Why I will be refusing to take my next Covid booster jab - GP Taylor

It was a great relief when a vaccine was available that would stop 90 to 95 per cent of infections and save millions of lives. We were promised a silver bullet and a chance to get back to normal.

I was overjoyed when I got my appointment. I thought I had a chance of surviving, even with underlying health conditions. It was a happy day when I joined hundreds of others willingly queuing to get the jab.

That night, when I went to bed and rested my head on the pillow, I noticed my heart was beating differently. It had developed a strong but irregular pulse. It wasn’t like a palpitation or arrhythmia and at first didn’t cause any anxiety.

For the next few days, I felt tired and out of breath. I had no chest pain, but the irregular beat continued. As I was shielding, I didn’t go to the hospital. Strangely, even though I felt so exhausted, I couldn’t sleep.

My doctor said that having the vaccine and the symptoms was just a coincidence. There was nothing being said in the mainstream media about side-effects. In fact, the vaccine was being heralded as the saviour for us all that would end the pandemic. Like a fool, I believed them.

Three months later, I found myself back at the Rugby Club in line for my second jab. Even though I still wasn’t 100 per cent better, I felt I had a duty to get vaxxed. The government was pushing herd immunity and everyone should do their best to stop the spread of Covid. The media was promoting the importance of vaccination and there were lots of stories about lives being saved.

Very subtly, I noticed more and more well-placed stories appearing in the press of people who had died of Covid and had regretted not getting the injection. These people were always fit and active vaccine sceptics who on their deathbed had said they wished they had got the jab.

This really worked on me. I had just had a child and wanted to be around for him as long as possible, so I happily went along. The day after the injection, I woke up to the sound of a jet engine in my head. Immediately, I knew it was tinnitus. I have suffered with this condition since being hit on the head with a brick in the police force. Yet now, the low hum in my left ear was a roaring of a fighter jet about to take off. I couldn’t cope with anything; the volume of noise was so deafening.

Again, it was put down to coincidence. Surely, this could not be the vaccine. I searched the internet for an answer and nothing came up. So, I did everything I could to calm the sound in my head. Sadly, the only way to get any relief was to over-medicate on gin and tonic. At least I could get off to sleep and with earphones plugged into my radio, the sound was dampened.

Time flew by, the symptoms stayed with me. Now, I was offered the winter booster to protect me. The government sold me the story of falling immunity and even though I was self-isolating, I went along with them and got the vaccine again.

Within days, my leg muscles were cramping and my hips and knees felt inflamed. Walking was difficult and pain-killers made little difference. The injection site was very sore and my arm felt weak.

It was then that stories started to come out in the fringe media about side effects of the vaccine. Being an ex-copper, I like evidence. Now, it was easy to find. When I discovered a report by one vaccine manufacturer that listed eight pages of side effects from their product, I realised that my symptoms were probably caused by the jab.

On social media there seemed to be a campaign to stop any discussion about this. One tinnitus support group had their Facebook page closed down for discussing the link between the vaccine and the condition. Anyone who mentioned it was branded an anti vaxxer and not listened to.

Deaths following vaccination were put down to other causes. The Centre for Disease Control said, “reports of adverse events following vaccination, including deaths, do not necessarily mean that a vaccine caused a health problem.” Just a coincidence?

The mainstream media all sang from the same hymnbook. Vaccines did not cause death and side effects were uncommon. My own research had led me to believe that we have been told a big fat lie over the side effects of vaccines. I believe they are not as efficacious as we have been led to believe.

Despite the news of a new wave of Covid coming, like a growing number of people, I will not be having my next shot. Instead, I will continue social distancing and mask wearing until the pandemic is truly over.

GP Taylor is a writer and broadcaster who lives in Yorkshire.