2021 Governing Body Update #6

[Sheep]

Since we have that photo of the Governing Body all seated together, I guess that means all eight of them have "Herd" immunity.

 

[Sequoia]

On 7/16/2021 at 8:07 AM, Eddie said:

Encouraging news! but this is not over. The Delta variant is spreading like wild fire and let us remember kids still can't be vaccinated. 

True if the kids are under 12.  One of the vaccines has been approved for people as young as 12.  Maybe they will approve vaccines in time for children 5-11 they are currently researching this.

Edited July 27, 2021 by JW2017

[Sequoia]

I felt from this update as well as announcements at our meetings that although the vaccines are a personal decision the governing body is encouraging and hoping that Witnesses will get vaccinated.

[Sequoia]

I forgot to mention that my circuit overseer said at a field service meeting that the governing body is going to reconsider going back to the Kingdom Hall next January that is they will consider it in January but the meetings wouldn't start in person that is IF they start in person it won't be until at least next March.   Of course things could change the co said this in May.  Also next January they would consider it for March but they might decide against it.

 

On 7/17/2021 at 9:23 AM, runner92 said:

The Bethelites being able to sit together is not shocking. In fact, I will have to be honest in saying that I was shocked they were locked down like they were to begin with due to the fact they had no contact with the outside world. This doesn't have much to do with vaccines to me, but maybe I'm missing something. 

 

 

We are still in an experimental stage with this shot. Plus, everything is wildcard right now with this new varient. I'm still going to wait. 

 

 

But this is the problem. You CAN still get the virus. You CAN still spread the virus. Supposedly, it's supposed to keep you from experiencing the worst symptoms, but it's not foolproof. They don't even really know how long immunity lasts. They're still talking about boosters. 

 

Over 97% of people hospitalized for COVID are unvaccinated.   Catching COVID was less than 1% Of vaccinated people although it is more common now because of the delta variant still most vaccinated people don't catch the virus and if they do they are much less likely to be hospitalized or die.  Also, the virus is spreading because not enough people are fully vaccinated, 70-90% of population needs to get vaccinated in order for the virus to die out and stop spreading.  Which has not happened at this point.

 

 

[Hope]

4 hours ago, JW2017 said:

True if the kids are under 12.  One of the vaccines has been approved for people as young as 12.  Maybe they will approve vaccines in time for children 5-11 they are currently researching this.

We've got several babies and little ones under age 12.  Even though we've been cleared to gather in small groups and have done so outside in the backyards, the mothers here have been clear that they will not be inviting unvaccinated friends or relatives to their homes.  That's including one family's Witness grandparents... they will not see their new grandson on more than a video screen.

 

It's nothing to play with..

 

 

[Anthony]

On 7/27/2021 at 1:25 PM, JW2017 said:

I felt from this update as well as announcements at our meetings that although the vaccines are a personal decision the governing body is encouraging and hoping that Witnesses will get vaccinated.

I agree, they are encouraging because they don’t want to see any more people die. I am concerned about long-term effects of the vaccine, and I think that is a reasonable concern because of the unknown and new technology, even the ardenovirus tech is not brand spanking new but it’s new enough. However, the reality is, the current situation is such that even with all the precautions in the world, unless you have the “luxury” of being able to completely shut up in your house and no one go in or out, it is a high chance you will get this variant, and if you are unvaccinated, it is a very high chance you will also get really sick and likely die. I think it’s safe to say it’s better to take your chances with long term effects then die. That’s not even to mention that as JWs who believe the end is as close as the GB feels it is, likely we will at least be in the GT (hopefully) before any long term effects (if there happen to be any ) really take hold.., just my little viewpoint 

 

On 7/27/2021 at 1:34 PM, JW2017 said:

I forgot to mention that my circuit overseer said at a field service meeting that the governing body is going to reconsider going back to the Kingdom Hall next January that is they will consider it in January but the meetings wouldn't start in person that is IF they start in person it won't be until at least next March.   Of course things could change the co said this in May.  Also next January they would consider it for March but they might decide against it.

I think your CO was just surmising, I only say that because Bro Hendricks said the governing body hadn’t made any future determination about that, we’ve even told the news media something similar when they’ve asked. I haven’t heard anything  about any plans as such, only plans I think the GB have talked about is removing bethel lockdowns

[Amygdala]

13 hours ago, JW2017 said:

   Of course things could change the co said this in May.  Also next January they would consider it for March but they might decide against it

Was the new variant already spreading so widely before  May or after May?

