From a FB discussion (9/1/24): Dr. MS wrote: Here is Vinay Prasad

Comment on Conrad Vine Continues to Attack Church Leadership by Sean Pitman.

From a FB discussion (9/1/24):

Dr. MS wrote:

Here is Vinay Prasad of UCSF Epidemiology and Biostatistics presenting in a short 12-minute discussion, the concerning data on myocarditis.

When you do ACTIVE surveillance, you get numbers orders of magnitude higher than previous estimates. Dr Prasad at the time he did this video was not opposed to the vaccines by the way. But he asks very important questions. At this rate of subclinical myocarditis, and heart muscle once damaged does not regenerate very well, what will happen when billions of people get yearly doses of these vaccines?

I’ve followed Dr. Vinay Prasad during the height of the pandemic and have seen dozens of his videos (particularly the ones he did with ZdoggMD – i.e., Dr. Zubin Damania) and have read a number of his papers as well. I personally find him to be highly intelligent, rational, and convincing in his understanding and approach to COVID-19 and the mRNA vaccines. That being said, I’m pretty sure that he strongly disagrees with most of your positions on COVID-19 and the mRNA vaccines. So, I’m quite surprised that you would actually cite him as a credible authority on this topic.

Sure, myocarditis in younger men is a known risk factor for the mRNA vaccines (known since February of 2021, but not dealt with properly in the US) and the question of cumulative effects of boosters over longer periods of time is a very good and reasonable question to ask and actually deal with in a more rational manner based on the difference in the risk/reward ratio for this particular demographic (here’s another good Prasad video on this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8N6WxwvdTs). There’s also the issue of natural immunity that wasn’t rationally taken into account in the US.

My personal thought is that getting yearly boosters for young men is not worth the cumulative risk at this point. The risk/reward ratio just isn’t clearly convincing for them. As Dr. Prasad points out, this isn’t a “one size fits all” situation when it comes to dealing with COVID-19. Different types of people, particularly different age groups, are in different risk categories and the risk/benefit ratios are not the same for these categories. So, I think the video you link here to Dr. Prasad’s commentary on this particular point is quite valid and very good and important to deal with going forward.

The problem, of course, is that conspiracy theorists, like Dr. Peter McCullough for a classic example, take a true risk factor like this and true mistakes that were and are being made regarding the use of mRNA vaccines (as noted above), and then argue that the baby be thrown out with the bathwater – that the mRNA vaccines were and are horrible and have caused far more injuries and deaths than they prevented. This is absolute nonsense, of course, since the vaccines clearly saved millions of lives and prevented far far more hospitalizations and long-term injuries during the height of the pandemic – according to those like Dr. Prasad himself. Still, you agree with those like Dr. Prasad where it seems to suit you, when he points out real risk factors and failures in the use of the mRNA vaccines, but disagree with him on pretty much everything else when it comes to all the very clear benefits of the mRNA vaccines for millions around the world – despite the weight of empirical evidence that he presents.

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Conrad Vine Continues to Attack Church Leadership
If the human immune system were the “perfect mechanism” that God originally designed it to be, you’d be right. However, after ~6000 years of sin and decay, the human immune system is no longer what God originally designed it to be – as evidenced by the great many, even among healthy vegan SDAs, who died during the pandemic. Water and light therapies are great and are helpful as layers of protection, but for many, especially those over the age of 65, whey were not enough. The mRNA vaccines were very effective in providing an additional much needed layer of protection during the pandemic. Now, I’ve very glad that you did not get sick enough to require hospitalization and that you avoided long-term injuries and death during the pandemic, but many many others were not so fortunate.

Conrad Vine Continues to Attack Church Leadership
Yeah, I think you’re right…

Conrad Vine Continues to Attack Church Leadership

Hi Sean,

Hope all is well.

I see you wrote a recent article defending the covid vaccine. You seem to be the main protagonist in the church championing the cause of the covid vaccines.

I am on the opposite spectrum

I personally did not touch any of those vaccines, and won’t ever either. I just see to many red flags and it’s alarming to me. Could you possibly explain to me what Revelation 18:23 speaks about please? I would love to hear your take on that verse.

Justin S

Hi Justin,

Thank you for your note. I do appreciate your concerns and your convictions. It can be very confusing to sort out so many different voices saying so many different things regarding what to think and what do to keep oneself as healthy as possible.

Regarding Revelation 18:23, in particular, the term “pharmakeia” is best translated as “sorcery” here. There is no intended advice at all against modern medicine in this passage. After all, would it be wise to suggest that medications like antibiotics to treat bacterial infections or insulin to treat diabetes are evil “sorceries”? Again, such arguments only make the Christians who say such things look sensational and irrational – which puts the Gospel Message itself into a bad light for those who are considering following Christ.

COVID-19 and Vaccines – Update

Consider also that Ellen White herself promoted various medications and medical therapies of her day that she considered to be helpful in various situations? – to include the use of what was generally regarded as a “poison”, quinine, to prevent malarial infections for missionaries who worked in malaria-infested regions of the world? She wrote, “If quinine will save a life, use quinine.” (http://www.educatetruth.com/featured/the-arguments-of-adventists-opposed-to-vaccines/#Ellen-White-and-the-Smallpox-Vaccine) She also supported the vaccination of her son William, both as a child and as an adult (despite William having had an adverse reaction to vaccination as a child) (http://www.educatetruth.com/featured/the-arguments-of-adventists-opposed-to-vaccines/#Ellen-White-and-the-Smallpox-Vaccine). She supported blood transfusion when necessary, despite their risks (https://text.egwwritings.org/publication.php?pubtype=Book&bookCode=2SM&lang=en&collection=2&section=all&pagenumber=303). And, she even supported using radiation therapy when appropriate, despite its risks (https://text.egwwritings.org/publication.php?pubtype=Book&bookCode=2SM&lang=en&collection=2&section=all&pagenumber=303). Beyond this, she recognized the advantages of anesthesia during surgery and the use of medicines to relieve the intense pain and suffering of the injured or sick (https://text.egwwritings.org/publication.php?pubtype=Book&bookCode=2SM&lang=en&collection=2&section=all&pagenumber=286&QUERY=before+major+surgery&resultId=1&isLastResult=1).

I hope this helps you at least understand why I take the position that I take. I mean, I’m a pathologist with subspecialties in anatomic, clinical, and hematopathology and have studied COVID-19 and the mRNA vaccines in great detail. Beyond this, I’ve seen the results myself, with my own eyes – and so has my brother-in-law, pulmonologist Dr. Roger Seheult who runs a large ICU in S. Cal. We’ve seen ICUs overflowing, beyond max capacity, with the very sick and the dying during the height of the pandemic – the vast majority of whom were unvaccinated. Roger’s face and hands are the last things that many saw and felt on this Earth. It was very personal for us. We were actually direct eyewitnesses. And, we’re not alone. This very same situation was happening all around the world during the pandemic. Truly, the mRNA vaccines saved millions of lives and prevented many many more hospitalizations and long-term injuries.