Note: this is Part V of a series exploring the implications of Christian stewardship relating to vaccinations. In this section, I discuss reasons why the current vaccines may not meet the standards of bodily care that God expects from us.
While I am objecting to coronavirus vaccination personally, I do not believe it is wrong for others to receive the vaccination. I feel it is important to note this since the issue has sadly become hyperpoliticized in recent months. Certainly, choosing to receive the vaccination, in spite of the known risks, is not inherently wrong but it is a matter of conscience and wise decision making as a Christian steward. I am sharing this information as my own conclusions from a limited study of the available information in hope that it may provide some encouragement to others in similar circumstances. It does not necessarily mean that the conclusions here are infallible truth or represent the only valid view of coronavirus vaccines as this is an area of emerging research and continues to elicit widely differing medical opinions. This is an edited passage from my original request to be excused from my employer’s mandatory vaccination policy. Click here to go to beginning of the series.
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Being neither against vaccinations conceptually nor a medical Luddite, I have attempted to engage in a continuous informal evaluation of the available vaccines for Covid-19 since they were released. This is a practice that I will continue to do as new vaccines become available and our collective knowledge of the disease continues to be refined. In these evaluations, I rely on the findings of others knowledgeable in this area since I am not involved in the profession of medicine or possess extensive medical skill or knowledge of pathology. I cite the findings here, not to disestablish the ultimate health and safety of the vaccine or debate the merits of vaccination but only to share my reasoning that has led me to conclude that the currently available vaccines may be incompatible with my responsibility before God for how I conduct my stewardship. With that said, I have been careful to base the following evidence on peer-reviewed publications, official media channels of medical institutions, and people that have sufficient qualification to be considered experts in their field of study.
To be a good caretaker of one’s body requires that Christians be careful with what they allow in their bodies. We have a responsibility to nurture and care for our bodies – to do what is best for them in every circumstance. That is the standard of good stewardship. It is a high standard; though it does not necessarily mean, I believe, that we cannot do something that we know to be harmful or dangerous to the body, such as accepting the use of cancer treatment drugs. In every case, the circumstances and the risks must be weighed by the stewardship-conscious Christian against potential benefits.
Similar to many medical procedures and medicines, vaccines have health risks associated with them [1]. This fact is widely ignored by many in the medical community and typically this is a non-issue because the majority of modern vaccines can be categorized as low risk [2]. Unfortunately, until the data is more conclusive, we do not know whether this is the case with currently available Covid-19 vaccines which have been posited as potentially presenting multiple health risks. Were I to take it, the realization of any one of those risks may cause irreparable harm to my body or make me more susceptible to mutant strains of the virus than if I remain unvaccinated. Principally, because of these risks and perceived marginal benefits, the Covid vaccines currently available may not meet the high standard required of good Christian stewardship.
Conceptually, a vaccine is essentially a “code” that “programs” your immune system for a long-term response so that it can respond more quickly and efficiently when it encounters a real virus. The successful vaccine operates by producing a mimicry of the real virus closely enough to trick the body into producing the correct antibody response, yet different enough to be relatively harmless to the body [3]. While this analogy is at risk of oversimplifying an incredibly complex system in the human body, the concept of “programming” the immune system is important. If the right response is not programmed the first time, it may leave the body unprotected or marginally protected against variants, the effects of which may never be reversed or it may take significant time to dissipate [4]. For example, your body may respond to a related strain of the virus by its pre-programmed vaccine response but fail to contain the new strain because the vaccine “instructions” were never quite the correct “program” to begin with. Some experts infer that this may leave a vaccinated individual much sicker with a new strain than if they never had the vaccine and contacted the strain [5]. While those individuals still have an innate immune response, the innate response is out-competed by the adaptive vaccine-imprinted response due to a phenomenon known as “original antigenic sin” [6]. Original antigenic sin, also known as antigenic imprinting, is the term used to describe the body’s tendency to preferentially use immunological memory (adaptive immune response) when available rather than the innate response.
In fact, some virologists believe original antigenic sin is possibly one of the reasons why the 1918 Spanish Influenza was uncommonly deadly: the virus causing the flu was different from Influenza A strains, which are typically the first strains seen by a child’s immune system but similar enough to provoke the immune system into producing similar antibodies. The results were devastating, particularly for young people 20-40, possibly because the original imprint of the Influenza A strain from the Russian Flu pandemic (1889-90) was still fresh on their immune systems [7]. (There are also other reasons [8] why this particular cohort may have been targeted, but we neglect them for sake of time.)
