Things That Make You Go Hmmmm...

Samples from a study of enormous international significance, that would have shed light on how the novel covid vaccines impact the immune system, are set to be destroyed

Apr 21, 2025

Dear Church Leaders (and everyone else)

I thought it worth sharing some recent news from Australia. But first, some context…

2022: the announcement of a covid-19 vaccination study in Queensland

Almost three years ago, Health Translation Queensland — which “brings together world-class Queensland universities, research institutes and health services to help translate well-evidenced research into clinical practice” — announced the Queensland COVID-19 Vaccination Safety and Efficacy Statewide Study:

To quote:

Queensland has an unparalleled opportunity in Australia and globally, through the QoVAX SET Statewide study, to track short and long-term vaccination experiences and outcomes.

And the QoVAX study does sound like it could produce some really valuable data, especially in the absence of properly conducted randomised controlled trials where the placebo group is given a genuine placebo (e.g. saline) and not later vaccinated.

2023: the withdrawal of funding

But within a year of the above news item, the authorities had withdrawn funding for the QoVax study. Here is Aussie Senator Gerard Rennick with a succinct outline of the context and some very pertinent questions (transcript below):

Why has the Queensland health government withdrawn funding for its award-winning QoVax research program studying the safety and efficacy of the covid-19 vaccines?
This program is the creation of 27 highly-skilled researchers, health professionals and administrative staff. They were supported by multiple partners including 12 health service agencies, five universities and two private pathology services.
QoVax were strongly supported by Queenslanders, rapidly enrolling more than 10,000 participants — both vaccinated and unvaccinated — from 85% of postcodes across the state. Countries like Australia are uniquely placed to investigate vaccine efficacy because their diverse population was, until late in the pandemic, relatively free of the covid-19 virus.
The QoVax team didn’t just collect the standard data. Participants provided information on environmental and social determinants of health and biospecimens of blood and saliva that have been used to derive genomic, transcriptomic and proteomic datasets that will shed light on how the novel vaccines impact the immune system.
Studying immune response is a vital part of assessing vaccines, and QoVax’ work is consistent with similar studies completed on other vaccines. The research is particularly important because two new vaccine delivery platforms were used — modified messenger RNA and vector DNA. It is particularly important, because the original trials of these vaccines were meant to last two years, but the placebo group was vaccinated only after two months.
The study in the biobank [has] enormous international significance, yet instead of answering vital questions about why Australia — one of the most highly vaccinated countries in the world — had such high excess mortality and so many cases of “long covid” in vaccinated people, the study is being forced to close down. All Australians deserve answers to the questions these vaccines have raised.

2025: all samples and data to be destroyed

The latest news is that the authorities have…

determined that, for a range of reasons… there is no longer a scientific and public health need to retain these biological samples for future study

And that…

[the] samples will be appropriately sterilised and disposed of

And

all study data collected… will be archived for the specified time-period as required by law [but] it will not be accessed or used for any future purpose

So there we have it. To borrow the words of Gerard Rennick:

Samples from a study of enormous international significance, that would have shed light on how the novel covid vaccines impact the immune system, are set to be destroyed

Follow the science?

When I clicked on the QoVAX SET Statewide study link in the 2022 announcement on the Health Translation Queensland website at the time of writing, I got this: