Whistler had a bad outbreak of COVID-19 last winter, and so there are many people among us that have natural immunity, which according to [some] recent studies is superior to acquired immunity, and is long-lasting, only waning slightly at six to eight months.
Also, if one has had COVID-19, there is [some] evidence to recommend against getting vaccinated, as it is redundant and there can be side effects such as myocarditis. [Editor’s note: Among patients in a large Israeli health care system who had received at least one dose of the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine, the estimated incidence of myocarditis was 2.13 cases per 100,000 persons; the highest incidence was among male patients between the ages of 16 and 29 years. Most cases of myocarditis were mild or moderate in severity.]
Antibody tests could also be a useful tool, certainly more reliable than the PCR tests; according to Kerry Mullis, the inventor of the PCR tests, they are being misinterpreted and were not designed for their present use. They are also criticized by the likes of former chief science officer of Pfizer Dr. Mike Yeadon for the amount of amplification used in the tests, leading to a rate of false positives in the neighbourhood of 10 times. These misinterpretations of the PCR test have led to false epidemics in the past, such as the false whooping cough epidemic in New Hampshire in 2007.
Now let’s talk about “following the science” and “trusting the experts.” Are we going to just regurgitate what the mainstream media keeps on repeating, or are we going to look at some peer-reviewed, randomized control trials by actual scientists?
Look at how the vaccinated still get and spread COVID-19, with an absolute risk reduction (ARR) of 0.7 per cent for Pfizer, and 1.1 per cent for Moderna (peer reviewed study from the University of Waterloo, Outcome Reporting Bias in COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine Clinical Trials, Ronald B. Brown).
And the FDA has advice for information providers, which includes: “Provide absolute risks, not just relative risks. Patients are unduly influenced when risk information is presented using a relative risk approach; this can result in suboptimal decisions. Thus, an absolute risk format should be used.”
However, Pfizer and Moderna did not publish the ARR, only the RRR. If you were clear on the absolute risk reduction of these vaccines being around one per cent, rather than the misleading (even by the standards of the FDA) advertised relative risk reduction of 94 to 95 per cent, would you have still got the vaccine or be so outspoken about forcing everyone to get it? Combined with waning immunity and the vaccine’s utter ineffectiveness against the Delta [variant] vaccinated and unvaccinated are even when it comes to contracting and spreading COVID-19.
Your best defense is to take care of your health.
Over 99 per cent of those that have contracted COVID-19 in B.C. have recovered [Editor’s note: According to the BC Centre for Disease Control, about 96 per cent have recovered, with 2,186 deaths, on Nov. 2]. The overwhelming majority that have sadly ended up in ICU or passed away have had underlying health problems or comorbidities.
For all those writing about the ski hill—you take a risk every time you go skiing. You might get hit by someone, you could hit a tree, get caught in an avalanche, fall and break a leg or worse.
We all know this and yet continue to take risks, in skiing and everyday life. If we try to avoid risk and choose to cower inside and not do anything with our lives, it is considered mental illness and a tragic waste of life, and we have seen too much of that and its effects over the past two years.
Stop living in fear and do not project your fear onto others!
There are chairlifts up Whistler, you are welcome to stay away from the gondolas and ride the chairs, or simply boycott the resort all together.
Now, let it snow on the vaccinated and the unvaccinated, powder to the people!
Greg Funk // Whistler
[Editor’s Note: The World Health Organization stands by the PCR test. On ARR and RRR, the tests are complementary, not contradictory. Being fully vaccinated does give people some protection against the Delta variant, which is 2.9 times more infectious than the original virus. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Health Canada and the World Health Organization all recommend vaccination against COVID-19.]
