Unreported Truths About Covid-19 and Lockdowns: Part 4: Vaccines

by Alex Berenson

Former New York Times reporter Alex Berenson turns to the most controversial aspect of the coronavirus epidemic - vaccinations - in the fourth installment of the best-selling Unreported Truths series. When Pfizer and Moderna announced in November that their mRNA vaccines had cut coronavirus infections by 95 percent with few side effects, the world rejoiced. But in the months since, the truth has proven to be far more complex. Countries like Israel and Britain have seen sharp short-term spikes in coronavirus cases and deaths following the beginning of mass vaccination campaigns, and many people have reported severe side effects after being vaccinated. Yet media outlets and public health authorities have largely ignored any potential risks as they encourage everyone, even young people at almost no risk from Covid, to be vaccinated. Berenson offers a more nuanced perspective, explaining both the risks and benefits of the new Covid vaccines - with a focus on the risks, since those have not been covered. Like earlier Unreported Truths booklets, Part 4 draws on verifiable and checkable sources, including government documents, scientific papers, and news articles. It will give you a new perspective on the pros and cons of these new vaccines - and the truthful and accurate information you will not find anywhere else. Please This booklet contains only the fourth section of Unreported Truths. The earlier sections are available separately.

Genres: Nonfiction, Health, Science, History, Politics

39 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 22, 2021

Reviews

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't let the title raise your hackles. This was a very unbiased and informative read. Its hard to find accurate information when trying to truly educate yourself. Berenson simply did the research and reported the facts with resources noted. Its important to know what you may or may not be getting into.

[Henry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Provides information which you can consider with much other information and then make up your own mind.

[Eric Bozinny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great deep dive

A short but detailed examination of the COVID vaccines. It amazes me how Berenson gets hammered in the media for just asking questions and pointing out problems in the clinical data. 40 years ago, science journalists would dig deep to at least keep the drug companies honest. But today, journalists don’t want to rock the boat. Even if the vaccines ultimately prove to be safe and effective (only time will tell), Berenson is right (and seemingly the only writer) to face the tsunami of political orthodoxy head on.

[Brian]

I highly recommend reading Berenson’s COVID-19 books in light of this article: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/arc...

[Tierney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Covid

Very informative. Making me think as I am an older adult. Didn't know about the period between each dose. Glad to know better statistic during trials. Less efficacy in older adult, etc

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informational

I learned more in an hour about how these “vaccines” were developed than was reported by all the news agencies for an entire year.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is no definitive answer to vaccine safety for YOU

Great read, very interesting, but a breakdown by age, race, etc. at the end on the absolute tally of risks vs benefits would have been helpful. As well as the J&J vaccine info since that is the only one that uses only one shot and many problems seem to occur after the second shot for the other vaccines.

[Christian Muntean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rare objective view. No praise or demonization.

Worth the read. Essentially it's a literature review of the barebones research that exists on the efficacy of the covid19 vaccines. Specifically, the Moderns and Pfizer ones. Summary:The vaccines seem to be somewhat effective but mostly with the lowrisk population with whom there are also side effects. It wasn't tested on the high risk population -the ones who really need this. So, it's not clear if there is truly a net gain aside from a social placebo and politics. And objectivity by anyone seems to be discouraged.

A win was wanted, so a win was declared. We don't know yet if the vaccines are a win. Or if the disease warrants the stress.

[Steve Hays · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick read discussing actual side effects and data of Covid Vaccines

If you’re looking for detailed information about the development, approval, distribution, or side effects of the Pfizer and Moderna covid vaccines, this short booklet is a great source for it. It’s not anti-vaxxer pamphlet, it doesn’t fear monger, and it doesn’t give any calls to action to abandon the vaccines.

It’s simply information. Discussing covid infection rates, vaccination rates, side effects, and how everything ties together.

Highly recommend this because you’re probably not going to read this elsewhere.

[Priscilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book, but stories may worry you

So, I read this book. I read the other three and I kind of wish a 5th installment would be written on school closure and the heath if students.
But this book, i almost wish I did not read it. I am now super worried about people who I know who got the jab. Its just, idk, some of them have gotten VERY sick since getting them. I dont know how to explain it and now I just want to wait until 2023 or 2024 to get anything. I just want to be sure. Seeing the accounts of what happened to people after getting the shot really scared me.
I've had so many shots, SO MANY, and I never got sick, no headache, nothing. The shots were almost fun. But this shot? People taking a week off for feeling sick?
Its too weird. I love the book but I am so scared now.

