Health officials worried after Florida Supreme Court approves DeSantis' COVID-19 vaccine probe



Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis petitioned the state's supreme court earlier this month for an order to impanel a statewide grand jury to probe any wrongdoing related to COVID-19 vaccines. The court gave him the green light on Thursday.

This has a number of health officials and so-called experts worried about the impact that this truth-finding mission may have on vaccine hesitancy and the public's faith in the medical establishment.

What are the details?

Earlier this month, DeSantis sought approval from the Florida Supreme Court to impanel a grand jury to look into "crimes and wrongdoing committed against Floridians related to the COVID-19 vaccine."

The governor's petition noted that the "pharmaceutical industry has a notorious history of misleading the public for financial gain. Questions have been raised regarding the veracity of the representations made by the pharmaceutical manufacturers of COVID-19 vaccines, particularly with respect to transmission, prevention, efficacy, and safety. An investigation is warranted to determine whether the pharmaceutical industry has engaged in fraudulent practices. The people of Florida deserve to know the truth."

On Dec. 22, the seven-member court complied with DeSantis' request to "get more information and bring legal accountability for those who committed misconduct."

The grand jury will also be able to consider "other criminal activity or wrongdoing that the statewide grand jury uncovers during the course of the investigation" or behavior that is part of an "organized criminal conspiracy," reported the Orlando Sentinel.

Five members were in favor, one abstained, and the lone "no" vote was DeSantis appointee Justice Renatha Francis.

According to the Tallahassee Democrat, the resultant grand jury will be impaneled for 12 months with the chief judge for Florida's Thirteenth Judicial Circuit, Ronald Ficarrotta, serving as the presiding judge.

This outcome has some health officials rattled.

Former U.S. Food and Drug Administration principal deputy commissioner Joshua Sharfstein told The Hill, "This is turning a matter of health and science into a political wedge issue, with the likely consequence that many people will be misled into placing themselves and their families at risk of serious illness and death."

Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, concurred, accusing DeSantis of having a mistaken understanding of the facts and suggesting that the investigation would amount to a "waste of taxpayer money and time and effort."

While conceding that the mRNA vaccines rely upon "brand-new technology" and various "assumptions," Benjamin suggested their deployment "turned out to be a whole lot better than most people thought it would be."

William Schaffner, a professor of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University's Department of Health Policy, also expressed concern about the impact such an investigation would have, claiming that the panels responsible for advising federal agencies on vaccine policy adhered to a "rigorous, externally vetted, very critical process."

Schaffner and Benjamin further downplayed myocarditis as a consequence of the vaccines, suggesting that COVID-19 infections present greater myocarditis risk than do vaccinations.

TheBlaze previously reported that Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo issued guidance for mRNA COVID-19 vaccines on Oct. 7, stating that with "a high level of global immunity to COVID-19, the benefit of vaccination is likely outweighed by this abnormally high risk of cardiac-related death among men" in the 18-39 age group.

The guidance cited analysis that showed an 84% increase in the relative incidence of cardiac-related deaths in this demographic within 28 days following mRNA vaccination.

Brian Castrucci, CEO and president of the de Beaumont Foundation, told The Hill that DeSantis "appears to be focused on creating fear around vaccines that have been shown to be safe and effective."

Castrucci claimed such an investigation would make vaccine safety a "partisan issue" and would "put lives at risk."

"It is preposterous," said Kenneth Goodman, director of the Institute for Bioethics and Health Policy at the University of Miami. "The idea that there was malign intent, when it comes to what the governor is interested in, is a total knee slapper."

So-called digital health expert Bruce Lee recently penned an article for Forbes claiming that DeSantis' initiative is "like being still in the middle of a fire and calling for an investigation into hoses."

Lee suggested that DeSantis' government should at least work with the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention when looking into possible malfeasance by pharmaceutical companies, despite both organizations being highly politicized.

When DeSantis first petitioned the Florida Supreme Court, Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNN, "We have a vaccine that unequivocally is highly effective and safe and has saved literally millions of lives. ... We need to pull together and recognize that the common enemy is the virus."

Extra to its statewide grand jury investigation, the DeSantis administration announced two additional actions to "hold the federal government and Big Pharma accountable."

Florida "will conduct surveillance into sudden deaths of individuals that received the COVID-19 vaccine in Florida, based on autopsy results."

DeSantis is also establishing the Public Health Integrity Committee, which will "assess federal public health recommendations and guidance to ensure that Florida’s public health policies are tailored for Florida’s communities and priorities."

