By Hakim Djaballah
In his 1920 essay on the English dramatist Phillip Massinger, T.S. Elliot wrote, "Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal; bad poets deface what they take, and good poets make it into something better or at least something different …."
More than a century later, Elliot's essay remains true and reflects human acumen through a poet's behavior in an orchestra of poets, but kept quiet on the orchestra's conductor and their role in making the perfect harmony.
Two years into this pandemic, its global management resembles that of a poet's orchestra, as not to call it a comedy of errors. To err is human; to forgive is no longer divine when human lives continue to be at stake with at least several million deaths and over 600 million infected worldwide to date, and with no end in sight.
As we mark the first anniversary of the largest vaccination deployment ever, it is worth noting that some countries have reported more than 70 percent of their population vaccinated, leading to a global tally of more than 40 percent of the world population fully vaccinated.
An impressive accomplishment, it seems, but we have yet to return to normalcy as we were promised by our leaders and their scientific and medical advisers who told us, "… get vaccinated and life will return to normal …" and, "… reaching 70 percent vaccinated people will cause herd immunity …."
A close examination revealed that the vaccination efforts were skewed more toward Northern and rich countries, leading in some cases to a reduction in the stress on their healthcare infrastructures, which remain populated mainly with unvaccinated people.
Southern and poor countries are still struggling to vaccinate their populations and contain the virus spread, while many of these vaccine manufacturers are ignoring their social responsibilities to put human lives before profit margins, and refusing to help.
The design of the human vaccine clinical trials intended to demonstrate efficacy in the form of production of neutralizing antibodies (IgGs) to get approval. They were never intended to do the following: 1) evaluate mucosal immunity through production of neutralizing antibodies in the nose and mouth (IgAs, sIgAs); 2) evaluate the susceptibility of the virus to infect vaccinated subjects; or 3) assess the virus' transmissibility among vaccinated and unvaccinated subjects. They also conveniently omitted human challenge trials to demonstrate full protection from the virus in fully vaccinated subjects when challenged with the virus.
To date, all approved vaccines for human use have proven safe and highly efficacious to substantially reduce the onset of the severe forms of the COVID-19 disease, and they are indeed saving lives.
As with other vaccines and therapeutics, they do present manageable adverse side effects and in some rare situations serious ones, but the benefits continue to outweigh the risks. It is critical that populations are vaccinated in a timely manner with equitable access to vaccines, if the orchestra wants to at least reach equilibrium with the virus.
However, these vaccines have failed to suppress the chain of transmission of the SARS-CoV2 virus, resulting in a continuum of new daily cases recorded around the world. The virus' transmission and propagation remain unscathed, as there is no mucosal immunity provided by these vaccines to stop the infections and the re-infections.
Moreover, there is no sign of any such herd immunity to report. Therefore, since these vaccines are unable to stop the spread and kill the virus, it would have been more accurate to refer to them as "prophylactic" treatments rather than calling them "vaccines."
The virus has spread everywhere through human travel, rendering confinements and other special quarantine measures not foolproof from a public health standpoint.
The virus is in all communities, so without wearing a mask as a vital protector, both vaccinated and unvaccinated people will inevitably infect and re-infect themselves, allowing the virus to adapt living among us. This notion of "breakthrough" infections is a normal consequence due to the total absence of mucosal immunity, and it should not be used as scientific conditioning of "fear."
Knowing that the virus infects through the mouth and the nose, the looming question is why this orchestra opted to produce vaccines with systemic immunity only? The cumulative data points to a major failure in controlling and ending the pandemic using vaccines.
Instead, the orchestra has been busy at deflecting from this major failure by introducing the concept ― soon to be a mandate ― of a third dose of these vaccines without providing irrefutable scientific data justifying this drastic requirement, as the potential of incurring adverse side effects and even the development of autoimmune diseases remain a concern.
