Doctor's Orders
Article published in Northampton Living
(January 2023)
Dr. Jonathan Bayuk, a board-certified allergist and clinic immunologist in Northampton, gets real with us about covid-19 vaccine injuries, pandemic tee-shirt slogans, and the good old days of Encyclopedia Britannica.
NL: You were referred to as “Dr. COVID” at the beginning of the pandemic. Should we start there?
DB: Sure. When the vaccines were introduced, there wasn’t a lot known about allergic or immunologic reactions. I think it may have been a disservice to say the vaccines are safe and effective and there’s no problem. They are safe, and they are effective, but they do cause side effects. And some people have pretty bad side effects, and I take care of those people.
NL: What are some examples?
DB: Some people get problems with their nervous system and blood pressure and heart rate. The cytokine response from mRNA vaccines is very strong. Cytokines are immunologic currency, basically. It’s very complicated, but when you create too much of an imbalance, which certainly happens with covid-19 infection, but can also happen with the vaccine, some people will get hurt. But as much as I feel for all the people who’ve had vaccine injuries, they’ve happened for as long as we’ve had vaccines. They just weren’t as prevalent because 250 million people didn’t get vaccinated at once.
NL: Are people more fearful about potential injuries related to covid-19 vaccines?
DB: I mean, I’m not a political scientist, but I think it’s pretty clear that there was a lot of misinformation about the vaccine. And we have the internet and social media. I kind of pray that someday we come back to the “Encyclopedia Britannica” method of learning things, where if you wanted to read about something, you’d have to read it in a book that was edited and peer-reviewed and had a bibliography, as opposed to just going on Facebook.
There are very rational people who made decisions not to get the vaccine, and I’ve been part of those decisions with people who have autoimmune diseases. But most people should be vaccinated.
NL: So what can we do as cases are on the upswing again?
DB: I made tee-shirts for my entire staff when covid-19 first happened that said, Wash your hands and don’t touch your face. That works. You’re going to get a lot less sick. But aside from just good old hygiene, if you can get the vaccine two or three months after the last one, you should consider it. Certainly talk to your provider if you’re not sure. There will come a time, I hope, that we don’t have to get vaccinated so frequently. It is better, but it’s not gone.
NL: Is there anything else readers should know?
DB: Not really. Rock on, I guess.
NL: I did hear you were a rock star.
DB: Well, that’s my next career.