Three non-profit groups, and various medical experts, have approached the courts in efforts to get the government to immediately stop its Covid-19 vaccination campaign, citing devastating side-effects and saying the efficacy of the shots was not property investigated.
The court documents accuse authorities of “disregarding the well-being of millions of people” by pushing its vaccination programmes, reports the Sunday Tribune, and say that people who suffered debilitating side effects were harassed. The documents also make allegations about “irregularities to water down the impact the jabs had on South Africans”.
The case was filed, on an urgent basis, by the Covid Care Alliance, Transformative Health Justice (THJ) and Free the Children, in the Gauteng High Court (Pretoria).
Listed as respondents are President Cyril Ramaphosa, Health Minister Dr Joe Phaala, his department’s acting director-general, Dr Nicholas Crisp, the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra) and Treasury.
Early last year, 70 doctors endorsed the THJ’S letter to Sahpra and the Department of Health, (DoH), outlining their concerns. THJ now has the support of nearly 200 doctors.
Shabnam Mohamed, the founder of THJ who filed an affidavit on behalf of it, said they launched a Covid-19 shot reporting platform (SA Vaccine Adverse Events Report System, an independent, public interest body) in May 2021, and, via its various electronic platforms, received 1 097 reports from families of deceased or people with vaccine injuries.
The platforms gave victims and survivors a voice and enhanced transparency through their questionnaire, Mohamed said.
The survey’s youngest participant was 13 and the oldest 96. Some of the other findings were 6 244 negative vaccine effects, including 494 deaths.
She said Dr Jessica Rose, a Canadian researcher, analysed the SA VAERS and noticed “severe underreporting of adverse effects from vaccines”.
Mohamed said the higher prevalence of underreporting was due to illness, lack of awareness, mistrust in government systems, and that many South Africans were poor, and might not have access to data, electricity and smartphones.
She said July 2021 was the last time the DOH released mortality data to the public.
Usually, vaccine development took 10 years before it reached the production and distribution stage, but Mohamed said the jabs were in use after 10 months.
“Four children, under five, were unlawfully and recklessly injected, and sanctioned and promoted by the respondents. The respondents have no genuine interest in or control over the safety of children or adults. Instead of listening to ethical doctors, they listen to their funders.
She said Sahpra was “covering up such cases” by “fudging” statistical data.
Mohamed was wary that some pharmaceutical companies had allegations of corrupt practices hanging over their heads and suggested a commission of inquiry be convened into issues raised by the applicants.
Stephanus de Wet Oosthuizen, a Tongaat doctor with 45 years’ experience and a member of the Covid Care Alliance, submitted an affidavit saying a key objective for the court action was to compel the respondents to conduct a joint, detailed investigation (including the applicants’ nominated experts) into the medical and scientific safety of the vaccines.
He said investigations would give insight into the “rare medical conditions” witnessed by him and other doctors when consulting people vaccinated for Covid-19.
Oosthuizen was puzzled by analysis of blood samples of vaccinated people showing “concerning changes” to its structure, which experts cannot explain.
Medical conditions that came upon “young and healthy” people, and death in some instances, had startled him, he added.
An urgent interim order, would benefit millions of people, Oosthuizen said, and they hoped it would result in the respondents desisting from promoting Covid-19 vaccines as safe and effective.
Vincent Magwenya, spokesperson for the President, and Yuven Gounden, the Sahpra’s spokesperson, said they could not comment on a court matter.
Foster Mohale, the DoH’s spokesperson, said the department would respond legally and clearly state its case. “Anyone with allegations should provide evidence,” he said.
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