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Andrew Wakefield is the disgraced ex-doctor who was expelled from the UK medical record after his fraudulent investigation claiming a link between the MMR vaccine and autism. He is, in many ways, the godfather of the modern anti-vaccine movement.
As if it hasn’t done enough damage already, it’s back, this time spreading blatant misinformation about COVID vaccines that use mRNA. (As a reminder, this is how an mRNA vaccine works.) A video of an interview with him on NewTube was circulating on Twitter. Let’s analyze the lies. Like all good liars, he starts off pretty well:
“Messenger RNA is an intermediary between the gene and the product, the protein. It is the protein that ultimately elicits the immune response.”
So far so good. Wakefield demonstrates a basic understanding of Biology 101, that is, that genes encode proteins through messenger RNA. But it quickly derails.
“By definition, an RNA vaccine is not a vaccine at all because it does not elicit an immune response. It has to be turned into protein, and it is the protein that creates the immune response.”
Hey? Wakefield just said (correctly) that the RNA vaccine causes the cell to produce a protein that triggers an immune response. Now, he says that the RNA vaccine is not a real vaccine because it elicits an immune response indirectly rather than directly. This is absurd and contradictory. Regardless of the mechanism, anything that intentionally elicits an immune response can be considered a vaccine.
“A messenger RNA vaccine is actually genetic engineering. That’s what it is.”
No, it’s not. This is a gigantic lie. Wakefield deliberately misuses the term “genetic engineering”, which involves the permanent alteration of an organism’s genetic material. This is achieved by changing the DNA. Messenger RNA vaccines don’t do that. Also, there is no biologically plausible way for them to do it.
“What could go wrong? You have cells in your own body that are making proteins that your immune system is going to generate an immune response to. That’s called an autoimmune disease.”
NO. This is another monumental lie. An autoimmune disease occurs when the immune system attacks its own body. MRNA vaccines elicit an immune response that attacks the coronavirus, not your body. Wakefield misuses a well-understood term again.
“The potential for this to go terribly wrong is huge.”
That is true for any vaccine. It is also the reason we conduct clinical trials. Every vaccine approved so far has undergone Phase III trials involving more than 30,000 people. (Compare that to the 12 volunteers used in Wakefield’s bogus autism vaccine document.)
“We are already seeing some major issues … there have been deaths that have just been reported.”
Another incredible lie. Yes, there were deaths, but they had nothing to do with vaccines. Four of the deaths occurred in the placebo group and only two in the vaccine group. Why did the volunteers die? Because sometimes people die. These clinical trials involve more than 30,000 people, so obviously some of them will die during the course of the experiment, especially if they enroll older people.
Imagine following a group of people who attended a major league game. It is very likely that some of the people who attended are dead within a few months of the game. Why? Because everyone goes to baseball games, including the elderly, and sometimes people die. It had nothing to do with the baseball game. The same goes for large clinical trials.
“If it causes a problem, one year, two years, five years later, and it has already been delivered to billions of people around the world, it is too late. It cannot be removed. It cannot be switched off. You cannot stop it. . Is there “.
Again wrong. Messenger RNA degrades very rapidly, around 600 minutes (10 hours) in human cells. If not, our cells would produce too much protein. So our cells get rid of the mRNA molecules when they are no longer needed. The same goes for the mRNA used in the COVID vaccine.
“It’s like Jurassic Park that is about to escape the island.”
I’ve finished. I haven’t been in this 10-minute video for four minutes, and I risk brain damage if I continue to watch. Wakefield’s comment is in line with his obnoxious behavior regarding vaccines in the 1990s.
