Idaho Dispatch

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Idaho Department of Health and Welfare and COVID-19 Vaccine Risk Disclosure

By • December 21, 2021

Idaho Dispatch has been asked by some citizens why the COVID-19 vaccine commercials from the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare do not contain risk disclosures.

First, Idaho Dispatch did reach out to the IDHW for comment on their commercials specifically. Before we mention what the IDHW said in their statement, we wanted to discuss some aspects of the commercials themselves and what is required according to the research we found.

The Food and Drug Administration is the government agency that oversees prescription drug commercials.

According to the FDA’s website, there are different advertising requirements for prescription drugs and over-the-counter drugs. The FDA is responsible for the over-the-counter drug advertising requirements.

Here is what part of the FDA website says about “Product Claim Ads” which purport to have specific benefits:

Product claim ads are the only type of ads that name a drug and discuss its benefits and risks. However, these ads must not be false or misleading in any way. We encourage companies to use understandable language throughout product claim ads that are directed to consumers.

A former FDA commissioner, Dr. Robert Califf, told CNBC in May 2021 that if the vaccine manufacturers did advertise on TV, they would have to disclose both benefits and risks associated with their products. However, at the time, all of the manufacturers were still under Emergency Use Authorization, and advertising was not allowed.

Because the IDHW ads do not promote a specific product, they do not fall into the same category as the manufacturer’s advertising requirements.

The IDHW ads that Idaho Dispatch has reviewed contain Idahoans explaining why they got a COVID-19 vaccine. The ads also state that the COVID-19 vaccines are “safe and effective.” However, none of the ads we reviewed had any disclosure about potential risk or a typical drug disclaimer to “talk to your doctor” about getting the COVID-19 vaccine(s).

Idaho Dispatch spoke with Greg Hahn, a Public Information Officer, about the advertisements and asked about the “risk” disclaimer and why they didn’t put one in. Here is what Hahn said,

One of my colleagues passed your question about drug disclaimers along. In answer, federal regulations do not dictate generic PSAs on getting vaccinated or seeking medical assistance when faced with a specific condition. These are considered “help-seeking” adverts which are not regulated by the FDA because they don’t promote a specific drug.

Hahn discusses in his statement “help-seeking” advertisements that do not require risk disclosure according to the FDA.

From the FDA’s website, here is what they say about the “help-seeking” ads:

Help-seeking ads describe a disease or condition but do not recommend or suggest a specific drug treatment. Some examples of diseases or conditions discussed in help-seeking ads include allergies, asthma, erectile dysfunction, high cholesterol, and osteoporosis. The ads encourage people with these symptoms to talk to their doctor. Help-seeking ads may include a drug company’s name and may also provide a telephone number to call for more information.

When done properly, help-seeking ads are not considered to be drug ads. Therefore, we do not regulate true help-seeking ads, but the FTC does regulate them. If an ad recommends or suggests the use of a specific drug, however, it is considered a product claim ad that must comply with FDA rules.

Because the IDHW ads do not recommend a specific drug, there is no requirement to disclose potential risks.

In a follow-up question, Idaho DIspatch asked Hahn whether or not the agency had considered risk disclosure from the COVID-19 vaccine(s) even if they were not required by law. Here is what Hahn told us:

In short, no.

The Department of Health and Welfare follows the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which posts comprehensive information about vaccines including efficacy, risks, and approval processes. The efficacy, risks and approval processes are also covered on our website.

On the IDHW COVID-19 vaccine portion of their website, there is some information listed.

For instance, on the “AFTER YOU GET VACCINATED” section, here is what is listed for potential side effects:

COVID-19 vaccines may cause mild to moderate reactions, including pain or swelling at the injection site, muscle pain, headaches, and mild to moderate fevers. These are normal signs the body is producing an immune response. You may report adverse events following vaccination at https://vaers.hhs.gov/

If you scroll to the bottom of the COVID-19 vaccine page, a “Frequently Asked Questions” link is there. When you click on that link, there is another section titled “Vaccine safety and efficacy” and another section titled “Side effects/reactions to COVID-19 vaccine.”