[Kim McDonough · Rating 5 out of 5]

Common sense discussion of the COVID vaccines

As in his other booklets on this topic (COVID) Berenson delves into the data and concerns that most other journalists and media outlets ignore. After reading, however, I can’t say if I am more or less inclined to take one of the Coronavirus vaccines. The only piece missing, which Berenson admits, is a discussion of the J&J version. Still, this is a well-researched, fairly-presented, understandable booklet, and I recommend it to anyone seeking truthful information (which is sorely lacking in the mainstream media) on the Corona vaccines. Thanks, Alex, for doing the research for us and courageously speaking out over the past year to get this information to the public.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Required Reading

As in the three prior books, Alex documents all claims with links to supporting data. The "vaccines", mRNA injections, have sides effects that the media is glossing over. VAERS is having an alarming number of entries yet pro-vax individuals claim the issues aren't definitively from the shot. Proceed with caution & realize the current offerings to address C19 are still in trial.

[Steven H · Rating 1 out of 5]

BERENSON’S PROJECTED “FINAL INSTALLMENT” IN THIS SERIES

Alex Berenson is the author of many ‘spy novels,’ who previously worked for the New York Times as a business investigative reporter.

He wrote in the Foreword to this 2020 book, “Welcome to the fourth---and likely final---instalment of Unreported Truths. If I had time, I would write more booklets: about flaws in PCR testing and how they have made the pandemic appear worse than it is; about the harm done by school closures and the way teachers’ unions have used COVID to hurt children… But I don’t have time. I have a book called ‘PANDEMIA’ to write, and it is due all-too-soon. And we seem to be leaving the crisis phase of the pandemic behind. The winter spike has come and gone in the United States and almost everywhere else. With luck, we will have no big spring or summer spike, and even the most panicked among us will begin to resume their lives.

“I started writing the Unreported Truths… [because] I wanted to speak out about the unfolding crisis I saw---a crisis created less by the pandemic than by our panicked response to it… Now I need to step back and write about something a little less basic… We need to think about whether what we have done makes any sense, and how to make sure we don’t make the same mistakes next time. Because there will be a next time. So I will be laying off Twitter a bit (I hope) and devoting my energies to PANDEMIA. But I first needed to write this Unreported Truths about vaccines…. I am far from an anti-vaxxer. But I believe we should have looked harder at the pros and cons of these new vaccines… before we decided to push them on eight billion people around the world.”

He clarifies, “I am not a vaccine denier… I was vaccinated as a kid. Our children have gotten their shots on schedule, with no ill effects other than a few tears. I don’t personally know anyone who has ever suffered any negative effects from childhood vaccines. I acknowledge I have not studied the risks of childhood vaccines in any detail… But I suspect rising reported rates of autism---sometimes blamed on vaccines---are more likely tied to changes in the way we label children with developmental problems. Autism diagnoses have soared in recent decades. But diagnoses of mental retardation … have plunged. The switch suggests that some children who once might have been categorized as having retardation are now called autistic… So I am not an anti-vaxxer. (I write this knowing that I have disappointed many of my natural allies on this issue.)” (Pg. 4-5)

He explains, “If you’ve read earlier sections of Unreported Truths, you know I believe cloth and surgical masks do not protect their wearers from COVID. Anyone who says otherwise is ignoring decades of research. In November, a study of thousands of people in Denmark proved that masks did not reduce coronavirus infections in people who wore them. Similarly, I think lockdowns generally do more harm than good. Let me be clear: The situation with vaccines is different. We have evidence that the mRNA and other vaccines DO work, at least to reduce mild or moderate infections. How? Pfizer and other vaccine makers all tested their shots in double-blinded, randomized clinical trials. Those trials are the best way to judge whether a drug or vaccine works.” (Pg. 8)

He continues, “The biggest problem with the COVID vaccines is how little evidence we have that their OVERALL benefits outweigh their OVERALL risks… That’s especially true for people under 50, who face a low risk of serious illness or death from OVID but often suffer severe short-term side effects after being vaccinated. People over 70 are at higher risk from COVID and appear somewhat less likely to suffer severe side effects from the vaccines. For them, the most important caveat is how well the vaccines will actually protect them… [We] know older people generally make fewer antibodies than younger people. What about the older people who need the most protection from COVID, people over 80? The companies didn’t disclose anything specific about how people that age responded to their vaccines…” (Pg. 9)

