance “controversial”.
“Anti-lockdown Florida issues controversial new guidance to doctors telling them to warn patients they could suffer HEART ATTACK after Covid shot,” ran a headline from the Daily Mail Friday.
The article went on to dismiss VAERS — the reporting system used by the CDC — by saying that it “uses self-reported information and does not require verification. Some reports may not be true, and others could be caused by Covid itself - which is known to cause long-term heart symptoms in some sufferers.”
However, a study published in 2021 found that 67% of VAERS reports were actually submitted by healthcare workers. Furthermore, the CDC considers VAERS as a credible source of data, which it sometimes uses in its reports and presentations.
The news outlet also dismissed a study published by MIT last year and cited by Florida’s Health Department which found a 25% increase in cardiac events following the shots. The Daily Mail claims, “Researchers note that it is unclear whether any of these events had any link to the vaccine.”
However, the study’s researchers are very clear about there being a link between the uptick in cardiac events to the vaccine:
“Using Negative Binomial regression models, the weekly emergency call counts were significantly associated with the rates of 1st and 2nd vaccine doses administered to this age group but were not with COVID-19 infection rates,” says the study.
The Daily Mail did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Other news outlets similarly tried to dismiss VAERS in response to Florida’s health alert.
“Florida surgeon general cites database with unverified reports in latest COVID vaccine warning,” said WTSP, which spent the article trying to discredit VAERS.
We asked WTSP if the CDC should discontinue VAERS, or at least stop using its data, but the news outlet did not immediately respond.
The Tampa Bay Times, a publication ultimately owned by the Poynter Institute which is partly funded by George Soros, chided Florida for “questioning COVID vaccines”.
“Florida surgeon general, again questioning COVID vaccines, sends letter to CDC, FDA,” wrote the Times.
This time, in addition to asking about VAERS, we asked Tampa Bay Times the following:
- Does the Tampa Bay Times feel Florida's surgeon general should not be requesting more transparency from the CDC and FDA?
- Does the Times also think Florida's surgeon general should not advise physicians to discuss with patients possible side effects from the vaccines?
The Tampa Bay Times did not immediately respond.
