Malaysia just approved the Pfizer PAXLOVID antiviral treatment for COVID-19!
Here is what you need to know!
Malaysia Approves Pfizer PAXLOVID Antivirals For COVID-19!
On 3 March 2022, the Malaysia Health Ministry (KKM) announced that the 370th Drug Control Authority meeting has agreed to give conditional approval to:
PAXLOVID (PF-07321332 150mg Film-Coated Tablets and Ritonavir 100mg Film-Coated Tablets)
Registrant : Pfizer (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd.
Manufacturer : Pfizer Manufacturing Deutschland GmbH, Germany and Pfizer Ireland Pharmaceuticals, Ireland
Indication : COVID-19 treatment for adults age 18 years and above who do not require oxygen therapy, and are high-risk for severe COVID-19.
The Health Ministry warns that PAXLOVID is not meant to replace COVID-19 vaccination and public health measures.
Pfizer PAXLOVID : What Is It?
Pfizer PAXLOVID is an antiviral treatment that consists of two protease inhibitors :
two 150 mg tablets of Nirmatrelvir (the new protease inhibitor developed by Pfizer)
one 100 mg tablet of Ritonavir (an old antiviral approved in 1996)
Protease inhibitors work by binding to proteolytic enzymes used by the SARS-CoV-2 virus to replicate. This prevents the virus from replicating in the infected cells, stopping the infection and preventing transmission.
Drug combinations like this offer a synergistic effect, above and beyond their individual abilities. In this combination, ritonavir helps to slow down the breakdown of nirmatrelvir, allowing it to remain in the body for a longer period at higher concentrations.
It is meant to be taken by those who are at high-risk of developing severe COVID-19, and must be taken within 5 days of symptom onset. In addition, PAXLOVID must not be taken for more than 5 consecutive days.
The EPIC-HR trial showed that PAXLOVID is able to reduce the risk of hospitalisation or death from COVID-19 b y 88%, compared to placebo.
Individuals who took PAXLOVID have reported side effects like impaired sense of taste, diarrhoea, high blood pressure and muscle aches.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Malaysia just approved the Sinovac CoronaVac vaccine for 5-11 year-old kids!
Here is what you need to know!
Malaysia Approves Sinovac COVID-19 Vaccine For 5-11 Yo Kids!
On 3 March 2022, the Malaysia Health Ministry (KKM) announced that the 370th Drug Control Authority meeting has agreed to give conditional approval to the Sinovac CoronaVac COVID-19 vaccine for use in 5-11 year-old children.
The conditional approval is for CoronaVac Suspension for Injection COVID-19 Vaccine (Vero Cell) manufactured by both Sinovac Life Sciences Co. Ltd. in China, as well as Pharmaniaga Lifescience Sdn. Bhd. in Malaysia.
This makes the Sinovac CoronaVac the second COVID-19 vaccine to be approved in Malaysia for children 5 to 11 years in age, after the Pfizer COMIRNATY vaccine on 6 January 2022.
Should You Get Sinovac Vaccine For 5-11 Yo Kids?
This conditional approval will be a relief for many parents who have been holding out for an alternative to the Pfizer COMIRNATY vaccine, and spur vaccination rates.
Back in October 2021, the KKM ran a Phase 3 clinical trial to determine the efficacy of the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine for children 3-11 years in age.
However, the Malaysia Ministry of Health did not reveal what was the efficacy of the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine for the 5-11 year old age group, or how it performed against the Omicron variant.
We do know that the adult dose was only 50.4% efficacious in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 from the original SARS-CoV-2 virus, and that it has zero efficacy against the Omicron variant (see link and table below).
It seems unlikely that the same vaccine would impart better efficacy in children, more so against the Delta or Omicron variants.
Until there are good peer-reviewed Phase 3 results of the Sinovac CoronaVac vaccine for 5-11 year-old children, I believe it is far more prudent to vaccinate our children with the Pfizer COMIRNATY paediatric vaccine.
At least the Pfizer paediatric COVID-19 vaccine has been proven in a Phase 3 trial to be 90.7% efficacious in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 infections.
I believe KKM will continue to use the superior Pfizer vaccine in the PICKids vaccination program, while allowing hesitant parents to get the Sinovac vaccine for their children through private clinics and hospitals.
This may be the best way forward for everyone.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Malaysia just approved the COVAXIN inactivated virus vaccine for use against COVID-19!
Here is what you need to know!
Malaysia Approves COVAXIN Inactivated Virus Vaccine!
On 10 February 2022, the Malaysia Ministry of Health (KKM) announced that the Drug Control Authority (DCA) has agreed to conditionally approve the COVAXIN vaccine for use against COVID-19!
Manufacturer : Bharat Biotech International Limited, India
The COVAXIN vaccine is now allowed to be given to individuals 18 years and older in Malaysia.
COVAXIN Vaccine : A Quick Primer
Codenamed BBV152, the Bharat COVAXIN vaccine is an inactivated virus vaccine, similar to the Sinovac CoronaVac vaccine.
It is manufactured from actual COVID-19 viruses that were grown in Vero cells, and inactivated using beta-propiolactone. It uses an aluminium-based adjuvant called Alhydroxiquim-II to stimulate the immune response.
COVAXIN is a 2-dose vaccine, with each 5 ml dose given intramuscularly. The second dose is given after an interval of 4 weeks.
Its Phase 3 trial showed that it was 78% effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19, and 93% effective in preventing severe disease. It was also shown to be 65% effective against the Delta variant.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Was the combination of Sinovac and Pfizer proven to be less effective against the Omicron variant of COVID-19?
Let’s take a look at the claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Sinovac + Pfizer Combo Proven Less Effective Against Omicron
On 9 February 2022, The Edge posted an article with the title “Combination of Sinovac and Pfizer proven less effective to fight Omicron, says Pharmaniaga“.
The article covers Pharmaniaga’s statement which suggested that a third dose of Sinovac (of which they are the licensed distributor) is better than the Pfizer booster dose.
Let me share the relevant parts of the article, with key segments in bold. It’s a long read, so you can skip to the next section for the facts.
Pharmaniaga Bhd, citing a study conducted by Yale University, said that two doses of Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine with a Pfizer-BioNTech booster dose are less effective and produces a lower immune response against the Omicron variant compared with other strains.
On the other hand, Pharmaniaga, which is the licensed distributor of Sinovac vaccine in Malaysia, highlighted that a separate research by Sinovac Biotech Ltd shows that three doses of Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine produced higher neutralising antibodies in 95% of recipients compared with 3.3% by the second dose against a variant of concern (VOC), including Omicron.
Based on these findings, the pharmaceutical company stressed that getting a Sinovac Covid-19 booster is highly recommended for those who have completed their primary vaccination, which offers better protection by creating an antibody response and providing good protection, especially against severe disease.
Pharmaniaga’s statement contradicts Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin’s remark made in November last year to the Malaysian public that “for Sinovac recipients, a Pfizer booster is the best choice to increase your level of protection”.
In a statement, Pharmaniaga said the research conducted by Yale University, the Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Health and other institutions, demonstrated that the primary two doses of Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine with the booster shot of Pfizer produced an antibody response similar to a two-dose mRNA vaccine.
The country’s sole distributor of Sinovac vaccine also noted that Yale University School of Medicine Immunobiology Professor Akiko Iwasaki, in her official Twitter account said, “Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine’s two-dose recipients boosted with Pfizer mRNA vax, prior infection made no difference to the neutralisation capacity against Omicron.”
Truth : Pfizer Booster Is Superior To Sinovac Booster Against Omicron
I have not read the actual Pharmaniaga statement, because it is still not available on their website.
However, I had earlier written about the Yale University study, and the statement as shared by The Edge appears to misrepresent what the study actually said.
It also appears to ignore what other studies have said about the poor efficacy of the Sinovac vaccine, including their own Phase 3 trial results.
Let’s go through the claims, and see what the facts really are…
Fact #1 : All Vaccines Are Less Effective Against Omicron
Because it has so many mutations, the Omicron variant is more able to escape the antibody protection that vaccines offer. This is true for all COVID-19 vaccines, not just the Pfizer vaccine.
It seems rather disingenuous for Pharmaniaga to point out that the Pfizer booster dose is less effective against Omicron, compared to other variants… when that is the case for all other vaccines, including Sinovac.
Fact #2 : Booster Dose Will Always Raise Antibody Levels
A booster dose is like a refresher course for your immune system. It will always boost antibody levels against COVID-19.
So the “separate research by Sinovac” themselves (instead of a neutral third party) only tells us that their booster dose is doing what other booster doses are doing – increasing antibody levels.
Abuthen? Did you expect a different result?
Fact #3 : What They Didn’t Say Is Interesting…
You can pick up more information if you note what Pharmaniaga did not say, assuming The Edge did not leave out anything pertinent.
For example, Pharmaniaga did not mention how much was the increase in antibody levels. Why not?
Neither did they confirm that the higher level was sufficient to protect against the Omicron variant. Why not?
They also conspicuously did not claim that the Sinovac booster dose is more effective than the Pfizer booster dose against the Omicron variant. Why not?
The Yale University study showed that two doses of Sinovac with a Pfizer booster dose gives protection equivalent to two mRNA vaccine doses.
However, the Pharmaniaga statement left out the very pertinent fact of what that actually meant :
10.1X higher NAb levels against ancestral (original) virus :
6.3X higher NAb levels against Delta variant :
The study also showed that two doses of Sinovac with a Pfizer booster offered 40% better protection against Omicron than two doses of the mRNA vaccines.
In other words, the Pfizer booster dose greatly improves on the mediocre protection offered by the Sinovac vaccine, but it may not be at par with 3-doses of other vaccines.
Fact #5 : Cross Protection Not Seen With Sinovac Vaccine
According to Pharmaniaga, the Yale University study showed that no cross protection (hybrid immunity) was seen in Sinovac recipients who receive a Pfizer booster dose.
That is absolutely correct, but it does not mean what they think it means.
Professor Iwasaki specifically pointed out, “Prior infection only synergies with the mRNA vax to elevate broadly neutralizing Ab but not with inactivated vax. This may relate to the persistent GC (Germinal Centre) responses in mRNA vax”.
In other words, this synergistic boost in antibody levels from a COVID-19 infection is only seen with mRNA vaccines like the Pfizer COMIRNATY, but not seen with inactivated virus vaccines like the Sinovac vaccine.
Let me put it plainly – the Yale study showed that if you want cross protection (hybrid immunity), you will get it with the Pfizer vaccine, but not with the Sinovac vaccine.
Fact #6 : Pfizer Superior To Sinovac Against Beta, Delta + Omicron
A recent Hong Kong University (HKU) study showed that while the Pfizer vaccine is less effective against Omicron, the Sinovac vaccine is worse.
Sinovac vaccine antibodies were completely unable to bind to the Beta and Omicron variants.
Sinovac vaccine antibodies were only able to bind to the Delta variant in 68% of individuals.
Incidentally, the Yale University study also pointed out that there was NO detectable neutralisation against the Omicron variant in people who received two doses of the Sinovac vaccine.
Even Pharmaniaga themselves inadvertently confirmed it, when their statement mentioned that only 3.3% of people vaccinated with 2 doses of Sinovac had neutralising antibodies against variants including Omicron.
Fact #7 : 3X Sinovac Doses Not Sufficient Against Omicron
A joint study by Hong Kong University (HKU) and the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) recently showed that 3 doses of the Sinovac vaccine does not provide sufficient protection against Omicron.
Three doses of the Pfizer vaccine offer the highest level of protection against Omicron.
A Pfizer booster dose given to those who received two Sinovac vaccine doses obtain good protective antibody levels against Omicron.
Three doses of the Sinovac vaccine do not provide sufficient protection against the Omicron variant.
Antibody levels of three doses of the Sinovac vaccine were roughly equal to two doses of the Pfizer vaccine.
Fact #8 : Sinovac Is Least Efficacious COVID-19 Vaccine
The Sinovac CoronaVac is the least efficacious COVID-19 vaccine, barely qualifying for its EUA/EUL with a 50.4% efficacy rate in its Phase 3 trial.
Back when vaccine supply was extremely limited, some protection was better than nothing at all, which is why health authorities deployed the Sinovac vaccine.
Now that we have supplies of better vaccines – Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Sinopharm, etc., there is no longer any reason to settle for the Sinovac CoronaVac.
It is impossible for the Sinovac vaccine to improve its efficacy against the ancestral (original) COVID-19 virus, and it is certainly ludicrous to suggest that a third dose will boost its efficacy from 50.4% to 94%.
Please listen to advice from health authorities, instead of a vaccine manufacturer and/or its distributor.
CITF-B strongly recommends the Pfizer or AstraZeneca booster dose for Sinovac recipients, because they offer better protection.
Sinovac recipients are at the highest risk of a breakthrough infection, because they have the least protection. So make sure you get the best booster dose you can!
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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Does Panadol / Tylenol stay in our body for 5 years, destroying our kidneys and liver?
Take a look at the viral message, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Panadol / Tylenol Stays In Our Body For 5 Years!
This viral message has been circulating for more than a decade now, but always gets revived every year or so.
My husband was working in a hospital as an IT engineer, as the hospital is planning to set up a database of its patients and he knows some of the doctors quite well.
The doctors used to tell him that whenever they have a headache, they are not willing to take PANADOL / PARACETAMOL.
In fact, they will turn Herbal Medicine or find other alternatives. This is because Panadol is toxic to the body, and it harms the liver. According to the doctor: Panadol will remain in the body for at least 5 years…..!!
And according to the doctor, there was an air-hostess who consumed lots of Panadol as she needed to stand all the time and work under lots of pressure. She’s now in her early 30’s, and she is undergoing kidney cleaning (DIALYSIS) every month.
Whenever we have a headache, that’s because it is due to the electron / Ion imbalance in the brain.
Some alternative solution to cope with this matter is
Drink lots of water.
Another method will be to submerge your feet in a basin of warm water so that it brings the blood pressure down from your throbbing head.
As Panadol is a pain killer, the more Panadol you take, the lesser would be your threshold for pain (your endurance level for pain). We all will fall ill as we age.
Imagine that we had spent our entire life popping quite a substantial amount of Panadol (Pain Killer), when you need to have a surgery or operation, you will need a much more amount of general anaesthesia.
The thought is scary enough to turn me to Herbal Medicine or other healthier al ternative. Value your health, value your life, THINK TWICE before you easily pop that familiar pill into your mouth again.
Suami saya bekerja sebagai Jurutera IT di sebuah hospital, di mana pihak hospital sedang menyiapkan pengkalan data untuk pesakitnya. Dia mengenali rapat doktor tersebut.
Doktor memberitahu suami saya, apabila mengalami sakit kepala, mereka sendiri tidak sanggup mengambil Panadol atau Paracetamol. . Sebaliknya, mereka akan mencari ubatan herba Cina atau mencari altenatif lain.
Ini kerana Panadol adalah bertoksik kepada tubuh kita . Ia merosakkan organ hati . Menurut doktor tersebut, Panadol akan tinggal di dalam tubuh selama sekurang-kurangnya 5 tahun .
Menurutnya lagi, pernah berlaku seorang pramugari menelan terlalu banyak Panadol semasa kedatangan haid kerana tugasnya perlu berdiri sepanjang masa penerbangan. Dia kini baru berumur 30-an tetapi sudah perlu menjalani rawatan buah pinggang (dialisis) setiap bulan.
Seperti kata doktor tersebut, sakit kepala disebabkan ketidak-seimbangan elektron/ion di dalam sel otak .
Sebagai rawatan alternatif, beliau mencadangkan membeli sebotol atau 2 botol minuman isotonik, campurkan dengan air minuman pada kadar 1:1 atau 1:2. Mudahnya, secawan isotonik dengan 2 cawan air minuman.
Saya dan suami pernah mencuba kaedah ini dan mendapati ia berkesan. Kaedah lain ialah merendam kaki ke dalam besin yang mengandungi air suam. Ia akan memberi tekanan darah menurun dari kepala anda.
Panadol adalah sejenis “pain killer”, semakin banyak anda mengambilnya, semakin lama semakin kurang kesannya kepada anda. Bererti anda perlukan dos yang lebih lagi apabila ia kurang berkesan
Kita semua akan jatuh sakit apabila usia kita semakin meningkat. Untuk wanita, mereka akan melalui pengalaman melahirkan zuriat. Bayangkan mereka akan diberi dos yang kuat apabila terpaksa melalui proses beranak melalui pembedahan
Jika anda terlalu banyak mengambil Panadol atau Paracetamol sepanjang hidup anda, seperti mereka yang ada migrain, ia akan memberi kesan sifar terhadap kesakitan yang anda alami dan anda memerlukan ubat yang lebih kuat lagi untuk mengurangkan rasa sakit. Adakah anda sanggup diberi dadah yang kuat seperti morfin?
