Login
Covid News Watch
McDonald’s Offers COVID Vaccines, Free Food at Some Calif. Locations + More
McDonald’s Offers COVID-19 Vaccines, Free Food at Select Southern California Locations
Starting Monday, you’ll be able to get a COVID-19 vaccine and some free food at some Southern California McDonald’s locations.
McDonald’s is teaming up with the California Department of Public Health to offer shots at more than 70 of its restaurants across the state, including nearly 50 pop-up clinics in high-traffic, high-visibility areas across Southern California.
“People who receive a vaccine at McDonald’s will also get a coupon for one free menu item as a thank you for doing their part,” said McDonald’s in a web post. “No appointment or health insurance is required and walk-ups are welcome at all locations.”
Teen Who Had Heart Attack After Pfizer Vaccine: ‘I’d Rather Have COVID’
An 18-year-old from Springdale, Arkansas, who had a heart attack after receiving his second dose of Pfizer’s COVID vaccine said he’d rather get COVID than have a heart attack.
In an interview with The Defender, Isaiah Harris said he received his first dose of Pfizer on April 8 and second dose on April 30. Within 12 hours of the second dose, the teen developed a fever and chills. His father, Justin Harris, didn’t think much about it initially because although he got sick after both doses of the Moderna vaccine, his symptoms weren’t serious.
That wasn’t the case for Isaiah. Within 48 hours of the second dose, Isaiah’s heart started hurting “very very bad” and things started going downhill fast. Harris said they grew really concerned when their son started having trouble breathing.
WHO Updates Guidance, Says: ‘Children Should Not Be Vaccinated for the Moment’
The World Health Organization’s (WHO) latest guidance clarifying who should get the COVID vaccine states, “Children should not be vaccinated for the moment.”
According to the WHO website: “There is not yet enough evidence on the use of vaccines against COVID-19 in children to make recommendations for children to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Children and adolescents tend to have milder disease compared to adults.”
The WHO had previously said vaccinating children against COVID was not a priority given the limited global supply of doses, Fox News reported.
Protests Planned in 5 U.S. Cities to Challenge Vaccination of Underage Children Without Parental Consent
Concerned medical freedom advocates will join Children’s Health Defense (CHD) tomorrow, Wednesday, June 23, at five vaccination sites around the country to protest plans to vaccinate underaged children as young as 12 without the consent of their parents.
Protesters will distribute vital information children and parents should have before they make potentially life-altering healthcare decisions. They also will urge children to forgo the COVID vaccine and any other vaccines until they and their parents have been fully informed of the risks and benefits associated with each vaccine.
California Medical Board Hears Testimony in Trial of Physician Who Risks Losing License for Writing Vaccine Medical Exemptions
A California physician could lose her medical license for not strictly following the guidelines for writing vaccine medical exemptions as outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).
Earlier this month, the Medical Board of California conducted a trial during which they heard testimony from witnesses in support of and those opposed to Dr. Kelly Sutton’s approach to writing vaccine medical exemptions for her patients.
The three-day trial, which ended June 16, took place in an administrative court with a single judge and no right to a jury. The judge is expected to issue a decision sometime in the fall of 2021 on whether or not to rescind Sutton’s medical license.
Eric Clapton: Speaking Out About ‘Pain and Agony’ From COVID Vaccine Led to Alienation, Broken Friendships
In an interview with Oracle Films, musician Eric Clapton detailed his experience suffering from a severe adverse reaction to the COVID-19 vaccine. Clapton has been blasted by mainstream media for speaking out about the vaccine and COVID lockdowns, and he said he’s lost friends over his views.
He’s even fearful of losing the love and trust of members of his own family, but believes in speaking out for what he believes in and sharing his experiences:
“I believe most of all in free speech and freedom of movement, choice of movement and life and love and kindness and with all of this exposure to the polarization of politics and the medicine and the science, I found it very difficult to be neutral because I’ve seen scorn and contempt from both sides, and I get caught in the crossfire a lot.
