Footnote 20: PCR Test-and-Injection w/Leukemia Lunacy Edition

Turkish daily Cumhurriyet reports on Muzaffer Kayasan, a 56 year-old leukemia patient, who tests positive for Sars-Cov-2--for 14 months in a row, incl. 'bonus materials'

Behold—on this beautiful Saturday I shall give you this pearl. A couple of days ago, Turkish daily Cumhurriyet reported on the plight of Muzaffer Kayasan, who is a 56 year-old leukemia patient.

Now, I don’t know if this is actually a world record—the piece relates that doctors ‘speculate’ that it’s Mr. Kayasan’s ‘leukemia, which suppresses the immune system’, that’s the explanation for 78 (!) positive rt-PCRs test in a row.

But take a moment to think about Mr. Kayasan’s plight here: since he tested positive for Sars-Cov-2 in November 2020, he’s in self-isolation. That’s 14 months and counting.

Also, the Cumhurriyet piece ‘informs’ us that Mr. Kayasan never had any symptoms whatsoever and never fell ill with Covid-19 since November 2020.

Still, in a move reminiscent, to me at least, of Terry Gilliam’s spectacularly awesome movie Brazil, he cannot get any of the injections because he continues to test positive for Sars-Cov-2, hence he must no break his quarantine to get—injected.

But—there’s more, specifically over at the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society website, which has a helpful FAQ for those who suffer from such conditions. Some of the more pertinent FAQs including (my emphases):

What does it mean to ‘get vaccinated, act unvaccinated?’

By ‘acting unvaccinated’ we mean that in addition to getting vaccinated for COVID-19, blood cancer patients should continue to take preventive measures such as wearing masks, social distancing, hand washing and avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated indoor spaces. This is especially important since some blood cancer patients may not get optimal protection from the vaccines and may be more susceptible to breakthrough infection after vaccination compared to the general public.

I would also add: do a cost-benefit thought experiment—and think about what you’re supposed to do before, as opposed to after, getting injected with the recommended mRNA products.

I am a lymphoma patient on rituximab (Rituxan) or obinutuzumab (Gazyva). Will the COVID-19 vaccine still be effective for me?

Certain lymphoma therapies, particularly rituximab and obinutuzumab are known to impair antibody response to vaccines even after discontinuation. This does not mean people being treated with these medications should not get vaccinated or that the vaccines will not offer them protection. However, patients should consider themselves still at risk and continue remaining vigilant even after vaccination.

Same as above, but I’d add the following question: in a perfect world, we’d be testing injection efficacy by not only looking at, say, antibody response, right?

But the weirdest part is the dedicated section of injection effectiveness (just keep scrolling down in the FAQ section; link as above, emphases mine):

Are the COVID-19 vaccines effective for blood cancer patients?

COVID-19 vaccines offer at least some protection to the majority of blood cancer patients. The LLS National Patient Registry has shown, though, that immune response to vaccination varies based on a patient’s type of cancer and treatment received. That’s why LLS recommends that all blood cancer patients and survivors get vaccinated, act unvaccinated.

So, get injected with experimental drugs (which, I suppose, isn’t that different from many cancer patients anyways, so there’s that), but hey, there’s ‘at least some protection’, although of unknown durability.

And the ‘kicker’ is in the below paragraph—talk about the ‘normalisation’ of the altered narrative of the initial injection series:

Is a third COVID-19 vaccine dose beneficial for patients with blood cancer? 

Yes. A study published by LLS in the journal Cancer Cell showed that most blood cancer patients benefit from a third mRNA COVID-19 vaccine dose (Pfizer or Moderna) as part of the primary vaccine series. However, it is important to note that some blood cancer patients will not mount a full antibody response even after a third dose, so it is important to continue taking other precautions like wearing a mask and social distancing.

Makes one wonder, though, why the ‘booster’ injection is now ‘part of the primary vaccine series’, isn’t it?

Follow-up: wouldn’t it make sense to note the caveat that ‘some…patients will not mount a full antibody response even after a third dose’ to the discussions before governments rolled out ‘boosters’ like candy?

Speaking of this, the FAQ continues:

Should patients with blood cancer get a booster vaccine dose?

Yes. Individuals with blood cancer who received either Pfizer or Moderna vaccines should get a booster (fourth) dose three months after they complete their primary three-dose series. Almost all blood cancer patients and many survivors should consider themselves in the category of immunocompromised individuals.

And thus a new twist is added to the many crooks, nooks, and crannies in the already-tattered ‘two jabs to stop to spread’ narrative. Today, it’s a ‘booster (fourth)’ injection for blood cancer patients, tomorrow it’ll be a 13th booster for everyone, because: ‘science’.

I really wanted to stop here, but then I read on:

Are the COVID-19 vaccines effective in protecting against the Delta variant? 

While still highly effective against the delta variant, the available COVID-19 vaccines may offer less protection than against the original strain of the virus. However, promising data from Israel found that the Pfizer vaccine is 94% effective at preventing severe illness from the delta variant. Separately, an analysis released by Public Health England found that two doses of the Pfizer vaccine or two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine were over 90% effective against hospitalization from the delta variant.

No sources given, also: no word on Omicron (whatever subtype).

I am a blood cancer patient who has been fully vaccinated and have a negative antibody response. What does this mean for me and what precautions should I be taking?

Some patients may have a diminished antibody response, due to their type of blood cancer diagnosis and the type of treatment received. This does NOT mean that vaccination is futile. It is very important to continue receiving all COVID-19 vaccine doses as recommended.

Antibodies are just one piece of the puzzle and there are other ways our immune systems respond to vaccination that may provide protection. Immune cells known as T cells may play a role in the ability of our immune system to protect us against COVID-19.

Note that the all-caps ‘NOT’ is there in the original. Note furher that the second part of the answer is also…interesting, if not outright disingenuous.

Speaking of disingenuity, here are the final two snippets I shall quote here (again, all emphases mine):

Should I be tested for antibodies to determine the effectiveness of the vaccine?

Antibody tests should be interpreted with caution. Having antibodies to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, appears to offer some degree of protection from getting sick and from having severe disease. However, having antibodies does not eliminate your risk of a COVID-19 breakthrough infection completely. 

‘Science’, yay!

How do vaccines work?

All vaccines have the same goal: to get the body to develop protective antibodies against a disease without us having to get sick. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines use messenger RNA (mRNA) to instruct cells in the body to build viral proteins. In this case, the cells learn how to make the so-called ‘spike protein’ found on the surface of the COVID-19 virus. The Johnson & Johnson viral vector COVID-19 vaccine uses genetic material to help train your immune system to recognize and respond to the spike protein found on the surface of the coronavirus.

All three vaccines are designed to prepare your body to trigger an immune response to fight infection if you are exposed to the actual virus. The lightning speed at which the vaccines have become available is truly remarkable, but they are based on decades of rigorous and thoroughly reviewed research.

So, today’s questions for you are:

• Would that count as ‘spreading disinformation’?

• What does ‘The Science’ say about it all?

• And what might the authoritative public health bodies say about this?

As a guide, here’s some screen grabs from the WHO website:

Remember: there’s also a number of dedicated WHO Q&A on the Covid-19 injections, but I’m certainly not going down that particular rabbit hole now.

Any thoughts? Also: do include our fellow humans who suffer from blood cancer in your thoughts and, if possible, prayers.