Hargailah kehidupan anda. Fikir sebelum mudah memasukkan ubat yang “biasa” ini ke dalam mulut anda.
Truth : Panadol / Tylenol Does NOT Stay In Our Body For 5 Years!
This is yet another example of medical fake news that people keep sharing on Facebook, WhatsApp, and emails.
Let me tell you what the facts really are…
Fact #1 : They Are Paracetamol / Acetaminophen
Panadol is a GSK (GlaxoSmithKline) trade name for paracetamol, which is also known as acetaminophen in the United States, Canada, Japan, Venezuela and Columbia.
Tylenol is the trade name owned by McNeil, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, for the same drug – paracetamol or acetaminophen.
Due to its longevity and popularity since it was introduced in 1955, the names Panadol and Tylenol have been genericised.
Many people now call all forms of paracetamol / acetaminophen “Panadol” or “Tylenol”, whether it comes from GSK or McNeil or another company. In other words :
Paracetamol = Panadol = Tylenol = Acetaminophen
Fact #2 : They Have A Short Half-Life
Both Panadol and Tylenol have a short half-life of about 2 hours. That’s why we take them up to 4 times a day.
If paracetamol or acetaminophen can stay in our body for 5 years, heck, we would only need take one tablet and it would last for the next few years!
Fact #3 : They Don’t Reduce Your Pain Threshold
Paracetamol or acetaminophen do not reduce your pain threshold. In fact, it INCREASES our pain threshold by reducing nerve-sensitising prostaglandins in the brain and spinal cord.
However, this increase in pain threshold is only temporary, and wears off in a few hours. See Fact #2.
Fact #4 : Doctors Practice Evidence-Based Medicine
The funniest part of the hoax is the claim that doctors refuse to take paracetamol for headaches, and prefer herbal medicine instead. It’s such an unbelievably bold LIE.
Doctors practice evidence-based medicine, and paracetamol / acetaminophen are part of their toolkit – drugs that have been proven to work, at specific dosages for specific purposes.
No doctor worth his/her salt is going to advocate herbal medicine with uncertain effects and properties, over the known effects and properties of paracetamol / acetaminophen.
Fact #5 : They Can Be Toxic, Like Any Other Substance
Paracetamol / acetaminophen (like any other substances) can be toxic when taken in excessive amounts. Even water can be toxic, for the matter.
Overdosing on paracetamol can damage the liver. Excessive amounts of its metabolite, NAPQI, will deplete the liver’s glutathione and damage its cells.
How much do you need to consume to overdose on paracetamol? Usually taking 10 grams at one go – that’s 20 tablets of standard 500 mg paracetamol, or 6 grams or 12 tablets a day.
Alcohol consumption increases the risks of liver damage, so the maximum dose should be cut in half for those who consume alcohol.
Excessive, prolonged use of paracetamol can also cause SICK (small, indented and calcified kidneys). How much is excessive? That’s 300 grams a year – 600 tablets a year, or 50 tablets a month.
Now, how many of us actually consume enough paracetamol to run the risk of liver or kidney damage? Everyone knows the recommended limit is 2 x 500 mg tablets every 6 hours, which is 4 grams per day. Usually, we all make do with just 2 to 4 tablets a day.
The fake news creator is right that we should think twice before popping a pill into our mouths, but we should also think TWICE and VERIFY before forwarding such messages.
Please help fight fake news by SHARING this fact check with your family and friends!
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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did Kowa and Kitasato University prove that ivermectin has antiviral effect against the Omicron variant, and all other strains of COVID-19?
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Ivermectin Has Antiviral Effect vs. Omicron + All Other Strains!
This viral post claims that a Kowa and Kitasato University study just proved that ivermectin has antiviral effect against Omicron and all other mutant strains of COVID-19!
The creators of this viral post also pointed out that this news was written by Reuters. It’s a long post, so feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!
Ivermectin Has ‘Antiviral Effect’ Against Omicron And All Other ‘Mutant Strains’ Of Covid-19
A Japanese pharmaceutical company, Kowa Co, said on Monday that the drug ivermectin has an “antiviral effect” against Omicron and other Covid-19 variants.
The finding was made with Tokyo’s Kitasato University on a joint non-clinical research project, which has been testing the drug as a potential treatment for the disease, according to Reuters.
Kowa says that ivermectin showed the “same antiviral effect” on all “mutant strains,” including Alpha, Delta and Omicron. The company also noted that ivermectin suppresses invasion of the virus and inhibits its replication.
“[Ivermectin] is expected to be applied as a therapeutic drug (tablet) for all new coronavirus infectious diseases,” reads the report.
According to xxxxx.xxx, Ivermectin showed an average 64% improvement as an early treatment, a 39% improvement as a late treatment and an 83% improvement as a prophylaxis, across 77 studies.
Note : I removed the two links in the original message because they lead to fake news websites.
Ivermectin Has No Clinical Antiviral Effect vs. Omicron + All Other Strains!
This is yet another piece of fake news created by ivermectin proponent and antivaxxers, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Reuters Screwed Up
Reuters screwed up their reporting, and ivermectin proponents and antivaxxers quickly made use of that.
Reuters published their piece with the title, “Japan’s Kowa says ivermectin effective against Omicron in phase III trial“.
They compounded their mistake by promoting it as such in Twitter :
Japanese trading and pharmaceutical company Kowa Co Ltd said on Monday anti-parasite drug ivermectin has been found effective for treating the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in a Phase III trial.
The truth is Reuters misrepresented the Kowa press release. Reuters later corrected their story, but the damage was done.
CORRECTION: Japan's Kowa said anti-parasite drug ivermectin showed an 'antiviral effect' against Omicron and other variants of coronavirus in joint non-clinical research. The @WHO has warned against its use https://t.co/kBgUxaYjaL We will delete a tweet with a misleading headline pic.twitter.com/gX535ttNd3
In their press release, Kowa triumphantly reported that their study with Kitasato University showed that ivermectin has an “antiviral effect” against the Omicron variant.
However, that was a non-clinical trial – a lab study. Basically, they ran “test tube” studies of ivermectin on Omicron samples in the lab.
Just for context, a non-clinical trial (also called pre-clinical trial) is often conducted before actual clinical trials on human volunteers.
That’s because clinical trials are expensive and difficult to conduct, consisting of multiple phases :
Phase 1 : To study safety and dosage in healthy volunteers
Phase 2 : To study efficacy and side effects in a small group of volunteers with the disease
Phase 3 : To demonstrate that the drug has clinical benefits in a large group of volunteers, and look for adverse reactions.
Phase 4 : To ensure safety and efficacyafter approval by health authorities.
What Kowa did is nowhere close to an actual clinical trial, much less a Phase 3 trial.
Fact #3 : Non-Clinical Results Do Not Mean Clinical Effects
It is important to point out that most successful non-clinical drug tests do not end up delivering safe and/or useful drugs that deliver clinical benefits.
That’s because many drugs that work well in the lab either do not deliver clinical benefits in actual human beings, or only work at doses toxic to human beings, or introduce adverse effects when taken at the required doses.
That is why it is critical for all drugs to undergo clinical trials.
I should also point out that soap and alcohol have both been proven to destroy the SARS-CoV-2 virus in lab tests. But that does not mean drinking or eating soap or alcohol will prevent or cure COVID-19.
Kowa told Newsweek – “We sincerely apologise for any confusion. The press release announced that ivermectin was effective against [the] Omicron strain on in vitro study (i.e. non-clinical study), not in the clinical study. Presumably the original content was replaced with incorrect information in the process of translation.”
Fact #5 : Omicron Variant Is Still A SARS-CoV-2 Virus
The Kowa lab test is nothing special – ivermectin was first shown to work against the SARS-CoV-2 in lab experiments by Monash University back in April 2020.
The only difference was Kowa tested it against the Omicron variant. But because the Omicron variant is still a SARS-CoV-2 virus, it would have the same results as previous lab tests.
In other words – the Kowa lab test and press release were basically marketing fluff. In that respect, they scored big.
Fact #6 : Kowa Is Conducting A Phase 3 Trial
Kowa is conducting a Phase 3 trial of their 3 mg ivermectin tablet called K-237 (ClinicalTrial NCT05056883).
It will involve 1000 volunteers, half of whom will receive 0.3 to 0.4 mg/kg of their K-237 drug, once daily for 3 days.
This Phase 3 trial is not expected to be completed until 31 March 2022. That does not necessarily mean it will be successfully completed on time.
After all, Kitasato University’s own CORVETTE-01 Phase 2 study of ivermectin took a year to recruit just 214 volunteers, and has not even concluded despite kicking off in January 2021.
Fact #8 : Ivermectin Clinical Studies Show No Significant Benefit
Here is a meta-analysis of ivermectin RCTs (randomised control trials), with three fraudulent studies removed – Elgazzar, Okomus and Niaee.
Results towards the left suggest a clinical benefit for ivermectin. For the I-TECH study, they used its most promising result – post-study mortality, but even that did not reach clinical significance (p<0.05)
Taken in totality, the latest meta-analysis show that the clinical effect of ivermectin on COVID-19 patients is NOT SIGNIFICANT enough to warrant its use as a treatment.
Fact #9 : Ivermectin Prophylaxis Is Not Cheap
Ivermectin proponents always claim that Big Pharma is against ivermectin because it’s dirt cheap. Ironically, they are now promoting Kowa, which itself is a member of Big Pharma.
While ivermectin is cheap to make and was cheap to buy earlier, its price has been jacked up by the very people promoting it as a cure for COVID-19.
And unlike vaccines, ivermectin is meant to be taken on a regular basis, even daily or with expensive supplements. The end result – ivermectin protocols are far more expensive than COVID-19 vaccines.
The truth is – there is far more money to be made from ivermectin protocols like I-MASK+, than COVID-19 vaccines.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Moderna Spikevax is the second COVID-19 vaccine to receive full FDA approval!
Find out what this means, and how it differs from the earlier EUA!
Moderna Spikevax Vaccine Receives Full FDA Approval!
On 31 January 2022, the US FDA announced that they approved the second COVID-19 vaccine – the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine.
It is now allowed to be marketed as the Moderna Spikevax vaccine for the prevention of COVID-19 disease in individuals 18 years of age and older.
The Moderna vaccine continues to be available under the EUA (Emergency Use Authorisation) as a third primary series dose for individuals 18 and older with certain kinds of immunocompromise, and as a single booster dose for individuals 18 years and older.
The full FDA approval was based on updated data from the original clinical trial, with a longer follow-up period. Here are the new findings :
the vaccine was 93% effective in preventing COVID-19, and 98% effective in preventing severe disease.
most common side effects : pain, redness and swelling at injection site; fatigue, headache, muscle or joint pain, chills, nausea/vomiting, swollen lymph nodes under the arm, and fever.
myocarditis / pericarditis risk : highest in males 18-24 years of age, particularly within 7 days of second dose.
Moderna Spikevax Vaccine : Full FDA Approval vs. EUA
The Moderna Spikevax vaccine had been available for use under the EUA (Emergency Use Authorisation) since 18 December 2020.
While antivaxxers claim that this is proof that it is still experimental, that is categorically FALSE.
Vaccines approved under EUA have to undergo the same rigorous FDA approval process. They are just issued earlier, after passing critical safety and efficacy trials, to address an emergency.
The full FDA approval is then given after trial participants are followed up for at least 6 months, and the FDA has more time to increase oversight and inspection of manufacturing facilities.
Full FDA Approval For Moderna Vaccine : What Does It Mean?
Some of the press mistakenly claimed that Spikevax is the “new name” for the vaccine. That’s not true – the name was announced many months ago.
It was just not allowed to be officially marketed to the public as Spikevax until it received the full FDA approval.
The full FDA approval will allow governments and private businesses to enact vaccination mandates as they see fit.
the military can mandate vaccinations using Moderna Spikevax for their troops,
corporations may require vaccinations for their employees to return to the workplace,
businesses may limit shopping or dining privileges to only fully-vaccinated people
Despite receiving full FDA approval, Moderna is required to conduct postmarking studies to further assess the risks of myocarditis and pericarditis in people who received their vaccine.
Moderna has also committed to additional studies, including a pregnancy registry study to evaluate pregnancy and infant outcomes of mothers who received their vaccine during pregnancy.
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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Is the Malaysia Health Ministry giving us expired COVID-19 vaccines?
Take a look at the viral message, and find out what the FACTS really are!
Claim : Malaysia Health Ministry Is Using Expired COVID-19 Vaccines!
This message is going viral on WhatsApp, claiming that the Malaysia Ministry of Health (KKM) is using EXPIRED COVID-19 vaccines.
A million vaccine shots tossed in Indonesia on short expiry date
Our health ministry and Minister must explain why Indonesia is discarding expired vaccine shots while our Health minister is extending the expired period to six months.
It is known that once a vaccine or any medicine is expired it loses its efficacy and should not be given. But our DG and Health Minister on their own accord without any advice from from the vaccine maker decided to extend the expiry period and give it to our people.
Is Malaysian lives so cheap that expired vaccine can be given to our people without fear that it may have adverse effects on the people.?
Truth : Malaysia Is Not Using Expired COVID-19 Vaccines!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS circulating on WhatsApp about COVID-19 vaccines.
Malaysia is NOT using expired COVID-19 vaccines, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Most Expired Vaccines In Indonesia Had Short Shelf Life Left
It is true that more than a million COVID-19 vaccine doses were discarded in Indonesia after they expired. But that was because most of them were donated with just 1-3 months of shelf life left!
On 19 January 2022, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin told the Indonesian Parliament that about 98% of the 1.1 million doses that were discarded were “donated just 1-3 months away from expiry“.
In other words, it was almost impossible for Indonesia to distribute and use those vaccines before they expired.
Hence, the Indonesian government will be “more selective and only accept doses expiring in three months or longer“.
Fact #2 : COVID-19 Vaccine Shelf Lives Were Too Short
When properly stored, vaccines can last a long time. Most vaccines actually have a shelf life of about three years.
However, vaccine manufacturers have been extraordinarily cautious when it comes to COVID-19 vaccines. Many COVID-19 vaccines ship with shelf lives of only 3 to 6 months!
The key takeaway point is that COVID-19 vaccine shelf lives are extraordinarily short. Many healthcare professionals would call them way too short.
Fact #3 : EUA / EUL Vaccines Do NOT Have Fixed Expiry Dates
The US FDA points out that vaccines authorised for emergency use (EUA / EUL) do NOT have fixed expiry dates.
Vaccines authorized for emergency use – as products that are not approved under a biologics license application and are still being studied under investigational new drug applications– do not have fixed expiry dates.
For those doses that are close to expiry, if they are being held under appropriate conditions for ensuring their integrity for use, they can potentially be quarantined to see if data on new stability studies warrant extension of the initial expiry date according to appropriate policies and procedures.
Fact #4 : Vaccine Shelf Life Extension Is Based On Stability Studies
Vaccine manufacturers can conduct stability studies, to prove that their COVID-19 vaccines remain stable and effective over time.
They can then apply to extend the shelf life of COVID-19 vaccines, which is subject to approval by drug regulatory agencies like the US FDA and the UK MHRA
The shelf life of COVID-19 vaccines will only be extended if stability tests prove that they maintain their potency.
Fact #5 : Vaccine Shelf Life Extension Requested By Manufacturers
The fake news claimed that the Malaysia Health Ministry extended vaccine shelf life on their own accord. That’s complete and utter nonsense.
The vaccine manufacturer must apply for a shelf life extension, and provide their stability study results to prove that their COVID-19 vaccine remain stable and potent beyond the requested shelf life extension.
Fact #6 : Many COVID-19 Vaccines Have Extended Shelf Lives
Many COVID-19 vaccines shipped with very short shelf lives, and have since had them extended, some multiple times.
Pfizer-BioNTech COMIRNATY : Extended to 9 months since 22 August 2021
Moderna Spikevax : Extended to 9 months since 23 December 2021
J&J Janssen : Extended to 4.5 months on 10 June 2021, and then 6 months on 28 July 2021
Sinovac : Extended to 12 months
SII Covishield : Extended to 9 months in March 2021
Bharat Covaxin : Extended to 12 months on 3 November 2021
Now that you are aware of the facts, please share this fact check with your family and friends, so they won’t get fooled by this fake news!
