ANOTHER DOCTOR’S TAKE ON COVID-19 SITUATION
In recent days, a message by another doctor has been circulating on WhatsApp, where he talks about the use of mRNA vaccines, saying that they are ineffective in tackling the B1617 coronavirus variant that was first detected in India.
The message originated from Dr Gabriel Oon Chong Jin, a retired oncologist who is a pioneer in liver cancer research here.
Dr Oon, 82, played a key role in Singapore’s hepatitis B vaccination programme that began in the late 1970s. Hepatitis B is a liver infection caused by a virus.
When contacted by TODAY on Friday, Dr Oon, who last practised at Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre, confirmed that the content of the message was from him.
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In the message, he wrote that mutations in the spike protein of the coronavirus causing Covid-19 has altered its antigenicity — or its ability to bind to cell walls.
The spike protein is the part of the virus that it uses to penetrate human cells so that it can bind with the cells more effectively and cause infection.
When the antigenicity changes, vaccines that use the new mRNA technology such as Pfizer-BioNTech cannot recognise the mutant variant such as the B1617 one.
Only a vaccine such as Sinovac that has an inactivated virus “with all its seven antigens” can still produce an immune response even when one antigen of the active invading virus is affected by mutation, Dr Oon wrote.
He added that the B1617 variant had successfully infected vaccinated frontliners and airport staff members, as well as school children in Singapore.
“Pfizer is useless now and obsolete in the presence of mutations on (the) spike gene,” the message read.
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He also said in the message that “China vaccines” can overcome the B1617 variant and that he had written in to the authorities to consider using Sinovac.
The Sinovac vaccine may be suitable for children, and even babies, but at a lowered dosage, he added.
When asked by TODAY to comment more about his concerns, Dr Oon stressed again that mRNA vaccines are “useless” against the B1617 mutant and that the variant should be seen as a “new infection”.
“I would say it is a time of emergency, a time to change and use another vaccine such as Sinovac, which we already have in stock,” he said, referring to the shipment of the vaccine Singapore received in February and pending approval for use here.
Dr Oon continued: “If we keep vaccinating people with mRNA vaccines like Pfizer, we are endangering the lives of so many people around us who will still get infected, not to mention the person who is vaccinated."
It is a doctor's duty to call immediately for a change of treatment if it is not working for a patient who has a life-threatening condition, he said by way of example.
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In offering his views on Covid-19, he said: “I did it for the love of my country and humanity.”
Dr Oon’s circulated message on WhatsApp mentioned that he had reached out to various Cabinet ministers, including Health Minister Ong Ye Kung, on the mRNA vaccines and Sinovac.
Dr Oon confirmed that he had done this, at around the time news broke of the B1617 variant.
He declined to give more details on the recommendations he proposed to the Government as mentioned in the message.
TODAY understands that MOH is aware of Dr Oon’s circulated message since last month and had addressed some of his concerns in the same statement last month issued regarding the open letter by the doctors to parents.
That statement did not address Dr Oon’s concerns on how effective mRNA vaccines are on mutated variants.
Read more at
https://www.todayonline.com/singapo...ne-fees-selected-vaccine-takers-be-reimbursed