Covid Inquiry accused of burying evidence questioning child vaccine rollout
The Covid Inquiry has been accused of suppressing evidence that called into question the ethics of the vaccine rollout during the pandemic.
As reported by The Telegraph, doctors and medical professionals who were asked to submit evidence have criticised the inquiry for failing to publish their witness statements on the jabs rollout during the virus crisis, claiming that their contributions simply disappeared into a “black hole” instead.
They had told the inquiry that there was “never any justification for authorising or recommending the use in healthy children of novel technology gene-based vaccines with no long-term safety data”.
However, these statements were not included in the Module 4 report into vaccines, prompting accusations that the inquiry is “completely closing its eyes to the inconvenient narratives”.
The Telegraph previously reported how the inquiry came under criticism for justifying the Government’s covert monitoring of lockdown critics as “lawful, necessary and proportionate”.
Dr Ros Jones, convenor of the Children’s Covid Vaccines Advisory Council, a group of health professionals and scientists who challenged the Government over the vaccine rollout for children, was among those invited to give evidence.
She wrote in her witness statement that there was “never any justification for authorising or recommending the use in healthy children of novel technology gene-based vaccines with no long-term safety data”.
“To give such vaccines to children for the possible protection of vulnerable adults is a clear breach of our ethical duty,” she had argued.
However, her evidence was not referred to, nor was it published alongside the Module 4 report into vaccines.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Dr Jones claimed: “I think they asked us as a way to shut us up – I don’t think they really wanted to hear from anyone who had a different view.
“They just do not want the public to realise there is a body of knowledge and experienced senior professionals in the UK and countries across the world who have major questions about the safety of the whole technology.”
Dr Jones claimed the inquiry told her that they only publish witness statements and documents “if they are formally adduced during the hearings and/or when the Chair is preparing her report”, adding: “Your witness statement does not form part of the adduced material and will not therefore be published.”
Dr Elizabeth Evans, chief executive of the UK Medical Freedom Alliance which campaigns for medical ethics and informed consent, also submitted evidence after receiving requests.
But she claimed that her witness statement, which raised ethical questions about the vaccine rollout, had disappeared into a “black hole”.
The inquiry has previously been threatened with legal action amid claims it is biased in favour of lockdowns and has a “predetermined view” of Britain’s pandemic response.
UsForThem, a children’s rights campaign group, wrote to the inquiry to demand that it alter its scope to ensure that harms caused by lockdowns are properly examined and that consideration is given to state censorship by the government’s disinformation unit.
Molly Kingsley, co-chairman of UsForThem, said: “I don’t think it looks good to suppress issues around vaccines, especially given the level of public distrust following the pandemic.
“You have to allow for a range of views – masking them and shrouding them in further secrecy is only going to increase mistrust. The inquiry is completely closing its eyes to the inconvenient narratives. It has been one-sided and wilfully blind from the outset.”
Under Rule 9 of the Inquiry Act 2005, a public inquiry chair can make a formal request in writing to a person whom the inquiry wants to take evidence from. However, the inquiry chair has discretion over which evidence to publish, including evidence requested under a Rule 9 request.
The Covid Inquiry published its Module 4 report into vaccines and therapeutics earlier this year. It concluded that the rollout of around 132 million Covid-19 jabs across the country was an “extraordinary feat” and praised the success of the vaccine rollout, saying: “Effective vaccines were developed, produced and delivered to the majority of the population in record time.”
In the 274-page analysis, Baroness Hallett, the inquiry chairman, said: “For the vast majority of the UK, the vaccines protected people against the most serious effects of Covid-19 and saved lives. They also played an important role in reducing the spread of the virus.”
Her report noted that some people who experienced vaccine-related injuries and attempted to share their experiences online had their “concerns ... labelled as misinformation”.
Lady Hallett added: “The inquiry accepts the need to ensure that action taken to tackle misinformation and disinformation does not silence members of the public expressing genuine concern.”
An inquiry spokesman said: “The UK Covid-19 Inquiry has the broadest scope of any previous UK public inquiry. Since starting its work in June 2022, it has gathered more than 600,000 pieces of evidence to help inform its investigations.
“The inquiry publishes witness statements that are entered into evidence during or after the inquiry’s hearings. The inquiry publishes evidence that the chair considers sufficiently relevant to its hearings and reports. It does not comment on material which is not sufficiently relevant to be published.
“Those who provide the inquiry with a witness statement are not prevented from publishing their statement after the relevant hearings have concluded. The inquiry has so far published four reports, with its fifth – investigating procurement during the pandemic – to be released next month.”
Politics Editor
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