It is hard to accept that with all the scientific and medical knowledge combined with all the advances in disease management protocols, the orchestra is failing at overcoming this deadly pandemic. It is a sad reality begging the questions as to how we arrived here, on the one hand; and on the other, who might be the conductor of this orchestra of errors?
Largely driven by the lack of professional ethics on the part of many scientists and doctors to do with withholding the truth with a continuum of lies, cases of research fraud have occurred with data misinterpretation, the falsifying of results, the claiming of novel cures, and the providing of supporting arguments for the most incomprehensible decisions in the management of this pandemic, resulting in a social mistrust in science.
Fraud in science has been known to occur for centuries but its frequency has spiked to a new high since the onset of this pandemic, driven by the usual race to fame and fortune, a new breed of pseudo-experts, and unfortunately, its politicization by our political leaders, industrial leaders and lobbyists alike.
One of the greatest things about the ethos of science is that it cares about the truth, not the reputation of those pursuing it or distorting its findings; alas, it can never correct itself.
This orchestra of errors continues to play counterproductive harmonies: 1) imposing vaccination mandates and vaccine passes, turning supposed democracies into autocratic governments moving in some cases toward dictatorships; 2) dividing populations and rebranding the pandemic as the "crisis of the unvaccinated;" 3) controlling populations through in some cases unnecessary confinements and excessive curfews; and 4) deflecting from their vaccine failures as the only route to end this pandemic.
More dangerous and criminal than fraud in science is its politicization, with dire consequences on the lives of many as we have been watching for the past two years, with several million deaths and many more people presenting new health issues.
These vaccines are exonerated as safe, efficacious, and capable of saving lives from this COVID-19 disease, though they have failed to control and end the pandemic. It is perhaps time for the conductor of this orchestra to propose new people-friendly strategies to fight the virus and end this pandemic. To date, masks remain a crucial protector and should be made freely available to all.
Dr. Hakim Djaballah is an Algerian-born American molecular pharmacologist and technologist with expertise in virology and oncology. He is a thought leader on drug discovery and development and sits on several advisory boards. He is the co-founder, president and CEO of Keren Therapeutics, a startup company dedicated to the science of aging.
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More than a century later, Elliot's essay remains true and reflects human acumen through a poet's behavior in an orchestra of poets, but kept quiet on the orchestra's conductor and their role in making the perfect harmony.
Two years into this pandemic, its global management resembles that of a poet's orchestra, as not to call it a comedy of errors. To err is human; to forgive is no longer divine when human lives continue to be at stake with at least several million deaths and over 600 million infected worldwide to date, and with no end in sight.
As we mark the first anniversary of the largest vaccination deployment ever, it is worth noting that some countries have reported more than 70 percent of their population vaccinated, leading to a global tally of more than 40 percent of the world population fully vaccinated.
An impressive accomplishment, it seems, but we have yet to return to normalcy as we were promised by our leaders and their scientific and medical advisers who told us, "… get vaccinated and life will return to normal …" and, "… reaching 70 percent vaccinated people will cause herd immunity …."
A close examination revealed that the vaccination efforts were skewed more toward Northern and rich countries, leading in some cases to a reduction in the stress on their healthcare infrastructures, which remain populated mainly with unvaccinated people.
Southern and poor countries are still struggling to vaccinate their populations and contain the virus spread, while many of these vaccine manufacturers are ignoring their social responsibilities to put human lives before profit margins, and refusing to help.
The design of the human vaccine clinical trials intended to demonstrate efficacy in the form of production of neutralizing antibodies (IgGs) to get approval. They were never intended to do the following: 1) evaluate mucosal immunity through production of neutralizing antibodies in the nose and mouth (IgAs, sIgAs); 2) evaluate the susceptibility of the virus to infect vaccinated subjects; or 3) assess the virus' transmissibility among vaccinated and unvaccinated subjects. They also conveniently omitted human challenge trials to demonstrate full protection from the virus in fully vaccinated subjects when challenged with the virus.