[Sofia]

4 hours ago, Anthony said:

am concerned about long-term effects of the vaccine

Same as catching the virus

its the reaction to sars that causes long term effects

 

covid is the reaction of the imune system to the virus no matter if naturally or vaccine induced

by vaccine the reaction is smaller and more controlled

 

Soon everyone has been in contact with SARS either by infection or vaccine

we can’t escape from it

unless we never leave our house again

[Anthony]

6 hours ago, Sofia said:

Same as catching the virus

its the reaction to sars that causes long term effects

 

covid is the reaction of the imune system to the virus no matter if naturally or vaccine induced

by vaccine the reaction is smaller and more controlled

 

Soon everyone has been in contact with SARS either by infection or vaccine

we can’t escape from it

unless we never leave our house again

I agree 

[Brother_Bliss]

On 7/27/2021 at 11:29 PM, Anthony said:

I am concerned about long-term effects of the vaccine

Most side affects manifest in the short term, fairly right away. There will not likely be any long term effects. 

 

Over on another social media site, an anti-vaxx wackadoodle said he honestly believes that MILLIONS of vaccinated people are just going to start dropping dead all of a sudden. The fear-mongering over vaccines just boggles the mind!

[Anthony]

18 hours ago, Dismal_Bliss said:

Most side affects manifest in the short term, fairly right away. There will not likely be any long term effects. 

 

Over on another social media site, an anti-vaxx wackadoodle said he honestly believes that MILLIONS of vaccinated people are just going to start dropping dead all of a sudden. The fear-mongering over vaccines just boggles the mind!

I don’t agree with this, not that it matters because I am vaccinated, but this idea of side effect manifesting in the short term is due to a faulty view of comparing COVID vaccines to other vaccines; the COVID vaccines use technology that has never been used in mass in the populations so any likelihood of long term effects and what that looks like is truly unknown. This is not heresay or some anti vaccine point of view (I feel strongly and educate that people need to be vaccinated not just for COVID but other diseases too), this is a scientific fact. Don’t take my word for it, look at the peer reviewed articles for the safety and efficacy for Moderna, J&J and Pfizer and they all say that what the study does not know is if there are any long term side effects. Studies have also shown that the body’s immune response to the COVID-19 spike protein could cause some auto-immunity. In theory, this means that whether you are exposed to antibodies for the protein, either naturally through infection or through vaccination, there may be some risk of an autoimmune reaction down the line. The key word is MAY, and also with all that being said this is all conjecture, it may cause this issue it may not, and even if it does, that doesn’t mean that will be a common thing. But there is a risk. That is not being anti-vaccine, that’s just being scientific. Now the question you have to ask yourself is which risk is greater, you getting infected with COVID and dying or you taking the vaccine and MAYBE experiencing some unknown side effects later down the line. I would argue that the risk of getting COVID is much higher.  Now don’t get me wrong, are some people out there stoking fear into people, absolutely. But to say there is a concern about what the future holds is not fear mongering, it just a fact, we simply don’t know. Anyone who says otherwise is lying because we don’t even have something to compare it too. Now we could say that it’s unlikely but to say that there is no risk, that’s just simply untrue. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take it, anymore than a cancer patient who is faced with a cancer that could kill shouldn’t take chemo because it could have some risk. 

[hatcheckgirl]

True, there is risk in everything we do and take.  It's up to us to weigh the risks.  Getting covid is worse than taking a vaccine which minimises the risk of dying or severe illness.  But nothing is 100%.  At this stage, there is no way things can open up and life return to "normal".  Covid has changed everything.  So we are going to have to live like this for a long time.  

 

Hoping we all stay safe as we keep trusting in Jehovah and his Kingdom,  as we know that's really the only solution.  Vaccines are just a stop-gap.

[Brother_Bliss]

12 hours ago, Anthony said:

The key word is MAY, and also with all that being said this is all conjecture, it may cause this issue it may not, and even if it does, that doesn’t mean that will be a common thing. But there is a risk. That is not being anti-vaccine, that’s just being scientific

 

Oh I agree with this just fine. I was hoping that my reply about fear-mongering anti-vaxx conspiracy theorists saying everyone who got the vaccine will suddenly be doing like flies demonstrated that I was talking about side effects en masse. I said there would not likely be any long term effects, not that there wouldn't be any. Reading about mRNA technology, how it's been tested and developed, is pretty amazing. I trust they know what they are doing.

 

But every prescription drug or natural remedy has the potential for side effects. So far, we've seen very little in the way of vaccines.

 

Johnson is linked to an incredibly minute number of cases with blood clots. The mRNA vaccines may possibly be linked to myocarditis in just a smidge of young men out of tens of millions, and even then they mostly need an ibuprofen and a few days rest and they are all better. Etc. The risks exist, albeit very small.