The committee will overseen by Ladapo.

Ladapo said in a statement, "With these new actions, we will shed light on the forces that have obscured truthful communication about the COVID-19 vaccines."

Notwithstanding the alarm raised by his critics in the medical establishment, DeSantis noted, "We’ll be able to get the data whether they want to give it or not."

Sen. Rand Paul blasts Fauci for saying, 'I really can't see something that I would do completely over'



Fauci's retirement won't provide him with immunity to a congressional investigation upon Republicans taking the House in January. It certainly won't shield him from Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul's continued denunciations.

Paul minced no words in conversation with Fox News' Jesse Watters on Thursday, claiming Dr. Anthony Fauci inadvertently got millions of people killed with the risky research he helped secure funding for while head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

No do-overs

Fauci made clear in a recent Washington Post "Exit" interview that he has no regrets.

"You know I really can't see something that I would do completely over," he told the Post.

Concerning these remarks, Sen. Rand Paul said on "Jesse Watters Primetime" that "likely there is no public health figure that has made a greater error in judgement than Dr. Fauci."

"The error in judgment was to fund gain-of-function research in a totalitarian country — fund research that allowed them to create super viruses that, in all likelihood, accidentally leaked into the public and caused seven million people to die," said Paul.

Seeking to contextualize the damage he believes Fauci to have done, Paul suggested, "This is right up there with decisions, some of them malevolent or military, to kill millions of people."

Paul previously elaborated on some of what Fauci allegedly did wrong in an opinion piece, claiming he had the "receipts" evidencing Fauci's "funding of gain-of-function research in China."

"The agency Dr. Fauci heads, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), awarded a grant (Project Number 1R01AI110964-01) with a subcontract to the Wuhan Lab of Virology, where researchers combined a gene from one SARS-related coronavirus with the genetic information of another SARS-related coronavirus and constructed new coronaviruses that infected human cells," wrote Paul.

"That is gain-of-function, and plenty of scientists have called it as such. Although the exact origin of SARS-CoV-2 remains unknown, its unique structure, specifically its furin cleavage site, which has not been found in natural coronaviruses, suggests it may have been developed through dangerous research of this kind," the senator added.

Paul indicated that extra to helping to secure funding for dangerous coronavirus experiments that may have kicked off a global pandemic, Fauci worked ardently to silence critics and "bury the lab-leak theory."

According to Paul, Fauci's censorious and self-aggrandizing approach demonstrated that he, along with former NIH Director Francis Collins, prioritized "dangerous gain-of-function research at a Chinese lab and their own behinds over the health and safety of the American people."

Concerning the COVID-19 death toll and Fauci's apparent lack of remorse, Paul told Watters, "It goes to judgment. Talk about errors, you think he might apologize to the world ... to support that kind of research, then look the other way and say, 'Nothing to see here,' and to cover it up."

'Caught him red-handed'

Paul, who publicly called on Fauci to step down over a year ago, made clear in his Thursday interview with Watters that despite the outgoing NIAID director "covering his tracks" over the past two years, "we've caught him red-handed and he won't get away."

Fauci has denied funding gain-of-function research, but in a Senate hearing convened by Paul earlier this year, Rutgers University molecular biologist Dr. Richard Ebright testified that "the statements made on repeated occasions to the public, to the press, and to policymakers by the NIAID director, Dr. Fauci, have been untruthful. I do not understand why those statements are being made, because they are demonstrably false."

\u201cResponding to a question from Senator Hawley on Fauci\u2019s blatant lies, one expert witness said: \u201cI do not understand why those statements are being made [by Fauci], because they are demonstrably false.\u201d\u201d
— Senator Hawley Press Office (@Senator Hawley Press Office) 1659559755

Concerning Fauci's funding of dangerous research in Chinese labs of dubious security and hygiene, Paul suggested that "historically, he will be remembered for one of the worst judgments in the history of modern medicine."

Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) stated in August that House Republicans may look into whether "Dr. Fauci concealed anything from government officials in order to shield the NIH’s cozy relationship with EcoHealth Alliance, a grantee that awarded taxpayer funds to the Wuhan lab to conduct dangerous research on bat coronaviruses," noting the "American people deserve transparency and accountability."

Last week, Fauci told reporters that "if there are oversight hearings I absolutely will cooperate fully and testify before the Congress. ... I have no trouble testifying — we can defend and explain everything that we've said."

Sen Rand Paul Fauci will be remembered for one of the worst judgments in modern medicine #new #top youtu.be

Media claimed '270 doctors' demanded Spotify take action over Joe Rogan podcasts. Turns out, most aren't medical doctors.



