I have been a speaker for some pharmaceutical companies who make medications to treat people suffering from Multiple Sclerosis. This past week I received my 2022 agreement from Biogen, to continue as a speaker in 2022. I have been speaking for Biogen for over a decade. During that time I have helped many patients to learn about treatment options for MS. I also have been able to teach general neurologists about the rapidly changing treatment options for their patients with MS. I provide education to patients, their families, and physicians who treat MS, improving the lives of people suffering from MS.
Sadly, I am resigning from the speaker bureau at Biogen, because they are making it mandatory for speakers to be vaccinated, or to be tested for COVID-19 before speaking engagements.
None of the other companies I speak for are requiring vaccinations or testing to continue being a speaker. Attendees at speaker programs are NOT required to be vaccinated, or tested to attend.
Biogen says the reason is because of the mandate handed down by the Biden administration requiring vaccinations for all affiliates of companies who do business with the federal government. To my knowledge, this mandate was held up by an injunction issued by the Fifth Federal Court of Appeals, on November 6th, 2021, one day after the mandate was handed down. Employees of Biogen are required to be vaccinated to keep their jobs. I know personally of Biogen employees who had the choice of being vaccinated, or losing their jobs. They had to decide if they would accept the vaccination, and it’s risks, or not be able to feed their families. This is horrifying.
There is no question that the vaccination reduces the risk of hospitalization, or death from COVID-19. There is also no question that vaccination DOES NOT PREVENT one from getting COVID-19, or more importantly, FROM TRANSMITTING COVID-19 to other people. There is no exemption for people who have recovered from COVID-19, and have blood test evidence of immunity to COVID-19! If the goal of vaccination is to produce antibodies, and one already has them, why are we requiring people who are already immune to get vaccinated? Who will compensate the family of a person who dies, or a person who gets sick from the vaccine?
I spoke to high level employees of Biogen. They tell me that their lawyers made this decision. Since vaccinations do not prevent spreading COVID-19, why is anybody being mandated to accept the vaccination? Ok, you may ask why not just be tested before programs? Recently, a company called Ellume, who produce home COVID-19 test kits, had 2 million test kits recalled-because of false positive test results. There are many false negative COVID-19 tests as well. Why should healthy people be required to take any test? We don’t mandate flu vaccinations, or tests before speaker programs. If a speaker is sick, they should stay home and not attend the program. If attendees are not required to be tested, or vaccinated, speakers should not be required to either. People are not forced to attend speaker programs. They come voluntarily, understanding that there is a risk of infection any time they leave their house-or even staying at home with family/friends.
I believe Biogen, and the federal government are taking the wrong approach to this issue. If enough of the American population say enough to masks, economic shutdowns, and mandates, they will disappear. Healthy people have a mortality rate from COVID-19 infection of 0.2%. That’s right, 99.8% of healthy people infected with COVID-19 survive their infection. I am not an anti-vaxer. I believe in vaccinations. I believe however, that people should be given the choice to decide for themselves if they want to be vaccinated. These vaccines carry significant risks. Death, myocarditis (inflammation of the heart), clotting disorders, neurologic disorders (e.g., Guillian-Barre Syndrome), and many other risks. These risks are being ignored by the CDC, and the media, in their zest to vaccinate everybody. Who is being protected by having others vaccinated? ONLY the person vaccinated. Given the fact that vaccinations DO NOT stop one from spreading COVID-19 to others, I believe it is wrong to force anybody into having a vaccination for COVID-19. The fact that so many scientists are silent on this matter is shocking. The fact that nobody from the CDC is being honest about all this, suggests to me that they are being paid off by pharmaceutical companies to mandate vaccinations. How many politicians invested in Pfizer, in Moderna, in Johnson & Johnson in 2020? How much money did Rachel Wolinsky, MD (director of the CDC) get paid to lie to us? She has repeatedly said we should all be vaccinated to protect others. Why are congress, and the US Postal Service being excluded from the mandate? If it’s good enough for us, why isn’t it good enough for them? They did the same thing with the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). Congress, and their staffers were excluded, and given Cadillac type health insurance policies FOR LIFE.
We do not protect others by getting vaccinated. I don’t hear this statement by the CDC, by the World Health Organization, by the White House, or by companies who make the vaccines. Why not?
The end result here is we are losing our freedoms. Masks have never been scientifically proven to stop spread of COVID-19. Economic shutdowns did not work, but did hurt millions of people. I would love to continue to be a speaker for Biogen, but I will not be forced to accept a vaccine I don’t want, or need. I worked during this entire pandemic, and saw patients in my office every day. We used to be “heroes”. Now, we are dispensable. I got infected with COVID-19 in December of 2020, and recovered. I have blood test evidence of immunity to COVID-19. That means NOTHING to those people who insist everybody get jabbed. I will not take that risk. I am a doctor, and understand the risk/benefit ratio. I don’t need anybody to force me into a treatment I don’t want. Decisions like this need to be made in the privacy of a doctor-patient relationship-not by a heavy handed federal government.
I welcome your comments. Feel free to email me at my office.
Dr. Gitt