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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did the US FDA ask for 75 years to fully release the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine data to the public?
Find out what’s going on, and what the facts really are!
Claim : FDA Asked For 75 Years To Release Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Data!
According to Aaron Siri, a lawyer working on the case, the US FDA just asked a federal judge for 75 years to produce the Pfizer vaccine data and documents.
A prior post explained that the FDA has asked a federal judge to make the public wait until the year 2076 to disclose all of the data and information it relied upon to license Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine. Literally, a 55-year delay.
My firm, on behalf of PHMPT, asked that this information be disclosed in 108 days – the same amount of time it took for the FDA to review and license Pfizer’s vaccine.
The Court ordered the parties to submit briefs in support of their respective positions by December 6, 2021. The FDA’s brief, incredibly, doubles down.
It now effectively asks to have until at least 2096 to produce the Pfizer documents. Not a typo. A total of at least 75 years.
Truth : FDA Did NOT Ask For 75 Years To Release Pfizer Vaccine Data!
This is really just some “creative hyperbole” by Aaron Siri, the lawyer working on this FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) request.
And here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : FDA Did Not Ask For 75 Years To Release Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Data
First, let me be clear – the US FDA did not ask US District Judge Mark Pittman for 75 years to release the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine data.
That is merely the “interpretation” of Aaron Siri, the lawyer working for PHMPT (Public Health and Medical Professionals for Transparency) – the group requesting the data that the FDA used to licence the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
As you will see below, it’s based on ignoring facts and basic math…
Fact #2 : FDA Has To Redact Files Before They Are Released
It is not simply a matter of handing over the documents to PHMPT.
The FDA has to go through every document and redact information that are exempt from disclosure under FOIA, before it can release them.
That process is not only time-consuming, it is resource-intensive because it requires government information specialists to review each page line-by-line.
The FDA estimates that it takes 8 minutes per page to read and review records for FOIA production.
Fact #3 : FDA Has 400 Other Pending FOIA Requests
The FOIA request by PHMPT is being handled by the Access Litigation and Freedom of Information Branch at the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER).
This is a small department with just ten employees, including the director and two trainees. So they really have just seven people who are trained well enough to process FOIA requests.
This small team is currently processing “approximately 400 currently pending FOIA requests“, while being embroiled in “6 active FOIA litigation matters“.
Needless to say, the heavy workload greatly limits how many pages this office can go through and redact every month.
Fact #4 : PHMPT Demanded “Everything” In 108 Days
The FDA asked PHMPT to narrow their request by specifying records they don’t require, so they can focus on processing the important documents they need.
The PHMPT, however, insisted that the FDA process and deliver ALL documents related to the approval of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine – some 329,000 pages!
On top of that, the PHMPT demanded that the FDA accomplish that within 108 days. That would require a processing rate of over 80,000 pages per month – far in excess of what the FDA FOIA office is capable of handling.
Fact #5 : FDA Vaccine Approval Is Different From FOIA Process
It seems obvious, but it has to be said – the FDA vaccine approval process is different from the FOIA process.
So it is ridiculous for the PHMPT to insist that their 108-day demand is valid because it “is the same amount of time” it took the FDA to review the documents and licence the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
The FOIA process, on the other hand, involves FDA information specialists going through each page line-by-line to identify and redact proprietary information.
Fact #6 : FDA Vaccine Approval Process Adds A Ton Of New Documents
The FDA vaccine approval team went through fewer documents, because they only need to look at relevant information provided by Pfizer and BioNTech.
The FDA team in charge of this FOIA request would necessarily have to go through far more documents, because the approval process itself adds a ton of new documentation.
Even the PHMPT acknowledged that, specifically asking for “all correspondence and written summaries of oral discussions” related to the FDA approval of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
Hence, it is ludicrous for the PHMPT to suggest that the two processes were similar in effort and time.
Fact #7 : FDA Processes FOIA Requests In 500-Page Blocks
The FDA processes FOIA requests in 500-page blocks, which allow them to provide documents to more requesters, and avoid a few large requests monopolising their “finite processing resources”.
This is not a special processing limitation on the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine data, but a standard FDA processing rate that the courts have upheld for a long time.
Fact #8 : FDA Processing FOIA Requests Faster Than Proposed
The FDA was able to process some records faster than the 500-page rate, as they noted in their 6 December 2021 brief. They also said that they can release more than 12,000 pages by end of January 2022.
As it stands, the FDA appears to be doing above and beyond what it pledged to do, delivering almost 5000 pages per month – about 10X its promised rate.
Even if they end up delivering half that performance, they would finish processing 329,000 pages in 137 months – just under 11.5 years.
Obviously, 11.5 years is far less than the 55 years claimed…
Fact #9 : It Would Take PHMPT Months To Read Everything
PHMPT stated that they are a group of over 30 people. Let’s say they are 35 strong, and they take the same 8 minutes to read through each page.
Even if they all sat down and read for 8 hours a day, it would take them over 7 months just to read through the 329,000 pages ONCE.
And it should be noted that this involves 5X more people than the FDA FOIA team, and they are all dedicated to this singular task of reading those Pfizer documents.
Fact #10 : PHMPT Took Almost 108 Days To Read 5 Documents!
PHMPT took almost 108 days to read through the first batch of five documents that the FDA released to them on 17 November 2021.
It was only in early March 2022 when they found the 9 pages listing some 1,291 adverse events of special interest.
This not only proves that the FDA was right about how much time it takes to read these documents, it also shows that the PHMPT does not really need all 329,000 documents within 108 days.
After all, it took the PHMPT almost that long just to read 5 documents! At this rate, it will take them some 16,450 years to read all 329,000 Pfizer documents…
Fact #11 : FDA Released Almost All Of PHMPT Priority List By Jan 2022
PHMPT appears to be cognisant that it is stupid to request for “everything” when most of the pages may not be relevant at all.
That’s why they sent the FDA a priority list of eight (8) items. And guess what – the US FDA was able to provide seven (7) of those items by January 31, 2022!
So Aaron Siri’s public griping about the FDA taking so long appears to be nothing more than theatre.
Fact #12 : Processing Time Depends On PHMPT, Not FDA
Aaron Siri claimed that the FDA disclosed in their 6 December 2021 brief that there are many more pages to process, thereby increasing the time to fully-release everything from 55 years to 75 years.
In addition to the original 329,000+ pages, the FDA discloses there is another “approximately 39,000 pages,” an additional “tens of thousands of additional pages,” and an additional 126 data files, many of which have over ten thousand rows for which the FDA intends to treat twenty rows as one page. Assuming an average of only ten thousand rows per data file, and that its amorphous “tens of thousands of additional pages” amounts to 20,000 pages, the grand total is at least 451,000 pages.
That’s nonsense, because the processing time ultimately depends on what the PHMPT is demanding.
As the FDA noted, their initial assessment of 329,000 pages was based on their interpretation of PHMPT’s request for all information from the original Pfizer vaccine BLA (biologics licence application).
But if the PHMPT insist that they want OTHER RECORDS like BLA supplements, amendments and product correspondence, then the FDA would have to process an additional 39,000 pages.
And if the PHMPT insist that they also want the “investigational new drug applications” (whatever for?), then that’s tens of thousands of additional pages.
So the ball is really in the PHMPT’s court. They can drag this out to 100 years and more. All they have to do is insist that they want the FDA to process even more (irrelevant) pages.
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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
The Ronapreve monoclonal antibodies from Regeneron have just been approved in Malaysia!
Here is what you need to know…
Ronapreve Monoclonal Antibodies Approved In Malaysia!
On 14 December 2021, the Malaysia Drug Control Authority (DCA) agreed to give conditional approval for the use of Ronapreve monoclonal antibodies to treat or prevent COVID-19.
Name : Ronapreve Solution for Injection or Infusion
Registration Holder : Roche (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. Manufacturer : F.Hoffman-La Roche Ltd, Switzerland
Treatment
Ronapreve is indicated for the treatment of COVID-19 in adults and adolescents aged 12 years and older and weighing at least 40 kg who do not require supplemental oxygen for COVID-19 and who are at increased risk of progressing to severe COVID‑19.
Prevention
Ronapreve is indicated for the prevention of COVID-19 in adults and adolescents aged 12 years and older and weighing at least 40 kg who have been exposed or at high risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and who either,
have a medical condition making them unlikely to respond to or be protected by vaccination, or
are not vaccinated against COVID-19.
Ronapreve Monoclonal Antibodies : A Quick Primer!
Developed by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Ronapreve (also known as REGEN-COV) is a cocktail of two human monoclonal antibodies – casirivimab and imdevimab.
These monoclonal antibodies are essentially lab-manufactured versions of the antibodies that our own immune system creates after we are vaccinated against COVID-19.
Just like antibodies created by most COVID-19 vaccines, both casirivimab and imdevimab target the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, binding with it to prevent the virus from attaching to our cells.
Hence, it is used early in a COVID-19 infection, preferably right after exposure, especially in unvaccinated or immunocompromised people.
Ronapreve is not a replacement for COVID-19 vaccines, because it only offers temporary protection through artificial antibodies, whereas vaccination teaches our own immune system to create its own antibodies for lasting protection.
Ronapreve is also extremely expensive, reportedly costing 310,000 yen (~RM11,500) in Japan and ₹57,750 (~RM3,200) in India. I have no idea how much it will cost in Malaysia, but it is certainly going to fall between those two extremes!
So, don’t think of relying on Ronapreve. Get vaccinated against COVID-19. Your wallet will thank you!
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Since then, many people have been asking if they can get a booster dose of the Sinovac vaccine instead.
The updated answer is SOON, but not yet.
On 17 November 2021, the Malaysia Drug Control Authority (DCA) approved the Sinovac and AstraZeneca booster doses for homologous vaccination.
That means Sinovac and AstraZeneca booster doses will be given to those who earlier received Sinovac and AstraZeneca vaccines respectively.
However, this does NOT mean the Sinovac booster dose is immediately available.
The COVID-19 Immunisation Task Force – Booster (CITF-B) will be targeting specific groups to receive these booster doses, which will be detailed later.
If you had earlier received the Sinovac vaccine, and are open to receive the Pfizer booster dose, I highly recommend you get yourself on the standby list ASAP.
If CITF-B eventually decides to give only homologous vaccinations for Sinovac, you will lose your chance to get the Pfizer booster dose.
My advice remains the same – don’t wait for the Sinovac booster dose. Get the Pfizer booster dose if it is offered to you.
It is FAR MORE EFFECTIVE, and gives you a big boost in protection, especially if you received the Sinovac vaccine earlier.
The Malaysia Health Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin, mentioned earlier that people with severe allergies, or who have suffered an allergic reaction to the Pfizer vaccine earlier, may be offered a booster shot of the Sinovac or AstraZeneca vaccine instead.
Now that the Sinovac vaccine has been approved as a booster dose, should you WAIT to get it?
That very much depends on a number of factors.
Are You Allergic To The Pfizer Vaccine?
If you are allergic to the Pfizer vaccine, then you definitely cannot receive a booster dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.
You will have to get a booster dose of other vaccine types – viral vector vaccines like AstraZeneca or Sputnik V, or inactivated virus vaccines like Sinovac or Sinopharm.
But with so many better vaccine options available out there, Sinovac CoronaVac should be your last choice, not your first.
If you are given the option to switch to Pfizer or AstraZeneca, you should definitely opt for either one over the Sinovac CoronaVac vaccine.
Of all the WHO approved vaccines, Sinovac CoronaVac is the least efficacious COVID-19 vaccine, offering just over 50% efficacy against symptomatic COVID-19.
And that was before it was tested against the highly-infectious Delta variant.
In June 2021, Chinese CDC deputy director Dr. Feng Zijian admitted that their inactivated virus vaccines are “less effective” against the Delta variant.
While Sinovac has tried to push their booster dose as a way to shore up the CoronaVac’s efficacy against the Delta variant, it would be foolish to assume that it offers anything more than a temporary boost in relatively ineffective antibodies.
Even China is moving to use mRNA booster doses for those who received Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines, with their own mRNA vaccine called ARCoVAX entering mass production soon.
Sinovac / Sinopharm Should Require Three Doses Minimum
On 12 October 2021, WHO experts recommended that those over 60 who received the Sinovac or Sinopharm’s vaccines should be given a third shot.
They notably refrained from calling it a booster dose, suggesting instead that they should be administered as three doses, instead of the recommended two doses, for a primary series vaccine.
This was precisely the same policy adopted by Singapore on 23 October 2021, when their Ministry of Health declared that three doses of the Sinovac vaccine will be REQUIRED for a person to be considered fully-vaccinated.
In other words – two doses isn’t enough to be considered fully-vaccinated for these inactivated virus vaccines. They have to be taken as three doses MINIMUM.
Even Malaysia’s RECoVaM data show that the Sinovac CoronaVac vaccine is comparatively weak, allowing significantly more breakthrough infections that result in ICU care and deaths.
If you still feel that you prefer to get three Sinovac vaccine doses, instead of using a different vaccine – that’s fine. It is better than not getting a booster shot at all.
The key thing is to GET PROTECTED against COVID-19, by getting fully-vaccinated. If that means three doses of Sinovac, so be it.
My advice remains the same as it did earlier this year. Don’t wait – get the first vaccine (or booster dose) you are offered!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did China provide 2 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses to the world, while America dropped hundreds of thousands of bombs instead?
Take a look at the new viral photo, and find out what the FACTS really are!
Did China Provide 2 Billion Vaccine Doses To The World?
Sinophiles have been sharing an infographic comparing Chinese President Xi Jinping to the last three American Presidents – Donald Trump, Barack Obama and George W. Bush.
It shows that China under Xi Jinping provided 2 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses to the world, while America under President Bush, Obama and Trump dropped over 240,000 bombs.
Truth : China Did Not Provide 2 Billion Vaccine Doses To The World
The truth is this is just Chinese propaganda and well, FAKE NEWS, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : China Did Not Provide 2 Billion Vaccine Doses To The World
The Chinese Foreign Ministry announced on 23 September 2021 that “China has provided 1.2 billion doses of finished and bulk vaccines to more than 100 countries and international organisations“.
So even if we take their word for it, China most definitely has NOT provided 2 billion doses of their COVID-19 vaccines to the world.
Data analytics company, Airfinity, puts China’s worldwide COVID-19 vaccine exports slightly lower – at just 1.1 billion doses to 123 countries, as of 8 October 2021.
No matter how you slice this salami, China has not come close to providing the world with 2 billion vaccine doses.
The misleading “infographic” tries to imply that China “donated” 2 billion doses of vaccines to the world.
Note how it uses the same word – “provided” just like the Chinese Foreign Ministry. It is a curious use of the word, since other countries would have either used “exported” or “donated”.
The use of the ambiguous word “provided” is no coincidence, as China wants the world to think of it as benevolent and generous. The truth is much less impressive.
Most Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccines were SOLD for profit, not donated for the good of their fellow men.
There’s nothing wrong in selling vaccines. It is simply FALSE to imply or claim that China donated 2 billion vaccine doses.
Fact #3 : China Is A Stingy Vaccine Donor
Despite their implied benevolence, China is a notably stingy donor.
China only started donating to COVAX on 3 February 2021, pledging 10 million doses of their Sinopharm vaccine.
Not only was that a paltry 0.3% of the 3.3 BILLION doses secured by COVAX at that time, it took them almost 3 months to manufacture those 10 million doses.
China pledged to donate a total of 100 million vaccine doses, with around 37 million doses delivered by 1 October 2021.
That pales in comparison to the United States, which donated more than 190 million doses as of 13 October and has pledged to donate more than 1.1 BILLION vaccine doses – 11X more than China.
COVAX – the worldwide initiative for equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines – does not rely on donated vaccines. It relies primarily on financial aid, which allows it to directly purchase vaccines to distribute.
China did not contribute a single dollar to the COVAX Facility until 6 August 2021, when they announced a single US$100 million contribution.
That may sound impressive, until you actually compare their contribution with what the rest of the world is contributing…
COVAX Donors
Contribution In USD
United States
3,500 million
Germany
1,070 million
Japan
1,000 million
United Kingdom
733 million
Sweden
538 million
European Commission
489 million
Italy
470 million
Canada
384 million
Sweden
296 million
France
242 million
South Korea
210 million
B&M Gates Foundation
206 million
Switzerland
162 million
Saudi Arabia
150 million
Norway
141 million
Spain
122 million
Netherlands
108 million
Australia
100 million
China
100 million
China could only match Australia, donating LESS THAN HALF what South Korea donated and just 10% of what Japan donated donated to COVAX, despite being the world’s second largest economy.
