The vaccines that we have now are products of modern technology – they were produced only in the 19th century starting with smallpox vaccination. This modern vaccination is part of industrialization wherein science and industry collaborate to manufacture things that can be sold to people. So before the 19th century, people lived without vaccines. How do you think people stayed healthy? Would you believe that our bodies are designed to survive infections and other ailments? Well, science has proven that it is so. If it were not so, humans and other creatures would have been extinct many years ago. You just need to imagine how many viruses and bacteria and parasites are teeming inside our bodies and around us to understand what I mean. According to Katherine Wu in National Geographic (April 15, 2020), an “estimated 10 nonillion (10 to the 31st power) individual viruses exist in our planet – enough to assign one to every star in the universe 100 million times over.” Wow! But then these cannot be seen by the naked eye thus a lot of people don’t believe that our bodies are capable of handling these viruses. But if you believe in a Creator who loves us so much that He even gave his only son for our salvation, then it would be logical to think that such loving Creator will give us the ability to survive in the natural environment he gave us- not sterile but teeming with unseen creatures.
After the smallpox vaccine was discovered in 1796, a lot more vaccines were developed using weakened or inactivated or killed viruses or bacteria to stimulate immune response but will not cause disease. The technology is understandable. This is the technology used by Sinovac, the Chinese company that produces CoronaVac. Now come these other covid vaccines which employ totally new technologies – products of the 21st century, products of genetic engineering. I am confounded. Consider the technology used by Pfizer and Moderna in their mRNA covid vaccines. (mRNA stands for messenger RNA) I quote from cdc.gov- “mRNA vaccines contain material from the virus that causes covid-19 that gives our cells instructions how to make a harmless protein that is unique to the virus. After our cells make copies of the protein, they destroy the genetic material from the vaccine. Our bodies recognize that the protein should not be there and build T-lymphocytes and B-lymphocytes that will remember how to fight the virus that causes covid-19 if we are infected in the future.” It’s perhaps like a company sneaking in a spy disguised as a member of a rival company but after this spy steals the vital information, the organization kills him. What about collateral damage? Geez, it’s scary when humans tamper with the core of our physical bodies and other creatures. There’s no guarantee of its after-effects. You see there’s a law in the universe that says for every action, there is a reaction. And such reactions will happen not only in our bodies but in the virus. With the way scientists tamper with these microscopic creatures, you wouldn’t wonder why they mutate so fast. The tests for these vaccines are not yet even one year old so scientists can only theorize and opinionate on what will happen. BTW, the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna mRNA vaccines are given EUA (emergency use authorization) in the USA. Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca vaccines are given EUA in the Philippines. The mRNA pala used in these vaccines is synthetic.
AstraZeneca, Johnson and Johnson and Russia’s Sputnik V employ another technology to develop its vaccine- a vector vaccine. Again I quote from cdc.gov: “Vector vaccines contain a weakened version of a live virus- a different virus than the one that causes covid-19- that has genetic material from the virus that causes covid-19 inserted in it (this is called a viral vector). Once the viral vector is inside our cells, the genetic material gives cells instructions to make a protein that is unique to the virus that causes covid-19. Using these instructions, our cells make copies of the protein. This prompts our bodies to build T-lymphocytes and B-lymphocytes that will remember how to fight that virus if we are infected in the future.” Again, this is genetic engineering of the viruses. Scary.
Another issue with these vaccines from the factory is their shelf-life. You see, vaccines are easily rendered useless by heat so you can imagine our challenge in the tropics. The Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine is the most worrisome because it’s shelf-life is only 5 days in the refrigerator, 30 days in dry ice and 6 months in a freezer at -70 degrees Celsius. What government can afford this? Most of these vaccines require two doses. The costs for these vaccines are staggering.
Such tremendous costs really make me question the wisdom of the covid vaccine and other technological commodities. It makes me wonder if a loving God would make something good so expensive and so inaccessible as to only benefit the moneyed and powerful. Even if the vaccines are given free, our taxes or donor’s taxes paid for these. Nothing’s free from the factory. Consider the P3.5 billion spent by government for Dengvaxia vaccine some years back. Sayang talaga. Hey, that’s our money!
While current researches are bent on measuring antibody response to these vaccines from the factory, nobody seems to be measuring natural antibody response of covid contacts. Why, oh why, do we not recognize God’s gift in us- our built-in natural vaccine factory?
One time, we had the opportunity to have a focus-group discussion on mental health with a community and they related their experiences with lockdown and covid. When we commended them on how they were able to cope well with restrictions and other disruptions in their lives, they said “wada gamin ken dakami si Apo Dios” (” it’s because God is with us”). With almost one year living with covid and yet they are well, they have felt the love and presence and protection of our Creator. I also hope, dear reader, that you have felt the same. A lovely Valentine’s Day to all!***
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“Fear not, for I am with you, be not dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous omnipotent hand.” Isaiah 41:10
