At the beginning of the C-19 pandemic (i.e., before the rollout of the mass vaccination program), the rapid asymptomatic spread of the SARS-CoV-2 wild-type (Wuhan-Hu-1) strain was accompanied by a rapidly growing wave of acute C-19 disease and hospitalizations, primarily affecting the vulnerable parts of the population.
At this stage of the immune escape pandemic, we're witnessing the prolonged asymptomatic spread of highly infectious variants among C-19 vaccinated individuals, accompanied by an extended wave of chronic disease and hospitalizations.
Only those with a superficial understanding of science perceive this phase as the post-pandemic endemic stage. True endemicity occurs when the virus seasonally resurfaces due to a collective decline in natural immunity (herd immunity), combined with increased infectious pressure (e.g., due to prolonged viral survival in colder temperatures and more indoor activities). However, to achieve herd immunity, chronic asymptomatic transmission would need to first transition into a hyperacute phase of high viral virulence. This transition would be necessary to eliminate individuals who cannot contribute to herd immunity due to vaccine-induced immune dysfunction.
Geert Vanden Bossche received his DVM from the University of Ghent, Belgium, and his PhD degree in Virology from the University of Hohenheim, Germany. He held adjunct faculty appointments at universities in Belgium and Germany. After his career in Academia, Geert joined several vaccine companies (GSK Biologicals, Novartis Vaccines, Solvay Biologicals) to serve various roles in vaccine R&D as well as in late vaccine development.
Geert then moved on to join the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Global Health Discovery team in Seattle (USA) as Senior Program Officer; he then worked with the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) in Geneva as Senior Ebola Program Manager. At GAVI he tracked efforts to develop an Ebola vaccine. He also represented GAVI in fora with other partners, including WHO, to review progress on the fight against Ebola and to build plans for global pandemic preparedness.
Back in 2015, Geert scrutinized and questioned the safety of the Ebola vaccine that was used in ring vaccination trials conducted by WHO in Guinea. His critical scientific analysis and report on the data published by WHO in the Lancet in 2015 was sent to all international health and regulatory authorities involved in the Ebola vaccination program. After working for GAVI, Geert joined the German Center for Infection Research in Cologne as Head of the Vaccine Development Office. He is at present primarily serving as a Biotech / Vaccine consultant while also conducting his own research on Natural Killer cell-based vaccines.
Email: info@voiceforscienceandsolidarity.org
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