We detailed earlier that a number of US universities will enforce mandatory COVID-19 tests for all students wishing to return to campus through the Fall semester — with some lately announcing that this will be at a rate of two nasal swabs per week — which is a policy, no doubt uncomfortable for those having to endure such "routine" swabs, also appearing among companies for on-site personnel.
And in many parts of the country, cities and counties currently have mask laws requiring them in all public spaces. Given that over the past months the race has been on to develop and fast-track a coronavirus vaccine, the logical next step will be that students and employees provide proof they've received the vaccine before returning to work or school. Naturally, the idea of fast-tracking this process also amid a deeply politically charged climate has people concerned. And they should be, if Bill Gates' latest appearance on CBS is any indicator of where things stand.
British veteran journalist Neil Clark had this reaction to the Bill Gates interview, which came days ago: When anyone tries to gaslight you by calling you a ‘crank’ , a ‘tin-foil hat conspiracy theorist’ or ‘Flat Earther’ for having perfectly legitimate & sensible concerns over a rushed through ‘Coronavirus’ vaccine & its side effects, just send them this.
Even CBS pressures Bill Gates on the topic that almost everyone had side effects. He doesn’t seem to care.
— An0maly (@LegendaryEnergy) July 26, 2020
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Even the mainstream media correspondent giving the interview appeared momentarily exasperated and incredulous that Bill Gates shrugged off credible reports of side effects as ultimately no big deal. When the anchor pressed him again on the safety of the vaccine, his answer appeared to be simply, trust us. Gates was asked:
Side effects from the Moderna vaccine sound concerning... we looked. After the second dose at least 80% of participants experienced a systemic side effect, ranging from severe chills to fevers. So are these vaccines safe?
"The FDA, not being pressured, will look hard at that," Gates said, addressing the issue of possible side effects. "The FDA is the gold standard of regulators, and their current guidance on this — if they stick with that — is very very appropriate."
Gates even goes on to candidly acknowledge the likelihood of side effects from the vaccine, which he admitted would "improve" over time. Does this sound comforting? Add to this that as part of his explanation he argues that for a vaccine to be effective it would have to be administered to the population on a mass scale, and globally:
"If what you're trying to do is block all the transmission, then you need to get 70-80% coverage on a global basis. So it's unbelievably big numbers," he said.
Gates, who has been warning about the threat of a global pandemic since 2015, admitted that "there will be a lot of uncertainty" about the efficacy of any vaccine, but stressed that it's a solution "that will improve over time."
When anyone tries to gaslight you by calling you a ‘crank’ , a ‘tin-foil hat conspiracy theorist’ or ‘Flat Earther’ for having perfectly legitimate & sensible concerns over a rushed through ‘Coronavirus’ vaccine & its side effects, just send them this. https://t.co/ghw3DVqc4T
— Neil Clark (@NeilClark66) July 27, 2020
Thus governments especially in the West and also private institutions will be under pressure to mandate it by law.
Perhaps the most alarming moment in the CBS interview came when Gates bluntly admitted that current testing of the most promising "high dosage" vaccines are resulting in side effects:
"Some of that is not dramatic where it's just super painful, but yes...," Gates said.
Meanwhile, CNN reports Monday morning that the first Phase 3 clinical trial of a US developed coronavirus vaccine has begun. "The investigational vaccine was developed by the biotechnology company Moderna and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health. The trial is to be conducted at nearly 100 US research sites, according to Moderna. The first patient was dosed at a site in Savannah, Georgia," CNN writes.
"The trial is expected to enroll about 30,000 adult volunteers and evaluates the safety of the Moderna/NIH vaccine and whether it can prevent symptomatic Covid-19 after two doses, among other outcomes," the report continues.
The rush for the rapid roll out of a vaccine has been driving headlines since March, and will continue, given that currently the United States leads the world in confirmed coronavirus cases at 4.2 million, including over 146,935 who have died of COVID-19.
