Pastors to PM: Vaccinated will become threat to unvaccinated

Pastor Lennox Grant of the religious group TT Response, which represents several full gospel churches in the Christian community, says he fears vaccinated individuals will soon become a threat to those who choose to refuse taking covid19 vaccines.

Grant was speaking at a virtual news conference from the Redemption Christian Centre TT in Port of Spain on Tuesday.

He is calling on the Prime Minister to clarify statements made during his covid19 news conference on Saturday where he said someone who is unvaccinated is a threat because the virus “loves” that person.

Grant said Dr Rowley’s statement has the potential to incite the vaccinated to hate, and treat with contempt, the unvaccinated.

“Vaccinated people look at you with scorn because they feel something is wrong with you.”

He said when more are vaccinated, they could become violent against those who are not.

“There are laws in place in various countries to protect homosexuals and lesbians from homophobia. Will there be laws to protect the unvaccinated from the vaccinated?”

Grant said the country is already divided along racial and political lines and this will only serve to drive another wedge in the society.

TT Response also called on Rowley to say whether those who choose not to take the vaccine because of their religious convictions will be penalised in the workplace by being separated into different departments.

He said Rowley’s “Vaccinate to operate" mandate would embolden the private sector to refuse employment to the unvaccinated, affecting young people coming out of university and trade schools.

Grant said the reverse of the Prime Minister’s statement is actually true.

“The unvaccinated are being harmed by the vaccinated through a mechanism known in medical circles as ‘shedding’.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says vaccine shedding is the term used to describe the release or discharge of any of the vaccine components in or outside of the body.

It said vaccine shedding can only happen when a vaccine contains a weakened version of the virus. None of the covid19 vaccines approved for use contain a live virus.

“Vaccine components are not shed by covid19 vaccines, so it is not possible for any of the vaccine components to accumulate in the body’s tissue or organs, including the ovaries,” the CDC said.

But Grant said there have been “well documented” reports of women miscarrying, bleeding, developing blood clots along with other health issues such as cardio arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat) and cardiomyopathy (a disease of the heart muscle).

“Some are saying the covid19 vaccines are actually bio weapons. We would like the Prime Minister to retract his statement unless he can produce medical and scientific evidence that he can prove that his statement is true.”

Response TT president Dr Victor Gill urged Rowley to explain to the public how the mandate would affect the unvaccinated.

“Mr Prime Minister, are you saying to this nation, to the private sector, that it is ok to fire its employees if they refuse to vaccinate? Don’t these people have a right to say what goes into their bodies?

“What are your plans for those citizens who, based on their constitutional right and religious conviction, have chosen not to vaccinate?”

Gill advocated for the controversial drug Ivermectin, which he said is being used in countries around the world in the fight against covid19.

“The world and the citizens of this nation are waking up to the truth which is increasingly becoming common knowledge that there is an efficacious cure for covid19 and it is called Ivermectin.

“Why is our government not speaking about Ivermectin and not making it available to the people of this country? Why are people dying in huge numbers when there is a cure?”

The World Health Organization, in a statement in March, said current evidence on the use of Ivermectin to treat covid19 patients is inconclusive.

“Until more data is available, WHO recommends that the drug only be used within clinical trials.”

The position was supported by the Caribbean Public Health Agency (Carpha).

Gill said, from what he has heard the only reason why many have not died from the virus is because it is being sold on the black market in Trinidad and Tobago.

“If there is any decrease in the spike in this season, that might be one of the reasons.”

When asked to provide the research to support the claims about the effectiveness of the drug, and further details about the shedding mechanism, Gill said TT Response would arrange for another press conference to present the research.

“We have done our research, probably more than some of the ministers, but we can defend that if Ivermectin has been kept down it had been done disingenuously.”

Newsday attempted to reach the TT Medical Association for comment but did not receive a response.