He asks, “Why did so few people die in the trials if COVID has really killed more than 500,000 Americans…? Because both companies tested their vaccines mostly on healthy people and those under 65. They included only a few elderly people with serious medical conditions, who are the people far more likely to die from COVID than anyone else… Regulators could have made the companies test the vaccines on more older people. But they didn’t. Instead they focused on making sure the trials were racially diverse.” (Pg. 11)

He argues, “the media focus on unsolicited events ignored the fact that the rates of SOLICITED adverse events were far higher in vaccinated people. Pfizer reported almost 80 percent of people who received the vaccine had pain or swelling where they were injected…Of course, a sore arm is not life-threatening. And for most people the pain faded within a couple of days. But rates of ‘systemic’ solicited events---like fever, nausea, or diarrhea---were also far higher in people who received the vaccine.” (Pg. 23)

He cites the cases of two women who died not long after receiving the vaccine, and states, “Maybe these deaths were mere coincidences. Maybe one or both of these women would have died anyway. Maybe other similar reports are coincidences too. But at the least they would appear to be worthy of serious investigation Instead the CDC dismisses them with the blanket statement that it has found ‘no evidence that vaccination contributed to patient deaths.’ The irony here is that most states classify ANY death within 30 or 60 days of a positive COVID test as being caused by the virus, even in cases were the death is obviously not linked---like someone shot to death…” (Pg. 26)

He asserts, “the same news outlets that credulously reported COVID’s potential dangers have largely refused to acknowledge the vaccine can possibly do harm… Nothing can be allowed to raise questions about the vaccines, because only the vaccines will lead us out of the mess of social distancing, empty schools, and shuttered businesses. Only the vaccines will help the millions of Americans who are afraid to leave their homes… after a year of media fearmongering… Yes, supposedly serious media outlets such as MSNBC and public health authorities … have claimed… that the mRNA and other vaccines are ‘100 percent’ effective at ending COVID hospitalizations and deaths… 100 percent effective. As in they never fail. If only.” (Pg. 29)

He concludes, “Still, the vaccines do appear to provide good protection in younger people and at least decent protection even in elderly people… But there are four big caveats: First and most importantly, much of the world had a sharp rise in cases and deaths in December and January followed by a plunge in February and March… So whatever good vaccinations have on on a national level has so far been marginal at best---and is further undone by the fact that the countries that vaccinated early had such sharp spikes in January. Second, Israeli data show that a small but significant number of older people, between 5 and 10 percent, do not become fully vaccinated. Most of these people receive the first dose but not the second, possibly because they cannot tolerate the side effects of the first does…. So looking only at the ‘fully vaccinated’ substantially overstates the effectiveness of the vaccine…Third, we don’t know how long the peak protection will last… Finally, we don’t know how many people are suffering serious side effects, so we can’t compare those harms to the benefits. With so many uncertainties, we simply so not know at this point how much the COVID vaccines… will reduce COVID deaths either in the short- or long-term.” (Pg. 34-35) He adds, “Many people who understand the real risks of COVID… just want to get on with their lives and they view the vaccine as the way out. In the coming months, the pressure to be vaccinated is only going to increase. Even raising the basic data-driven issues I have discussed in this booklet causes massive backlash… But that doesn’t make them any less real.” (Pg. 37)

Admittedly, the fast pace with which the current vaccines were developed makes one cautious. But (as of April 2021) the vaccines seem to be having a significant effect in areas that are becoming vaccinated.

[Bob Joffe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truths you won’t hear from the media

I really liked how the author provided the sources of the information he had unearthed at every turn. There have been so many declarations of COVID and vaccines that I believe the author is right that the truth lies somewhere in the middle of the extremes. My only disappointment was not getting information on the J&J vaccine from this report.

[Roland Glotzer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Again in this fourth booklet the author argues that the vaccines are not as effective as advertised because most of the testing was on younger people who are less likely to experience serious health problems. The author reports that for people above 85 effectiveness is “only” 64% which is not negligible!
The author also reports that most people experienced side effects, generally mild,but much more than flu vaccines. That in my opinion is however not a reason to discard vaccines when faced with a serious disease such as Covid19.

