In 2021, NZ’s ‘solution’ to covid developed into vaccinating anyone and everyone in a ‘war against covid’
The recent covid response inquiry revealed that the Government ignored their own advisers and actively promoted getting perfectly healthy teenagers vaccinated despite the known health risks from adverse effects (typically myocarditis and pericarditis) for no real benefit.
The timeline is below. It is long, almost too long to read, but is recorded here for posterity.
The info below is courtesy of Realty Check Radio. I’ve reformatted it here to make it easier to read
https://realitycheck.radio/the-peoples-report/
15 to 18 year olds Regulatory Approval and Rollout advice
- Government bodies and their role
- Medsafe – Regulatory approval (safety/efficacy for use)
- Covid-19 Vaccine Technical Advisory Group. (CV-TAG) – Vaccine policy advice (who to vaccinate, dosing, intervals, boosters etc.)
- COVID-19 Vaccine Independent Safety Monitoring Board.(CV-ISMB) – Independent safety monitoring
- STA – Internal science and technical advice / analysis
- Ministry of Health – Policy advice to Ministers
- Cabinet – Final decisions
Timeline
8 January 2021
Pfizer’s recommended dosing schedule: A three-week interval based on the initial study to provide 95% protection against symptomatic COVID-19.
Claimed effectiveness of 95% was based on the relative risk reduction. Actual effectiveness was 0.84% being the absolute risk reduction.
3 February 2021
Medsafe grants provisional consent for the Pfizer vaccine, subject to 58 conditions, for those 16 years and above.
Noting that protection had only been assessed to two months, evidence of protection against severe disease was limited, long-term safety data were unavailable, and prevention of asymptomatic infection and transmission had not been established.
https://gazette.govt.nz/notice/id/2021-go338
9 June 2021
Medsafe issues public safety information monitoring of myocarditis as a potential risk following the Pfizer vaccine and encourages further adverse event reporting.
https://www.medsafe.govt.nz/safety/Alerts/comirnaty-myocarditis.asp
21 June 2021
Medsafe grants provisional approval for use in 12 to 15-year-olds at the adult dose.
https://gazette.govt.nz/notice/id/2021-go2440
24 June 2021
CV-TAG minutes record that vaccination priority should remain focused on those over 16, noting limited clinical trial data for 12–15 year olds, and identifies emerging concerns regarding myocarditis risk in people under 30.
6 July 2021
CV-TAG reviewed international myocarditis data showing higher risk after the second dose in younger males and discussed whether longer dosing intervals could reduce risk.
13 July 2021
CV-TAG recommends two doses for those aged 30 and over, but advises that the second dose for those aged 29 and under could be deferred pending further data on myocarditis risk and single-dose protection.
20 July 2021
CV-TAG notes that young people aged 16–29 have strong immune responses after one dose but recommends two doses, with the second dose delayed to at least 8 weeks to potentially reduce myocarditis risk.
21 July 2021
Medsafe issues a second safety alert investigating myocarditis and pericarditis as potential adverse reactions to the Pfizer vaccine, particularly after the second dose and in younger males.
https://www.medsafe.govt.nz/safety/Alerts/comirnaty-myocarditis-alert.htm
Despite this warning appearing on the Medsafe website, most New Zealanders remained unaware of the risk, and the nature of the risk was not highlighted during the government’s media briefings.
21 July 2021
A CV-TAG memo records emerging international data linking mRNA vaccination to myocarditis, including cases in New Zealand, particularly among younger males. It RECOMMENDS longer dosing intervals for younger people, while maintaining the standard three-week schedule for those aged 30 and over.
Highlighting tensions between Government experts re safety considerations and accelerating vaccination coverage.
21 July 2021
CV-ISMB notes that extending the dosing interval to reduce myocarditis risk questioned the data and noted that an extended dosing interval could significantly impact the rollout and questions the data supporting the interval extension.
https://www.brashandmitchell.com/post/thomas-cranmer-covid-and-our-kiwikids-part-1
27 July 2021
CV-TAG recommends vaccinating high-risk 12–15 year olds but deferring vaccination of the wider age group.
28 July 2021
Pfizer’s Datasheet v3 is updated to include myocarditis and pericarditis as a rare adverse reaction to the Pfizer vaccine, particularly in adolescents and young adults. The Pfizer data sheet is updated to include a warning.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SNH38mtyUsPq8hMPovPUQwFCX0HCWBOw/view?usp=share_link
4 August 2021
CV-TAG advises that routine administration in 12 to 15-year-olds should be deferred pending further review of emerging safety and effectiveness data, particularly regarding the incidence, risk factors and outcomes of myocarditis.
