Jonathan Weissman’s Talk on COVID-19 Vaccine Safety

Jonathan Weissman, a Cyber Security Analyst and Independent Researcher, delivered a presentation addressing concerns about the safety of COVID-19 vaccines, framed within a Christian context. He began by thanking Pastor Jon Renan Noble and the event organisers for the opportunity to discuss this significant and challenging topic. The talk focused on the safety of COVID-19 vaccines and the events leading to their widespread use, structured around four key areas: clinical trial case studies, public health trends, microscopic biological issues, and moral/theological perspectives within the church and society.

Thanks for reading Health and Truth’s Substack! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

1. Clinical Trial Case Studies: Evidence of Harm

Weissman presented five case studies of individuals who suffered severe adverse effects during COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials, contrasting these with optimistic media headlines that heralded the vaccines as a “dawn of hope” and a “shot in the arm for Britain.” Headlines such as “Hope at Last” and “A Great Day for Humanity” portrayed vaccines as messianic or monumental achievements. However, Weissman argued that the reality was far grimmer, citing the following cases:

• Maddy de Garay (Pfizer-BioNTech, Adolescent Trial, USA): A 12-year-old girl from a Christian family, previously healthy and active, participated in Pfizer’s adolescent trial. After her second dose on 20 January 2021, she experienced immediate pain at the injection site, followed by severe abdominal and chest pains, describing the latter as feeling like her “heart is being ripped out through my neck.” She suffered electrical shocks down her spine, became wheelchair-bound, and required a nasogastric tube for gastrointestinal issues. Despite these symptoms, Pfizer’s trial report claimed the vaccine was “well tolerated” with no serious vaccine-related adverse events, categorising her condition as “functional abdominal pain.”

• Augusto Roux (Pfizer-BioNTech, Adult Trial, Argentina): A 35-year-old man hospitalised after vaccination with fever, breathlessness, tachycardia, and chest pain. A CT scan confirmed pericarditis (inflammation of the heart’s pericardium). His medical records, obtained through legal action, noted a high probability of an adverse reaction to the vaccine. However, Pfizer’s trial documentation omitted this, citing psychological issues and COVID tests instead.

• Olivia Tessena (Moderna, USA): A participant in Moderna’s trial who, after doses in August and September 2020, experienced severe arm pain, fever, fatigue, neurological symptoms, and severe headaches. She required multiple shoulder surgeries and lymph node removal due to disfigurement, later developing T-cell lymphoma and leukaemia. Her doctor’s notes confirmed a vaccine-related adverse event, yet this was not reflected in Moderna’s trial reports.

• Brianne Dressen (AstraZeneca, USA): A fit woman in the AstraZeneca trial (not approved in the USA) who, after her dose in November 2020, suffered double vision, chronic nausea, brain fog, profound weakness, and autoimmune nerve damage (chronic demyelinating polyneuropathy). She experienced severe sensitivity to light, sound, and touch, accruing significant medical bills. She described feeling “electrocuted from head to toe” within an hour of injection. Her symptoms were not acknowledged in trial reports.

• Clayton Louis de Oliveira Sousa (AstraZeneca, Brazil): A young man with controlled diabetes, previously fit, developed epilepsy, encephalitis, and seizures after his second dose in November 2020. He was hospitalised for months, requiring lifelong antiepileptic medication. Doctors concluded the vaccine likely caused his injuries, but this was not reported in trial documentation.

Weissman argued that these cases, supported by doctors’ notes, reveal a pattern of severe harm being downplayed or omitted in pharmaceutical companies’ trial reports, despite clear evidence of adverse reactions.

2. Public Health Trends: A Global Perspective

Weissman examined macro-level public health trends post-vaccine rollout, questioning whether global health has improved or deteriorated. He cited several sources suggesting a rise in adverse health outcomes:

• USA (V-Safe and VAERS): The V-Safe system, with 10.1 million registered users, reported that 7.7% (782,000 people) required medical attention after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) recorded significantly higher mortality reports for COVID-19 vaccines in 2021 (21,000) and 2022 (9,102) compared to other vaccines (526 and 368, respectively), indicating an unprecedented signal of concern.

• Germany (Health Insurance Data): A director at BKK Pro Vita published an open letter in Die Welt (February 2022), reporting that 4–5% of insured individuals required medical treatment for vaccine side effects, aligning with US V-Safe data. Extrapolated to Germany’s population, this suggests 2.5–3 million people affected, far exceeding the Paul Ehrlich Institute’s estimate of 250,000. Techniker Krankenkasse reported a 40% increase in claims among 18–49-year-olds in 2021, with 1 in 25 clients needing treatment for vaccine side effects (approximately 4%).

