Are there any curious journalists out there?
I’ve not wanted to get bogged down in Covid but the censoring of debate and the quality of information is woeful.
The public’s seeming blind acceptance of the appalling state of discourse is enough to make one believe the “conspiracy theory” of “mass formation psychosis”.
I happily did my bit and got vaccinated last May (second jab in August) when we were told vaccination would be voluntary, efficacious against transmission and provide long-lasting immunity.
Since then booster shots have become a thing, we’ve discovered the vaccines don’t help us keep our loved-ones safe from transmission, their efficacy wanes and now Omicron has come along and changed everything.
I’m not disputing the effectiveness of vaccination in taking pressure off the hospital system, particularly during the Delta wave.
But rather than our pathway out of the pandemic, at 95 percent vaccination we are still forced to check in with QR codes, wear masks indoors, show a vaccine passport to have a coffee in Queensland and may never be able to travel to Western Australia again.
The once great profession of journalism seems to lack curious souls so I came up with 12 questions our friends in the fourth estate might ask at the next Covid crisis press conference.
- If four doses is not stopping Omicron in Israel, why do Australian politicians think three will stop it here?
- The UK’s head vaccine adviser, Professor Sir Andrew Pollard, who helped develop the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine (hardly an anti-vax conspiracy theorist), last week called for an end to ongoing mass vaccination. “It really is not affordable, sustainable or probably even needed to vaccinate everyone on the planet every four to six months,” Professor Pollard told BBC Radio 4’s Today program. “In the future, we need to target the vulnerable.” Why are we continuing down a path of mass vaccination for all with no end in sight?
- How will vaccinating people with three doses keep Omicron out of Western Australia?
- How is it possible that after two years the WA health system is not prepared for a population to live with Covid?
- Given that Omicron has spread so quickly and rules about close contacts have rightly been relaxed, why are QR check-ins still mandatory?
- What evidence is there that mandatory mask wearing indoors is stopping the spread of Omicron?
- If you don’t need a covid test to travel to the UK, why do you need one to travel to Australia?
- The World Health Organisation says “if mandatory vaccination is considered necessary to interrupt transmission chains and prevent harm to others, there should be sufficient evidence that the vaccine is efficacious in preventing serious infection and/or transmission”. Given that vaccines have limited efficacy in stopping transmission and are ineffective in stopping infection from Omicron, why do we have mandates for some industries?
- Last week the WHO said in a statement: “The Technical Advisory Group on Covid-19 Vaccine Composition considers that Covid-19 vaccines that have high impact on prevention of infection and transmission, in addition to the prevention of severe disease and death, are needed and should be developed.” Given this, shouldn’t Australia pause its vaccine roll-out, particularly for children, until new vaccines are developed?
- What is the modelling on how many unvaccinated children infected with Omicron taking up ICU beds?
- Why is it considered “anti-vax” to listen to podcasts where medical experts (who are not anti-vax) warn of the dangers to young men of heart inflammation and interference with women’s menstrual cycles from vaccines?
- Could someone within the Health Department be tasked with critiquing Dr Robert Malone and Dr Peter McCoullough’s concerns? Could we be told what it is they have got wrong, not just that they are wrong?
Lyle Shelton is Director of Campaigns and Communications for the Christian Democratic Party. To keep in touch with Lyle and the CDP, sign up here.