Covid News Watch
Vaccinated Woman Dies of COVID in Breakthrough Case + More
Fully Vaccinated New Orleans Woman Dies of COVID Aged 33 in Rare Breakthrough Case
33-year-old woman who was fully vaccinated against COVID-19 has died from the virus in a rare “breakthrough” case.
Angelle Mosley, from New Orleans, Louisiana, passed away on Sunday after falling ill on Thursday.
She had been convinced that she didn’t have COVID-19, according to her mother, because she had been fully vaccinated and wasn’t experiencing some of the key symptoms of the virus, such as loss of taste and smell.
At FDA Urging, Pfizer and Moderna to Include Thousands More Children in Clinical Trials
Pfizer and Moderna will increase the number of children in their COVID vaccine clinical trials prior to seeking Emergency Use Authorization (EUA), after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) told the vaccine makers the size and scope of their pediatric studies, as initially envisioned, were inadequate to detect rare side effects.
The rare side effects cited by the FDA include myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, and pericarditis, inflammation of the lining around the heart, multiple people familiar with the trials told The New York Times.
‘Mathematically Impossible’ for Vaccines to Eliminate COVID
In recent weeks, a number of signs have emerged indicating the COVID-19 injections cannot put an end to COVID-19 outbreaks. In the July 15 video report above, Dr. John Campbell reviews data coming out of the U.K. On a side note, I do not agree with everything Campbell says in this video, such as promoting mask wearing, for example. It’s his data review that is of interest here.
As noted in the video, as of July 15, 87.5% of the adult population in the U.K. had received one dose of COVID-19 “vaccine” and 67.1% had received two. Yet symptomatic cases among partially and fully “vaccinated” are now suddenly on the rise, with an average of 15,537 new infections a day being detected, a 40% increase from the week before.
Big Pharma Quietly Pushes Back on Global Tax Deal, Citing COVID Role
The Wall Street Journal reported:
Big drug companies and their lobbyists have a message for Congress: Don’t raise taxes on the industry that brought you fast-tracked COVID-19 vaccines.
Pharma executives, lobbyists and consultants are mobilizing to fight what has become a threat to drug companies’ bottom lines: a sweeping agreement by many of the world’s biggest economies to better harmonize corporate taxation around the globe. Earlier this month, 130 countries agreed to broad outlines of a deal that would, among other steps, establish a minimum corporate tax of 15% within their countries, reducing opportunities for international tax avoidance.
Federal Law Doesn’t Prohibit COVID Vaccine Requirements, Justice Department Says
Justice Department lawyers have determined that federal law doesn’t prohibit public agencies and private businesses from requiring COVID-19 vaccines — even if the vaccines have only emergency use authorization, according to an opinion posted online Monday.
The opinion from the department’s Office of Legal Counsel paves the way for more federal agencies and businesses to require vaccinations.
CHD Attorney Rolf Hazlehurst: ‘Absolutely Absurd’ to Let 11-Year-Olds Make Vaccine Decisions
Rolf Hazlehurst, senior staff attorney with Children’s Health Defense (CHD), on Monday appeared on the “Mornings With Nick Reed” radio show to discuss CHD’s lawsuit seeking to overturn the D.C. Minor Consent for Vaccinations Amendment Act of 2020.
The law, passed earlier this year in the District of Columbia, allows children as young as 11 to be vaccinated without their parents’ knowledge or consent. Hazlehurst told host Kyle Wyatt how the D.C. law was designed specifically to deceive parents about their children’s vaccination status. He also discussed the issues associated with allowing an 11-year-old to make medical decisions.
COVID Has Become a Media-Driven Panic Disconnected From Facts
One of the most underrated aspects of human behavior is how much expectations dictate our perceptions of reality. Largely because none of us has ever dealt with a pandemic before and, therefore, we have no experience on which to draw comparisons, this has been particularly true when it comes to dealing with the coronavirus.
Since the beginning of this nightmare, the news media have done a horrible job of providing much-needed context and perspective to the COVID data that have driven so much of our lives for the last year and a half. This has been especially the case with regard to the recent hysteria over the “Delta variant” causing a large spike in the daily number of positive tests, both here in America and in many other places around the world.
FDA Says Its ‘Working as Quickly as Possible’ to Review for Full Approval of Vaccines
As pressure grows for the Food and Drug Administration to give full approval for the vaccine, a move that could drive up vaccinations by allowing vaccine mandates in places such as the military and schools, the agency told ABC News on Monday that reviewing the vaccines is among its “highest priorities.”
“The FDA recognizes that vaccines are key to ending the COVID-19 pandemic and is working as quickly as possible to review applications for full approval,” FDA spokesperson Alison Hunt said in a statement.
