No doubt, the Barnstable, Massachusetts study result reported by Brown et al. shocked the US and world pretty much and opened our eyes to the reality that the vaccine was failing on variants, finding that among 469 cases of COVID-19, 74% were fully vaccinated, and that “the vaccinated had on average more virus in their nose than the unvaccinated who were infected.” But there are three (3) key nosocomial (hospital) outbreak studies that are worth mentioning for they reveal the scope of the vaccine problems:
1) The Oxford study out of Vietnam (Chau et al.) examined breakthrough infections among healthcare workers of a major infectious diseases hospital in Vietnam. “69 healthcare workers were tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. 62 participated in the clinical study. 49 were (pre)symptomatic with one requiring oxygen supplementation. All recovered uneventfully. 23 complete-genome sequences were obtained. They all belonged to the Delta variant, and were phylogenetically distinct from the contemporary Delta variant sequences obtained from community transmission cases, suggestive of ongoing transmission between the workers. Viral loads of breakthrough Delta variant infection cases were 251 times higher than those of cases infected with old strains detected between March-April 2020…breakthrough Delta variant infections are associated with high viral loads, prolonged PCR positivity, and low levels of vaccine-induced neutralizing antibodies, explaining the transmission between the vaccinated people.”
2) Hetemäki et al. reported on an outbreak caused by the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant (B.1.617.2) in a secondary care hospital in Finland, May 2021. “A patient with COVID-19-associated pneumonia and travel history in Asia was hospitalized for 4 days in the COVID-19 cohort in Ward 1 of the central hospital. This index patient had a positive test for SARS-CoV-2 9 days before hospitalization and was admitted to an isolation room. Six days after the discharge of the index patient, two secondary case-patients tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 in Wards 1 and 2. Exposed roommates (n = 8) and unvaccinated healthcare workers (n = 11, 10 of whom were HCW students) were quarantined. As additional cases were detected, Wards 1, 2 and 3 were closed from new admission. Hetemäli et al. observed that “both symptomatic and asymptomatic infections were found among vaccinated health care workers, and secondary transmission occurred from those with symptomatic infections despite use of personal protective equipment.” The conclusion was that “despite full vaccination and universal masking of HCW, breakthrough infections by the Delta variant via symptomatic and asymptomatic HCW occurred, causing nosocomial infections.”
3) Shitrit et al. in Israel reported on an outbreak that began with one unidentified COVID-19 patient, with extensive, “rapid nosocomial spread among vaccinated, including individuals wearing surgical masks.” Key is the low cycle count (Ct) threshold values e.g. “The median Cq values on diagnosis days were 19.9 (IQR: 17.8–25.1) and were lower for symptomatic individuals (median: 18.2; IQR: 15.7–21.7) than for asymptomatic individuals (median: 22; IQR: 18–28).” Key also is that the two reported unvaccinated persons had mild symptoms based on the COVID maximal disease severity index. While the measure was severe and critical for the majority of vaccinated persons. Shitrit et al. observed “high transmissibility of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant among twice vaccinated and masked individuals.”
In my opinion, the findings from these 3 studies tell us some very troubling things:
1) that double vaccinated nurses/persons can effectively and rapidly transmit the virus and that breakthrough infections via Delta are associated with very high viral loads; there is transmission between vaccinated persons e.g. “all belonged to the Delta variant, and were phylogenetically distinct from the contemporary Delta variant sequences obtained from community transmission cases, suggestive of ongoing transmission between the workers.”
2) Masks and PPE were ineffective in the nosocomial hospital outbreak setting
3) Infected can harbor massive loads of virus e.g. as high as 215 times higher
4) low cycle count (Ct) PCR testing thresholds in breakthrough infected was reported and indicate elevated infectiousness
Glaring serious concerns and failures by the vaccines companies (Pfizer and Moderna et al.) remain and which the US’s FDA as the nation’s regulator has failed to enforce and remedy on the vaccine developers: a) they (Pfizer etc.) failed to study antibody dependent enhancement (ADE) and we have devastating experience with this from the 1960s with the catastrophic RSV vaccine study that killed children in the treatment arm 2) the dengue vaccine out of the Philippines in 2017 that killed children and 3) the SARS-1 vaccine studies post 2003 where the animals (ferrets etc.) showed liver and lung toxicity and inflammations and died post vaccine b) they failed to conduct the studies for the proper duration to assess safety of the vaccines and especially in children c) they failed to have a study arm examining the impact of repeated boosting on the immune system of the vaccinee d) they undersized the studies to cloak safety signals e) they did not use the proper primary endpoints e.g. death and hospitalization and instead used ‘antibodies’ as a proxy and antibodies is not a good indication of effective immunity f) groups omitted from the registrational trials due to safety concerns have been given the vaccine which is not permitted in research and g) they unblinded the study and thus by giving the placebo/control group the intervention, the studies were effectively over and the findings will be moot. We will not be able to examine the comparative effectiveness or safety and to even tell us that the study (ies) are ongoing, is duplicitous. These vaccine studies are effectively over and accurate proper effectiveness and safety data will not be possible and waiting for the results is a waste of time. The vaccine developers know this, you just do not ‘yet’.
Oh my, the horrors are perfectly stated here. Am I to worry for my 85 yr old parents who seem fine, and have had their ‘booster’??