Why a sane, rational Israeli might choose not to vax - opinion

by Rivkah Lambert Adler, republished with permission of IsraelNewsTalkRadio.com

‍To many, it is incomprehensible that an eligible Israeli would choose not to get the COVID-19 vaccine. So-called anti-vaxxers are routinely accused of being selfish, of caring more about their rights than about the greater good, of being under the sway of preposterous conspiracy theories and even of being murderers of their fellow citizens.

Those who elect not to vax at this time and who share their viewpoint on social media are so widely vilified that many who haven’t yet vaxxed find it prudent to remain silent. As a result, there are few outspoken opponents of Israel’s vaccine campaign. Instead, most who have not gotten vaxxed are speaking to one another privately, in local and international groups on WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram.

So why would a sane, rational, contributing member of Israeli society refuse to take the jab? To find out, we asked over 100 individuals who have not yet gotten vaccinated to share their reasons for refusing. The concerns they expressed fall into six major categories.

Two points are worth highlighting. First, due to censorship of the anti-vax perspective in mainstream media, many of the concerns reported here are based on primary research, as opposed to news reports. Additionally, not every unvaccinated individual will agree that each of these concerns is a factor in their personal decision.

‍Concerns Over The Safety of The Vaccine

‍Without question, the most commonly stated reason for refusing to get vaccinated is a concern over the safety of the vaccine itself. These safety concerns include the following points:

• The Pfizer vaccine was not fully tested before being implemented and, as is well-documented, Israel is serving as the world’s test case for the safety and efficacy of the vaccine.
• Referring to this injection as a vaccine is a misnomer. The mRNA technology differs from traditional vaccines and is alleged to affect one’s DNA. There are concerns about the long-term effects this new technology will have on those who are injected because there is much that remains unknown at this stage.
• Prime Minister Netanyahu aggressively pursued and entered into a large-scale experimental program with Pfizer without requiring Israel’s citizens to give informed consent before being vaccinated. Israel agreed to provide massive amounts of medical data to Pfizer in exchange for early availability of the vaccine.
• The FDA issued an emergency authorization for the vaccine’s use, as opposed to full FDA approval. Emergency authorization is generally granted in exceptional cases when no other medical treatments are available. That is simply not the case with COVID-19.
• Neither Pfizer nor the Israeli government are liable for any adverse effects of the vaccine on individuals. This means that the individual assumes full liability for any adverse effects they might experience. This fact is not disclosed to those receiving the vaccine.
• The government plans to vaccinate all Israeli children ages 6 and above with this experimental injection, effectively conducting widespread testing of this new technology on Israel’s minors.
• Some individuals, particularly those with allergies or existing auto-immune diseases, have been advised by their health care practitioners to not vaccinate.

Concerns About The Misrepresentation of the Seriousness of the Virus

‍There is evidence suggesting that seriousness of the COVID-19 virus has been overplayed in mainstream media and that adverse reactions to the vaccine have been suppressed, in order to encourage people to vaccinate.

The overall COVID-19 recovery rate is estimated to be between 97% and 99.8%. The younger the patient, the higher the survival rate. These numbers call into question the need to vaccinate the entire population of Israel with an untested injection whose long-term effects are simply not known.

The mortality rate from COVID-19 is nowhere near as high as other pandemics in history. The government’s response is seen as excessive and disproportionate to the level of risk faced by the general population.

Reports indicate that the death by COVID-19 numbers are falsely inflated. Videos of physicians reporting that they and their hospitals are being pressured to list COVID-19 as the cause of death for any patient who tested positive for the virus, regardless of the actual cause of death, have been seen by hundreds of thousands of people.

‍Concerns About Conflict Of Interest

‍Israel's Ministry of Health reported that, in 2018, Pfizer donated more than 10 million shekels to various health-related programs in Israel. This donation made Pfizer the largest donor reported by the Ministry of Health, surpassing the next largest donor by over 2.2 million shekels.

The full text of the agreement between Pfizer and the government of Israel has not been made available to Israeli citizens. The redacted version is missing vital information including, but not limited to, the date the agreement was signed and the entire section on damages and liability. There is a claim that the terms of the agreement will be sealed for 30 years.

‍Concerns About Censorship

‍Doctors who advocate treating COVID-19 with medications that have been proven to be safe and effective have been sanctioned. There are cases of physicians losing their medical licenses and even being fired for not supporting the vaccination campaign.

Information about alternative treatment protocols has been suppressed. Israel’s Ministry of Health and Kupot Cholim have forbidden doctors from prescribing hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin, treatments that have been proven to be successful alternative treatments for COVID-19 patients.

The US government’s Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) reports cases of significant adverse effects, including death. These data are not being reported in mainstream media outlets and on most social media platforms.

Individuals who speak out against the vaccination program have been blocked, deplatformed and/or had content removed from major social media platforms, reminiscent of the censorship citizens faced in Communist Russia.

Media outlets that run stories opposing the vaccine have had their online content suppressed and their reach limited by algorithms that are designed to censor alternative viewpoints.

‍Concerns About Financial Impropriety

‍COVID-19 vaccines are very, very big business. The entire population of the world (approximately 7.8 billion people) is the vaccine’s target market. Big Pharma has a vested interest in creating the perception that the vaccine is a human imperative, despite the very high COVID-19 survival rate.

There is already talk of people needing to be revaccinated every six months to maintain immunity. This is seen as readying the market to sell millions of additional doses, generating trillions of dollars in profits.

‍Concerns About Coercion

‍The constantly changing rules about quarantines, lockdowns, airport closures, tracking bracelets and Green Pass restrictions are seen as part of a campaign to so disrupt everyday life that people will not only willingly agree to vaccinate themselves but will urge others to do so in order to “return to normal life.”

In February, Health Minister Yuli Edelstein said, “Anyone who does not get vaccinated will be left behind.” In mid-March, he criticized those who raised concerns about Israel’s relationship with Pfizer, saying, “I suggest they take a chill pill and be quiet. There is no reason to think there is a problem with an mRNA vaccine, and there is no evidence that it is dangerous.” Statements from like this from a government minister, along with the division of Israeli society into separate tiers based on vaccination status, are perceived as both threatening and coercive.

The push to vaccinate based on fear causes significant interpersonal tension in families and between friends who have different opinions about the necessity of the vaccine.

In some workplaces, employees are in jeopardy of losing their positions if they refuse to vaccinate.

The right of individuals to choose whether or not to take this experimental vaccine is being increasingly compromised by limits placed on the civil liberties of Israeli citizens. These limits are being imposed in contravention of Israeli law.

‍ConclusionWe are all swimming in a sea of fake news. One of the greatest challenges of the COVID-19 era has been the difficulty of knowing what to believe. Therefore, concerned citizens are urged to do their own research and not rely exclusively on reports in mainstream media.