Some Americans With ‘Long COVID’ May Qualify for Federal Disability Resources, Biden Says
President Joe Biden on Monday announced that some Americans experiencing long-term effects of COVID may qualify for disability resources and protections from the federal government.
The announcement came as the president marked the 31st anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act in a speech at the White House Rose Garden with Vice President Kamala Harris. It also comes as the long-term symptoms of the virus, what some call “long COVID,” shapes up to be a major public health issue.
Rep. Byron Donalds, Chris Cuomo Clash as CNN Host Lectures Lawmaker on COVID Vaccine: ‘Please Don’t Berate Me’
Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., had a combative exchange with CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, who attempted to lecture the lawmaker about the coronavirus vaccine.
Cuomo kicked off the segment on Monday night by hyping Donalds’ home state of Florida as the “epicenter” of the current surge of the Delta variant, continuing his constant negative coverage of the Sunshine State’s response to the virus in an attempt to deflect from his brother, Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has been intensely scrutinized in recent months over his handling of the virus.
Chicago Public Schools Launches COVID Vaccination Effort
Chicago Public Schools launches its COVID-19 vaccination effort this week, transforming three high schools into clinics to inoculate students before the new school year begins in the fall.
Officials with the nation’s third-largest school district plan to offer full in-person instruction in the fall and want to vaccinate as many students as possible before classes begin next month. District officials said they are “not in a position” to mandate COVID-19 vaccines, but will ask families to submit COVID-19 vaccine documents as is the practice with other vaccinations.
Pfizer, Moderna Expand Studies of COVID Vaccine to Children Age 5 to 11 + More
Pfizer, Moderna Expand Studies of COVID Vaccine to Children Age 5 to 11
At the urging of federal regulators, two coronavirus vaccine makers are expanding the size of their studies in children ages 5 to 11 — a precautionary measure designed to detect rare side effects including heart inflammation problems that turned up in vaccinated people younger than 30.
Appearing at a televised town-hall-style meeting in Ohio last week, President Joe Biden said that emergency clearance for pediatric vaccines would come “soon.” The White House has declined to be more specific on the timeline, and it was unclear whether expanding the studies will have any effect on when vaccines could be authorized for children.
Senator Asks DOJ to Investigate Fauci, WSJ Editorial Board Says Congress Must Probe Taxpayer Funding of Virus Research in Wuhan
Following up on a threat he made last week, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) sent an official criminal referral on Dr. Anthony Fauci to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), The Hill reported today.
Paul is asking Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate Fauci for allegedly lying to Congress when he said the National Institutes of Health (NIH) “has not ever and does not now fund gain-of-function research in the Wuhan Institute of Virology.”
Last week, Paul asked Fauci if he wanted to retract the statement he made to Congress during a May 11 hearing. Paul said, “Dr. Fauci, knowing that it is a crime to lie to Congress, do you wish to retract your statement of May 11, where you claimed the NIH never funded gain-of-function research and move on?”
FDA Likely to Approve Pfizer Booster Shots — Even if They Don’t Work — Thanks to Outdated Rules Favoring Drug Companies
The drugmaker Pfizer recently announced that vaccinated people are likely to need a booster shot to be effectively protected against new variants of COVID-19 and that the company would apply for Food and Drug Administration emergency use authorization for the shot.
Top government health officials immediately and emphatically announced that the booster isn’t needed right now — and held firm to that position even after Pfizer’s top scientist made his case and shared preliminary data with them last week.
This has led to confusion. Should the nearly 60% of adult Americans who have been fully vaccinated seek out a booster or not? Is the protection that has allowed them to see loved ones and go out to dinner fading?
CDC Urges Labs to Use COVID Tests That Can Differentiate From Flu
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urged labs this week to stock clinics with kits that can test for both the coronavirus and the flu as the “influenza season” draws near.
The CDC said Wednesday it will withdraw its request for the “Emergency Use Authorization” of real-time diagnostic testing kits, which were used starting in February 2020 to detect signs of the coronavirus, by the end of the year.
“CDC is providing this advance notice for clinical laboratories to have adequate time to select and implement one of the many FDA-authorized alternatives,” the agency said.
Survey Finds U.S. Parents Split on COVID Vaccination for Kids Under 12
As a new school year approaches, U.S. parents are nearly evenly split on whether they’ll vaccinate their young kids when a COVID-19 vaccine is approved for their age group, a new survey finds.
“It’s important that parents and providers don’t wait for full COVID vaccine approval to begin discussions about vaccination,” said Sarah Clark, co-director of the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health, at Michigan Medicine, University of Michigan.