A 1988 study on Small Pox after its eradication shows that vaccination (likely with the “Calf Lymph” or it’s derivative “Dryvax” vaccine) decreased the frequency of Ordinary Confluent, Ordinary Semiconfluent, and Flat types of Smallpox, but it actually increased the occurrence of Ordinary Discrete, Modified, Early Hemorrhagic, and Late Hemorrhagic types [9]. This could perhaps be a case of Original Antigenic Sin as well. (I am not saying that as an assertion to be proved, but only as a potential illustration as I could find no information one way or the other.) While vaccination in this case did still reduce the overall case fatality rate in all cases (except for Early Hemorrhagic which was very rare even with vaccination), we cannot assume that this will be the case with other diseases.
Thus, it is critical that the vaccine chosen be the correct vaccine type (there are many) and fully validated for efficacy in the real-world environment. Multiple experts have opined that the real-world test data on the currently available Covid vaccines, though becoming extensive, is still inconclusive [10] and some have suggested that other types of vaccines would be more appropriate [11]. The possibility that the vaccine may not be the correct type and possible emergence of new (immune escape) strains that vaccinated individuals are more susceptible of becoming infected with due to Original Antigenic Sin presents a serious moral issue. Pursuing vaccination with a vaccine that could actually lead to a future pandemic and further human suffering would be wrong for the Christian in their stewardship capacity.
Both mRNA vaccines currently offered have high specificity [12], that is, they produce antibodies that almost exclusively target the spike protein of the virus, particularly the ACE 2 binding area on the S1 protein. This means that while individuals immunized with these vaccines likely possess outstanding protection against the original Covid-19 virus, their level of protection decreases against variants with mutations because the vaccine-induced antibody response is so narrow [13]. For comparison, take this in contrast to the immune response of Covid-recovered individuals with “naturally acquired” immunity. The naturally acquired immunity, while not producing as high of antibody counts as vaccinated individuals [14] produces a broad-spectrum antibody response [15] – that is, antibodies that target all parts of the spike protein and the virus presumably providing better protection against variant strains than vaccinated-only individuals [16]. Thus, while the outgoing NIH Director, Francis Collins, and others are right in a sense when suggesting that the high specificity of Covid vaccines are indications of good performance [17], that performance is possibly limited in scope and it may not always be the case against a rapidly mutating virus in widespread circulation [18]. This again calls into question whether a practicing Christian would be acting against his stewardship responsibility by pursuing vaccination against Covid-19.
There is also a concern with spike protein toxicity. Spike proteins, such as those associated with Coronavirus-19, has been widely studied [19]. It was known even prior to the advent of the pandemic that spike proteins themselves can be toxic and can cause adverse health effects [20]. One such effect is blood coagulation, possibly due to the ability of the spike protein to mimic normal body proteins that initiate the formation of blood clots [21]. Coagulated blood in the circulatory system can lead to blood clots, strokes, heart attacks, death, and possibly other health issues [22]. Spike proteins can also cause damage to vascular tissue by causing inflammation and damage to endothelial cells lining the arteries [23]. The spike proteins on the Covid-19 virus are known to cause both blood clotting as well as inflammation (such as myocarditis) [24]. The spike protein produced by the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is believed by experts to be causing thrombosis due to clotting in some cases [25]. It is reasonable to conclude that the spike proteins for the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, which are already suspected of inducing myocarditis [26], may produce similar clotting behavior, which is damaging to the body – and, if serious enough, a clear violation of bodily stewardship for the Christian.
Many technologists point out that both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are specifically designed to remain attached to cells in the deltoid muscle region of the body or be absorbed in the lymphatic flow after vaccination and do not enter the blood stream [27]. If this is true, then the issue of spike protein toxicity may potentially be moot. However, if true, we would need evidence showing that the concentration of spike proteins in the blood remains at safe levels. On the contrary, the fact that vaccination is cited by the federal health agencies as potentially causing myocarditis (Pfizer, Moderna [26]) or thrombosis (Johnson & Johnson [25]) in some cases is evidence of something occurring in the circulatory system after vaccination that is potentially harmful. While certainty of causation is currently lacking, spike proteins are known to cause the same symptoms [24]. It is true that the complications appear to be rare [28], but those are only noted complications; less severe cases may still be harmful but go unnoticed. Until we actually have more serious statistical and medical data here to explain what is happening, it is unreasonable, in my opinion, to be conclusive about the safety of the Covid vaccines in this aspect.