The media last week widely circulated an open letter to Spotify allegedly co-signed by “270 doctors” that demanded the company take action against podcast host Joe Rogan.

But it turns out the majority of those signatories cannot legally practice medicine on their own.

What does the letter say?

The letter demanded that Spotify "implement a misinformation policy."

The letter voiced anger over a recent episode of the "Joe Rogan Experience" with Dr. Robert Malone, a virologist and immunologist who has been censored by social media companies for disseminating a perspective about the COVID-19 vaccine that contradicts the government's narrative.

The letter claimed Rogan has a "concerning history of broadcasting misinformation" about the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Joe Rogan has repeatedly spread misleading and false claims on his podcast, provoking distrust in science and medicine," the letter stated. "This is not only a scientific or medical concern; it is a sociological issue of devastating proportions and Spotify is responsible for allowing this activity to thrive on its platform."

The media predictably circulated the letter like wildfire.

  • The Guardian: "‘Menace to public health’: 270 doctors criticize Spotify over Joe Rogan’s podcast"
  • Forbes: "Doctors, Scientists Petition Spotify To Stop ‘Joe Rogan Experience’ Covid-19 Misinformation"
  • Rolling Stone: "‘A Menace to Public Health’: Doctors Demand Spotify Puts an End to Covid Lies on ‘Joe Rogan Experience’"
  • New York Post: "'Joe Rogan is a ‘menace to public health,’ 270 doctors and experts tell Spotify

But what is the problem?

A quick inspection of the letter's signatories reveals that the majority are not legally permitted to practice medicine unsupervised, while a significant number are not even direct medical providers.

The range of credentials among the signatories includes: 82 medical doctors (MD), five doctors of osteopathic medicine (DO), more than one dozen nurse practitioners, nearly 100 Ph.D.s and Ph.D. candidates (most of whom are professors), registered nurses, veterinarians, a dentist, a psychologist (which is different from a psychiatrist, which requires an MD), physicians' assistants, a biochemist, master's students, research associates, pharmacists, a "COVID-19 laboratory supervisor," medical students, public health advisers, teachers, engineers, social workers, and even a podcast host.

In other words, the list is composed of an eclectic group of people — some of whom are qualified medical experts having earned the terminal degree in their field — that hardly inspires confidence in the newsworthy value of their letter, let alone in the weight of their collective opinion.

After all, what generally qualifies a person to contribute any substantive perspective to a given field of research is by earning the highest degree necessary in that field and by having direct experience in the field. For medicine in the United States, this is most often the MD or DO, considering one of these degrees is required to obtain a license to practice medicine without supervision.

This is what makes the letter — and the censorship of Dr. Malone — even more astounding.

Whether or not someone agrees with Dr. Malone, by academic and professional standards, he has earned the right to have a "seat at the table." He is a medical doctor and possesses decades of experience in virology and immunology.

Rather than seeking to silence voices that contradict the narrative, all views should be weighed equally and then only discounted if they are examined fairly with a methodology appropriate to the field (this is why, for example, academic journals typically employ a blind peer-review process). After all, scholars and experts who are members of professional societies routinely gather in meetings to share new ideas. Some are accepted, others are rejected, but all are allotted the opportunity to be heard if they are within the bounds of the field.

One thus wonders: Should people not qualified to examine the views of a bona fine expert be allowed to make judgements about the expert's opinions? That is what has happened with Dr. Malone and others like him.

(H/T: The Dossier)

UCSF medical professionals call on California to open the schools



Medical professionals in California are calling on state schools to reopen this February, arguing that the risks posed to children by social isolation are greater than the dangers of COVID.

A group of 30 University of California San Francisco medical professionals led by Dr. Jeanne Noble, the director of COVID response and a professor of emergency medicine at UCSF, have written an open letter urging state officials to open the schools by February 1.

"Long term closures have a detrimental, measurable impact on children and adolescents," the letter states.

California schools closed last March at the beginning of various state governments' responses to the coronavirus pandemic across the nation. More than 5.7 million K-12 California children, nine out of 10 of whom are public school students, were sent home for what initially was said to be two weeks to slow the spread of the virus.

Nearly a year later, Dr. Noble says there is an ongoing mental health crisis for children caused by the social isolation of lockdown policies. She explained why she's calling for the schools to open in an interview on Fox News Monday, saying, "There really is a mental health crisis among our youth from this lack of socialization and in-person education. And that was really the impetus for our letter, to bring attention to this other half of the equation," Dr. Noble said. "We focus a lot on the COVID risks of going back to school, risks for teachers and students, but we don't spend a lot of time talking about the mental health damage that's ongoing."