Even more embarrassingly, China donated LESS THAN HALF what the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation – a private organisation – donated to COVAX.
But not to worry – Russia didn’t contribute a single cent to COVAX. So Chinese propagandists would do better to compare China’s contributions against their northern brethren, instead of their western rivals.
Fact #5 : CCP Government Is No Angel
China under the CCP government may not have dropped bombs on other countries like the United States, but it is no angel.
While the United States dropped bombs on terrorists and sometimes innocents caught in “The War On Terror”, the CCP government conducted its own “War on Terror” in its Xinjiang Province by rounding up between 1-3 million Uyghur Muslims and putting them into internment camps, which they call “vocational education and training centres”.
Now, there is no equivalence between dropping bombs on people, and imprisoning them to use as slave labour. But it would be foolish for anyone to believe that China is an angel.
The CCP government has aggressively threatened Taiwan, continuously sending flights of military planes into their ADIZ (Air Defence Identification Zone).
The CCP government also took over islands and features in the Paracel and Spratly Islands that belonged to other countries, and built military installations on them, including airfields, radar and radio stations as well as missile defences, and actively use them to threatened passing ships.
The CCP government even sent its troops to engage the Indian army in aggressive melee and face-off skirmishes on their border, resulting in deaths of 20 Indian soldiers and approximately 43 Chinese soldiers in 2020.
China’s conduct within their own country and internationally, has shown that the Middle Kingdom has no qualms ignoring international laws and destroying people’s lives, to get what they want.
That makes China no different from other superpowers abusing their economic and military strength to bully smaller and less powerful nations.
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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Are Chinese vaccines the most effective vaccines against the Delta variant of COVID-19?
Find out what just went viral, and what the facts really are!
Claim : Chinese Vaccines Are The Most Effective Against Delta Variant!
This message has gone viral on WhatsApp, claiming that Chinese vaccines are superior to the Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines, and are in fact, the most effective vaccines against Delta variant!
It is quite long, so just skip to the next section for the FACTS!
Israel DOES NOT use China vaccines at all,
but Israel uses only Moderna+Pfizzer vaccines, and that is why Israel has record number of daily cases now, and the number of daily cases in Israel is now higher than before vaccination started, and the vast majority of Israel people have already been vaccinated .
The reason for the failure to stop virus spread in Israel and also in Singapore,
is because Moderna+Pfizzer vaccines, are NOT EFFECTIVE against the delta variant, and the effectiveness will keep dropping every month.
Both Israel and Singapore made the same mistake, of naively and trusting in full, the USA fake news media claim, that wildly overstate the effectiveness of vaccines like Moderna+Pfizzer vaccines, and the same USA fake news media FALSELY CLAIM that China vaccines are not effective, but in the real world, China vaccines turn out to be the most effective, especially against the Delta variant .
Click the graph below, and see for yourself,
the exploding and record number of daily virus cases in Israel, which uses the moderna and pfizzer vaccines at
Now click the graph below, and see for yourself that daily virus cases in China which uses only China vaccines, has already stabilized and life is back to normal since 17 months ago at
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/china/
Now click the graph below, and see for yourself that daily virus cases in Bahrain which uses mainly China vaccines, has already stabilized and life is back to normal at
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/bahrain/
Now click the graph below, and see for yourself that daily virus cases in Chile which uses mainly China vaccines, has already stabilized and life is back to normal at
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/chile/
Truth : Chinese Vaccines Are Not The Most Effective Vs. Delta Variant
The truth is – Chinese COVID-19 vaccines are decent, but they are hardly the most efficacious vaccines in the market.
And they are definitely NOT the most effective vaccines against the Delta variant.
This is just another piece of Chinese propaganda, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Israel Showed That Lockdowns Work
In their first wave, Israel declared a national state of emergency on 19 March 2020, and underwent a strict lockdown with travel restrictions.
In their second wave, they announced another set of lockdown measures from July to September 2020, which rapidly cut down the numbers by end of October 2020.
In their third wave, Israel initiated their third nationwide lockdown on 27 December 2020, which they started lifting in March 2021.
Fact #2 : Israel Currently Has Few COVID-19 Restrictions
By June 2021, masking was no longer required even indoors, and there are currently very few restrictions in Israel.
In spite of their high vaccination rate – 61.1% of their population are fully vaccinated – Israel has not achieved herd immunity.
Unfortunately, they got complacent and opened up too early. Coupled with the more transmissible Delta variant, this led to their fourth wave.
Even so, I must point out that the Sinovac vaccine offers significant protection against hospitalisation and death that unvaccinated people are at risk of.
A recent study in Bahrain involving 1.24 million participants showed that the Sinopharm BIBP vaccine was less effective than the Pfizer Comirnaty vaccine, especially against the Delta variant.
The study showed that the Pfizer mRNA vaccine was 2.5X better at preventing infection, 10X better at preventing hospitalisation, 28.5X better at avoiding ICU admission and 7.5X better at preventing death.
But I must point out that the Sinopharm vaccine itself does a great job at preventing hospitalisation, ICU admission and death, compared to unvaccinated people.
It is just not as effective as the Pfizer vaccine, especially against the Delta variant.
Cases Per 100K
Per Week
Pfizer
Sinopharm
Unvaccinated
Infection
136.3
350.5
643.0
Hospitalisation
2.8
28.4
51.1
ICU Admission
0.08
2.29
6.39
Death
0.22
1.64
4.42
Fact #7 : China’s Success Due To Lockdown, Not Vaccines
China successfully kept COVID-19 cases flat since March 2020 through extremely strict lockdowns and preventive measures. This allowed them to avoid multiple waves that have afflicted many countries around the world.
We know that their success had nothing to do with the superiority of Chinese vaccines, because China itself has been busy exporting vaccines instead of using them.
Despite being the first to approve a COVID-19 vaccine (from Sinopharm), China only vaccinated 24 million people (1.6%) by the end of January 2021.
They have since ramped up vaccination, after India’s Delta variant crisis rattled them. But their continued success in preventing another COVID-19 wave has, currently, little to do with their vaccines.
Fact #8 : China To Offer mRNA Booster Dose For Sinovac + Sinopharm Vaccines
In July 2021, Caixin Global reported that China is planning to offer the Pfizer Comirnaty mRNA vaccine as a booster dose for citizens vaccinated with the Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines.
This decision came after Chinese CDC deputy director Dr. Feng Zijian said that two Chinese COVID-19 vaccines are “less effective” against the Delta variant, compared to other strains.
This is a tacit acknowledgement by the Chinese government that the Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines are not working well against the Delta variant.
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Did GSK (GlaxoSmithKline) accidentally make COVID-19 in their Wuhan Institute of Virology laboratory?
Find out what this new viral claim (pun intended!) is all about, and what the FACTS really are!
Claim : GSK “Accidentally” Made COVID-19 In Wuhan Lab!
The British multinational pharmaceutical company, GSK (GlaxoSmithKline) is the new COVID-19 villain in town!
People are sharing the viral message below about GSK “accidentally” creating COVID-19 on WhatsApp, and promoting them on TikTok :
This viral message claims to expose their dastardly links to many of the world’s most evil people – Dr. Anthony Fauci, George Soros and of course, Bill Gates!
Check out the viral message below, and read on to find out what the FACTS really are!
THE SNAKES ARE COMING OUT .
The masks begin to fall off ! “The Chinese biological laboratory in Wuhan is owned by GlaxoSmithKline, which (accidentally) owns Pfizer!” (the one who makes the vaccine against the virus which (accidentally) started at the Wuhan Biological Lab and which was (accidentally) funded by Dr. Fauci, who (accidentally) promotes the vaccine ! �
“GlaxoSmithKline is (accidentally) managed by the finance division of Black Rock, which (accidentally) manages the finances of the Open Foundation Company (Soros Foundation), which (accidentally) manages the French AXA !”
Soros (accidentally) owns the German company Winterthur, which (accidentally) built a Chinese laboratory in Wuhan and was bought by the German Allianz, which (coincidentally) has Vanguard as a shareholder, who (coincidentally) is a shareholder of Black Rock, which (coincidentally) controls central banks and manages about a third of global investment capital. “Black Rock” is also (coincidentally) a major shareholder of MICROSOFT, owned by Bill Gates, who (coincidentally) is a shareholder of Pfizer (which – remember ? sells a miracle vaccine) and (coincidentally) is now the first sponsor of the WHO !
Now you understand how a dead bat sold in a wet market in China has infected the WHOLE PLANET !””
Now you know pass it on until whole world knows….
50 Cent Army “Accidentally” Wrote Fake Story On GSK Making COVID-19?
This looks suspiciously like another attempt by China’s 50 Cent Army to divert attention from the possibility that the COVID-19 pandemic was a result of a lab leak.
Needless to say, this is completely FAKE NEWS, with a plot so convoluted that people won’t bother checking, and will just accept as true.
The truth is – EVERY SINGLE SENTENCE is a lie! It is as if the writer was paid by the lie… Interesting!
Here are the FACTS! Share them out, so we don’t become the “useful idiots” they think we are!
Fact #1 : GSK Is A Pharmaceutical Company
GSK is a pharmaceutical company. They conduct research into, and manufacture, drugs and vaccines.
There is no reason for them to operate, much less own, a Biosafety Level 4 (BSL-4) laboratory like the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
Almost all BSL-4 facilities are operated by governments or universities, because of the high costs and strict regulations.
The two private BSL-4 labs that we know of are operated by the Merial Animal Health in Pirbright, England and the Texas Biomedical Research Institute in Texas, USA.
Essential features of a NIAID Biosafety Level 4 (BSL-4) laboratory
Fact #2 : GSK Does Not Own Wuhan Institute of Virology
Most research institutes with BSL-4 laboratories are government-owned and -operated.
The Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) is no different. It is owned and administered by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), which reports to the State Council of the People’s Republic of China.
That is why you can see the acronym CAS behind the name Wuhan Institute of Virology emblazoned on the institute’s facade (see picture below).
Fact #3 : Wuhan Institute of Virology Was Established In 1956
The WIV was actually established back in 1956 as the Wuhan Microbiology Laboratory, under CAS.
It was later renamed as the South China Institute of Microbiology in 1961, the Wuhan Microbiology Institute in 1962, and the Microbiology Institute of Hubei Province in 1970.
It finally adopted its current name – the Wuhan Institute of Virology – in June 1978.
For context – China did not initiate their economic reforms – the Opening of China – until December 1978. And the privatisation of state-owned industry did not happen until the late 1980s and 1990s.
So even history shows that it is IMPOSSIBLE for GSK to own the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
Fact #4 : GSK Does Not Own Pfizer
GSK and Pfizer are both publicly-listed multinational pharmaceutical companies, which means that they are both owned by their shareholders, not any one particular conglomerate.
In any case, the claim that GSK owns Pfizer is ludicrous because GSK is much smaller than Pfizer!
With a market capitalisation of about US$95 billion, GSK is much smaller than Pfizer which has a market capitalisation of over US$215 billion!
In fact, GSK is only the tenth largest pharmaceutical company, while Pfizer is the largest pharmaceutical company in the world.
Fact #5 : NIH, Not Dr. Fauci, Gave WIV A Grant
The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) gave the Wuhan Institute of Virology a grant through the non-profit EcoHealth Alliance.
The EcoHealth grant partially funded WIV’s research into bat specimens collected from caves in China, to study their potential for infecting humans.
This funding was given in the aftermath of the 2002-2004 SARS epidemic, which originated from bats.
However, the grant does not involve gain-of-function research by the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
Fact #6 : BlackRock Does Not Manage GSK
BlackRock is the world’s largest asset management company, and they own about 7.5% of GSK shares (as of 29 January 2021).
However, BlackRock does not manage GSK, which has its own board (helmed by Jonathan Symonds) and its own management team (helmed by CEO Emma Walmsley).
Fact #7 : BlackRock Does Not Manage Open Foundation Company
First of all, there is no such thing as the Open Foundation Company. The fake news creator is probably referring to the Open Society Foundations, which was founded by George Soros.
Secondly, the Open Society Foundations is completely owned by George Soros, and is currently the world’s largest PRIVATE funder of charities and NGOs.
The Open Society Foundations is most certainly NOT managed by BlackRock. It is illogical to make this claim because managing OSF does not allow BlackRock to make a profit for their clients.
Fact #8 : Open Society Foundations Does Not Manage AXA
AXA is a publicly-listed French multinational insurance company, obviously with their own management team.
There is simply no logic (never mind evidence!) in claiming that a private grantmaking group is managing a public-listed company.
Fact #10 : Winterthur Was A Swiss Insurance Company
First of all, Winterthur is not a German company, as the fake news creator claimed. Winterthur is a Swiss company.
Secondly, Winterthur is an insurance company, and thus has no business building laboratories anywhere in the world, much less the Wuhan Institute of Virology’s laboratories.
Fact #11 : Winterthur Was Purchased By AXA
Winterthur was purchased by AXA in 2006, and is today known as AXA Switzerland. It was never owned by George Soros.
Fact #12 : Vanguard Is An Investment Management Group
The Vanguard Group is a private investment management company, that manages funds provided by their customers. In fact, they created the first index fund.
Therefore, it is no surprise that they own shares in Allianz, as well as BlackRock. They basically buy into any company that meets their criteria for profit or indexing.
Fact #13 : BlackRock Does Not Control Central Banks
Central banks are national institutions that are controlled by their respective governments, with different regulatory powers and structures.
There is simply no evidence that even a mega asset management company like Black Rock can control a single central bank, much less central banks all over the world.
In fact, BlackRock was hired by the US Federal Reserve in 2020 to help them manage commercial mortgage-backed securities. In other words, they were working under the control of a central bank, not the other way around!
Fact #14 : BlackRock Does Not Manage ⅓ Of Global Capital
It is true that BlackRock manages A LOT of money globally – US$9 trillion, as of 19 April 2021.
However, that is only 9.5% of the global equity market, which grew to US$95 trillion in 2019.
No matter how you slice and dice it, BlackRock does not manage ⅓ of the global market capital.
Fact #15 : Bill Gates Does Not Own Microsoft
Microsoft has been a public-listed company since 1986, so its shareholders are the owners, not Bill Gates.
Bill Gates himself ceased to be its largest individual shareholder since 2014. When he stepped down from the Microsoft board in 2020, he only owned 1.3% of Microsoft shares!
Fact #16 : Pfizer Is A Public-Listed Company
It is no surprise that Bill Gates is a Pfizer shareholder. Pfizer is a public-listed company, which means ANYONE can purchase Pfizer shares and become a Pfizer shareholder!
Fact #17 : WHO Is A UN Agency
The World Health Organisation is a United Nations agency, established on 7 April 1948, and funded by UN member countries. It was not sponsored by Pfizer now or then.
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Is Pfizer making a copy of ivermectin that they can patent as a drug to treat COVID-19?
Take a look at this viral claim, and find out what the FACTS really are!
Claim : Pfizer Is Making Copy Of Ivermectin To Treat COVID-19!
People are sharing this claim and a Twitter post by Pfizer on WhatsApp… AGAIN, after fake news circulated that Pfizer bought ivermectin factories.
Ivermectin by Pfizer is coming. They know it works. So they have to create a copy to make $. So blatantly obvious who had been censoring this drug. Read the comments.
Fact #2 : Pfizer Is Making Two Protease Inhibitors
Pfizer scientists are working on two SARS-CoV-2 protease inhibitors :
PF-07321332, which is orally administered, and
PF-07304814, which is intravenously-administered.
They are both not related to ivermectin, which is an anti-parasitic drug derived from the Streptomyces avermitilis bacteria.
Fact #3 : Ivermectin Works Differently From Protease Inhibitors
Ivermectin works differently from protease inhibitors.
Ivermectin works by binding to, and opening, the glutamate-gated chloride channels of nerve and muscle cells, increasing the flow of chloride ions that paralyses the affected tissue.
The Pfizer protease inhibitors work by binding to proteolytic enzymes used by the SARS-CoV-2 virus to replicate. This prevents the virus from replicating in the infected cells, stopping the infection and preventing transmission.
Fact #4 : There Is No Censorship Of Ivermectin
There isn’t any censorship of ivermectin, which is why fake news on ivermectin has been allowed to proliferate on social media.