“… I’m talking today on behalf of people like me who may be lost, maybe need to hear someone talk about it from a human point of view without condemnation … There has to be a way to bring people together. I believe music can do that, but it’s a long way away. There’s still time, I believe, for us to come together.”
Boston Children’s Museum Hosting 12+ Pop-up COVID Vaccine Clinic
The Boston Children’s Museum is hosting a pop-up COVID vaccine clinic at the end of June for everyone 12 years old and up.
The clinic is scheduled for Tuesday, June 29 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Both Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson shots will be available.
Pfizer has the only coronavirus vaccine that’s been authorized for emergency use for anyone 12 years and older in the U.S.
CDC Says U.S. Young Adults Less Likely to Take COVID-19 Vaccine
Younger adults are seeking out COVID-19 vaccines at a slower rate than older adults, and if that pace of vaccination continues through August, vaccine coverage among younger adults will not reach levels achieved with older adults, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported on Monday.
The agency said more work is needed to increase vaccination rates among younger adults to reduce COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths.
Of the 57% American adults who received at least one vaccine dose by May 22, coverage was highest among people 65 or older and lowest among people aged 18 to 29, according to an analysis of vaccine rates published on Monday in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Delhi Girl Suffers Deadly Neurological Complications Post COVID-19 Vaccination With Covishield, Dies Within Days
In yet another shocking incident, a 22-year-old girl from Delhi suffered deadly neurological complications after receiving the COVID-19 vaccination and was declared brain dead at a hospital in the national capital. According to the primary reports, the girl has no history of any serious illness. “An autopsy report is awaited to confirm the cause of the death,” officials were quoted as saying.
The deceased girl’s family told a national newspaper that she was administered with the (AstraZeneca) Covishield vaccine on June 2. Soon after she started developing chronic headaches accompanied with high body temperature. The girl was rushed to the hospital where some of the reports suggested that she has blood clots in the brain’s venous sinuses due to which the platelet count was decreasing rapidly. According to the reports, the girl was admitted to a private hospital in Delhi’s Saket on June 14, and all the necessary arrangements were made to keep her safe. “On June 18, the girl was declared brain dead by the doctors at around 5am,” an official was quoted as saying.
COVID Vaccine: Why Are Australians Cancelling AstraZeneca Jabs?
Australian doctors have reported a surge in the number of people cancelling their vaccine appointments, amid a new wave of caution over the AstraZeneca jab.
It comes after the government updated guidance last week to recommend only those aged over 60 get the shot, due to the risk of a rare blood-clotting syndrome.
Under-60s have been advised to get the alternative Pfizer shot, of which there are limited supplies.
Fight Over COVID’s Origins Renews Debate on Risks of Lab Work
New York Times via Daily Express reported:
At a Senate hearing on efforts to combat COVID-19 last month, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky asked Dr. Anthony Fauci whether the National Institutes of Health had funded “gain-of-function” research on coronaviruses in China.
“Gain-of-function research, as you know, is juicing up naturally occurring animal viruses to infect humans,” the senator said.
Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, flatly rejected the claim: “Sen. Paul, with all due respect, you are entirely and completely incorrect, that the NIH has not ever and does not now fund gain-of-function research in the Wuhan Institute.”
As COVID-19 Crisis Ebbs, Some Seeking 9/11-Style Commission
With more than 600,000 Americans dead of COVID-19 and questions still raging about the origin of the virus and the government’s response, a push is underway on Capitol Hill and beyond for a full-blown investigation of the crisis by a national commission like the one that looked into 9/11.
It is unclear whether such a probe will ever happen, though a privately sponsored team of public health experts is already laying the groundwork for one.
Given that most of the disaster unfolded on President Donald Trump’s watch, many worry that politics will get in the way of any inquiry, as happened when Republicans came out against a commission to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by Trump supporters. Others fear that a desire by many to simply move on will thwart a review.
Only 21% Of Americans Worried About Contracting COVID-19
The Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) reported:
A new poll shows only 21% of Americans fear contracting COVID-19 from someone they know well, the lowest number since the pandemic began, according to the Associated Press–NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
Only 25% are concerned that lifted restrictions will lead to more infections in their community. About 40% of those polled said their communities were handling reopening at a correct pace, with 27% thinking it has been done too slowly and 34% feeling restrictions were lifted too hastily.