• Japan (Cancer Mortality): A retracted study, “Increased Age-Adjusted Cancer Mortality After the Third mRNA-Lipid Nanoparticle Vaccine Dose During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan,” found statistically significant increases in cancer mortality (e.g., ovarian, pancreatic, leukaemia) in 2021 and 2022, correlating with vaccine rollout. The study suggested a possible link, warranting further research, but was retracted after criticism that correlation did not prove causation. Dr. Yasufumi Murakami, a professor at Tokyo University of Science, analysed a database of 18 million Japanese citizens and found that higher vaccine doses correlated with earlier mortality, peaking 3–4 months post-vaccination, unlike the unvaccinated population, which showed no such pattern.

• USA (Insurance Data): Insurers OneAmerica and Lincoln National reported a 40% increase in death rates among 18–64-year-olds in 2021 and a 163% increase in group life insurance payouts, respectively, alongside rises in disability claims. These trends were absent in 2020, suggesting a post-vaccine effect.

Weissman drew a parallel with the Vioxx scandal (1999–2004), where Merck withheld data on cardiovascular risks, leading to an estimated 88,000–139,000 heart attacks and 30,000–55,000 deaths. Whistleblower Dr. David Graham exposed this, highlighting the challenges of confronting pharmaceutical misconduct. Weissman argued that similar patterns of harm and suppression are evident with COVID-19 vaccines.

3. Microscopic Analysis: Biological and Manufacturing Issues

Weissman explored specific biological and manufacturing concerns with the vaccines:

• DNA Contamination (Pfizer/Moderna): Researcher Kevin McKernan found high levels of plasmid DNA contamination in mRNA vaccines, exceeding regulatory limits, due to the use of E. coli as a cost-effective replication vector. This DNA includes an SV40 promoter (not disclosed to regulators), which could drive DNA into cell nuclei, potentially causing chromosomal issues, chronic inflammation, or cancer via the cGAS-STING pathway. The cleaner PCR-based method used in trials was not replicated in mass production, increasing contamination risks.

• Human Host Cell Protein (AstraZeneca): AstraZeneca’s vaccine uses a human cell line (HEK-293) derived from a 1970s aborted foetus. A German study found that 44–71% of the vaccine’s protein content was human protein from this cell line, not the intended adenovirus. This raises moral concerns for Christians and potential immunological risks, as inferior testing methods (e.g., sheep/goat antibodies) failed to detect these contaminants during trials.

• Calamari Clots: Weissman discussed unusual fibrous clots reported by embalmers, distinct in texture and size. A 2022 Swedish study proposed that the spike protein, when mixed with neutrophil elastase, forms amyloid-like fibrils, disrupting the natural clotting process (fibrinogen to fibrin, normally broken down by plasmin). These fibrils create resistant clots, supported by 2025 research from Kevin McKen (distinct from McKernan), who used electron microscopy and fluorescence staining to confirm amyloid-fibrin structures in clots from living patients. These clots, resistant to degradation, may contribute to cardiovascular issues and resemble amyloid-related conditions like Alzheimer’s.

• IgG4 Class-Switching: Studies show that repeated mRNA vaccinations (especially Moderna, with a higher dose) lead to IgG4 class-switching, reducing antibody functionality. This impairs phagocytosis, cellular cytotoxicity, and the complement system, rendering antibodies less effective. Unvaccinated individuals do not exhibit this, questioning the reliance on antibody counts as an efficacy endpoint in adolescent trials.

4. Moral and Theological Perspectives

Weissman critiqued the endorsement of vaccines by Christian leaders, contrasting this with biblical principles:

• Church Leaders’ Views: Leaders like Francis Collins (former NIH director), Pope Francis, Justin Welby (Archbishop of Canterbury), Patriarch Bartholomew I, and Franklin Graham endorsed vaccines as a moral duty, framing them as a “love your neighbour” act or a divine gift. Weissman noted that Franklin Graham underwent heart surgery for pericarditis in November 2021, a known vaccine side effect.

• Biblical Perspective: Citing Matthew 9:12 (“Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick”) and Clement of Alexandria (c. 198 AD), Weissman argued that healthy individuals do not require medical intervention. Vaccines, as prophylactics for the healthy, invert this paradigm. In Matthew 22:21 (“Render to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s”), he posited that while taxes belong to the state, the body, made in God’s image, belongs to God. The Jerusalem Council (Acts 15) lists no medical mandates, suggesting vaccination is not a scriptural obligation.

• Moral Concerns: The use of aborted foetal cell lines in AstraZeneca’s vaccine raises ethical issues for Christians, compounded by undisclosed contaminants like SV40 promoters and human proteins.

Conclusion

Weissman concluded that the evidence—clinical trial harms, public health trends, biological contaminants, and amyloid clots—suggests significant safety concerns with COVID-19 vaccines, downplayed by pharmaceutical companies and regulators. The church’s endorsement lacks scriptural grounding, and Christians should not be compelled to vaccinate, as it is not a moral or biblical mandate. He encouraged further exploration via his website (alltherisks.com) and thanked the audience.