Not a day goes by when I do not see fake news on ivermectin being shared on Facebook or WhatsApp or Telegram.
Does that look like censorship to you? Or a sad lack of censorship and common sense?
Fact #5 : Ivermectin Not Proven To Work Against COVID-19
Ivermectin has been shown to work against COVID-19 in lab (in vitro) studies, but does NOT improve clinical outcomes or prevent transmission.
It doesn’t make sense for Pfizer to make a patentable copy of ivermectin. Unless it is significantly better than ivermectin, no one will buy their patented copy of ivermectin.
It would also require considerable resources for them to get the new “ivermectin copy” tested and approved.
If ivermectin really works, it would be better for Pfizer to simply produce ivermectin. After all, they no longer need to pay Merck for the patent!
Now, do you see why this is just ridiculously stupid fake news?
Please SHARE this article, to warn your family and friends about this viral fake news!
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Ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine are sold over-the-counter in Mexico and Costa Rica. Different places in the world – India, Uganda, Africa – they’ve been taking hydroxychloroquine for years, millions of them, decades, and they don’t have a high incidence of COVID-19.
I just heard today, I don’t know if any of you – you guys are so fast – cause I heard it right before I went to air, that Bill Gates has, no no no… it’s Pfizer, Pfizer has purchased the ivermectin organisation or the plants or you know where they create it, or something like that.
I just heard Pfizer has invested in that, uh huh (listening to her earpiece). So that’ll will be interesting – whether they jack the prices up on everything, or destroy it.
Truth : Pfizer Did NOT Buy Any Ivermectin Production Facility!
The truth is Pfizer did NOT buy any production facility for ivermectin.
Laura-Lynn Tyler Thompson appears to have made up the story, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Pfizer Does Not Make Ivermectin At All
First, let me just state it very clearly – Pfizer does not make ivermectin at all.
Fact #2 : Pfizer Did Not Buy Any Ivermectin Production Facility
Pfizer is a public-listed company, and would have to disclose any purchase of companies or assets like a factory / production facility to their shareholders.
If you take but 5 seconds to check their public press releases, you can see that Pfizer did not purchase any ivermectin production facility.
For example, Pfizer announced on 23 August 2021 that they purchased Trillium Therapeutics Inc. Just in case you are wondering, Trillium makes cancer treatments, not ivermectin.
Fact #3 : Pfizer Does Not Need To Buy Ivermectin Production Facility
If Pfizer decides to make ivermectin, they don’t need to buy any production facility.
Pfizer has more than 35 manufacturing facilities across 6 continents – most, if not all, of which are capable of churning out ivermectin if they so wish it.
Fact #4 : Hundreds Of Companies Make Ivermectin
Hundreds of pharmaceutical companies and compounding pharmacies manufacture ivermectin globally. India alone has 105 different brands of ivermectin!
It is therefore IMPOSSIBLE for even a big pharmaceutical company like Pfizer to buy up even a fraction of companies making ivermectin.
For Laura’s benefit – there is no such thing as an ivermectin organisation.
Fact #5 : Anyone Can Make Ivermectin
Even if they somehow buy over every single company currently manufacturing ivermectin, they cannot stop new companies from making it!
Ivermectin is an easy and cheap drug to make, and is patent-free. So virtually any small company, even a compounding pharmacy, can make it!
Fact #6 : Hydroxychloroquine Does Not Work Against COVID-19
Despite Laura’s bold claim – hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) has been proven NOT to work against COVID-19.
Prophylaxis : HCQ showed little to no effect in preventing COVID-19 in 6 trials with more than 6,000 participants
Treatment : HCQ did not reduce mortality or duration of mechanical ventilation in 30 trials with more than 10,000 COVID-19 patients.
The results were so clear-cut that the WHO stopped the hydroxychloroquine arm of the Solidarity Trial in June 2020.
Fact #7 : Ivermectin Not Proven To Work Against COVID-19
Ivermectin has been shown to work against COVID-19 in lab (in vitro) studies, but does NOT improve clinical outcomes or prevent transmission.
Please SHARE this fact check with your family and friends, so they won’t get fooled by Laura-Lynn Tyler Thompson!
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
The Ziverdo Kit is being promoted on social media as an easy way to treat or prevent COVID-19
Find out why the Ziverdo Kit is just a SCAM, and warn your family and friends!
Updated @ 2021-08-12 : Added new information on the Ziverdo Kit scam, including its efficacy against Delta variant, and its ties to Professor Thomas Borody.
Originally posted @ 2021-07-10
Scam Alert : Ziverdo Kit Against COVID-19!
The Ziverdo Kit is being actively promoted on Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp, as an easy way to treat or prevent COVID-19.
Here are two Ziverdo Kit advertisements, which suggest that :
it is approved by the World Health Organisation (WHO),
Unfortunately, scammers are capitalising on our fear to sell fake cures online, and the Ziverdo Kit is one of them.
Here are the FACTS…
Fact #1 : Ziverdo Kit Is Not WHO Approved
Scammers added the WHO logo to their advertisement to suggest that it is approved by the World Health Organisation.
The truth is – the WHO does not approve of ivermectin as a treatment or prevention for COVID-19.
The WHO certainly did not approve the Ziverdo Kit for use against COVID-19.
Fact #2 : WHO Advises That Ivermectin Be Used Only In Clinical Trials
As of 31 March 2021, the World Health Organisation (WHO) advises that ivermectin be used only in COVID-19 clinical trials.
The current evidence on the use of ivermectin to treat COVID-19 patients is inconclusive. Until more data is available, WHO recommends that the drug only be used within clinical trials.
Fact #3 : Ivermectin NOT Proven To Treat / Prevent COVID-19
Ivermectin has only been shown to work against COVID-19 in lab (in vitro) studies, but does NOT appear to improve clinical outcomes or prevent transmission.
Fact #4 : Ziverdo Kit NOT Proven To Treat / Prevent COVID-19
The Ziverdo Kit treatment, which you can see below, has NEVER BEEN TESTED, much less proven to work against COVID-19.
The Ziverdo Kit treatment protocol you see below is simply made up, with no evidence that this combination or protocol does anything to treat or prevent COVID-19.
Fact #5 : Ziverdo Kit Is Different From Professor Borody’s Protocol
Some people are claiming that the Ziverdo Kit is based on Professor Thomas Borody’s “proven ivermectin triple therapy”, but that appears to be false.
The Ziverdo Kit may be inspired by Professor Borody’s ivermectin triple therapy, but uses a completely protocol. The Borody protocol, as per his stalled trial is :
Ivermectin on Days 1, 4 and 8
Doxycycline x 10 days
Zinc x 10 days
Vitamin D3 x 10 days
Vitamin C x 10 days
As you can tell, this is quite different from the Ziverdo Kit protocol.
In any case, Professor Borody’s ivermectin triple therapy also has not been proven to work against COVID-19.
One of the Ziverdo Kit website claims that “you can be sure that the best would be what the FDA would approve“, suggesting that it is approved by the US FDA.
The truth is the Ziverdo Kit is NOT approved by the US FDA. You can verify this by searching the US FDA database yourself.
The individual drugs may be US FDA approved, but the Ziverdo Kit itself is NOT approved by the FDA.
The FDA certainly does not advocate using Zinc, Ivermectin and Doxycycline against COVID-19 as the Ziverdo Kit website suggests.
Fact #8 : Ziverdo Kit Only Sold By Prescription In India!
The Ziverdo Kit is manufactured by Windlas Biotech in India, and is a Schedule H prescription drug.
It can only be sold with a prescription, and its use must be directed by a physician in India.
It was reportedly distributed in the Indian state of Goa, as part of a COVID-19 Home Isolation Monitoring Kit in October 2020, together with a pulse oximeter, thermometer, paracetamol, vitamins, face masks, hand sanitiser and alcohol wipes.
But otherwise, you need a physician’s prescription to purchase it.
Fact #9 : Ziverdo Kit Online Prices Are Ridiculously Expensive!
Despite their advertisement claiming that it only costs US$10 per treatment, the Ziverdo Kit is really very expensive :
Based on the cheapest option, here is my comparison of its cost versus vaccines that have already been proven to work.
Don’t you think it’s CHEAPER and EASIER to just get vaccinated, instead of popping pills?
Product
US Price
Difference
Ziverdo Kit
$110
to $475
+12.8x
to +59.4x
Pfizer Vaccine (2 doses)
$39
+4.88x
Moderna Vaccine (2 doses)
$30
+3.75x
J&J Vaccine (1 dose)
$10
+0.25x
AstraZeneca Vaccine (2 doses)
$8
Baseline
Fact #10 : The Ziverdo Kit’s Online Price Is A Scam!
Zinc is a cheap supplement, and both ivermectin and doxycycline are cheap drugs.
Windlas Biotech actually sells the entire kit for only 150 rupees, including all taxes! That is approximately US$2, £1.45, RM 8.40 or S$2.70.
Unfortunately, scammers are selling this Ziverdo Kit online for US$110 to US$475 to gullible, scared people.
How is that not a scam???
Why Ziverdo Kit Is A Scam : A Summary
Let me just summarise the reasons why the online sale of Ziverdo Kit is a scam.
It has not have been proven to work against COVID-19.
It has not been tested against the Delta variant of COVID-19, much less proven to work against it.
It is not approved by the World Health Organisation.
It is not approved by the US FDA.
It can only be sold with a prescription.
It is being sold online at ridiculous mark-ups of over 50X!
So please do not fall for the Ziverdo Kit scam. And please warn your family and friends!
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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did Australia just approve a breakthrough ivermectin treatment for COVID-19?
Take a look at the viral message, and find out what the FACTS really are!
Claim : Australia Approved Ivermectin Treatment For COVID-19!
This message has gone viral on social media, including WhatsApp and Telegram, claiming that Australia just approved a breakthrough ivermectin treatment for COVID-19.
It’s quite long, so just skip to the next section for the facts.
BREAKTHROUGH IVERMECTIN TREATMENT ACCEPTED BY TGA (Australian Therapeutic Goods Adminstration) TO TREAT COVID 19
Fantastic news today worthy of celebration!
The Sydney outbreak could be under control much sooner with this treatment protocol. Get onto it peeps 👏👏
Australian GPs Can Legally Prescribe Ivermectin Triple Therapy Protocol — Professor Thomas Borody.
By COVEXIT
The Centre for Digestive Diseases issued today a press release titled “Ivermectin Triple Therapy Protocol for COVID-19 Released to Australian GPs for Infected Elderly and Frontline Workers.”
As we previously covered, this early treatment protocol combines ivermectin with doxycycline and zinc.
“Triple therapy specialist Professor Thomas Borody, famous for curing peptic ulcers using a triple antibiotic therapy saving millions of lives, today released the COVID-19 treatment protocol to Australian GPs, who can legally prescribe it to their COVID-19 positive patients. They can also prescribe it as a preventative medication. Borody says this could be the fastest and safest way to end the pandemic in Australia within 6-8 weeks.”
“The three medications are now on chemist shelves right now. GPs can email GP@CDD.com.au to obtain the dosing protocol and COVID-19 treatment information for their patients.”
“GPs can legally prescribe the therapy today as an “off label” treatment according to Australian Guidelines – a standard practice in medicine.”
“In fact more than 60% of prescriptions in Australia are “off-label”. It’s not a new concept. It’s happening every day to manage diseases and save lives.”
“The Government could end the pandemic by openly encouraging GPs to prescribe these TGA approved medications. Those who test positive, are identified in contact tracing, as well as those in high-risk groups like the elderly and healthcare workers, can then access the therapy quickly.”
Ivermectin was discovered in the 1970s and is on the World Health Organization (WHO) list of essential medicines.
“There is mounting worldwide clinical literature pointing to a 100% cure rate using Ivermectin Triple Therapy,” said Professor Borody.
While the message claims to be “Fantastic news today”, it’s really OLD NEWS.
The article was posted in August 2020, after Professor Thomas Borody released his Ivermectin Triple Therapy protocol on 19 August 2020.
Fact #2 : TGA Did Not Approve Ivermectin For Use Against COVID-19
As of 8 August 2021 – almost a year later, Australia’s TGA (Therapeutic Goods Administration) have NOT approved ivermectin for use against COVID-19.
They also did NOT approve Professor Borody’s ivermectin triple therapy for use against COVID-19, either as a treatment or a prophylaxis.
The Australian Department of Health advised that (as of 1 June 2021), ivermectin, doxycycline and zinc should only be used in “properly conducted clinical trials with appropriate ethical approval”.
Fact #3 : TGA Opened An Investigation Into His Claim
Right after Professor Borody issued that press statement, the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) opened an investigation, as it may potentially breach the ban on advertising COVID-19 treatments.
In February 2021, the TGA ordered former Australian senator David Leyonhjelm to take down his tweet advertising ivermectin. As his case showed, the TGA forbids :
all advertising of therapeutic goods containing the active ingredient ivermectin
making claims or representations in advertisements for any therapeutic goods that those goods [ivermectin] have any effect on COVID-19 (including that said therapeutic goods are capable of preventing, treating or alleviating COVID-19).
Fact #4 : Ivermectin Triple Therapy Not Proven To Work
The Australian Department of Health also pointed out that Professor Borody’s Ivermectin Triple Therapy protocol has not been proven to be safe or effective against COVID-19.
There is currently insufficient evidence to support the safe and effective use of ivermectin, doxycycline and zinc (either separately, or in combination) for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19.
More robust, well-designed clinical trials are needed before they could be considered an appropriate treatment option.
Fact #5 : Borody Was Working On Patentable Ivermectin Triple Therapy
Back in August 2020, Professor Borody announced that he was involved in a Phase 2 study in the US to potentially develop the triple therapy as a single “blister pack” compliance product.
This appears to be a patentable ivermectin triple therapy product by Topelia Therapeutics, with the study funded and run by ProgenaBiome.
Professor Borody has “corporate affiliation” with both ProgenaBiome LLC and Topelia Therapeutics.
Despite kicking off on 22 July 2020, it was still in the Recruiting stage, as of their last update – 14 May 2021, even though they were supposed to start the trial on 9 December 2020!
Fact #7 : Borody Switched To An Even Smaller Trial
After the Phase 2 trial stalled, Professor Borody moved to an even smaller trial, whose results were released on 7 July 2021 as a pre-print (not peer-reviewed).
The study reported “a highly effective ICT (Ivermectin Combination Therapy) which led to 100% survival and cure” in “moderately to severely ill COVID-19 patients with hypoxia”.
However, there are a few immediate concerns over that study :
It was a very small study, with just 24 participants – two of whom refused the treatment.
It was not a randomised controlled trial – the researchers picked who could participate
It was not a double-blinded trial, so patients knew they were receiving the ICT, not a placebo
The subjects were treated remotely, so compliance is uncertain.
The subjects were asked to self-monitor and self-record symptoms, and medical readings (EKG, blood pressure, temperature and SpO2), so accuracy of those data is uncertain.
The subjects were asked to perform their own swab tests for SARS-CoV-2, so test accuracy is uncertain.
Fact #8 : Australian GPs Always Had Right To Prescribe Off-Label
Professor Borody claimed that the release of his Ivermectin Triple Therapy allows Australian GPs to legally prescribe ivermectin. That’s not true.
Australian doctors have long had the ability to prescribe medicine off-label. As Richard Day in Australian Prescriber notes :
There is no legal impediment to prescribing off label, however the onus is on the prescriber to defend their prescription for an indication that is not listed in the product information.
Fact #9 : Ivermectin Did Not Help Australia Control Pandemic
When Professor Borody claimed that ivermectin could end the COVID-19 pandemic in 6-8 weeks, Australia was already handling the pandemic very well though contact tracing, interstate border closures, travel bans, as well as curfews and lockdowns.
They maintained a very low number of cases over the last 11 months, even without using Professor Borody’s Ivermectin Triple Therapy.
Fact #10 : Ivermectin Did Not Help Other Countries Control COVID-19
To be fair to Professor Borody, Australians ignored his Ivermectin Triple Therapy.
So let’s take a look at India and Peru where pro-Ivermectin proponents claim have successfully controlled COVID-19 with ivermectin.
Despite the use of ivermectin, India suffered a massive and disastrous wave of COVID-19 infections and deaths from March 2021 onwards. That’s why India stopped using ivermectin on 27 March 2021.
Peru continues to suffer high numbers of COVID-19 cases over the last 18 months. Does it look like ivermectin is working for them???