Although, serious statistical data is lacking, there is enormous anecdotal evidence to support the realizement of spike protein circulation in the blood or other potential serious health issues with the vaccine: an outrageously high number of VAERS-reported adverse events compared with other vaccines over a very short period of time [29], news stories (from Kaiser Health News/NPR) about emergency rooms flooded with seriously ill patients [30], Facebook comment pages numbering hundreds of thousands of comments where individuals share how they recently lost a loved one and believed it to be due to recent vaccination [31]. Thousands of highly educated doctors and nurses, generally the most pro-vaccine cohort ever to walk the surface of earth, believe that the vaccine could be causing these issues and are refusing vaccination [32]. While it is possible for many of these to be correlations only and not vaccine-induced, are we to say that the eye-witness experiences of thousands of people, many of them highly educated in medicine are somehow jumping to the wrong causation in every case? The probability of this occurring? Even adjusting for bias, statistical issues, and possible over-reporting, the scope of these numbers is enormous. This raises the spectre that, at a minimum, the currently offered vaccines may not entirely meet that high standard required for a Christian in exercising stewardship of their bodies.
There is also the issue of disease mortality rates and vaccine effectiveness to be considered when evaluating vaccines. Small Pox with an overall mortality rate of 30% and its survivors being left with multiple complications and handicaps [33] was a serious health issue. It remains perhaps one of the most lethal diseases ever known in terms of the number of fatalities – claiming up to 300 million lives in the 20th century alone [34]. Covid-19 with a mere .3% overall average global mortality rate [35] and generally fair prognosis for survivors (though serious in some cases [36]) pales in comparison. The vaccine effectiveness against the current Delta strain is also marginal in some settings. A study [37] recently published in the The Lancet infectious disease journal cites only a 13% difference in secondary attack rates between vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals (25% to 38%). Secondary attack rate specifically refers to spread of the disease within a family, dwelling unit, dormitory, or similar group. Although the mortality and hospitalization rates are likely still significantly lower when vaccinated, the low difference between vaccinated and unvaccinated rates of contacting the disease in close settings, assuming this study represents reality, produces further weight against vaccination as an appropriate stewardship decision for the Christian.
In addition to the vaccine, there are viable existing therapeutic alternatives in treating Covid-19. Monoclonal antibodies have been used with great success in the United States [38]. Ivermectin and Chloroquine / Hydroxychloroquine have established themselves in other nations, particularly India [39], as a therapeutic of choice when started early in the progression of the disease or taken in small prophylactic doses in geographic regions with high exposure risk (similar to standard Malaria protocol) [40]. The range of available therapeutics is expanding daily as our knowledge of the disease grows. Viable alternatives are available for treating this disease, which again indicates that accepting vaccination may not be an appropriate stewardship decision for the Christian.
Finally, while heath data is the primary source of evidence on which to base a caretaking decision, it is also appropriate in this case to include surrounding sociological and political factors as weighting. The extensive censoring and stonewalling [41] of those voicing legitimate health concerns about the vaccine (some of whom are well qualified top experts in relevant fields of expertise) raises the question whether or not the push for vaccination is merely a health issue or mostly a political issue. To be clear, I am not saying that the vaccination push is a political issue here or even suggesting it. I am only saying that the political circumstances and non-medical issues surrounding Covid-19 and the vaccine have raised enough doubt and ambiguity about these issues in general as to make this a valid question. The existence alone of this question presents a negative implication in the eye of a practicing Christian concerned primarily with their stewardship responsibility before God.