COVID-19 vaccines are authorized for Americans 12 years and older, and clinical trials are underway for their use in kids under 12.
Sparked by Pandemic Fallout, Homeschooling Surges Across U.S.
Although the pandemic disrupted family life across the U.S. since taking hold in spring 2020, some parents are grateful for one consequence: They’re now opting to homeschool their children, even as schools plan to resume in-person classes.
The specific reasons vary widely. Some families who spoke with The Associated Press have children with special educational needs; others seek a faith-based curriculum or say their local schools are flawed. The common denominator: They tried homeschooling on what they thought was a temporary basis and found it beneficial to their children.
Massachusetts State Officials to Hold Hearing on COVID Vaccinations in Children
A public oversight hearing regarding vaccination in children and teenagers will be held at the Museum of Science in Boston on Monday. State lawmakers will meet with medical professionals to try and develop a plan to distribute vaccines to children under the age of 12, as soon as the vaccines are approved.
Vaccine trials for both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are expected to be held sometime this fall. The hearing will start at 11 a.m. and will be livestreamed on the state’s website.
Stanford University Reports 7 Breakthrough Cases of COVID Among Fully Vaccinated Students
Stanford University reported at least seven confirmed cases of COVID-19 among fully vaccinated students this week.
All seven students were symptomatic, according to the school.
“As you have seen in the national news, cases of COVID-19 have been ticking upward,” Stanford University officials said in a letter to students on Thursday. “We are seeing some of this in our own community, where we are experiencing an increase in the number of student COVID cases, including among fully vaccinated individuals.”
Fauci Wants To Make Vaccines for the Next Pandemic Before It Hits
The New York Times via Yahoo!News reported:
In one sense, the world got lucky with the new coronavirus. By sheer chance, scientists just happened to have spent years studying coronaviruses, developing exactly the tools needed to make COVID vaccines as soon as the virus’ genetic sequence was published.
But what will happen if the next pandemic comes from a virus that causes Lassa fever, or from the Sudan strain of Ebola, or from a Nipah virus?
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is promoting an ambitious and expensive plan to prepare for such nightmare scenarios. It would cost “a few billion dollars” a year, take five years for the first crop of results and engage a huge cadre of scientists, he said.
A Reality Check on the GOP’s Push for Coronavirus Antibody Testing
When the GOP Doctors Caucus gathered to publicly encourage vaccines last week, the message came with a caveat: Talk to your doctor about an antibody test.
For example: “If you haven’t had the vaccine, or if you haven’t tested positive for the virus, go to your doctor. Ask him for the antibody test,” said Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), who is an OB/GYN.
“And then you and your doctor should decide the pros and cons, the risks and benefits and if you want the vaccine.”
Biden Administration Buying More Vaccine Doses for Kids and Possible Boosters + More
Biden Administration Purchases Extra Pfizer Doses to Prepare for Possibility of Children Vaccine Needs and Booster Shots
The Biden administration purchased an additional 200 million doses of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine to prepare for potential additional vaccine needs in the U.S., an administration official familiar with the contract tells CNN.
Despite the slowing demand for COVID-19 vaccines the administration official said the additional shots would be needed for children under 12, pending approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and the possibility of booster shots for vaccinated individuals.
CDC Panel Signals Support for Booster Shots, as Reports of Injuries, Deaths After COVID Vaccines Near 500,000
Data released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) included a total of almost 500,000 reports of injuries and deaths, across all age groups, following COVID vaccines — an increase of 27,761 compared with the previous week.
The data comes directly from reports submitted to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), the primary government-funded system for reporting adverse vaccine reactions in the U.S.
Every Friday, VAERS makes public all vaccine injury reports received as of a specified date, usually about a week prior to the release date. Reports submitted to VAERS require further investigation before a causal relationship can be confirmed.
Most Pro Athletes Shun Role of ’Public Spokesperson’ on COVID Vaccines
Santa Clara County, where the San Francisco 49ers train and play their NFL home games, has one of the highest COVID vaccination rates in California. As of July 11, more than 76% of its vaccine-eligible residents were fully vaccinated, partly because the county and the 49ers franchise turned Levi’s Stadium into a mass inoculation site where more than 350,000 doses were administered over four months.
The 49ers themselves, however, are not so enthusiastic about the shots. In June, head coach Kyle Shanahan said only 53 of the 91 athletes on the team roster — 58% — were fully vaccinated. The team has issued no updates since.