To date, all approved vaccines for human use have proven safe and highly efficacious to substantially reduce the onset of the severe forms of the COVID-19 disease, and they are indeed saving lives.
As with other vaccines and therapeutics, they do present manageable adverse side effects and in some rare situations serious ones, but the benefits continue to outweigh the risks. It is critical that populations are vaccinated in a timely manner with equitable access to vaccines, if the orchestra wants to at least reach equilibrium with the virus.
However, these vaccines have failed to suppress the chain of transmission of the SARS-CoV2 virus, resulting in a continuum of new daily cases recorded around the world. The virus' transmission and propagation remain unscathed, as there is no mucosal immunity provided by these vaccines to stop the infections and the re-infections.
Moreover, there is no sign of any such herd immunity to report. Therefore, since these vaccines are unable to stop the spread and kill the virus, it would have been more accurate to refer to them as "prophylactic" treatments rather than calling them "vaccines."
The virus has spread everywhere through human travel, rendering confinements and other special quarantine measures not foolproof from a public health standpoint.
The virus is in all communities, so without wearing a mask as a vital protector, both vaccinated and unvaccinated people will inevitably infect and re-infect themselves, allowing the virus to adapt living among us. This notion of "breakthrough" infections is a normal consequence due to the total absence of mucosal immunity, and it should not be used as scientific conditioning of "fear."
Knowing that the virus infects through the mouth and the nose, the looming question is why this orchestra opted to produce vaccines with systemic immunity only? The cumulative data points to a major failure in controlling and ending the pandemic using vaccines.
Instead, the orchestra has been busy at deflecting from this major failure by introducing the concept ― soon to be a mandate ― of a third dose of these vaccines without providing irrefutable scientific data justifying this drastic requirement, as the potential of incurring adverse side effects and even the development of autoimmune diseases remain a concern.
It is hard to accept that with all the scientific and medical knowledge combined with all the advances in disease management protocols, the orchestra is failing at overcoming this deadly pandemic. It is a sad reality begging the questions as to how we arrived here, on the one hand; and on the other, who might be the conductor of this orchestra of errors?
Largely driven by the lack of professional ethics on the part of many scientists and doctors to do with withholding the truth with a continuum of lies, cases of research fraud have occurred with data misinterpretation, the falsifying of results, the claiming of novel cures, and the providing of supporting arguments for the most incomprehensible decisions in the management of this pandemic, resulting in a social mistrust in science.
Fraud in science has been known to occur for centuries but its frequency has spiked to a new high since the onset of this pandemic, driven by the usual race to fame and fortune, a new breed of pseudo-experts, and unfortunately, its politicization by our political leaders, industrial leaders and lobbyists alike.
One of the greatest things about the ethos of science is that it cares about the truth, not the reputation of those pursuing it or distorting its findings; alas, it can never correct itself.
This orchestra of errors continues to play counterproductive harmonies: 1) imposing vaccination mandates and vaccine passes, turning supposed democracies into autocratic governments moving in some cases toward dictatorships; 2) dividing populations and rebranding the pandemic as the "crisis of the unvaccinated;" 3) controlling populations through in some cases unnecessary confinements and excessive curfews; and 4) deflecting from their vaccine failures as the only route to end this pandemic.
More dangerous and criminal than fraud in science is its politicization, with dire consequences on the lives of many as we have been watching for the past two years, with several million deaths and many more people presenting new health issues.
These vaccines are exonerated as safe, efficacious, and capable of saving lives from this COVID-19 disease, though they have failed to control and end the pandemic. It is perhaps time for the conductor of this orchestra to propose new people-friendly strategies to fight the virus and end this pandemic. To date, masks remain a crucial protector and should be made freely available to all.
Dr. Hakim Djaballah is an Algerian-born American molecular pharmacologist and technologist with expertise in virology and oncology. He is a thought leader on drug discovery and development and sits on several advisory boards. He is the co-founder, president and CEO of Keren Therapeutics, a startup company dedicated to the science of aging.
