The news and statistics on coronavirus cases are changing by
the day, and people around the world not only are feeling the pinch of
shelter-in-place orders, but soon will be severely stricken financially, if
they aren’t already. In the wake of a crashed economy and Dow, President Trump
in a recent news conference poised the question: Is it time to loosen up?
The
New York Times argues that public officials claim “relaxing those
restrictions could significantly increase the death toll” from the virus. “Many
economists say there is no positive trade-off — resuming normal activity
prematurely would only strain hospitals and result in even more deaths, while
exacerbating a recession that has most likely already arrived,” the Times says.
On the flip side, some advisers to Trump are saying “the virus
does not itself pose an extraordinary threat to Americans’ lives or the
economy,” and that the government shut-downs of businesses and travel should be
loosened. The bottom line is how far is too far? And, if restrictions are
lifted, will something new and even worse be put in place?
If you’ve been keeping track of late-breaking news, you
already know that scientists at the National Institutes of Health are working
with a biotech company to quickly start clinical trials of an experimental
messenger RNA coronavirus vaccine and fast track it to licensure.
But, since the FDA has not yet licensed messenger RNA
vaccines, that means if and when this vaccine comes to market on a fast track,
YOU will be part of the experiment. And that leaves plenty of questions about
safety, even if you don’t even consider whether it works or not. The most
concerning variable, however, is that once it’s introduced, it’s very well
possible that this vaccine will become mandatory for every American.
Make no mistake: Vaccines are a business — a marketing plan
for drug companies to have a guaranteed income as every mandated vaccine rolls
out. And, thanks to the Obama administration’s 21st Century Cures Act, which
was enacted in December 2016, your right to choose whether you’re part
of a coronavirus vaccine experiment has literally been stripped away.
As noted by Barbara Loe Fisher, co-founder and director of
the National Vaccine Information Center, "There are so many breathtaking
ways the 21st Century Cures Act will endanger the public health that it is hard
to know where to begin." Points in fact are that this legislation:
- Increases Pharma
companies’ and device makers’ ability to influence the regulatory process
- Lowers FDA licensing
standards for drugs, medical devices and biological products, including
vaccines
- Allows drug companies to
circumvent safety trials by using endpoint measures and biomarkers to
bring their vaccines and other drugs to market
For this reason, as Covid-19 makes its mark on your life,
and whether shelter-in-place edicts are lifted or loosened, it’s vitally
important for you to continue to keep abreast of what’s happening behind the
scenes.
Already this year, there have been more than 50 good bills
introduced in a number of states that defend voluntary vaccine choices. This is
a time for positive action. It’s your health. Your family. Your choice. National
vaccine policy recommendations are made at the federal level but vaccine laws
are made at the state level. It is at the state level where your action to
protect your vaccine choice rights can have the greatest impact.
Make no mistake: Hundreds
of bills are introduced every year in state legislatures, all designed
to take away your rights to say no to vaccine mandates. Don’t let Covid-19 be
the key that locks your rights out forever. Don’t accept a trade-off of your
rights in the form of forced vaccination in exchange for a loosening of the
stay-home edicts.