But in general, most poll respondents said they were resuming pre-pandemic activities, including visiting family and friends, shopping for non-essential items, and dining in bars and restaurants.
With Vaccination Goal in Doubt, Biden Warns of Variant’s Threat
New York Times via Yahoo News reported:
With the United States unlikely to reach his self-imposed deadline of having 70% of adults partly vaccinated against the coronavirus by July 4, President Joe Biden on Friday stepped up his drive for Americans to get their shots, warning that those who decline risk becoming infected by a highly contagious and potentially deadly variant.
In an afternoon appearance at the White House, Biden avoided mentioning the 70% target that he set in early May and instead trumpeted a different milestone: 300 million shots in his first 150 days in office. But even as he hailed the vaccination campaign’s success, he sounded a somber note about the worrisome delta variant, which is spreading in states with low vaccination rates.
“The best way to protect yourself against these variants is to get vaccinated,” the president declared.
CDC Launches Spanish Whatsapp Chat To Boost Latino COVID Vaccinations
WhatsApp and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have partnered to deliver information on the coronavirus vaccine to Spanish-speaking users, the social media platform announced Monday.
Why it matters: 36% of Latinos have had at least one vaccine dose compared to 45% of white people as of June 14, per the Kaiser Family Foundation. Reaching the Latino community on WhatsApp, which hosts a huge immigrant user base, could help counter misinformation and mistrust, NBC News reports.
Details: The Department of Health and Human Services is collaborating with Facebook, WhatsApp’s parent company, as part of the Biden administration’s goal to get 70% of U.S. adults vaccinated with at least one dose by July 4.
Finally: Daszak Is Fired From Commission Investigating COVID Origins
The scientist who funded the Wuhan Institute of Virology’s ‘gain-of-function’ research on coronaviruses, which many now believe to be the source of the pandemic, has finally been removed from one position of investigative authority.
As we previously reported, Peter Daszak was tapped to head up The Lancet’s UN backed commission to investigate the origins of the coronavirus that caused a global pandemic.
The British scientist was picked despite the fact that he was intimately associated with the Wuhan lab, had repeatedly dismissed the lab leak hypothesis a ‘dangerous conspiracy theory’, and created a pressure campaign via a letter published by The Lancet to force the scientific community into avoiding looking into the lab as a potential source of the outbreak.
Ontarians Encouraged to See mRNA Shots as Interchangeable as More 2nd Doses Open Up
Officials and experts emphasized the interchangeability of the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines on Monday as many more Ontarians became eligible to book accelerated second shots.
The province said its shipment of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines for the week had been delayed by a few days, so a large supply of Moderna would be used at many appointments, meaning residents may end up with a different mRNA shot for their second dose.
The government has been encouraging residents to get fully immunized as soon as possible by taking the most readily available second dose.
White House Official: COVID-19 Vaccine May Not Be Available For Younger Kids Until After the New School Year Starts
The COVID-19 vaccine may not become available to children younger than 12 in time for the start of the new school year, a White House health expert said Monday.
Dr. Bechara Choucair, the White House vaccinations coordinator, told KXAN that the necessary federal entities won’t approve the use of vaccines in younger children until “possibly by the end of the year or early 2022.”
“For kids younger than 12 years of age, we know there are studies going on right now for Pfizer, for Moderna and for others, and we’re tracking those,” Dr. Choucair said. “The colleagues at the NIH and the FDA and the CDC will be reviewing those. Once we get the result of those data, the result of those trials, when we start seeing the data and they get evaluated by our scientists and HHS, that’s when we will know we’ll be able to have vaccines available for younger than 12 years of age.”
COVID-19 Dual-Antibody Therapies Effective Against Variants in Animal Study
COVID-19 therapies made from antibodies often are given to patients who are at high risk of severe illness and hospitalization. However, there have been nagging questions about whether such antibody therapies retain their effectiveness as worrisome new virus variants arise.