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[1] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Possible Side Effects From Vaccines”, Apr. 2020. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/side-effects.htm
[2] R. Kwok, “Vaccines: The Real Issue in Vaccine Safety”, Nature, May 2011. https://www.nature.com/articles/473436a
[3] A. Clem, “Fundamentals of Vaccine Immunology”, J. Global Infectious Diseases, Jan-Mar 2011. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3068582/
[4] I. Amanna et. al., “Duration of Humoral Immunity to Common Viral and Vaccine Antigens”, N. Eng. Journal of Med., Nov 2007, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17989383/
[5] G. Bossche, “Why the Ongoing Mass Vaccination Experiment Drives a Rapid Evolutionary Response of SARS-CoV-2”, June 2021. https://www.voiceforscienceandsolidarity.org/scientific-blog/why-the-ongoing-mass-vaccination-experiment-drives-a-rapid-evolutionary-response-of-sars-cov-2
[6] A. Vatti et. al., “Original Antigenic Sin: A Comprehensive Review”, J. Autoimmunity, Sep. 2017. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28479213/
[7] M. Worobey et. al., “Genesis and Pathogenesis of the 1918 Pandemic H1N1 Influenza A Virus”, Proc. Nat. Academy of Sci. of USA, June 2014. https://www.pnas.org/content/111/22/8107
[8] J. McAuley et. al., “Host Immunological Factors Enhancing Mortality of Young Adults During the 1918 Influenza Pandemic”, Front. in Immunology, August 2015. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2015.00419/full
[9] F. Fenner et. al., “Smallpox and Its Eradication”, World Health Organization. https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/39485
[10] C. Prugger et. al., “Evaluating Covid-19 Vaccine Efficacy and Safety in the Post-Authorization Phase”, Dec. 2021. https://www.bmj.com/content/375/bmj-2021-067570
[11] G. Bossche, “Cautious Suggestions on a Way Out of a Mismanaged Covid-19 Pandemic”, May 2021. https://www.voiceforscienceandsolidarity.org/scientific-blog/cautious-suggestions-on-a-way-out-of-a-mismanaged-covid-19-pandemic
[12] Listing two references for this:
A. Greaney et. al., “Antibodies Elicited by mRNA-1273 Vaccination Bind More Broadly to the Receptor Binding Domain than Do Those from SARS-CoV-2 Infection”, Sci. Transl. Med., June 2021. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8369496/
L. Min and Q. Sun, “Antibodies and Vaccines Target RBD of SARS-CoV-2”, Front. in Molecular Biosciences, April 2021. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmolb.2021.671633/full
[13] D. Van Egeren et. al., “Risk of Rapid Evolutionary Escape from Biomedical Interventions Targeting SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein”, Plos One, April 2021. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0250780
[14] V. Gluck et. al., “Immunity After Covid-19 and Vaccination: Follow-up Study Over 1 Year Among Medical Personnel”, Infection, Sep. 2021. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8475821/
[15] Listing two references for this:
M. Nussenzweig, “Natural Infection Versus Vaccination: Differences in Covid Antibody Responses Emerge”, The Rockefeller University, Aug. 2021. https://www.rockefeller.edu/news/30919-natural-infection-versus-vaccination-differences-in-covid-antibody-responses-emerge/
F. Collins, “Human Antibodies Target Many Parts of the Coronavirus Spike Protein”, NIH Director’s Blog, May 2021. https://directorsblog.nih.gov/2021/05/18/human-antibodies-target-many-parts-of-coronavirus-spike-protein/
[16] M. Wadman, “Having SARS-CoV-2 Once Confers Much Greater Immunity Than a Vaccine – But Vaccination Remains Vital”, Science, Aug. 2021. https://www.science.org/content/article/having-sars-cov-2-once-confers-much-greater-immunity-vaccine-vaccination-remains-vital
[17] F. Collins, “How Immunity Generated from Covid-19 Vaccines Differs from an Infection”, NIH Director’s Blog, June 2021. https://directorsblog.nih.gov/2021/06/22/how-immunity-generated-from-covid-19-vaccines-differs-from-an-infection/comment-page-1/
[18] G. Bossche, “Unravelling the Complexity of the Pandemic Shaped by Mass Vaccination. What Does It Tell Us?”, May 2021. https://www.voiceforscienceandsolidarity.org/scientific-blog/unravelling-the-complexity-of-a-pandemic-shaped-by-mass-vaccination-what-does-it-tell-us
[19] A sampling of many references:
S. Belouzard et. al., “Mechanisms of Coronavirus Cell Entry Mediated by the Viral Spike Protein”, Viruses, June 2012. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22816037/
H. Hofmann et. al., “Highly Conserved Regions Within the Spike Proteins of Human Coronaviruses 229E and NL63 Determine Recognition of Their Respective Cellular Receptors”, J. Virology, Sep. 2006. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16912312/
I. Glowacka et. al., “Differential Downregulation of ACE2 by the Spike Proteins of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus and Human Coronavirus NL63”, J. Virology, Jan. 2010. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19864379/
W. Song et. al., “Cryo-EM Structure of the SARS Coronavirus Spike Glycoprotein in Complex with Its Host Cell Receptor ACE2”, PLoS Pathog., Aug. 2018. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30102747/
