Far-Right Otzma Yehudit lawmaker Limor Son Har-Melech said on Wednesday that there was no scientific basis for COVID-19 vaccinations. “The issue was conducted in a problematic manner,” she told ynet in an interview.
On Monday Son Har-Melech asked medical experts how physicians can determine whether the West Nile virus which has recently been spreading in the country and was caused by infected mosquito bites, was not in fact the result of vaccines given to Israelis during the COVID pandemic. “I’d love to learn how you make sure this is the specific disease and not some other underlying condition," she told the experts testifying before the committee. "Did you check if the deceased were vaccinated at all?”
You raised a conspiracy theory under the guise of a question in the Knesset: Did patients with severe cases of West Nile virus receive COVID-19 vaccinations?
"I didn’t ask that. I asked whether it was investigated in these severe cases. I didn’t talk about a conspiracy, I asked a question. There are scientific questions you want to investigate and know if there could be a connection, I asked a very clear question. I go work against actions conducted improperly, and things I know can harm public health.”
"We were the first hospital to identify and report cases to the Health Ministry," Dr. Yael Paran, head of the Infectious Diseases Unit and Deputy Director of the Infectious Diseases Department at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center said in the committee meeting. "This has never happened before, and I've worked at the hospital for over 20 years. We didn't check if they [patient] were vaccinated against COVID-19 because it's irrelevant. We have six patients on ventilators in severe condition caused only by the disease itself."
Are you in favor or against vaccines?
"I’m not against vaccines in general; I oppose measures that are incorrect, unexamined, and have no scientific basis behind them."
So, the COVID-19 vaccine had no scientific basis?
"No. Anyone who knows the literature knows there were very problematic issues, but I won't go into that now. I wasn't talking about conspiracies."
Were the COVID-19 vaccines problematic?
"I didn't say the COVID-19 vaccines were problematic. I'm saying the way they were managed was very problematic."'