11-12 August 2021
Press releases:
1. Prime Minister announces move to 6 weeks between doses to ensure more NZers at least partially vaccinated as soon as possible in face of Delta risk, no mention of myocarditis risk or advice from experts.
2. Director-General of Health announces the Pfizer dosing interval would be extended from three to six weeks, citing studies showing an equally robust immune response and no additional safety concerns.
3. An identical NZ government press release on the same date is identical but notes “the larger interval is also consistent with the advice from the COVID Technical Advisory Group (CVTAG) for an extended interval between doses to reduce the likelihood of rare side effects of myocarditis or pericarditis.”
1. https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/government-sets-out-plan-reconnectnew-zealanders-world
2. https://www.brashandmitchell.com/post/thomas-cranmer-covid-and-ourkiwi-kids-part-1
3. https://centralapp.nz/NewsStory/time-between-covid-19-vaccine-dosesextended/611464ed5c4fad002b7078c7
Most public communications announcing the extended dosing interval did not refer to myocarditis risk. The CV-TAG minutes of 17 August 2021 (across) record that a request had been made to remove reference to myocarditis as a reason for extending the dosing interval.
Dr Ian Town, why was there a meeting and decision given by email overnight to make this significant change to approve vaccination for 12 to 15-year-olds? ?
12–13 August 2021
CV-TAG reverses its earlier position and recommends universal vaccination of 12–15 year olds, with the change recorded in the 13 August minutes without further safety or effectiveness review being recorded (as per 4 August 2021 memo).
Cabinet agrees that all children 12-15 can be vaccinated, no mention of dosing schedule, on adult dose and presumed adult dosing schedule.
Where is the review of safety and efficacy in this age group CV-TAG minuted 4 August (9 days before)? ?
Dr Ian Town, who requested any reference to the risk of myocarditis be removed from communications? And why? ?
17 August 2021
CV-TAG memo records an update on myocarditis and a request that the reference to “increasing dosing intervals potentially providing some protection against myocarditis” be removed from communications, which had been actioned.
19 August 2021
The Prime Minister announces that Cabinet had agreed to extend Pfizer vaccination eligibility to all 12–15 year olds, stating the decision follows advice from Medsafe and an additional group of experts. “This is not a decision we have taken lightly. Many of us are parents ourselves and take this duty of making decisions about other people’s children extremely seriously, but it is safe, and it’s the right thing to do. So 12 to 15 year olds can become eligible and book, along with everyone else that we are opening up to from the 1st of September.”
Prime Minister, how can you say it is safe when the Government’s experts are discussing the increased risk of myocarditis in under 30s? ?
Misinformation, Chris Hipkins how can you say this when CV-TAG were recommending one dose or longer dosing intervals because of the risk of myocarditis? ?
30 August 2021
Alert on Ministry of Health’s website to clinicians and consumers about the signs of myocarditis and pericarditis.
Bloomfield’s second affidavit in the Kiwi Kids’ Case
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1o7F14Ef32xg5J7E00yY0YIXFehQsz__u/view?usp=sharing
While the Ministry formally noted myocarditis risk, between June-December 2021 this safety signal was not meaningfully reflected in public communications. The issue remained largely absent from the messaging shaping public understanding at the time.
1 September 2021
12 to 15 year olds become eligible and able to book vaccination appointments, including without parental consent.
https://www.healthnz.govt.nz/health-topics/immunisations/vaccines-aotearoa/
covid-19-vaccines/getting-covid-19-vaccines#
Myocarditis risk missing from the informed consent process a week after vaccination started in 5 to 12 year-olds, and over a month after Pfizer updated its datasheet with the risk on 28 July 2021 (above).
6 September 2021
CV-TAG member, Helen Pestus-Harris, raises concerns by email that myocarditis risk was not being included in informed consent materials or after-care sheets and emphasises the importance of informing recipients about symptoms and when to seek medical care.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1U2xWhqZQXjyRRSEj6cK-Nj6uNSckbwb4/view
CV-TAG queried revisiting the decision to vaccinate 5-12 year olds and separately noticed concerns about 3 week dosing schedule.
21 September 2021
CV-TAG query whether they revisit the decision to vaccinate 12 to 15-year-olds given the UK’s decision not to.
This is misinformation, CVTAG had advised that shorter dosing intervals could increase myocarditis risk in younger people, yet the public was told there were no safety concerns with bringing the second dose forward. This was not an accurate representation of the advice provided to Government.