Scientist: 6 Undisputed Facts Suggest COVID Leaked From Lab in Wuhan
Two scientists were called as witnesses at the House Oversight and Reform Subcommittee on Select Coronavirus Crisis hearing, held June 29. Their testimony adds evidence that clarifies the origin of COVID-19, which they believe leaked from a laboratory in Wuhan, China, as a result of controversial gain-of-function (GOF) research.
Many have stated that we’ll never truly know the origin, short of China confessing or a whistleblower coming forward. But as Richard Muller, Professor Emeritus of physics at the University of California, Berkeley, stated during his testimony, “We have a whistleblower, the virus itself.”
COVID Booster Shot ‘Would Be Helpful’ for Immunocompromised People, Advisory Committee Recommends
People who are severely immune-compromised should consider getting a third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, several members of a federal advisory committee said Thursday, and should definitely take other precautions like wearing masks and making sure those around them are vaccinated.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which doesn’t have the regulatory authority to officially recommend a third shot, presented data at its meeting Thursday that suggested a booster shot was unlikely to cause harm and might benefit someone who is significantly immunocompromised because of cancer or on powerful medication to prevent autoimmune reactions or organ rejection.
Millions of Teens Will Head Back to School Unvaccinated
Most teens heading back to school in the coming weeks will be unvaccinated against COVID-19, federal data suggests.
As many teens across the United States prepare for a return to school this fall, a new CNN analysis finds that less than a third of them are on track to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in the next two weeks.
Colorado Is Paying Social Media Influencers to Tout COVID Vaccines
Colorado is paying more than 120 influencers on Instagram, TikTok and other social media platforms up to $1,000 a month to tell people to get vaccinated against COVID-19, Axios has learned.
The so-called influencers include doctors, teachers, Democratic strategists, prominent restaurateurs, musicians and mothers.
Why it matters: The influencers are a key part of the state’s strategy to encourage hesitant populations to get the vaccine, such as people of color, rural residents, faith communities and young adults.
20% of New Los Angeles COVID Cases Are in Vaccinated People as Delta Variant Spikes
Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer announced on Thursday that 20 percent of new COVID-19 cases identified in Los Angeles County were in vaccinated individuals.
“The Delta variant is a game-changer,” Ferrer said. With the Delta variant driving community spread and positive case numbers up in LA County, the percentage of breakthrough cases in fully-vaccinated people has gone up as well. The daily average case rate was 7.1 per 100,000 people on July 15 and shot up to 12.9 on Thursday.
Ferrer says one reason more vaccinated people are catching the virus is that more people are vaccinated.
El Paso Health Officials Confirm Seven Fully Vaccinated El Pasoans Have Died of COVID
The director of the Department of Public Health announced this afternoon 7 fully vaccinated people in El Paso have died of COVID-19.
Angela Mora, the city’s spokeswoman explained all of them had underlying health conditions. The first death was reported on July 8th, just under two weeks ago. The city did not say how old the victims were or which vaccine they received.
At Least 100 of 613 U.S. Athletes Unvaccinated as Tokyo Olympics Begin
About 100 of the 613 U.S. athletes arriving in Tokyo for the Olympics are unvaccinated, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee’s medical chief said hours before Friday night’s opening ceremony.
Medical director Jonathan Finnoff said 567 of the American athletes had filled out their health histories as they prepared for the trip, and estimated 83% had replied they were vaccinated.
“Eighty-three percent is actually a substantial number and we’re quite happy with it,” Finnoff said.
Alabama Governor Says ‘It’s Time to Start Blaming the Unvaccinated Folks’ as Pandemic Worsens
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey issued an impassioned plea for residents of her state to get vaccinated against COVID-19, arguing it was “time to start blaming the unvaccinated folks” for the disease’s continued spread.
“I want folks to get vaccinated. That’s the cure. That prevents everything,” Ivey, a Republican, told reporters in Birmingham, Ala., on Thursday.
AP Fact-Check: Biden Goes Too Far in Assurances on Vaccines + More
AP Fact-Check: Biden Goes Too Far in Assurances on Vaccines
President Joe Biden offered an absolute guarantee Wednesday that people who get their COVID-19 vaccines are completely protected from infection, sickness and death from the coronavirus. The reality is not that cut and dried.
The vaccines are extremely effective but “breakthrough” infections do occur and the delta variant driving cases among the unvaccinated in the U.S. is not fully understood. Also Biden inflated the impact of his policies on U.S. jobs created in his first half-year in office, misleadingly stating his administration had done more than any other president. He neglects to mention he had population growth on his side in his comparison.
CDC ‘Corrects’ Number of Reported Deaths After COVID Vaccines by Dumping Foreign Reports
A sudden reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) following COVID vaccination is not correct and was the result of an “error,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The CDC said July 16 that since the mid-December rollout of COVID vaccines in the U.S., VAERS had received 12,313 reports of death among people who received a COVID vaccine — a sharp increase from the 6,079 U.S. deaths reported by the CDC the previous week.