Ivermectin and ivermectin protocols like I-MASK+ (from the FLCCC) and Borody’s own Ivermectin Triple Therapy, have NOT been proven to work against COVID-19.
Unfortunately, Professor Borody’s promotion of his ivermectin triple therapy protocol has allowed online scams to proliferate.
Case in point – the Ziverdo Kit online scam, which is made by Windlas Biotech in India using the same combination of ivermectin, doxycycline and zinc that Borody recommended.
Even though this combination only only US$2 per kit, scammers are selling at highly inflated prices to gullible people online.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Malaysia has conditionally approved the Moderna Spikevax COVID-19 vaccine!
Find out this means for the COVID-19 vaccination program in Malaysia!
Malaysia Approves Moderna Spikevax COVID-19 Vaccine!
On 5 August 2021, the Malaysia Ministry of Health announced that the Drug Control Authority (DCA) issued a conditional registration for the following vaccines :
The Moderna Spikevax vaccine (formerly known as mRNA-1273) is an mRNA vaccine like the Pfizer-BioNTech COMIRNATY vaccine.
The Spikevax vaccine uses mRNA (messenger RNA) instructions to teach your cells to create the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.
Once presented on the surface of those cells, the spike protein triggers the immune system to create antibodies that will protect you against the real SARS-CoV-2 virus.
The Moderna Spikevax is a 2-dose vaccine with 94.1% efficacy against symptomatic COVID-19.
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Can the Ivermectin Triple Therapy by Professor Thomas Borody really cure and prevent COVID-19?
Let’s take a look at his Ivermectin Triple Therapy, and see what the FACTS really are!
Professor Borody : Ivermectin Therapy Can End Pandemic In 6-8 Weeks!
This message on Ivermectin Triple Therapy by Professor Thomas Borody is being circulated on WhatsApp.
It’s quite long, so just skip to the next section for the facts.
👍👍👍👍👍👍
Latest fantastic news
Sharon Stambolieff
Fantastic news today worthy of celebration!
The Sydney outbreak could be under control much sooner with this treatment protocol. Get onto it peeps 👏👏
Australian GPs Can Legally Prescribe Ivermectin Triple Therapy Protocol — Professor Thomas Borody.
By COVEXIT
The Centre for Digestive Diseases issued today a press release titled “Ivermectin Triple Therapy Protocol for COVID-19 Released to Australian GPs for Infected Elderly and Frontline Workers.”
As we previously covered, this early treatment protocol combines ivermectin with doxycycline and zinc.
“Triple therapy specialist Professor Thomas Borody, famous for curing peptic ulcers using a triple antibiotic therapy saving millions of lives, today released the COVID-19 treatment protocol to Australian GPs, who can legally prescribe it to their COVID-19 positive patients. They can also prescribe it as a preventative medication. Borody says this could be the fastest and safest way to end the pandemic in Australia within 6-8 weeks.”
“The three medications are now on chemist shelves right now. GPs can email GP@CDD.com.au to obtain the dosing protocol and COVID-19 treatment information for their patients.”
“GPs can legally prescribe the therapy today as an “off label” treatment according to Australian Guidelines – a standard practice in medicine.”
“In fact more than 60% of prescriptions in Australia are “off-label”. It’s not a new concept. It’s happening every day to manage diseases and save lives.”
“The Government could end the pandemic by openly encouraging GPs to prescribe these TGA approved medications. Those who test positive, are identified in contact tracing, as well as those in high-risk groups like the elderly and healthcare workers, can then access the therapy quickly.”
Ivermectin was discovered in the 1970s and is on the World Health Organization (WHO) list of essential medicines.
“There is mounting worldwide clinical literature pointing to a 100% cure rate using Ivermectin Triple Therapy,” said Professor Borody.
Fact Check : Ivermectin Triple Therapy By Professor Borody
Australian gastroenterologist, Professor Thomas Borody, has been actively promoting his Ivermectin Triple Therapy to cure COVID-19.
Here are the FACTS about his Ivermectin Triple Therapy, and the WhatsApp message above :
Fact #1 : That Was From 19 August 2020
While the message claims to be “Latest fantastic news”, it’s really OLD NEWS.
Professor Thomas Borody first released his Ivermectin Triple Therapy protocol on 19 August 2020.
Fact #2 : TGA Opened An Investigation Into His Claim
Right after Professor Borody issued that press statement, the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) opened an investigation, as it may potentially breach the ban on advertising COVID-19 treatments.
In February 2021, the TGA ordered former Australian senator David Leyonhjelm to take down his tweet advertising ivermectin. As his case showed, the TGA forbids :
all advertising of therapeutic goods containing the active ingredient ivermectin
making claims or representations in advertisements for any therapeutic goods that those goods [ivermectin] have any effect on COVID-19 (including that said therapeutic goods are capable of preventing, treating or alleviating COVID-19).
Fact #3 : Ivermectin Triple Therapy Still Not Approved
Almost a year after Professor Borody “released” his Ivermectin Triple Therapy protocol, it is still NOT approved for use against COVID-19, either as a treatment or a prophylaxis.
The Australian Department of Health advised that (as of 1 June 2021), ivermectin, doxycycline and zinc should only be used in “properly conducted clinical trials with appropriate ethical approval”.
Fact #4 : Ivermectin Triple Therapy Not Proven To Work
The Australian Department of Health also pointed out that Professor Borody’s Ivermectin Triple Therapy protocol has not been proven to be safe or effective against COVID-19.
There is currently insufficient evidence to support the safe and effective use of ivermectin, doxycycline and zinc (either separately, or in combination) for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19.
More robust, well-designed clinical trials are needed before they could be considered an appropriate treatment option.
Fact #5 : Borody Was Working On Patentable Ivermectin Triple Therapy
Back in August 2020, Professor Borody announced that he was involved in a Phase 2 study in the US to potentially develop the triple therapy as a single “blister pack” compliance product.
This appears to be a patentable ivermectin triple therapy product by Topelia Therapeutics, with the study funded and run by ProgenaBiome.
Professor Borody has “corporate affiliation” with both ProgenaBiome LLC and Topelia Therapeutics.
Despite kicking off on 22 July 2020, it was still in the Recruiting stage, as of their last update – 14 May 2021, even though they were supposed to start the trial on 9 December 2020!
Fact #7 : Borody Switched To An Even Smaller Trial
After the Phase 2 trial stalled, Professor Borody moved to an even smaller trial, whose results were released on 7 July 2021 as a pre-print (not peer-reviewed).
The study reported “a highly effective ICT (Ivermectin Combination Therapy) which led to 100% survival and cure” in “moderately to severely ill COVID-19 patients with hypoxia”.
However, there are a few immediate concerns over that study :
It was a very small study, with just 24 participants – two of whom refused the treatment.
It was not a randomised controlled trial – the researchers picked who could participate
It was not a double-blinded trial, so patients knew they were receiving the ICT, not a placebo
The subjects were treated remotely, so compliance is uncertain.
The subjects were asked to self-monitor and self-record symptoms, and medical readings (EKG, blood pressure, temperature and SpO2), so accuracy of those data is uncertain.
The subjects were asked to perform their own swab tests for SARS-CoV-2, so test accuracy is uncertain.
Fact #8 : Australian GPs Always Had Right To Prescribe Off-Label
Professor Thomas Borody claimed that the release of his Ivermectin Triple Therapy allows Australian GPs to legally prescribe ivermectin. That’s not true.
Australian doctors have long had the ability to prescribe medicine off-label. As Richard Day in Australian Prescriber notes :
There is no legal impediment to prescribing off label, however the onus is on the prescriber to defend their prescription for an indication that is not listed in the product information.
Fact #9 : Ivermectin Did Not Help Australia Control Pandemic
When I watched the recent MAECC briefing, where they claimed ivermectin can end the COVID-19 pandemic in 6-8 weeks, I wondered how did they come to this conclusion?
I now realise that they plucked that claim from Professor Borody, who said on 19 August 2020 that ivermectin could end the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia within 6-8 weeks.
When Professor Borody made that claim, Australia was already handling the pandemic very well though contact tracing, interstate border closures, travel bans, as well as curfews and lockdowns.
They maintained a very low number of cases over the last 11 months, even without using Professor Borody’s Ivermectin Triple Therapy.
Fact #10 : Ivermectin Did Not Help Other Countries Control COVID-19
To be fair to Professor Borody, Australians did not take up his Ivermectin Triple Therapy.
So let’s take a look at India and Peru where pro-Ivermectin proponents claim have successfully controlled COVID-19 with ivermectin.
Despite the use of ivermectin, India suffered a massive and disastrous wave of COVID-19 infections and deaths from March 2021 onwards. That’s why India stopped using ivermectin on 27 March 2021.
Peru continues to suffer high numbers of COVID-19 cases over the last 18 months. Does it look like ivermectin is working for them???
Ivermectin and ivermectin protocols like I-MASK+ (from the FLCCC) and Borody’s own Ivermectin Triple Therapy, have NOT been proven to work against COVID-19.
Unfortunately, Professor Borody’s promotion of his ivermectin triple therapy protocol has allowed online scams to proliferate.
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Is the recent fall in COVID-19 cases in Jakarta, Indonesia, due to the use of ivermectin?
Take a look at the new ivermectin claim, and find out what the FACTS really are!
Claim : Drop In Jakarta COVID-19 Cases Due To Ivermectin!
This message is being shared on WhatsApp by ivermectin proponents.
It claims that the drop in COVID-19 cases in Jakarta is due to the use of ivermectin.
WHAT HAS CHANGED ?
But over two weeks, Jakarta’s daily cases dropped from 14,619 on July 12 to 2,662 on July 25, according to city data, while pressure on Covid-19 referral hospitals has eased.
“The situation is very different,” Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan said in a video address yesterday.
“The hallways in front of emergency (hospital) units were always full…. Now they’re mostly empty,” he said.
They introduced Ivermectin!
NO EVIDENCE Drop In Jakarta COVID-19 Cases Was Due To Ivermectin
Ivermectin proponents are touting the drop in COVID-19 cases in Jakarta as a result of Indonesia introducing ivermectin to treat and prevent COVID-19.
That’s bullshit and I will show you why.
Don’t be misled by these fake messages on ivermectin. These people are antivaxxers who are trying to fool you into not vaccinating yourself against COVID-19.
Protect yourself and your family – get VACCINATED against COVID-19!
Fact #1 : No Evidence Drop Was Due To Ivermectin
It’s easy for an unnamed person to simply say that the drop in new COVID-19 cases in Jakarta must be due to the introduction of ivermectin. Where’s the evidence?
There is NO EVIDENCE that the drop in new COVID-19 cases was due to ivermectin.
It is far more likely due to emergency measures that Indonesia initiated like travel and business restrictions on red zones, including Jakarta.
There is also evidence (see Fact #5) that the high vaccination rate in Jakarta could be the reason.
Fact #2 : Cases Are Not Falling Across Indonesia
Even as the number of new COVID-19 cases in Jakarta has fallen, they are not falling across the rest of Indonesia.
That’s why ivermectin proponents are specifically pointing out Jakarta. It’s the only city in Indonesia where new cases are falling.
Fact #3 : Ivermectin Was Illegally Sold Since 2020
Ever since the Australian lab study suggested in April 2020 that ivermectin could work against COVID-19, people in Indonesia have illegally imported and sold ivermectin.
That was further spurred by Harsen Laboratories’ handing out of ivermectin (for free) to use against COVID-19 in 2020.
But that did not stop Indonesia from detecting 4,000 to 14,000 new cases of COVID-19 every day since September 2020.
Fact #4 : Official Sale Of Ivermectin Did Not Help
In June 2021, both Harsen Laboratories and Indofarma were given licences to distribute ivermectin as a parasitic drug, basically legalising its sale in Indonesia.
That, however, did not stop the massive surge in COVID-19 that kicked off in middle of May 2021.
It was only 16 July 2021 – 2 months later – that Jakarta started seeing a drop in new COVID-19 cases.
Isn’t it odd that Indonesia continues to register over 40,000 new cases EVERY DAY, even with the legalised use of ivermectin?
Fact #5 : Jakarta Has Highest Vaccination Rate
A likely big factor in cutting down the number of new COVID-19 cases in Jakarta would be the surge in vaccinations.
Jakarta had already vaccinated the 3 million priority recipients by June 2021, with the aim to vaccinate its remaining 4.5 million residents by August 2021.
That would mean that approximately half of the Jakarta population were vaccinated by the time the number of new cases started to fall.
The much slower vaccination rate across the rest of Indonesia would also explain the high number of new cases per day outside of Jakarta.
Fact #6 : Ivermectin Hasn’t Helped Other Countries
It is also instructive to note that ivermectin has NOT helped other countries control COVID-19.
Ivermectin proponents have claimed that these countries have successfully used it to prevent and treat COVID-19.
Does it really look like they successfully handled COVID-19?
Fact #7 : Ivermectin Not Proven To Work Against COVID-19
Ivermectin has been shown to work against COVID-19 in lab (in vitro) studies, but has NOT been shown to improve clinical outcomes or prevent transmission.
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did 229 people in Taiwan die from unapproved AstraZeneca vaccine doses donated by Japan???
Take a look at the shocking claim, and find out what the FACTS really are!
Claim : 229 In Taiwan Died From Japan-Made AstraZeneca Vaccine!
An unknown website, called TellerReport, claimed that 229 people died from the AstraZeneca vaccine donated by Japan, which has not been approved by the WHO.
It is a very long article, so SKIP to the next section for the facts.
Taiwan authorities admit that Japan’s donated AstraZeneca vaccine to Taiwan has not been certified for emergency use by the WHO, and netizens on the island are concerned
[Global Network Report] According to Taiwanese media reports such as the China Times News Network, Japan recently donated 1.24 million doses of AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine to Taiwan. Since the start, 229 people have died after vaccination. According to the official website of the World Health Organization (WHO) On the 16th of this month, the new crown vaccine emergency use list/updated information shows that this batch of AZ vaccines from the Japanese factory has not completed the relevant inspections and entered the emergency use list until the 16th. Zhuang Renxiang, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Epidemic Prevention Command Center, confirmed on the 28th that these vaccines have indeed not been certified for emergency use by the WHO, but the use of vaccines is not a necessary condition. In this regard, some netizens questioned, “Our people have received vaccines that have not yet been approved by the World Health Organization. Our’Japan Aid Ambassador’ bowed 90 degrees to thank Japan for letting Taiwan be their human laboratory?”
According to the report, according to the WHO EUL/PQ evaluation process (Status of COVID-19 Vaccines within WHO EUL/PQ evaluation process) updated on June 16th, the AZ Japanese vaccine has not yet completed the relevant inspection list by the 16th. Enter the emergency use list, and its authorization status is still marked: “Anticipated date once all information has been received.” (Wait until all the information is available to confirm).
Zhuang Renxiang said on the evening of the 28th that the use of vaccines must be approved by the health authority in the area where they can be used for vaccination. Whether they have been included in the World Health Organization’s EUL emergency use list is not a necessary condition. He said that the vaccine donated by Japan to Taiwan was approved by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan on AZ’s EUA emergency authorization on May 21 this year, and Taiwan approved and approved the vaccine project of AZ’s Japanese plant on June 2nd. Japan’s AZ vaccine.
Zhuang Renxiang also said that AZ did not submit the Japanese plant’s AZ vaccine application to the WHO until June 15 this year, and continued to provide information to the WHO for review. It is still under review, but it does not affect the use in Taiwan.
This news subsequently caused concerns and misgivings among netizens on the island.
Some netizens questioned, “Taiwanese help Japan clinically test drugs?” “So…we are a large testing site?” “Oh my god, it means that our people have received vaccines that have not been approved by the WHO. We are helping Japan. The ambassador also bowed at 90 degrees to thank Japan for letting Taiwan be their human laboratory?”
“Is this the truth that Japan doesn’t use AZ? Because the information is not complete…” Some netizens said, “To give alms to a vaccine that they dare not fight, the United States is not allowed to fight, and Taiwan kills people, the DPP bends over to welcome it 90 degrees. .”
Some netizens questioned the DPP authorities: “Why didn’t it make it clear to the whole people”; “The super-large proving ground… This is not a selling station or what is selling a station.”
Some netizens also criticized the DPP authorities for the double standard, “The vaccine in the mainland passed the emergency authorization-Chen Shizhong (the commander of epidemic prevention in Taiwan) did not dare to use the vaccine, and the vaccine in Japan did not pass the emergency authorization-Chen Shizhong did the picture card thanks to Japan, I really don’t Knowing what Chen Shizhong has done in the fight against the epidemic other than the first place in the anti-China epidemic?” “Fuck again! The donation of vaccines by the people is so strict.”