[Shannon Rowan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent resource for my books, however I do not know why any serious investigative journalist would NOT question ALL vaccines, not just the latest variety of quackery, as Berenson makes it clear from the get-go that he's not "anti-vax". Of course this label is meant to shutdown all criticism of vaccines, since they represent the epitome of quack medicine started by the greatest charlatan and quack of all time, Edward Jenner. But since they are also the most lucriative "medicine" known to the Rockefeller medical industry, interests in continuing to poison the masses for profit must be protected at all costs--hence the constant smear campaign against anyone who dares question the validity and the "science" of quack-cines. I am not personally "anti-vax" I am "anti-quacks" and pro-legitimate-science and pro-sanity. So I am surprised and saddened that a journalist of Berenson's caliber would not choose to openly question the legitimacy of ALL "vaccines", none of which have been proven to prevent or lessen any disease and all of which have proven to be dangerous and harmful. Of course we propagandized to believe they have eradicated so many terrible diseases however this is a gross manipulation of the facts. Vaccines only ever served to increase deaths and illness in recipients who have exhibited the same symptoms attributed to the disease meant the vaccine was meant to safeguard against. But anytime this has happened the disease is simply relabeled, so that for example people who die of smallpox due to the smallpox vaccine were listed as "chickenpox" deaths. This nonsense continues to this day, as those dying by the hundreds of thousands all around us from the "covid vaccines" with "covid" symptoms or from one of the thousands of known "adverse effects" of the vaccines, are listed as dying from other causes, often "unknown" or even "natural". And in the case of smallpox as one example, the disease itself, as holds true for many diseases throughout history, was started by conditions of overcrowding combined with malnourishment and unclean (often contaminated with human excrement) drinking water. And in cases where actually eradicated, this happened thanks to efforts to clean up drinking water, foul air and provide people with proper nourishment. But the facts of history have been intentionally obscured in order to manipulate the public into believing in the safety and efficacy of vaccine programs, all of which are simply used to sicken, weaken, injury and cull human populations, while raking in massive profits in the process. I hope that Berenson will take it upon himself to do a bit more digging into vaccine history so he can be better informed on the subject. There are many excellent books available, I would recommend "Dissolving Illusions" by Suzanne Humphries to start with.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Covid vaccines do they work? Are they safe?

Berenson pulls the data from Pfizer and Moderna's trials and asks What am I NOT seeing? The answer is a lot: we don't know if the vaccines protect the most vulnerable: over 85 yo, those who have underlying health problems, and pregnant women. Why? Because they didn't test the vaccines on the above. They used healthy, young volunteers who were at low risk for severe Covid disease anyway. So the 95% effective is meaningless if the participants are at low risk.
Side effects began as both companies began giving the second shot. Red, sore arms, fevers, chills, muscle aches,and headaches were the price many paid to be spared getting Covid. I'd rather have Covid. But neither company reported the incidence of these solicited effects. They reported similar results for unsolicited effects in both the vaccine and placebo groups. But the vaccine groups reported far more solicited effects.
In the end, now as vaccine mandates have risen to a fever pitch and boosters are required, we still don't know if they actually work for the people who need them the most.

[Kico Meirelles · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fourth booklet about the Covid crisis is another unbiased evaluation of the aspects of this crisis: in this case the vaccines. The author book starts setting that he is not anti-vaxxer and that his analysis for this book is exclusive over the Covid ones. Another good point is that these books are unpolitical, providing critics and praises for the right and left.

That said, the book brings the dangerous “warp speed” approval processes for the vaccines. The book acknowledges the positive results preventing the covid infection in most people, but keeping a critical view of their risks and inefficient effects in older, and more fragile, people.

Anyhow, from my point of view, this crisis is still very new for us, but books like this support a much clear view than what the media reveals.

[Slavomir Ogurcak · Rating 4 out of 5]

This part of the "Unreported Truths" made the biggest sense to me. Very well points about the vaccination against Covid to think about. I like the summary that both the anti-vaxxers and the advocates of vaccination are so focused on their own gospel that they stopped realising that the vaccines are technollogy carrying promise and risk, and the truth is, as ussual, in the middle. On the other hand, I am a bit sceptical about the statistics and data the author shared. I can also talk about Slovakia, where in Winter 2021/22 50% of population was vaccinated and in hospital 8 people out of 10 people with covid were unvaccinated and make theories about it.

