How low can COVID-19 catastrophists go?

Who'd have guessed that there would be two startling revelations about the great covid over-reach in the space of about a week, upholding claims previously dismissed as conspiracy theories and misinformation?

First, a peer-reviewed scientific study linked covid vaccines to a range of serious health disorders, and then the Queensland Supreme Court ruled that the vaccine mandates imposed on police and ambulance workers were unlawful.

Both provide a welcome dose of reality after the worst days of lockdowns and vaccine roll-outs, when we were all indoctrinated with the message that the jabs were "perfectly safe and effective." Now we know for certain that they don't prevent contraction or transmission of the virus and there's an acknowledged chance they could kill or maim you.

Some of us have been aware of that for a long time, but of course vaccine promoters including Big Pharma and government bureaucrats will still insist that the risk is "very low" the acknowledged disorders are "rare" and vaccines still provide the best means of protection against covid.

But how low is "very low" and how "rare" is rare? Let's look at the latest findings from the largest vaccine safety study to date, conducted by the Global Vaccine Data Network. A research division of the World Health Organization, it reportedly looked at 99 million vaccinated individuals in six continents.

The study confirmed connections between the mRNA COVID vaccine produced by Pfizer and Moderna, and the vaccines produced by AstraZeneca, to the "rare conditions." Myocarditis (inflammation of the heart) and pericarditis (swelling of the sac around the heart) were found with the mRNA vaccine. More severe conditions were linked to the AstraZeneca vaccine, which include Guillain-Barré syndrome, which causes the nerves to be attacked by the immune system. The AstraZeneca vaccine has also been linked with cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (a blood clot in the brain) and acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (inflammation and swelling in the brain and spinal cord).

According to a report in Forbes.com:

"While the side effects are serious, the chance of experiencing them is low. Some highlighted increases include a 6.1-fold increase in myocarditis from the second dose of the Moderna mRNA vaccine. Cases of pericarditis had a 6.9-fold increase as a result of the third dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine. There is a 2.5-times greater risk of developing Guillain-Barré syndrome from the AstraZeneca vaccine along with a 3.2-times greater risk of developing blood clots from the same vaccine. There is a 3.8-times greater risk of getting acute disseminated encephalomyelitis from the Moderna vaccine, and a 2.2-fold increase in the AstraZeneca vaccine.

"When choosing to get vaccinated, it is important to weigh the benefits and risks of the vaccine. Information like this makes it easier to make the right choice…"

Well thanks, but my wife and I made that choice a few years ago and we remain very glad we did, given there are some still trying to pedal the message that a six to seven times chance of contracting a serious heart condition is "low".

Really? I'm reminded of the old Chubby Checker hit Limbo Rock, "How low can you go"? Much lower than that, if you want to convince people the vaccines are safe - let alone effective.

My own long-term scepticism possibly has links back to my first job after leaving high school many moons ago, when I undertook a pharmacy apprenticeship in a very busy regional pharmacy.