She reported CDC data that shows there's been about a 24% increase in ER visits for mental health reasons for children under the age of 11. For kids 12 and up there's been a 31% increase. Dr. Noble said local data in California "mirrors those national trends."

"In our children's hospital of Oakland we have something called, 'Ask Suicide Questions," where all kids coming into the ER are asked about recent thoughts of suicide," she explained. "Back in March, we had 6% of 10- to 17-year-olds reporting recent thoughts of suicide. That number had increased to 16% by September."

Children are suffering from more mental health issues than just thoughts of suicide.

"In the ER a lot of kids are coming in with signs of distress, so not just thoughts of suicide," Dr. Noble said. "That's kind of the tip of the iceberg. Those are the worst-case scenarios. We have kids who are cutting, who have become very anxious about going out of their homes, new social phobias, new eating disorders. Just a lot of signs of mental health distress that we're seeing in the ER."

"We have data about how we can return kids to the classroom safely," she added, explaining why now is the time to open schools.

"We closed our schools back in March because we assumed COVID was going to be like the flu, that kids would be the primary drivers of this pandemic, that they would get sick more often and transmit more often than adults. Now we know that we were wrong. Kids are less likely to get COVID, less likely to get sick, and less likely to pass it on than adults are," she said.

"If we knew in March what we know now, I don't think we would've closed our schools," Dr. Noble added. "And we have good data about safe school reopening. North Carolina just released a large data set: 90,000 kids K-12 back in school, 10,000 teachers. There were only 32 school-based transmissions of COVID during a 9-week period. Those are really tiny, reassuring numbers."

"So now that we know that kids can return to the classroom safely, it's time to get them back to school."

JOEL SAGET/AFP via Getty Images

Norwegian medical experts warn COVID-19 vaccine side effects could be devastating for patients over 80 and the terminally ill



Norwegian health officials say that the COVID-19 vaccine may be "too risky" for coronavirus patients over 80 and the terminally ill, according to a Friday Bloomberg report.

What are the details?

According to the report, at least 23 people have died across the country a short time after receiving just the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, prompting experts to wonder if the shot is safe for the elderly and the terminally ill.

Citing the country's medicines agency, Bloomberg reported, "Of those deaths, 13 so far [have] been autopsied, with the results suggesting that common side effects may have contributed to severe reactions in frail, elderly people."

In a statement, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health explained, "For those with the most severe frailty, even relatively mild vaccine side effects can have serious consequences. For those who have a very short remaining life span anyway, the benefit of the vaccine may be marginal or irrelevant."

At the time of this reporting, the outlet estimated that Norway has administered at least one dose to approximately 33,000 people.

'We are not alarmed by this'

The Washington Post reported that the government, despite the deaths, is not worried.

Steinar Madsen, medical director for the Norwegian Medicines Agency, told Norwegian broadcaster NRK that the country's experts are "not alarmed by this."

"It is quite clear that these vaccines have very little risk, with a small exception for the frailest patients," Madsen added. "Doctors must now carefully consider who should be vaccinated. Those who are very frail and at the very end of life can be vaccinated after an individual assessment."

Representatives for Pfizer and BioNTech have yet to issue public remarks on the news at the time of this reporting.

'Developed in haste'

Following the news, the Global Times reported that Chinese health experts are calling on Norway to suspend the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for the elderly.

The outlet reported that the mRNA vaccine was "developed in haste and had never been used on a large scale for the prevention of infectious disease." As such, the Times notes, "its safety had not been confirmed for large-scale use in humans."

The vaccine has received only temporary approval in the EU.

Yang Zhanqiu, a virologist from Wuhan University, told the outlet on Friday that the deaths, if caused by the vaccines, show that the effects of the vaccines are not as good as expected.

"A Beijing-based immunologist, who requested anonymity, told the Global Times on Friday that the world should suspend the use of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine represented by Pfizer, as this new technology has not proven safety in large-scale use or in preventing any infectious diseases," the outlet reported. "Older people, especially those over 80, should not be recommended to receive any COVID-19 vaccine, he said."

www.forbes.com

LOCKDOWNS FOREVER: Medical experts tell Government to ‘shut it down now, and start over’

If new lockdowns aren’t imposed, experts warn, “the consequences will be measured in widespread suffering and death.”