[Isaiah Espinoza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Too Fast

While everybody wants to go back to normal. The current predicament is disturbing. I’m not anti-vax. I don’t know anyone who cannot see the positive benefits to many childhood vaccinations; polio, measles, and chicken pox. Yet those are well known vaccinations and Covid vaccinations are more up in the air. They were rushed and admittedly most of us have heard of the side effects but it is cause for caution. Who should get it? Are there long term consequences? I think they are fair questions that can be answered but right now most people are eager to overlook so as to go back to the way things were.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the prior 3 parts of this series much more than this one, I don't think this aged quite as well. Some of his claims fell flat in the months after this was published. However, I feel there is value in his writings and the concerns he documented. I especially appreciate the exhaustive source documentation the author provides. Refreshing to see real data sources that can be evaluated vs. the hot take of late being "nevermind the facts opposing this view, these are my feelings and they count more"...well not for me they don't sorry, not sorry.

[Donald · Rating 5 out of 5]

My wife and I trust Alex Berenson. She reads his internet posts regularly and I've purchased all four Covid-19 pamphlets for her (and read them myself). His analysis about these new vaccines is even-handed and very informative. It's a shame that so few other writers have the courage to do some genuine investigative journalism. America and Canada might have avoided their inevitable bankruptcy if the reporting in February and March of 2020 had been more thorough.

[Eugene C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Readable, Balanced, Accurate

Berenson strikes a good balance between the public health issues and the precarious deficiencies of the science. He accomplishes the one thing neither the government nor the vaccine manufacturers were (or are) willing to do: inform the public with the facts; facts that support the stated benefits and facts that uncover the potentially serious adverse affects. And let the individual decide and take responsibility for his or her choice.

[Richard Grebenc · Rating 5 out of 5]

As usual, Berenson gives an alternative view of the pandemic, this time against the received dogma of vaccines. His appeal is that he is not a contrarian just to be one. He goes out of his way to say he is not an anti-vaxxer and concedes the immediate efficacy of the vaccines. His beef is with the manner of testing and the lack of reporting on problems following vaccination. Do you think that the billions given to Big Pharma was not an incentive to get something out ASAP? The author has plenty of documentation to back up his assertions. Worth a read for a different look that challenges media orthodoxy.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy read raising important question.

Packed with great information and important questions about the vaccines. One of my husbands coworkers died the day after receiving her second vaccination. It’s sad that there isn’t more reporting being done on bad reactions to the vaccines. Highly recommend reading this even if you already took the vaccine so that you are as informed as possible.

[craig kerr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good overview of vaccine data

Berenson's book will be dismissed by Covidians who have turned the virus into a religious experience and seek to shield the Covid Industrial complex from any criticism.

For those of us who are sane and curious about the vaccines, Berenson has done a great job sifting through the data and illuminating the fallacies in the hysteria on both sides of the issue

[Vicki E Hayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Information from Studies not rumors

Thank you . This is all I have been asking for. I just wanted Studies with factual and real data. Notice I did not ask for truthful data, as I don't believe people with $$ in their agenda will be able to speak open and honestly. It is something,! I'm thankful that my kiddos both gave me grand children before getting the shot!

Very easy read feel better about our decision! I hope it does for whom ever needs to read it!

[kesseljunkie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine, if you will, someone soberly looking at data and able to present risk/reward questions in a level headed way.

Shouldn’t seem so special, and not so long ago it wasn’t.

This isn’t “anti-vax,” a meaningless smear meant to ignite tribal anger at The Other Who Won’t. It’s just looking at the data and asking after gaps in real reporting.

Refreshing. But it shouldn’t be. It should be normal.

[Marshall Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s very clear and informational

I discovered Alex Berenson as a skeptic of his writing and opinions. I tried to prove to myself that he was wrong, but failed. I really appreciate this approach based on verifiable information. Most of what I’ve seen reported by mainstream media is what I would call misinformation. What opinion he does share is based on weighing facts and data-based evidence. We need more of this!

[Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Alex! Your unbiased reporting is very necessary. Hadn’t bought one of your pamphlets until the Liz Warren/Amazon flap. Wish I had done so earlier. Again thank you, also am paid subscriber to you on Substack. Big tech & Amazon book burning has to be busted up! People need to have unbiased information to make informed decisions. Now we have federal vaccine mandates & I live in a State with them - also creeping vaccine passports! And for what purpose?