[Anthony]

2 hours ago, Dismal_Bliss said:

 

Oh I agree with this just fine. I was hoping that my reply about fear-mongering anti-vaxx conspiracy theorists saying everyone who got the vaccine will suddenly be doing like flies demonstrated that I was talking about side effects en masse. I said there would not likely be any long term effects, not that there wouldn't be any. Reading about mRNA technology, how it's been tested and developed, is pretty amazing. I trust they know what they are doing.

 

But every prescription drug or natural remedy has the potential for side effects. So far, we've seen very little in the way of vaccines.

 

Johnson is linked to an incredibly minute number of cases with blood clots. The mRNA vaccines may possibly be linked to myocarditis in just a smidge of young men out of tens of millions, and even then they mostly need an ibuprofen and a few days rest and they are all better. Etc. The risks exist, albeit very small.

I get where you coming from, I just hate when I hear some people (not you) act as if everyone that is concerned about the long-term safety of the vaccines are anti-vaccine or similar. I’m a clinician with a background in immunology (the immune system has always fascinated me) and I was one of the ones that did not immediately take it, wasn’t the last by far and even though I’ve been vaccinated for months, I was and still am very leery about the whole thing. I agree wholeheartedly that we are at the point where if you want to keep living and not put others at risk, unless you are a hermit with a self contained biosphere, you need to take the vaccine,period. I educate everyone, including my patients (without pressuring of course) that the course of wisdom is to get vaccinated, otherwise you are putting yourself and those around you in grave danger. I also point out that we have more safety data now. Too, if they still have safety concerns I point out that the technology that was used to make the J&J vaccine was used for the Ebola vaccine which we have a few years of data on and was fully approved….. This does not mean that everything that has been said negatively about the vaccine technology is 100% false. As they say, misinformation usually has bits of the truth wrapped up in lies. The reality is mRNA technology in particular has always had concerns from respected physicians and scientists of long term auto immune effects, which is precisely why,even though the technology has been out since the late 80s, it hasn’t been used on a mass scale before. There are also some real concerns with causing the immune system to manufacture a piece of a pathogen, especially when that particular piece is remarkably similar to human tissue. What does this mean? If there is some effect down the line, how many people would it affect? The answer is we don’t know. But right now we DO know there is no better alternative to the vaccines. But please don’t be naive (and I don’t say this offensively) enough to think that because they say nothing will happen, we should wholeheartedly trust them. If you do any research on the pharmaceutical and scientific industry, there have been MANY times when they have said something was safe only for us later to discover it wasn’t. Now sometimes this has been deliberate with greed as a motive, but other times it’s been an honest assumption based on the evidence that was available at that time. Please remember, Psalm 146:3. Yes, we take the vaccine and continue to do all we reasonably can to safeguard our life. But we understand these are temporary solutions for a temporary world. That’s why we keep praying for God’s Kingdom to come and come quickly because we don’t know what the future (in this system) holds. 

Edited July 30, 2021 by Anthony

[trottigy]

Doesn't the shingles vaccine that's been approved for over 15 years now use a similar technology as most of the COVID ones?

[Anthony]

1 hour ago, trottigy said:

Doesn't the shingles vaccine that's been approved for over 15 years now use a similar technology as most of the COVID ones?

I have heard this before so I understand why you would think that, but that is not actually true. The shingles vaccine is a newer type of vaccine but it is not similar to the COVID vaccines. The shingles vaccine introduces to the body a particular antigen that is not the actual pathogen, but it does not hijack the body’s protein building capabilities to build that antigen. This technology has NEVER been used in mass prior to COVID. The only vaccines that have been attempted on a large scale in a somewhat similar fashion is the adenovirus vaccines (JJ, Astrozenica) 

[TrueTomHarley]

10 hours ago, Anthony said:

But right now we DO know there is no better alternative to the vaccines.

I heard one of the ‘frontline’ doctors in the trenches, treating and coming into close proximity with countless Covid patients, testify before Congress and pleading for the approval of Ivermectin. He was passionate and he knew it from experience, even saying: “If you take this drug you won’t get sick.” He had made his staff take it (in combination vitamin C and D), and they hadn’t gotten sick in the course of treating hundreds. In time, however, the powers-that-be ruled the findings “inconclusive,” and the video of his testimony was removed from social media. A record of it is here, however (paragraphs 6-8): 

https://www.bmj.com/content/373/bmj.n747

 

It has also been pointed out that none of the epidemiologists advising the (US) government has ever actually treated a Covid patient. This is so common in human society today: the ones who have experience are ignored in favor of the theorists. If anyone goes his route, taking the drugs he said worked, it seems to me they are still obligated to society (love of neighbor) to mask up in public and maintain social distancing. Even if you are protected, your neighbor doesn’t know that—you mustn’t scare the wits out of him.

