From J C

In a grotesquely transparent effort to help sell more jabs, WebMD published a ridiculous story this week headlined, “Have Long COVID? Newest Booster Vaccines May Help You.”

There’s a gold rush on; a race by totally neutral, unbiased scientists to help pharma sell jabs by publishing “scientific studies” showing that, like miracle cures of old, mRNA snake oil might not stop you catching the disease but it can fix up your long covid. Probably. Maybe. Well, you never know.

WebMD quoted “doctor” Stephen J. Thomas, MD, described as an infectious disease specialist at Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse, NY, and — get this — as the center’s lead principal investigator for Pfizer’s original, deeply-flawed vaccine trials. Dr. Thomas explained “The theory is that by boosting, the immune system may be able to ‘mop up’ those virus stragglers that have remained behind after your first cleanup attempt.”

Dr. Thomas didn’t suggest any specific scientific mechanism for how the lipid nanoparticles and mRNA could help “mop up” any “left behind” covid virus. He might have said that boosters can teach the body how to make antibodies to new variants, but that doesn’t help him explain how it could treat “long covid,” which is supposedly a remnant of an earlier infection.

Long covid has been reported by many folks and the list of symptoms continues growing, clocking in at well over 200 discrete symptoms a few months ago when I last surveyed the burgeoning literature. It’s worth noting that most viral infections, including influenza, have accumulated “long” forms, with some small number of infected folks demonstrating lasting injuries.

Oddly, it’s never before been argued that influenza vaccines can cure long flu.

Anyway, not least because of the syndrome’s poor definition, the long covid literature is … controversial. At best. For instance, Retraction Watch posted an article this month titled, “Buzzy Lancet Long COVID Paper Under Investigation for ‘Data Errors’”.¹

One of the most influential long covid papers, a Lancet study titled “6-month consequences of COVID-19 in patients discharged from hospital: a cohort study,” has been cited nearly 1,600 times. But the Lancet filed an “expression of concern” last month after a reader noticed inconsistencies between the data in the study and a later paper by the same authors. When the Lancet contacted the authors, they admitted a mistake in the original data.

Whoops. The long covid situation is, as they say, fluid.

Ironically, WebMD began its article with a dose of vaccine skepticism. The magazine reported that writer Jackie Dishner, 58, hasn’t been the same since June 2020, when covid robbed her of her energy level, ability to think clearly, and sense of taste and smell. But Jackie is in no hurry to get the latest vaccine booster. “I just don’t want to risk getting any sicker,” she explained.

Sounds wise, especially when you consider the next part.

So far, Jackie has had the two original doses of the vaccine plus two more boosters — totaling four injections of spike protein mRNA. And she STILL feels terrible, she just can’t shake it, no matter what she tries.

For SOME mysterious, baffling reason.

Incredibly, WebMD tried to turn Jackie’s 4-jab case into an argument FOR boosters. The medical magazine quoted Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly, a clinical epidemiologist and “prolific long covid researcher” at Washington University in St. Louis. Without examining her, Dr. Al-Aly told Jackie, and I am not making this up, “A bivalent booster might actually [help with] your long covid.”

Hahahahahahahaha!

No examination. No interview. No patient history. But Dr. Al-Aly, if that’s his real name, still confidently — and publicly — opined that the bivalent booster “might” help Jackie’s long covid — a baffling syndrome defying easy explanation. But, it “might” help. You never know.

Folks, this is what passes for “science” these days.

Next, WebMD cited a recent meta-review published in the Lancet’s e-Clinical Medicine. An international team of researchers looked at 11 studies on whether vaccines affect long covid symptoms. Generally speaking, seven studies found that symptoms improved after vaccination, four studies found that symptoms stayed the same, and one study found that symptoms worsened.

It’s 7 to 4 to 1. Hence, vaccination “might” help. Or, it might not. Or, it might make your long covid worse. So take it, dummy! Don’t walk, RUN down to the pharmacy and get your new, improved, double-loaded bivalent booster. Science!!

Dr. Al-Aly is baffled about what could be causing all these people to keel over in the middle of live broadcasts and soccer games, but Dr. Aly-whatever is absolutely 100% sure that a booster “might” help Jackie’s long covid, so he is 100% absolutely sure Jackie should take her FIFTH COVID SHOT as soon as possible.

Jackie sounds like she might have learned her lesson though.

Dr. Al-Aly asked, why not take the booster, since there’s little evidence vaccines can make long covid worse. He dismissed examples where boosters made people’s long covid worse, while admitting “There are some reports out there that some people with long covid, when they got a vaccine or booster, their symptoms got worse. You’ll read anecdotes on this side.” But he said efforts to prove that boosters worsen long covid have been “inconclusive.”

I bet they have. That wouldn’t be good for business.

This has got to be the dumbest, most obvious vaccine advertisement dressed in scientific jargon that I have ever seen. In the three full pages of the story — listen to this — they didn’t quote ONE SINGLE PERSON who claimed their long covid was cured by a booster. Not one! The best anecdote they could come up with was quadruple-jabbed Jackie, who said, no thanks.

This s science. What can I tell you