During the regular Sanders County board of health meeting last Wednesday, several members of the community stood to give a presentation requesting that alternative COVID-19 treatments be given more serious thought and presentation to the local public. They also questioned the safety and effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccinations. The group, led by Kate Hardman, handed out information packets compiled from many months of collective research. In those packets, the group cited side effects and questions of the vaccines, as well as the information sources for others to use in finding the same information for themselves.

Local chiropractor Sara Klingenberg explained that she does not believe the vaccines fit the definition of a vaccination. She explained that the most recent vaccine, the mRNA vaccine, should be considered gene therapy. According to her, a specialist named Dr. Robert W. Malone, who aided in the research of mRNA methods for vaccination, also considers it gene therapy. Klingenberg explained that there could also be some severe side effects from it, especially in vaccinated pregnant women. “I encourage you, as a board, to really put out all the facts. Let’s truly educate people,” she said. Mary Reed mentioned that forced mass vaccinations are dangerous because they can drive worse variations in the virus. “We are kind of the guinea pigs in this whole thing,” Klingenberg added.

Hardman mentioned several other possible treatments that she believes are showing great promise in fighting COVID-19. These included Ivermectin (an anti-parasite medication), Hydroxychloroquine (an immunosuppressive and anti-parasite drug used to treat malaria) and vitamin D3. “As you present the vaccine, we ask you also present these other options at the same time,” said Hardman.

After the group concluded their presentation, Jessica Valentine, a family medicine doctor at Clark Fork Valley Hospital who was sitting in the audience, stood to comment. “It would be difficult for this board of health to make any kind of changes in the way the hospital administers treatment,” she stated. Valentine explained that the hospital is out of the board’s scope of authority; they are not responsible for hospital protocols regarding treatment. Instead, the hospital follows what she referred to as “published practice guidelines,” and treatments are determined between patients and their physicians.

“I’m the person who sees the really sick people; the people who don’t do well with COVID. Most have been unvaccinated,” Dr. Valentine stated after the meeting. She clarified that these people have received no administrations of any COVID-19 vaccination. Her testimony contradicted Reed’s statement during the presentation saying that hospitals lump “partially vaccinated patients” in with the count of people afflicted with COVID-19 and consider them unvaccinated. “This is simply not true,” said Valentine, at least for the hospital in Sanders County.

Valentine also explained that though many of these alternative medicines did receive positive initial studies, they have since become questionable. “I do think the side effects of vaccines are far less than those of COVID,” said Valentine. She explained that these side effects are very rare, including one example given by the group. The example was an increased risk, especially in youth, for myocarditis, which is an inflammation of the heart. Valentine made clear that the risk for getting myocarditis is raised by a higher percentage in those who take birth control as compared to the risk increase for those who get vaccinated. “That’s what makes it so hard,” said Valentine, “the information is so clouded.” She encourages patients to speak with their doctors regarding all forms of treatment, and to seek their recommendations.

Valentine also addressed the question of how fast the vaccine was approved for use. She explained that “the whole world put their resources behind it,” in contrast to other vaccines that take many years because of a lack of funding and support, as well as only being studied by a few groups.