There is no new novel pathogen called “white lung” pneumonia, but there is evidence that mRNA vaccines against COVID-19 could cause higher mycoplasma pneumonia caseloads this year compared to previous years. The outbreak in China, which was reported as a mystery illness and later as “white lung” pneumonia, is not a concern according to the Chinese equivalent of the CDC. White lung refers to how an X-ray appears when the subject has any strain of pneumonia. Pneumonia involves fluid in the lungs, which appears white on X-rays. 

According to local news reports, a recent outbreak in Warren County, Ohio, with 145 cases in children ages 3-14, is the same in severity as previous years. The CDC director, Mandy Cohen, has indicated no new novel pathogen. Meanwhile, in China, the only news that has been reported is that there has been an increase in respiratory disease this year. The World Health Organization (WHO) told Reuters that “Chinese health authorities advised that the current numbers they are observing are not greater than the peak in the most recent cold season prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The connection between mycoplasma pneumonia and the mRNA shots comes directly from Pfizer’s adverse event reports. It is one of the reported side effects of Pfizer’s mRNA Covid-19 vaccine. Some published “fact checks” point to this revelation as meaningless, but the fact is true that this is listed as a side effect in Pfizer’s documents. A long-term placebo study was never done for the mRNA vaccine, which would be the only way to prove causality. 

Jeffrey Jaxen broke down the research regarding immune responses from the Pfizer mRNA vaccine on this past Thursday’s episode of The HighWire. The Pfizer vaccine has been shown to reprogram both “adaptive and innate immune responses,” Jaxen reported. “The shot changes the immune response, so when there’s a challenge by a viral, fungal or bacterial infection, the toll-like receptor response was lower after people had the COVID shot. The toll-like receptors are the radar system, the first line of defense if pneumonia or a bacteria or viral pathogen gets in there. They are the system that raises that alarm.”

Another study of the Pfizer mRNA COVID-19 shot took genetically modified mice negative for IL-1 beta and IL-1 alpha cytokines. The study found, “When they put intranasally pneumonia, they displayed significantly lower survival rates and higher nasopharyngeal and lung bacterial load. IL-1 has a major role in resistance to primary pneumococcal infection.” 

The first study shows that the mRNA shot from Pfizer reduces the immune response to viral pathogens. The second study shows a higher bacterial load and reduced survival rate in mice when these cytokines are absent. With the absence of a placebo study for this emergency-use authorization vaccine, no causality can be proven. The studies and literature from Pfizer all point to an increased likelihood of getting viral infections and having more lung bacterial load or “white lungs” when receiving an x-ray. 

China did not have an mRNA vaccine for COVID-19 available to its citizens until March of this year. The strict lockdown procedures were lifted about a year ago at the end of 2022. Some experts believe this caused an immune deficiency that could have contributed to the increased number of viral cases happening in China. 

While all indications are that this is a normal seasonal increase in pneumonia cases, we don’t have the numbers from China regarding the true increase. Denmark and the Netherlands have reported significant increases in the number of pneumonia cases this year compared to previous years. However, Denmark relaxed their COVID-19 lockdowns nearly two years ago in January of 2022 and have had access to mRNA vaccines since the initial vaccine rollout. The most recent statistics indicate significantly higher per capita vaccination rates for Denmark, the Netherlands, and China than in the United States. 

GOP Senators, led by Marco Rubio, have written a letter to President Joe Biden asking for travel restrictions to and from China. The letter states “As you know, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has a long history of lying about public health crises. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the CCP’s obfuscation of the truth, and lack of transparency, robbed the United States of vital knowledge about the disease and its origin.”

The letter asks for restrictions but further clarifies the need for a temporary ban on travel until more information is given. Even so, the GOP senators are certain that information provided by the CCP cannot be trusted. The letter further states, “The WHO has requested that the CCP share “detailed information” about the mystery illness. However, the CCP has an incentive to lie, just as they did throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and any new pathogen could derail its efforts to stimulate its economy. Besides, we should not wait for the WHO to take action given its track record of slavish deference to the CCP.”