Another website recommends a similar protocol, both for treatment and prevention: https://covid19criticalcare.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/FLCCC-Alliance-I-MASKplus-Protocol-ENGLISH.pdf

 

13 hours ago, Dismal_Bliss said:

I trust they know [those who developed the vaccines] what they are doing.

You would hope so, but it is worth noting that the FDA has not formally approved any vaccine. Individuals of that body will recommend them, and they have been authorized on a emergency basis, but they still are not approved by the agency itself, possibly because it wants time to assess the things @Anthonypointed out.

Edited July 31, 2021 by TrueTomHarley

[Friends just call me Ross]

FDA's formal approval of a drug means nothing to me.

 

I see an FDA formally approved drug being promoted in ads on the nightly news.

 

Not long after that, I see the same FDA formally approved drug being blamed, in class action lawsuits, for causing serious health issues, and even death, in late night law firm ads.

" If you or a loved one took (fill in the name of the FDA formally approved drug of the moment)"

 

🙄

[Loopy]

33 minutes ago, Friends just call me Ross said:

FDA's formal approval of a drug means nothing to me.

 

I see an FDA formally approved drug being promoted in ads on the nightly news.

 

Not long after that, I see the same FDA formally approved drug being blamed, in class action lawsuits, for causing serious health issues, and even death, in late night law firm ads.

" If you or a loved one took (fill in the name of the FDA formally approved drug of the moment)"

 

🙄

Whenever I see FDA, CDC, or other agencies approving something that “supposed to help” a certain illness, I think, that doesn’t give me a warm fuzzy feeling”.  I don’t trust them. I’d rather do my own research. 
 

I think of all the dog food out there. There is so much garbage that is allowed n the food. There is so many recalls on certain brands, even those that have made pets sick..or worse that are still allowed on the shelves. (Beneful for one 😡) 
 

Sorry I digress 😁 going from drugs to dog food ☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️

[Thesauron]

Whenever I see FDA, CDC, or other agencies approving something that “supposed to help” a certain illness, I think, that doesn’t give me a warm fuzzy feeling”.  I don’t trust them. I’d rather do my own research. 

In the end, most of us do not have the time, the ability, or resources to do much research. Of course, we can find some things on reputable sites online, and local libraries. And, it is so easy to fall into the trap if believing what people write on social media.

[Sofia]

3 minutes ago, Thesauron said:

In the end, most of us do not have the time, the ability, or resources to do much research. Of course, we can find some things on reputable sites online, and local libraries. And, it is so easy to fall into the trap if believing what people write on social media.

That’s soooo true

[Brother_Bliss]

21 hours ago, TrueTomHarley said:

You would hope so, but it is worth noting that the FDA has not formally approved any vaccine. Individuals of that body will recommend them, and they have been authorized on a emergency basis, but they still are not approved by the agency itself, possibly because it wants time to assess the things @Anthonypointed out.

Oh it is a timing thing. There is a process to getting "approved" that takes time. I know Pfizer has finally submitted an application to start the approval process. Maybe some of the others have too. Once approved, they can market it to the public. Currently the government pays for your dose and it's free to you.

It will get approval. There is a mountain of evidence that they are safe and effective. They are good vaccines and are working better than what was expected. 

 

9 hours ago, Friends just call me Ross said:

FDA's formal approval of a drug means nothing to me.

Doctor approved is more important, lol. There's various supplements I take that don't have FDA approval. Although I am always interested in why the FDA will NOT approve something. That can be telling.
 

9 hours ago, Loopy said:

Whenever I see FDA, CDC, or other agencies approving something that “supposed to help” a certain illness, I think, that doesn’t give me a warm fuzzy feeling”.  I don’t trust them. I’d rather do my own research.

A treatment approved by the FDA might not, according to me doctor, be the right treatment for me. Each person is unique and an FDA approved treatment that works for one person might be detrimental to the health of another.

 

The CDC is pretty legit though. All our guidance coming down from the Governing Body has basically been simply repeating CDC advice.

[TrueTomHarley]

20 hours ago, Loopy said:

Sorry I digress 😁 going from drugs to dog food ☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️

No. Don’t apologize. Finally this thread’s getting interesting.

[Loopy]

What a beauty! Breed?

[Keep Fighting]

One year ago my wife and I was not sure to be vacined, we prayed and we come up with a dessision after asking ourselves the question. 

Would Jehovah and Jesus let the FDS take the vacine if it was any risk? Would Jesus let his brothers be sick or live as long as they should give «food at the right time»

The answer was clear to us. Jehovah care for his sheep and He is love.