Previously, media in many countries have reported on the side effects of AstraZeneca vaccine. On June 10, the Russian Satellite News Agency reported that British researchers found that the adverse effects of the AstraZeneca vaccine include mild thrombotic symptoms, which lead to bleeding.
On the 4th of this month, Taiwan just received 1.24 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine from Japan. Tainan Mayor Huang Weizhe also declared that this was a manifestation of “Taiwan-Japan friendship”, and he decided to give priority to nearly 800 Japanese expatriates in Tainan to attack AstraZeneca. Before the Japanese flight carrying vaccines took off, Taiwan’s “representative to Japan” Hsieh Chang-ting bowed to the airport to “see off” in the rain. He claimed that these vaccines were timely rain for Taiwan. He was very grateful.
At that time, some netizens questioned, “Is there anything I am grateful for? They don’t use it, and it will expire soon. It’s only a matter of personal affection.” Regarding Japan’s donation of vaccines to Taiwan, netizens were most worried about Japan’s “don’t want and have doubts.” To Taiwan.
No, 229 In Taiwan Did Not Die From Japan-Made AstraZeneca Vaccine
For those who want a short and sweet answer, this is just another example of Chinese propaganda.
The story was intentionally written to mislead people into thinking that both the Taiwanese and Japanese governments are putting people’s lives at risk.
And here are the FACTS and EVIDENCE that this is just fake news fabricated by China :
Fact #1 : Article Was Originally Posted By China News Service
TellerReport is nothing more than a copy + paste website, that just reposts content from other websites.
This article was originally posted by China News Service on 29 June 2021, and TellerReport posted the English version (using Google Translate) on 30 June 2021.
Fact #2 : China News Service Is Chinese State Media
China News Service (ECNS) is the second largest state-owned news agency in China, after Xinhua News Agency.
Formerly run by the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office, ECNS became part of the United Front Work Department of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 2018.
That article was therefore written by the Chinese state media.
Fact #3 : WHO Approval Only Necessary For COVAX Facility
Zhuang Renxiang, the spokesperson for the Taiwan Epidemic Prevention Command Center, is correct – WHO approval is not necessary for the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine doses from Japan.
That is because WHO emergency use listing (EUL) is only a prerequisite for the vaccine to be included in the COVAX Facility vaccine supply.
All vaccines, whether they are in the WHO EUL or not, have to be approved SEPARATELY by the health authority of each country.
WHO’s Emergency Use Listing (EUL) is a prerequisite for COVAX Facility vaccine supply. It also allows countries to expedite their own regulatory approval to import and administer COVID-19 vaccines.
Fact #4 : Japan Vaccine Doses Not About To Expire
China News Service ended their article with a claim by “some netizens” that the AstraZeneca vaccine doses from Japan were “about to expire“. That is FALSE.
Japanese pharmaceutical companies only started manufacturing their AstraZeneca vaccines in March 2021, and only received final approval from Japan’s Health Ministry on 21 May 2021.
The AstraZeneca vaccines have an official shelf life of 6 months, so even the first batch manufactured in Japan would not expire until September 2021.
Fact #5 : Japan Submitted AstraZeneca Documents To WHO
It is interesting to note that China News Service (ECNS) claimed that the Japanese AstraZeneca factories did not submit their documents as of 16 June 2021.
That is precisely the day that the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) submitted their documents to the WHO, but before the WHO updated their database.
The Japanese Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) later submitted the documents to the WHO on 22 June 2021. You can check the status of their submission (PDF) here.
When ECNS posted the news on 29 June 2021, they would have already known that the Japanese had already submitted their documents.
It seems obvious that ECNS intended to mislead the public.
Fact #6 : WHO EUL For AZ Vaccine From Japan Expected Week Of 5 July 2021
China News Service also did not tell you that the WHO anticipates approving the Japanese-made AstraZeneca vaccine doses in the week of 5 July 2021.
That’s because the only thing they need to verify is that the Japanese factories comply with the necessary quality controls.
You can check the anticipated WHO decision date here.
Taiwanese citizens queuing up for AstraZeneca vaccination. Photo credit : Brookings Institute
Fact #7 : 229 People Did Not Die From AstraZeneca Vaccine
The China News Service claimed that “229 people have died after vaccination“, but that is categorically FALSE.
They based their reporting on the Taiwanese VAERS system, which they know are unverified reports, similar to the US VAERS and UK Yellow Card System.
Here are the facts that you need to know (accurate as of 26 June 2021) :
Taiwan has received and used both AstraZeneca and Moderna vaccines.
Taiwan vaccinated 1.926 million people (8.04 percent of the population) from 4 June to 26 June 2021.
The vast majority were senior citizens with chronic illnesses.
223 deaths were reported in total
– 108 women and 115 men between 41 and 101 years in age.
– 176 were over the age of 75
Autopsies performed by the CECC confirmed that they were not linked to the vaccines
– most deaths were related to chronic conditions like heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, hypertension, cancer.
– other deaths involved completely unrelated causes like gastric perforation, peritonitis, intestinal obstruction, septic shock, choking on food and cervical fractures
Fact #8 : 200 People Above 75 Die Every Day In Taiwan
Statistically, an average of 200 people over the age of 75 die every day in Taiwan. That works out to 4,600 deaths for the 23 days between 4 June and 26 June.
Therefore, it is very plausible that the deaths had nothing to do with the AstraZeneca vaccine they received.
Please remember that the AstraZeneca vaccine only provides protection against COVID-19. It does not make people immune against other causes of death.
With or without the AstraZeneca vaccine, people will continue to die of other causes.
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Is ivermectin prophylaxis against COVID-19 really cheap, as its proponents claim?
Take a look at the ivermectin prophylaxis protocol that FLCCC is advocating, and find out what it really costs!
FLCCC Ivermectin Prophylaxis Against COVID-19
Dr. Paul E. Marik of the FLCCC is advocating that health authorities use his I-MASK+ protocol to prevent and treat COVID-19.
For prevention of COVID-19, Dr. Paul Marik is recommending that we take these medication :
Ivermectin : 0.2 mg/kg on day 1, day 3 and then every 4 weeks
Vitamin D3 : 1,000 to 3,000 IU every day
Vitamin C : 2,000 mg every day
Quercetin : 250 mg every day
Zinc : 50 mg every day
Melatonin : 6 mg every night
For early treatment of COVID-19, the doses go way up :
Ivermectin : 0.2 mg/kg on day 1 and day 3
Vitamin D3 : 4,000 IU every day
Vitamin C : 4,000 to 6,000 mg every day
Quercetin : 500 mg every day
Zinc : 100 mg every day
Melatonin : 10 mg every night
Aspirin : 325 mg every day
The standard dose of ivermectin is 0.2 mg/kg, so that is not actually controversial. An adult of 60 kg would therefore require a dose of 12 mg of ivermectin.
Ivermectin Prophylaxis : How Cheap Is It?
Ivermectin proponents insist that its use is being suppressed because its patent ran out, and so Big Pharma does not benefit from its sale.
That is not really true, because all pharmaceutical companies that make ivermectin will make money off it. Even Merck, whose patent ran out in 1996, still makes money off ivermectin.
So let’s ignore the argument about patents. Let’s just look at the cost of the ivermectin prophylaxis protocol that FLCCC is promoting.
Ivermectin is not sold over the counter in many countries, as it is only used in animals. So it is often sold at inflated prices online.
Here is an example I found on Shopee earlier this month. A strip of 10 tablets cost RM150 (US$36). That’s RM15 (US$3.60) per 12 mg tablet.
There may also been reports that some doctors were illegally selling ivermectin at RM35 per tablet (US$8.45), and RM150 (US$36) per strip.
But the good news is FLCCC’s ivermectin prophylaxis actually uses very little ivermectin! You only take it once a month!
Now Foods Melatonin (3 mg, 180 capsules) : US$9.92
Based on those prices, here is my comparison of the COST of the I-MASK+ prophylaxis protocol versus a selection of COVID-19 vaccines :
Prophylaxis
US Price
FLACC I-MASK+
$1.03 per day $31 per month $375 per year
AstraZeneca Vaccine (2 doses)
$8
J&J Vaccine (1 dose)
$10
Moderna Vaccine (2 doses)
$30
Pfizer Vaccine (2 doses)
$39
As you can see, the ivermectin prophylaxis that FLCCC is promoting costs more than COVID-19 vaccines after just 1 month!
So it really doesn’t make financial sense to choose the FLCCC ivermectin prophylaxis over COVID-19 vaccines.
In fact, the table above shows that it is not the pharmaceutical companies making the big bucks through vaccines, but the SUPPLEMENT INDUSTRY making big bucks from the FLCCC ivermectin prophylaxis!
There is no doubt that the FLCCC ivermectin prophylaxis is ridiculously expensive, and only serves to line the pockets of the supplement industry.
Ivermectin Prophylaxis : Other Issues…
There are other issues with the ivermectin prophylaxis that FLCCC and their supporters are advocating.
Taking Pills Every Day…
The FLCCC calls for people to take ivermectin like a monthly supplement, together with large amounts of vitamin D3, vitamin C and other supplements every single day!
And for how long does FLCCC expect people to pop these pills? Until the pandemic is over? That could be months!
How long do you think people can keep up with the daily regime of popping 5 to 6 pills? What if they forget?
It would be far EASIER for people to simply get vaccinated. Most COVID-19 vaccines require two doses, but some require only one dose.
Would you prefer to just get one or two injections, or consume 5 to 6 pills every single day, until the pandemic is over?
Ivermectin Not Proven To Prevent COVID-19…
The biggest problem with the ivermectin prophylaxis that FLCCC is advocating is that – it hasn’t actually been proven to prevent COVID-19.
This February 2021 study that was also published in The Lancet showed that ivermectin did NOT reduce transmission of SARS-CoV-2.
Even more troubling – neither Dr. Marik nor the FLCCC has actually run any clinical trial to test and confirm the efficacy of their ivermectin prophylaxis protocol!
FLCCC Uses Very Little Ivermectin…
What’s even more surprising is how little ivermectin FLCCC is actually using in their ivermectin prophylaxis against COVID-19.
They are not only using the standard ivermectin dose, it is only taken once every 4 weeks! Even if you were exposed, you only take ivermectin for two days!
The bulk of their ivermectin prophylaxis protocol involves eating lots of supplements on a daily basis.
If ivermectin really works against COVID-19, why is it used so little in the FLCCC ivermectin protocol?
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MAECC claims that ivermectin will allow us to control COVID-19 in just 6 weeks, and the Malaysian media did not bother to fact check them.
So I took it upon myself to go through their video, and find out if what they said is true or false.
MAECC : Ivermectin Can Control COVID-19 In 6 Weeks!
On 21 June 2021, MAECC (Malaysian Alliance for Effective COVID Control) held a press conference, claiming that ivermectin works and can control COVID-19 in 6 weeks.
Who is MAECC? They call themselves an alliance of 6 medical and health associations, comprising of :
SNH : Society of Natural Health, Malaysia
MAAFIM : Malaysian Association for Advancement of Function and Interdisciplinary Medicine
PPIM : Persatuan Pengguna Islam Malaysia
MSCM : Malaysian Society for Complementary Medicine
NMAM : Naturopathy Medicine Association Malaysia
MAECC Ivermectin Briefing : A Fact Check
Unfortunately, it appears that the Malaysian media just blindly reported on whatever MAECC said about ivermectin, and did not bother to fact-check.
So I took it upon myself to go through their video, and find out if what they said is true or false.
As always, I welcome corrections if I made any mistakes, or suggestions for improvements.
Dr. Paul E. Marik’s Presentation
The MAECC briefing started with a pre-recorded briefing by Dr. Paul E. Marik on ivermectin’s efficacy against COVID-19.
Nowhere in his presentation did he mention that ivermectin can control COVID-19 in Malaysia in just 6 weeks.
Dr. Amir Farid Isahak read out the MAECC statement, calling for ivermectin and supplements to be used as a prophylaxis and treatment against COVID-19.
The official MAECC statement claimed that Malaysia can recover from the COVID-19 pandemic “in a matter of weeks” if ivermectin is allowed to be used.
Fact Check : There’s no evidence that ivermectin has helped any country recover from the COVID-19 pandemic “in a matter of weeks”.
The MAECC statement claimed that medical and healthcare practitioners and researchers have sworn the Hippocratic oath and compliant with the Nuremberg Code and the Helsinki Declaration.
Fact Check : Doctors have to comply with modern ethical standards, which are inspired by the Hippocratic oath, but not actually sworn to the Hippocratic oath per se.
The Nuremberg Code is a set of research ethics principles on human experimentation, used in the Nuremberg trials after World War 2. It has not been adopted as law or official ethics guidelines by any association or country.
The Helsinki Declaration is a set of ethical principles that govern human experimentation. It is not legally binding, but serves as a higher standard to which the medical community should abide with.
The MAECC statement went on to say that it is unethical to insist on more clinical trials to investigate the efficacy of ivermectin in all stages of COVID-19.
Fact Check : Article 32 of the Helsinki Declaration actually states that “unproven methods should be tested in the context of research where this is a reasonable belief of possible benefit”.
In other words, MAECC’s insistence that ivermectin should be used without waiting for clinical trials goes AGAINST the Helsinki Declaration.
MAECC Ivermectin Q&A Session : A Fact Check
Then MAECC held a Q&A session with their expert panel that consisted of :
Datuk Dr. Selvam Rengasamay (SAHAMM)
Professor Dr. Mustafa Ali (MAAFIM)
Dr. Abd Wahab Khalid Osman (MAAFIM)
Dr. Vijaendreh Subramaniam (MAAFIM)
Let’s go through what some of the panelists said about ivermectin and COVID-19. For sake of brevity, I will only address the points that I found to be false or partially false.
Claim #1 : Enough Research On Ivermectin Efficacy
Verdict : False
Prof. Dr. Mustafa Ali stated that the papers (studies) on ivermectin are adequate to be convinced that ivermectin works very well against COVID-19 as treatment and prophylaxis. “We are very sure of that“.
Dr. Vijaendreh somewhat contradicted Dr. Mustafa later by saying that ivermectin is “not the magic pill that will solve” COVID-19.
The truth is ivermectin has not yet been proven to be efficacious against COVID-19.
The latest ivermectin study that was published in The Lancet showed NO DIFFERENCE in clinical outcomes, even though they used TRIPLE the dose recommended by the FLCCC.
Claim #2 : A Local Ivermectin Trial Has Not Been Initiated
Verdict : False
Dr. Selvam Rengsamy recommended that the authorities use their emergency powers to initiate a trial – “If you want to do a trial to justify its use, it has to be initiated quickly“.
He also said that, “The problem is the local studies are being demanded. We have not done, but others have done.”
The truth is the Malaysia Ministry of Health (KKM) had already initiated their ivermectin trial on 6 June 2021, called I-TECH – Ivermectin Treatment Efficacy in COVID-19 High-Risk Patients.
Claim #3 : Local Ivermectin Trial Only For Stage 3 + Stage 4
Verdict : Partially False
Prof. Dr. Mustafa later stated that there is a local ivermectin clinical trial, but it’s only for Stage 3 and Stage 4 patients.
The I-TECH trial, that is being conducted by the Institute of Medical Research, is enrolling patients with mild or moderate COVID-19 symptoms – Stage 2 to Stage 3.
When asked if it is really possible that COVID-19 can be controlled in Malaysia in just 6-8 weeks, Dr. Vijaendreh said, “that claim is obviously made based on experiences in countries that have instituted such widespread usage in the population“.
Dr. Vijaendreh said that ivermectin would “terminate the transmission” of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. There is no evidence of that.
Ivermectin has been shown to inhibit the replication of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, but that’s not the same thing as preventing the transmission of the virus.
In fact, this February 2021 study that was published in The Lancet showed that ivermectin did NOT reduce the transmission of SARS-CoV-2.
Dr. Vijaendreh later clarified that it may not stop transmission 100% but it will reduce it significantly. However, that remains to be confirmed.
Claim #5 : WHO Recognises Ivermectin As World’s Safest Drug
Verdict : False
Prof. Dr. Mustafa Ali stated that ivermectin is the “safest drug in the world recognised by WHO“.
That’s simply not true. WHO did not recognise that ivermectin (or any other drug) is the safest drug in the world.
