“In this case, we are talking about patients I came into contact with, who initially had quite acute complaints not after covid, but after an injection. Such as a headache, not just a little headache, but a hellish headache. Blurred vision and it went slowly but certainly about what we know about lung covid,” says De Vrieze in NOS With an Eye on Tomorrow. “Severe fatigue, neurological complaints, often also heart complaints, that you cannot stand for a long time and yet very strange a kind of immune disorder, in which other systems also seem to be disrupted.”
Journalism
In his article, De Vrieze writes that he understands if other journalists do not want to burn themselves on the subject. He explains: “These patients I spoke to approach such a journalist and they think: oh, I get that. It’s very difficult if you can’t fathom the context, if you don’t have the background knowledge or the time and space to really sort it out. Then you do quite a bit if you immediately throw it online.”
In the end, De Vrieze spent 10 months researching the stories of the patients and talking to experts. “I do have the background to be able to do it. That interface between investigative journalism and science journalism. I thought: if someone has to do it, it should be me.”
Patients
Responses from the patients varied. For example, some were very happy to be able to tell their story, others were more reserved. “One said: I’m not going to do it anyway, because I’m afraid I’ll be framed incorrectly, maybe too positive. She also had examples of people who were interviewed and then put down as: well I’m still a fan of vaccines, but.. She had actually lost confidence in it. She didn’t want to cooperate.” De Vrieze understands her reaction very well. “I’d rather not participate in an article that I don’t know how it will be presented.”
The journalist really wanted to talk to these people. “I explained: I don’t know what will come out of my research, I can’t promise that I’m going to write that all vaccines are bad or that I’m going to say that everything is fine except for you. I’m just doing my job, in conscience . As good and solid as possible.” In the end, this woman did not want to cooperate, but she put De Vrieze in contact with another patient.
Side effects
It is not yet clear how many suffer from these serious side effects. In his research, De Vrieze came across a German doctor. “He stuck his neck out, he started a clinic, where these people are seen in addition to the lung covid patients and helped as far as possible. He then has about 0.02 percent. That is much more than 1 in 1 million, but that is also a blow in the air. I wouldn’t dare mention the figure.”
Organizations
Organizations such as Lareb are investigating side effects in humans. “The tricky thing about this is that every patient presents with different complaints. Just a little different, which makes it very difficult to categorize them under one heading,” says De Vrieze. “Partly because of this, these side effects are not officially recognized by the European medicines authority. The signal is not clear and strong enough. Maybe it never will be, maybe it will remain a mix of all kinds of anecdotal stories and maybe it will become a clear picture. “
De Vrieze does see that Lareb tries to paint a clear picture. “They also have limited capacity. The patients think that there is still too much distance from them. Lareb himself indicates: we really do what we can. They also work together, an organization that has been set up for lung covid patients. It is possible better, but it’s not easy either.”
Boosters
“It is also not very clear whether these complaints, they are now rare, less rare or will they remain rare if you continue to booster. If you have had the fourth, you will not have any side effects after the fifth. We know that not so good,” says De Vrieze. “I’m going to keep a close eye on that. It’s not finished yet, there is still a lot to learn. Also at the very basic level about how immunity works in the immune system.”