However, as of 3:30 p.m. ET on July 21, the CDC website had revised downward the number of U.S. VAERS reports related to COVID vaccination deaths — from 12,313 to 6,079 deaths occurring between Dec. 14, 2020 and July 19, 2021, Precision Vaccinations reported.
Lawmakers: Parental Ok Needed for Minors to Get COVID Shot
Two Tennessee Republican lawmakers said Wednesday they received assurances that the state’s health agency won’t vaccinate minors for COVID-19 without parental consent, doubling back on a decades-old provision about children’s vaccination rights that was a lightning rod in the firing of the state’s top vaccine official.
The announcement came during a meeting of the same legislative panel that last month grilled Department of Health officials — among them, then-vaccine chief Michelle Fiscus. The state has since terminated Fiscus in what she contends was a move to appease some GOP lawmakers who fumed over state outreach for COVID-19 vaccinations to minors. Some even threatened to dissolve the Health Department.
CDC Advisers Will Meet Thursday to Discuss Need for Coronavirus Boosters and J&J Vaccine Safety
Vaccine advisers to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will meet Thursday to make recommendations on how to address new safety issues concerning the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine and to review preliminary data on whether COVID-19 vaccine boosters will be needed in the future — especially for people with compromised immune systems.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is scheduled to meet from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET. There are no plans for the panel to vote on issues included on the agenda.
Exc: Daszak’s Donors Are Bankrolling an ‘Independent’ COVID Commission.
Entities funding the task force – the Rockefeller Foundation, Skoll Foundation, and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt’s philanthropic fund – have decades-long ties to Peter Daszak’s EcoHealth Alliance. The effort, headquartered at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center, is the brainchild of Schmidt, who has also served as Executive Chairman of Google’s parent company Alphabet:
“The work, which has attracted scant public notice, grew out of a telephone call in October from Eric Schmidt, the philanthropist and former CEO of Google, to Philip D. Zelikow, who was the executive director of the commission that investigated Sept. 11. Schmidt urged Zelikow to put together a proposal to examine the pandemic, which has caused 600,000 deaths in the United States alone.”
New Jersey Officials Say Nearly 50 Fully Vaccinated Residents Have Died From COVID
New Jersey health officials say that almost 50 fully vaccinated people have died from COVID-19, according to data through July 12, NJ Advance Media reported on Wednesday.
Donna Leusner, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Health, told the news outlet that all 49 people who died were over 50 years old. Thirty were over 80 years old, 13 people were between 65 and 79 years old, and six were between 50 and 64 years old.
Biden Administration to Spend $1.6 Bln for COVID Testing in High-Risk Settings — Official
President Joe Biden’s administration will announce on Thursday it is directing $1.6 billion for COVID-19 testing in high-risk settings, such as prisons, according to an official familiar with the plan.
NBC News first reported the administration is accelerating investments in testing as it battles an infection surge in places with low vaccination rates.
Joe Biden Outlines Timeline for COVID Vaccinations in Children
Joe Biden has cautiously outlined a timeline for when he expects the COVID-19 vaccine to be offered to children under 12 in the U.S.
Speaking at a CNN town hall in Cincinnati on Wednesday, President Biden said the decision would be led by scientific data, but added that he expected the rollout to begin between the end of August and October.
Henry County Teacher Dies From COVID Months After Getting Vaccine
A husband is mourning the loss of his wife after she died from COVID-19. Randy Ferguson says it’ll be hard to imagine a life without his soulmate, Amy.
“It’s hard, of course,” he said. “We were married for 32 years and dated four years before that. So that’s over half my life, well over half my life.”
Amy was a math teacher at Fieldale-Collinsville Middle School. She worked at Henry County Public Schools for more than three decades.
RARE REACTION: I Was In a Coma for 14 Days & Nearly Died After Getting a Blood Clot After the Astrazeneca Jab – I’m Still Pro-Vaccine
When the Melbourne mum-of-two was told she had been in a coma for 14 days after having a stroke due to a “significant sensory reaction to the vaccine” her understandable reaction was “what the f**k?”
“I honestly had no idea… that was a fun conversation to wake up to,” Alyssa says, reliving the incredibly surreal moment to Kidspot.
“My little sister kept saying ‘I can’t believe we get to keep you’.” Alyssa’s husband, mother and sisters had been told three times by the hospital that there was nothing else they could do.
“My sisters had been preparing about how to tell my daughters, who are only three and five.”