6 October 2021
Government reverses its earlier decision and returned to a three-week dosing interval to accelerate full vaccination. Press Conference with Minister Hipkins and Dr McElnay:
https://www.brashandmitchell.com/post/thomas-cranmer-covid-and-our-kiwikids-part-1
22 October 2021
Government announces the Traffic Light System (Vaccine Pass) for all 12 years and three months and over coming into effect 2 December 2021.
The Vaccine Pass was introduced when myocarditis risk in younger people was known, severe COVID-19 risk for younger people was very low, and vaccine effectiveness against infection was already waning.
28 October 2021
13 year old dies of myocarditis 10 days following second Pfizer vaccine.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/465103/ministry-of-health-announcesthird-death-linked-to-vaccine
Chris James’ affidavit in the Kiwi Kids’ Case
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rvk29GSLhmbMsZyLNFSqrIeZ5THYbsYo/view?usp=share_link page 19 paragraph 54
2 November 2021
NZ government commences its Two Shots For Summer Campaign
https://www.facebook.com/reel/223208129881681
5 November 2021
CV-TAG advises the Director-General on the definition of fully vaccinated. In that advice CV-Tag NOTES that younger age groups ARE at higher risk of myocarditis after the second Pfizer dose. IT ADDS that some protection is provided after a single dose, raising concerns about requiring two doses for younger people under vaccine mandates.
11 November 2021
Director-General signed advice from CV-TAG on the definition of “fully vaccinated”. That advice noted younger groups are more at risk of myocarditis and recommended a single dose, consideration should be given to those mandated to work with one dose.
17 November 2021
26 year old Rory Nairn dies of a heart attack from myocarditis, 12 days after his first vaccination dose.
The Director-General of Health despite receiving CV-Tag’s advice about one dose or larger dosing intervals for 12-15 year olds ignored that advice when defining what “vaccinated” meant for the purposes of the Vaccine Pass.
2 December 2021
Traffic Light System (Vaccine Pass) comes into effect.
9 December 2021
CV-TAG raises concern that its earlier advice supporting a single-dose approach for 12 to 15-year-olds is not reflected in the 26 November 2021 notice defining “vaccinated”. The group again notes protection after one dose and increased myocarditis risk following a second dose.
26 November 2021
The Director-General of Health determines by legal notice the number of doses required for a person to be considered “vaccinated” for the purposes of legislation, mandates and the Vaccine Pass system. This notice did not differentiate from 12-15 year olds.
https://gazette.govt.nz/notice/id/2021-go5122
15 December 2021
The Director-General of Health Issues a letter to DHBs warning of myocarditis risk following Pfizer vaccination and advising clinicians to monitor for symptoms. He downplays the risk saying: “the overall rate of this event in New Zealand is reported to be around 3 per 100,000 vaccinations.”
16 December 2021
Medsafe grants provisional approval for Pfizer for ages 5–11, child’s two dose regiment at 3 week interval. The datasheet lists Myocarditis as a special warning.
20 December 2021
Medsafe Issues a third warning – a reminder to healthcare professionals about the risk of myocarditis and pericarditis following the Pfizer vaccine, particularly after the second dose in younger males. It advises monitoring for symptoms such as chest pain and shortness of breath.
https://www.medsafe.govt.nz/safety/Alerts/comirnaty-myocarditis-reminder.htm
20 December 2021
Cabinet agrees that 5–11 year olds are eligible for paediatric vaccination available from 17 January 2022. Memo mentions CV TAG 9 December 2021 myocarditis concern with single and short dose in under 30s.
17 January 2022
Vaccination rollout begins for 5 to 11-year-olds. January-June 2022 5 to 11-year-olds judicial review. Dr Town from CV-TAG, Dr Bloomfield, and Minister Hipkins all give two affidavits each in the Kiwi Kids case, none ever provide or mention the 9 December 2021 CV-TAG memorandum warning of myocarditis in under 18s.
15 November 2021
1. In response to a Parliamentary question about CV-TAG concerns regarding three-week dosing intervals (raised in CVTAG memo 21 September 2021), the Minister states the shorter interval was being encouraged to increase full vaccination coverage more quickly during the Delta outbreak.
2. In a Written Parliamentary Question response, the Minister states that the decision to require two doses for 12–15 year olds was based on Medsafe approval and advice from the COVID-19 Vaccine Technical Advisory Group.
https://questions.parliament.nz/written-questions/question/WQ_52800_2021?lang=en
https://questions.parliament.nz/written-questions/question/WQ_52818_2021?lang=en
Uncoffined 