Here is a screenshot of the questions listed on the website, but please note that you will have to click on the link here to go and read the answers to each of the questions (story continues below):

Another question some Idahoans had was whether Idaho was still under “Crisis Standards of Care.” The CSC was officially ended on November 22 for everywhere except the Panhandle Health District.

On December 20, the CSC was also ended for the Panhandle Health District, meaning nowhere in Idaho is currently under the CSC.

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Tags: Covid-19, Idaho, Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, Vaccine

15 thoughts on “Idaho Department of Health and Welfare and COVID-19 Vaccine Risk Disclosure

  1. I am so sick of seeing the ads from the IDHW. Nothing but trying to wear down the resistance to take the chemical soup injection. NEVER!

    1. agreed and i don’t watch tv except seeing it at work or hearing them on the radio. Is this where our ‘surplus’ money is going?

  2. DEFUND: IDHW, CDH, Hospitals, etc until they are either out of business or revert to their intended purpose of helping The People of Idaho.

    Their “Political Science” should land them in court.

    We need to Drain this Swamp also.

  3. I’m an RN and I post here regularly. The vaccines cause injury. I have until last month worked for one of the major healthcare ops in the treasure valley, doing admits to home directly from hospitals. I see the patients, I see the charts. Heart attacks, new arrhythmias, heart failure, clots, strokes, neurocognitive disorders… all NEW after vaccination. I’ve had covid. It was inconsequential to me. If I get it again, it will be the same. Do you know what they don’t tell you? It’s RISK GROUP that is the issue, not vaccination status.
    Doesn’t matter if you’re vaccinated- if you’re in the high risk group, your outcome will be poor. I have seen many vaccinated people get covid. Not just now, but all throughout the last year! Nothing about these vaccines are safe and effective. I have written my reps so often I’m sure they know my name.
    Don’t take that jab and don’t take those boosters. This is crime. No masks, none of it work. It’s all compliance bs and i know many of you see this.
    Stand up Idaho!

    1. Your first-hand account of the damage done to those who take the jab corresponds precisely to the results cited by epidemiological experts Drs. Peter McCullough and Robert Malone. I wish more health care workers were as brave as you. Kudos to you.

  4. I guess we need to revisit what the term “effective” really means.

    They just may be effective to the people that are constantly pushing this crap.

  5. A. So, if the CSC is over, then why is Chicken Little still behaving like a dictator?

    B. If would be really nice if every time one of these dumb pro-vaccine commercials are run on TV and radio, an opposing view commercial could follow it that talks about the risks and side-effects… if I won the lottery, I would pay for that.

  6. MORE BUREAUCRATIC WORD SALAD FROM THE STATE…….THESE ADS ARE AN ENDORSEMENT OF THE STAB FOR SCHOOL AGED CHILDREN AND NOTHING MORE……

  7. We don’t need to re-visit anything except how to get rid of this political football power grab our federal AND state politicians have forced on the innocent public. They, the federal politicians, invented this catastrophic farce on the American public, and its up to us to get rid of them. Midterm elections are coming, it’s our chance to take back America. Let’s do it! Remember the comments that April made in a previous post. She’s spot on.

  8. That’s really cute. Pharma doesn’t have to list the side effects because they’re not advertising on TV. Government advertises on TV, but only to GET THE VACCINE, but doesn’t have to list the side effects because they don’t list the vaccines by name.

    Isn’t that awesome. So great to have 5 million pages of rules and regulations… right up until the government decides it wants to ram something down your throat, then mysteriously none of them seem to apply.

    1. Big Pharma would like 75 years to release the ingredients of the horrendous cocktail in these various Synthetic Pathogen Jabs.

      That’s fine as long as those Jabs are deemed Illegal to Administer for 85 years.

      That way we would have 10 years to study them and prove their efficacy/side affects are either valid or not.

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