In fact, WHO recommends that (as of 31 March 2021), ivermectin should “only be used within clinical trials“!
Ivermectin is merely one of the 460 or so drugs in the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines.
Claim #6 : India, Peru, Mexico Used Ivermectin Successfully
Verdict : False
Dr. Wahab said, “India, Peru, Mexico – they have all done it. They’re doing very well. And the Philippines have also seen improvements“.
The moderator, Capt. Dr. Wong then chimed in, “Peru, Chile, Brazil, South Africa – many countries“.
On 27 May 2021, India dropped ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine and favipiravir, azithromycin, doxycycline, zinc and even plasma therapy.
As for ivermectin’s efficacy in the countries they mentioned, I think it can be summarised by these charts.
Does it look like any of these countries controlled COVID-19 in 6 to 8 weeks?
Claim #6 : WHO + US CDC Do Not Endorse Anything That Works
Verdict : False
Dr. Selvam Rengsamy said that “they have never endorsed anything that works. Honestly. I mean, they don’t endorse anything that is natural, that is safe and extremely effective, with zero side effects“.
That is categorically not true, even if we merely look at the narrow context of COVID-19 treatments.
The WHO Solidarity Trial, for example, found that corticosteroids were effective in treating severe and critical COVID-19.
Hence, corticosteroids are now part of the standard of care worldwide for patients with severe or critical COVID-19.
And both the WHO and US CDC have strongly endorsedCOVID-19 vaccines, which have all been proven to offer robust protection against COVID-19.
The Reservoir (where the virus lives) The SARS-CoV-2 virus lives in our respiratory tract. To break this link in the chain :
– Enact lockdowns to prevent people from socialising.
– Maintain physical distance from other people.
Exit Portal (how the virus gets out) The SARS-CoV-2 virus exits the host through droplets and aerosols. To break this link in the chain :
– Wear a face mask / respirator.
– Maintain physical distance from other people.
– Improve indoor aeration.
Transmission (how the virus spreads) The SARS-CoV-2 virus spreads through droplets and aerosol. To break this link in the chain :
– Enact lockdowns to prevent people from socialising.
– Wear a face mask / respirator and face shield / eyewear.
– Maintain good hand hygiene.
Viable Host The SARS-CoV-2 virus can only replicate in a vulnerable host. To break this link in the chain :
– Vaccinate against COVID-19!
Now that vaccines are readily available, getting vaccinated against COVID-19 is our best way out of this pandemic.
So stop obsessing over ivermectin and supplements as a prophylaxis. We already have prophylaxis that works – COVID-19 vaccines!
Why pop pills every single day, when you can get protected against COVID-19 with just 1 to 2 injections?
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Some people have been taking painkillers BEFORE getting their COVID-19 vaccine, to reduce the injection pain and side effects like fever and muscle ache.
On the other hand, other people are saying that painkillers are dangerous if taken after getting vaccinated against COVID-19.
Recently, an Indian doctor died after being injected with a painkiller, after she received her first dose of the AstraZeneca (Covishield) vaccine.
So is it safe to take painkillers before or after getting the COVID-19 vaccine?
Can You Take Painkillers Before / After COVID-19 Vaccination?
Here is the short TLDR answer :
You should NOT take painkillers BEFORE your COVID-19 vaccination, and if possible, try not to take painkillers after vaccination either.
However, if you feel really uncomfortable, you can take over-the-counter painkillers (preferably acetaminophen / paracetamol) with your doctor’s advice.
For those who wish to learn more about painkillers and COVID-19 vaccination, here are the facts…
Fact #1 : Fever + Muscle Pain From COVID-19 Vaccine Only Last A Few Days
Vaccines work by tricking your body into thinking that there is a real infection, triggering an immune response that causes “side effects” like injection site pain, fever and muscle aches.
These side effects are really your body’s natural immune response to any infection, and are therefore welcome signs that the vaccines are doing their jobs.
They also last only a few days, generally subsiding within the first 1-2 days. If they persist after a few days, you should seek medical attention.
Fact #2 : CDC Advises Against Painkillers Before COVID-19 Vaccination
The US CDC recently updated its guidance on March 16, 2021, to :
avoid taking painkillersBEFORE getting vaccinated against COVID-19
treat post-vaccination fever by drinking plenty of fluids and dressing lightly
treat pain and discomfort with a cool and wet washcloth, and using or exercising the arm
take over-the-counter painkillers after COVID-19 vaccination, with your doctor’s advice
Fact #3 : Painkillers Could Dampen COVID-19 Vaccine Efficacy
Research have shown that certain painkillers may dampen the body’s response to vaccines. One study even showed that NSAIDs reduce the body’s cytokine and antibody response to an actual COVID-19 infection.
According to Dr. Sankar Swaminathan, MD, the division chief of infectious diseases at the University of Utah Health :
“It is not recommended to take a pain reliever before getting a COVID-19 vaccine, as it may theoretically reduce your immune response to the vaccines.”
For maximum efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine, you should try to avoid taking any painkiller for the fever or muscle ache.
But you should not worry too much about the reduction in vaccine efficacy either. If you are feeling under the weather, it is fine to take over-the-counter painkillers with your doctor’s advice.
Fact #4 : Acetaminophen / Paracetamol Could Work Better
The CDC says that OTC painkillers like ibuprofen, acetaminophen (paracetamol), aspirin and antihistamines are safe to take after getting vaccinated.
If you want to be extra cautious, take acetaminophen or paracetamol – which are commonly known as Tylenol or Panadol or PCM.
Acetaminophen is the better choice, because it works differently from NSAIDs like ibuprofen, which a study on mice has suggested that it might lower production of antibodies.
The CDC itself recommends that pregnant women use acetaminophen (paracetamol) to treat post-vaccination fever.
Fact #5 : The Doctor Died From Anaphylactic Shock
The tragic death of Dr. Hari Harini was due to anaphylactic shock, likely from the painkiller – Diclofenac sodium, that her husband administered just hours before.
However, this incident has nothing to do with the COVID-19 vaccine she received, because :
severe anaphylaxis is a known, if rare, adverse reaction of Diclofenac sodium,
she started vomiting and fell unconscious within hours of receiving the injection.
the incident occurred a month after she received her first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
The evidence therefore suggests that her death was due to the painkiller itself, and not the vaccine.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
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Plandemic 3 is here, and its producers promise that it will finally prove Satan’s hand in the nefarious COVID-19 vaccines!
Get a taste of what Plandemic 3 will reveal in our exclusive sneak preview!
Note to the Google team : There is no Pandemic 3 movie, and this is satire.
Plandemic 3 To Prove Satan’s Hand In COVID-19 Vaccines!
Thanks to the hard work of renown coronavirus expert, Dr. Judy Mikovits and famous autism expert Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the new film will definitively reveal the nefarious Satanic plans behind the COVID-19 vaccines!
The Plandemic 3 team has kindly given us some tidbits to share with all of you. All they ask is that you SHARE and PRAY for Plandemic 3 to reach more people with the hashtag #Plandemic3!
Why Plandemic 3?
Plandemic was a hit, but the second movie – Plandemic: Indoctornation was a failure.
Many people didn’t even realise it was a new movie. President Donald Trump notably thought it was part of the original Plandemic movie.
Based on his feedback, the producers decided to go with Plandemic 3, so people like him understand that it’s a new movie.
5G Tracker In COVID-19 Vaccines
Renown coronavirus expert, Dr. Judy Mikovits, had been looking into how Big Pharma could possibly inject a 5G tracker through COVID-19 vaccines, and had her breakthrough when public vaccinations started.
Many people started reporting that they found 5G trackers implanted in their arms after they were vaccinated.
Some of these concerned citizens sent her their trackers, and after obtaining a vial of the Pfizer mRNA vaccine and the syringes they use, the intrepid Dr. Mikovits finally figured out how they did it!
Why other less eminent researchers failed to find the 5G trackers is because they looked at the vaccine. There’s no 5G tracker inside, just a special activation fluid.
The secret is inside the syringe needle, she explained. That’s why they switch the needles before injecting people!
Dr. Judy Mikovits hard at work with her microscope!
Hidden inside the needle is a super-compressed 5G tracker – deactivated so RF scanners cannot detect it.
Once injected into your arm, the activation fluid expands the tracker so it locks into your arm muscle, and activates its 5G signal.
Dr. Mikovits shared this picture of the 3 variants she found, held in length- and colour-coded microscope attachment screws to differentiate them.
They are apparently made by the Presta Corporation, based in Baltimore, but funded with research funding from Bill Gates and the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
In Plandemic 3, she will show you how the 5G tracker is cleverly hidden inside the needle, and how it gradually expands on contact with the activation fluid.
She will also show you have to cut it out of your arm, or block its signal with a copper-lined skin patch that her company will be releasing shortly.
And yes, Plandemic 3 will flash a special 50% discount code, so be sure to look out for it!
COVID-19 Is Satan’s Work
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has helped prevent autism for millions of innocent children by praying the vaccines out of them.
The more vaccines people take, the more he prays. 24/7/365 days every day. The man doesn’t sleep, he doesn’t eat. He just prays the vaccines out of our kids. Hallelujah!
Since the COVID-19 pandemic started, he focused his considerable intellect into WHY it happened, and WHAT it really means.
In Plandemic 3, he will show you how he discovered that the coronavirus is Satan’s handiwork. Here is one example he shared with us.
After many sleepless nights calculating the different possibilities, he discovered that CORONA = 666. If this is not proof, he says, then you are blind!
Kennedy also shared how Social Distancing was Satan’s idea. He believes health authorities use this term, as a form of satanic worship.
Every time they say Social Distancing, they are praising Satan. That is also why they refuse to say Physical Distancing.
To check if your friend is a secret follower of Satan, he suggests you say physical distancing. If your friend insists on saying social distancing, he’s a Satanist!
You should also look for all kinds of word and sentence combinations that can create the word “Satan” in everything you read or write. Satan lurks even in YOUR words!
Plandemic 3 : Where To Watch It?
Major corporations (Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter) have been paid off by Big Pharma and the New World Order to block Plandemic 3 by deleting the video.
To avoid this, the producers are planning to DIRECTLY PM / DM you a link to the video.
To obtain the secret link to the Plandemic 3 video, simply post on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp groups, Telegram groups) with the hashtag #Plandemic3.
For every share of this article, with the hashtag #Plandemic3 and #CLeeYu, the Plandemic 3 team promises to sponsor the removal of a 5G tracker!
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They also gave conditional approval to a second source of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
COMIRNATY Concentrate for Dispersion for Injection Registrant : Pfizer (M) Sdn. Bhd.
Manufacturer #1 (drug product and final release) : Pfizer Manufacturing Belgium NV, Puurs, Belgium
Manufacturer #2 (final release) : BioNTech Manufacturing GmbH, Mainz, Germany
The Pfizer COMIRNATY vaccine had earlier been approved. This additional approval allows vaccine doses from the BioNTech manufacturing facility in Germany to be used in the Malaysia COVID-19 vaccination program.
The NPRA is still evaluating the Sputnik V vaccine, also known as Gam-COVID-Vac, from Russia’s Gamaleya Research Institute.
AstraZeneca + Sinovac Vaccines : A Quick Primer!
The AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, codenamed AZD1222, is a viral vector vaccine.
It uses a chimpanzee adenovirus – ChAdOx1 – which has been modified to prevent replication, to introduce a DNA sequence of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.
Once injected, the vaccine enters the cell and “teaches” it to produce the SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins and express them on its surface.
These spike proteins triggers the immune response to create antibodies that will protect you against the real SARS-CoV-2 virus.
The Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine, branded CoronaVac, is an inactivated virus vaccine.
It uses actual SARS-CoV-2 virus grown in Vero cells, and then killed using β-propiolactone.
Once injected into the body, the antigens on the inactivated SARS-CoV-2 virus triggers the body’s immune system.
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Hence, the Sinovac vaccine arrived in the form of 200 litres of CoronaVac bulk vaccine, which would then have to be bottled by Pharmaniaga.
Once bottled, these 200 litres of bulk vaccine should produce over 300,000 CoronaVac doses – enough to vaccinate approximately 150,000 people.
The Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Khairy Jamaluddin, said that the government is paying Sinovac less for the vaccine because bottling is done by Pharmaniaga.
However, he declined to disclose more information, so it is unknown how much the government is saving, once the costs of Pharmaniaga’s bottling and distribution are included.
Sinovac Vaccine Not Approved In Malaysia Just Yet
While the CoronaVac vaccine has arrived in Malaysia, we should point out that it has not been approved by the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA).
According to the Science, Technology and Innovation Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin, this is because the CoronaVac vaccine has not been bottled.
One of the criteria for approval by the NPRA is the evaluation of the bottling process by Pharmaniaga. Until that happens, the CoronaVac vaccine cannot be approved for use in Malaysia.
It should be pointed out that China only just approved this Sinovac vaccine for general use on 6 February 2021.
Sinovac COVID-19 Vaccine : A Quick Primer
Developed by Sinovac, CoronaVac is an inactivated virus vaccine – an older method of creating vaccines.
The SARS-CoV-2 viruses are cultured (grown) in Vero cells, and inactivated (killed) before being administered as a vaccine.
The CoronaVac vaccine only needs to be refrigerated at 2–8 °C (36–46 °F), which makes it easy to distribute.
This is a 2-dose vaccine, which the second dose delivered 14 days after the first.
Its Brazil clinical trial results showed that the CoronaVac vaccine was 50.4% effective in preventing COVID-19, just crossing the 50% mark for regulatory approval.
It was about 78% effective in preventing “mild to severe” COVID-19 disease, which is nevertheless good news.
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There have been some updates to the MCO 2.0 SOP, allowing night markets and timber operations, and extending business hours!
MCO 2.0 Updates For Businesses
On 28 January 2021, the Malaysia National Security Council (MKN) announced the extension of business hours and timber operations.
From 29 January 2021 onwards, all permitted retail and service businesses will be allowed to open from 6 AM until 10 PM.
Supermarkets and shopping malls
Groceries and convenience stores
Pharmacies
Veterinarian clinics and pet food stores
Laundromats and optical stores
Petrol stations
The government is also allowing logging operations to resume from 29 January 2021 onwards, as well as all timber-related businesses.
MCO 2.0 Updates For Night Markets
MKN also introduced changes to the MCO 2.0 SOP on 27 January 2021, allowing night markets to open from 4 PM until 10 PM.
Needless to say, sellers and visitors at these night markets will have to register with MySejahtera, and follow the SOP to protect themselves, namely :
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The Malaysia Ministry of Health just announced that there is no change in the delivery schedule of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. However, there is no approval yet…
Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine : What Is It?
The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is an mRNA vaccine called BNT162b2 designed by BioNTech.
It uses messenger RNA technology to teach our cells to create the SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins.
The presence of these spike proteins triggers the body’s immune system, training it to create antibodies that target the actual SARS-CoV-2 virus.
If we actually get infected by SARS-CoV-2 after being vaccinated, those antibodies will immediately attach to the virus particles :
preventing them from infecting our cells
cause the virus particles to stick together (agglutinate), making them easier targets
identifying the virus particles as targets for phagocytic cells to destroy
The immune response to the spike proteins will also train memory cells, so that they can respond to a future COVID-19 infection weeks or months after vaccination.
On 27 November 2020, Malaysia announced the purchase of 12.8 million doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
They also announced that Malaysia will receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in four tranches over the whole year :
Q1 2021 : 1 million doses
Q2 2021 : 1.7 million doses
Q3 2021 : 5.8 million doses
Q4 2021 : 4.3 million doses
But after the Wall Street Journal wrote about a 50% cut in 2020 production of the Pfizer vaccine, there were concerns that we may not even get the vaccine in Q1 2021.
The Malaysia Director General of Health, Tan Sri Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah, clarified on 6 December 2020 that the NPRA (National Pharmacutical Regulatory Agency) has not received any notification of vaccine delivery issues from Pfizer.
He assured the public that KKM is always monitoring developments, and receives advanced notice on the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
Therefore, as far as they are concerned, there has been no change in the delivery schedule.
The Malaysia DG Health also announced that the NPRA (National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency) has yet to approve the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for use in Malaysia.
In fact, they have yet to receive any documents from Pfizer for the evaluation of the registration and testing of the BNT162b2 vaccine.
Regardless of what the Pfizer vaccine delivery schedule is like, it must first be evaluated, tested and approved by KKM and the NPRA, before it can be used in Malaysia.
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