[20] T. Theoharides and P. Conti, “Be Aware of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein: There Is More Than Meets the Eye”, J. of Bio. Regulators & Homeostatic Agents, Vol. 35, No. 3 (2021). https://www.biolifesas.org/biolife/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Theoharides_TC.pdf
[21] L. Makowski et. al., “Biological and Clinical Consequences of Integrin Binding via a Rogue RGD Motif in the SARS CoV-2 Spike Protein”, Viruses, January 2021. https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/2/146/htm
[22] Mayo Clinic, “Blood Clots: Causes”, Feb. 2021. https://www.mayoclinic.org/symptoms/blood-clots/basics/causes/sym-20050850
[23] Y. Lei et. al., “Sars-CoV-2 Spike Protein Impairs Endothelial Function via Downregulation of ACE 2”, Circulation Research, April 2021. https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/epub/10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.121.318902
[24] T. Levy, “Canceling the Spike Protein”, Orthomolecular Medicine News Service, Oct. 2021. http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v17n24.shtml
[25] K. Katella, “The Link Between J&J’s COVID Vaccine and Blood Clots: What You Need to Know”, Yale Medicine, Dec. 2021. https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/coronavirus-vaccine-blood-clots
[26] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Vaccines & Immunizations: Myocarditis and Pericarditis Considerations”, Nov. 2021. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/clinical-considerations/myocarditis.html
[27] D. Lowe, “Spike Protein Behavior”, Science, May 2021. https://www.science.org/content/blog-post/spike-protein-behavior
[28] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Covid-19: Reported Adverse Events”, Dec. 2021. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/safety/adverse-events.html
[29] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “CDC Wonder: The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS)”, No date. https://wonder.cdc.gov/controller/datarequest/D8
[30] K. Wells, “ERs Are Now Swamped with Sesriously Ill Patients – But Many Don’t Even Have COVID”, NPR: All Things Considered, Oct. 2021. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/10/26/1046432435/ers-are-now-swamped-with-seriously-ill-patients-but-most-dont-even-have-covid
[31] @wxyzdetroit, WXYZ-TV Channel 7 Facebook Post. Sep. 10, 2021. https://www.facebook.com/wxyzdetroit/posts/10158207967261135
[32] R. Hart, “Nearly One Third Of Healthcare Workers in U.S. Hospitals Are Still Not Vaccinated Against Covid-19, CDC Study Finds, As Vaccine Mandate Looms”, Forbes, Nov 2021. https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/11/18/nearly-one-third-of-healthcare-workers-in-us-hospitals-are-still-not-vaccinated-against-covid-19-cdc-study-finds-as-vaccine-mandate-looms/
[33] Food and Drug Administration, “Vaccines: Smallpox”, Mar. 2018. https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biologics/vaccines/smallpox
[34] World Health Organization, “Smallpox: Eradicating An Ancient Scourge, Ch. 1”, No date. https://www.who.int/about/bugs_drugs_smoke_chapter_1_smallpox.pdf
[35] J. Ioannidis, “Infection Fatality Rate of COVID-19 Inferred From Seroprevalence Data”, Bull. World Health Organ., Jan. 2021. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33716331/
[36] Listing two references for this:
D. Groff et. al., “Short-Term and Long-Term Rates of Postacute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 Infection: A Systematic Review”, JAMA Network Open, Oct. 2021. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2784918
A. Berenguera et. al., “Long Term Consequences of COVID-19”, Eur. J. of Internal Medicine, Sep. 2021. https://www.ejinme.com/action/showPdf?pii=S0953-6205%2821%2900295-8
[37] A. Singanayagam et. al., “Community Transmission And Viral Load Kinetics Of The SARS-CoV-2 Delta (B.1.617.2) Variant In Vaccinated And Unvaccinated Individuals In The UK: A Prospective, Longitudinal, Cohort Study”, The Lancet, Oct. 2021. https://www.thelancet.com/action/showPdf?pii=S1473-3099%2821%2900648-4
[38] P. Taylor et. al., “Neutralizing Monoclonal Antibodies For Treatment Of COVID-19”, Nature Reviews: Immunology, Apr. 2021. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8054133/
[39] Note: This is left here as a historical reference. Recent news coming out of India at time of publication seems to indicate that they are discontinuing the use of these drugs in favor of vaccines. The reasoning is not entirely clear.
P. Pulla, “India Expands Use of Controversial Drug For Coronavirus Despite Safety Concerns”, Nature, June 2020. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-01619-8
[40] S. Gold, “Prophylactic HCQ Protocol”, America’s Frontline Doctors, 2021. https://americasfrontlinedoctors5.com/treatments/hydroxychloroquine/treatment-protocols/
[41] E. Niemiec. “COVID-19 and Misinformation”, EMBO Reports, Oct. 2020. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7645258/
*Image by Tmaximumge. Released under CC Licence.
