Beloved weatherman Al Roker, who transformed his life with bariatric surgery years ago and showed America how weight loss could be permanent, has always been honest about his health on television. In January 2021 he was so excited to get vaccinated for COVID-19 that he clicked the enter button over and over to get his precious appointment for the shot. He did the best he could to ask reasonable questions about efficacy and safety of Dr. Daniel Baker, a Medical Director at Lennox Hill Hospital in New York.  Al:  “Is it safe” Dr. Baker “absolutely.”[i]
Baker nervously went on to say that masks were still necessary and that we all had to get the shot for it really to work on a population level. At that time, papers were pouring into the medical literature that SARS-CoV-2 viral infection was causing blood clots and the causative agent was the Spike protein.[ii]   While the consent form likely did not mention blood clots, Baker could have covered his bases by saying the vaccine is new, that all of its side effects are not known, and that we do not have assurances that it protects against COVID-19 for more than two months….