Recently Prof. Dr. Günter Kampf, a German specialist in hygiene and environmental medicine from University of Greifswald went on the record in The Lancet that vilifying the unvaccinated is a disingenuous and dangerous approach to combating the COVID-19 pandemic. TrialSite has communicated to this growing worldwide audience that overcoming the pandemic isn’t as simple as universal vaccination—that solution isn’t working and will not work for several important reasons—it is far too simplistic a point of view suggests Dr. Kampf and imply that the vaccinated aren’t relevant in the epidemiological investigation which of course is nonsense. The net result of such phrases reinforced by academics such as Goldman in “the unvaccinated threaten the vaccinated for COVID-19” encourage exponential messaging by the critically exploitative mainstream, corporate media. But could the answer be so simple given all that we know? Hardly not. Moreover Dr. Kamp raises the specter of past stigmatization campaigns in places like America and Germany—they don’t have positive outcomes.
After all, Kampf emphasizes “There is increasing evidence that vaccinated individuals continue to have a relevant role in transmission.” Of course, TrialSite has covered approaching a dozen studies demonstrating vaccine durability challenges along with other factors that raise the specter far more complicated issues with the vaccines.
What’s Kampf’s basis for critique?
Kampf includes evidence from the State of Massachusetts noting that 469 new COVID-19 cases were identified during various events in July, 2021. Of those 346 (74%) involved either fully or partially vaccinated persons and 274 (79%) who were symptomatic.
Reporting low cycle threshold values among both vaccinated (median of 22.8) and unvaccinated persons as well as not fully vaccinated or those whose vaccination status wasn’t certain (21.5) overall indicated a high viral load among all. Again a number of studies now reveal that a combination of more virulent SARS-CoV-2 strain (delta) plus waning effectiveness compounds a situation involving breakthrough infections.
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Kamp notes that in America by April 30, 2021 10,262 COVID-19 cases involving vaccinated persons reveal 2725 (26.6%) asymptomatic, 995 (9.7%) hospitalized and 160 (1.6%) deaths. While Kampf writes about Germany, 55.4% of symptomatic COVID-19 cases in patients 60 years of age and up occurred in fully vaccinated people. The author argues the proportion of breakthrough cases grows by the week.
He cites an example in a Munster, Germany nightclub involving 380 patrons: at least 85 (22%) of the visitors who were infected happened to also be fully vaccinated.
Recent Study
Recently published in MDPI Hygiene, Dr. Kampf’s systematic review of studies and data indicates that vaccinated persons can still be a source of SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Of course, numerous other studies are revealing this fact as well. Of course vaccination does help reduce a worsening of the condition but it isn’t stopping the spread of the pathogen—a fundamental underpinning for the vaccinated vs. unvaccinated false dichotomy.
Benefits of Vaccination. But…
Kampf acknowledges that the COVID-19 vaccines are reducing the levels of serious disease, hospitalization and thus death but he emphasizes those that are fully vaccinated “are still a relevant part of the pandemic.”
However the vaccination isn’t leading to a universal end to the pandemic, in part because the vaccines are not perfect. Nor is any vaccine perfect. Just as a flu shot cannot eliminate influenza strains nor will SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, particularly version 1.0 products, stop the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Continuing Kampf shared some important wisdom:
“It is therefore wrong and dangerous to speak of the pandemic of the unvaccinated. Historically, both the USA and Germany have engendered negative experiences by stigmatizing parts of the population for their skin color or religion. I call on high-level officials and scientists to stop the inappropriate stigmatization of unvaccinated people, who include our patients, colleagues, and other fellow citizens, and to put extra effort into bringing society together.”