Dr. Rochelle Walensky stated several times that the mRNA vaccines were protective and prevented the spread of the SARS2 virus during an oversight hearing with the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic on June 13. Specifically, she repeatedly asserted that the vaccinated people do not carry, get sick, nor do they spread the virus.
Citing a March 29 interview with Rachel Maddow, Rep. Jim Jordan asked Walensky why "she didn't tell the truth" she began to stumble. She then backtracked and adjusted her response, saying, "It was generally true at the time."
It seems, however, that Dr. Walensky's memory may not serve her well because she actually told Maddow on March 29, 2021:
"[N]ow we know that the vaccines work well enough that the virus stops with every vaccinated person. A vaccinated person gets exposed to the virus. The virus does not infect them. The virus cannot then use that person to go anywhere else. It cannot use a vaccinated person as a host to get more people. That means the vaccines will get us to the end of this. If we just go fast enough to get the whole population vaccinated. It's huge news."
The full excerpt of her statement from the Maddow interview is pictured below:
Dr. Walensky/ March 29, 2021, Maddow Interview/ https://www.msnbc.com/transcripts/transcript-rachel-maddow-show-3-29-21-n1262442
Contradictory Statements and Studies
A substack entry compiled by "Kelly K" attempts to document the mixed messaging from government officials on the effectiveness of vaccines, much of which contradicts Walensky's statements. Three days after the Maddow interview, multiple sources contradict Walensky's statement on vaccines.
On April 1, a CDC spokesperson contradicted her in a NY Times article, saying, "It's possible that some people who are fully vaccinated could get Covid-19. The evidence isn't clear whether they can spread the virus to others. We are continuing to evaluate the evidence." Eleven days later, Fauci himself said, "Breakthrough infections in the vaccinated were inevitable." On April 15, the CDC announced: "5800 fully vaccinated people caught COVID anyway." You get the idea.
It was disturbing to hear Walensky's conviction about the effectiveness of the vaccines, given the fact that it is presently well-established that the mRNA vaccines were not always protective against severe disease and hospitalization, nor did they prevent the spread of disease. Walensky has the same access to the studies and information as we do. However, let's give her the benefit of the doubt and limit the search to data that speaks to her favorite Alpha variant talking points.
It doesn't take long to find at least one study from August 2021 by André Julião for Agência FAPESP. The study specifically states, "Two outbreaks of SARS-CoV-2 caused by transmission of the Alpha variant show that even people who have been vaccinated can spread the virus and fall sick with COVID-19." This particular study shows mixed results regarding protection from severe disease and death. "[A]n 84-year-old resident with Alzheimer's manifested symptoms of COVID-19 (later confirmed) 21 days after taking the second dose of the vaccine," according to the results of the study.
Vaccine Effectiveness and Censoring of Information
The 5-minute exchange between Rep. Comer (R-KY) and Walensky on disinformation during the pandemic and the vaccine's effectiveness is particularly illuminating.
Walensky repeatedly stated it was the vaccine that delivered the world from the clutches of the COVID-19 pandemic. "The most important thing that has gotten us out of the pandemic was our vaccine and how they work," she stated.
Walensky's rigidity around the effectiveness of the vaccines is especially disturbing in light of the fact that we now know for sure the CDC worked closely with Big Tech to censor speech with all things pandemic. The government had its hand in flagging social media posts, calling many "disinformation." Content was repeatedly removed because it did not suit the prevailing narrative. The suppression of information meant that Americans did not receive life-saving treatments that were available early on in the pandemic.
Sadly, in many cases, guidance from respected doctors and scientists was suppressed, guidance that could have saved thousands of lives. Walensky refused to answer questions about the censorship of dissent because of ongoing litigation.
Dr. Lynn Fynn was one of the heavily censored America's Frontline Doctors. She is a scientist and early treatment advocate specializing in virology and infectious disease. She cites a July 2022 New England Journal of Medicine study that contends the "vaccinated were transmissible longer than the unvaccinated." Walensky has access to this study too.
In addition, as early as December 2020, the FDA issued EUAs for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. Both EUAs conclude, "At this time, data are not available to determine how long the vaccine will provide protection, nor is there evidence that the vaccine prevents transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from person to person." Notably, the FDA EUAs may be the reason she stated multiple times that the vaccines were "96% effective in preventing COVID-19 disease." The studies cited Moderna as 95% effective in preventing disease, and Pfizer was found to be 94% effective.
What Walensky doesn't say is that among the thousands tested in both vaccines, the disease was "prevented" in very few cases, and there were some who suffered severe illness. Additionally, at the time, life-saving treatments like Vitamin D, Hydroxycholoquine, Ivermectin, and nebulized steroids were available as vaccine alternatives—a fact that should have destroyed the use of the EUA-approved vaccines altogether. Many Americans still do not understand this nuance. Both EUAs specify the following:
EUAs/FDA
In October 2022, a Pfizer Director also admitted in a European Parliament COVID hearing that the vaccines were "never tested on stopping the spread of the virus." This was after millions had been coerced or mandated to be vaccinated "to save the lives of others."
Walensky's Written Statement
Walensky seemed to be genuinely interested in getting kids back in school. She told members in the hearing that she herself had children at home during the pandemic and resisted the efforts of outside forces to influence her decisions concerning the reopening of schools.
In her written statement for the Oversight Committee, the outgoing Director recommends a number of solutions for future pandemics. She "launched the CDC Moving Forward initiative," which may or may not improve the response to pandemics.
Walensky said she reorganized the CDC to "eliminate bureaucratic reporting layers, break down silos in the agency, promote foundational public health capabilities, and improve accountability at CDC." In addition to promoting "a decentralized framework for data reporting" to better forecast and model for local communities, she also suggests that the CDC make several changes, pictured below:
Walensky/CDC/https://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/CDC-Testimony-SSCP-6.13.23-Hearing.pdf
Walensky's written statement also pushes for the maintenance of the public health infrastructure that was built by the CDC for adults during the pandemic. She proposes adding a "robust infrastructure through a Vaccines for Adults program for uninsured persons."
Vaccines were not the only topic covered in the hearing. There was discussion about masks, school shutdowns, VAERS data, vaccinating children and pregnant women, and vaccine injury. However, what became abundantly clear during the hearing was that there was a great deal of internal conflict, confusion, and politicization of information from government health officials that prevented Americans from having a clear picture of the disease and how to respond to it.
In many cases, their inconsistent messaging with the help of the legacy media caused unnecessary fear. The politicization of public health information by government officials and their aversion to being consistent and direct with the American people undoubtedly cost many lives.