New research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggests that many, but not all, therapies made from combinations of two antibodies are effective against a wide range of variants of the virus. Further, combination therapies appear to prevent the emergence of drug resistance.
‘Urgent’ British Report Calls for Complete Cessation of COVID Vaccines in Humans
America’s Frontline Doctors reported:
An “urgent preliminary report of Yellow Card data” issued by the UK-based Evidence-Based Medicine Consultancy Ltd submitted to the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) states that “the MHRA now has more than enough evidence on the Yellow Card system to declare the COVID-19 vaccines unsafe for use in humans.”
Similar to the U.S. Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS), the MHRA describes the purpose of its Yellow Card system as providing “an early warning that the safety of a medicine or a medical device may require further investigation.”
Officials Deny COVID Vaccine Killed Pilots
America’s Frontline Doctors reported:
British Airways has confirmed the deaths of four previously healthy pilots, but corporation spokesmen and government officials continue to deny a connection to the COVID-19 vaccine.
One of the British Airways pilots’ deaths occurred at a well-known mountain trail bike park, and was reported by the UK New Valley News. Edward Brice-Bennett, 33, was spotted unconscious on a trail next to his bike in Tidworth, Wiltshire. Emergency services arriving at the scene confirmed Brice-Bennett’s death.
A post mortem examination showed two conditions, abdominal trauma and haemoperitoneum [internal bleeding], but no cause of death had yet been ascertained. Toxicology and histology tests have been ordered, and the inquest adjourned to a date to be fixed.
Israel’s COVID Policy Shift: ‘Strongly’ Recommends Young Teens Vaccinate
The Health Ministry is recommending that all youth between the ages of 12 and 15 get inoculated and has asked the health funds to prepare for the vaccination campaign.
“It should be emphasized that in view of the expected increase in travel abroad, the removal of masks and the abolition of the green pass – and in order to take all steps to maintain the routine way of life that we managed to achieve in Israel – it is highly recommended to get vaccinated and protected,” the Health Ministry said in a statement.
The previous policy was that these teens and preteens had “permission” to get the jab.
McDonald’s Offers COVID-19 Vaccines, Free Food at Select Southern California Locations
Starting Monday, you’ll be able to get a COVID-19 vaccine and some free food at some Southern California McDonald’s locations.
McDonald’s is teaming up with the California Department of Public Health to offer shots at more than 70 of its restaurants across the state, including nearly 50 pop-up clinics in high-traffic, high-visibility areas across Southern California.
“People who receive a vaccine at McDonald’s will also get a coupon for one free menu item as a thank you for doing their part,” said McDonald’s in a web post. “No appointment or health insurance is required and walk-ups are welcome at all locations.”
White House To Concede It’s Likely To Miss Original July 4 Vaccination Target
The Biden administration planned to concede Tuesday that it will likely fall short of President Joe Biden’s goal of partially vaccinating 70 percent of American adults by Independence Day, but insist it has “succeeded beyond our highest expectations” in returning the nation to a pre-pandemic normal.
Jeffrey Zients, the head of the White House Covid-19 response team, was scheduled to announce that the administration has hit its 70% vaccination target among Americans ages 30 and older, and is poised to reach that threshold for those 27 and older by the Fourth of July.
But it will take “a few extra weeks” to include all Americans 18 and older to that group, he is to acknowledge.
More Aussies Have Died From AstraZeneca-Related Clots Than From COVID + More
More Aussies Have Died From AstraZeneca-Related Clots Than From COVID
Australia’s top medical officer on Monday urged countrymen who have received an AstraZeneca COVID shot to “not delay” getting the second dose – even though the vaccine has been linked to more deaths than COVID in Australia this year.
Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly, after a National Cabinet meeting, reiterated the benefits of vaccination and encouraged Australians to stay vigilant for symptoms of COVID-19. He told Australia’s ABC network that the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine in combating COVID-19 “far outweighed” the risks of developing a very rare blood clotting syndrome.
Two women in Australia have died from the blood clots. The only COVID fatality this year was an 80-year-old traveler who died in April after being infected overseas and diagnosed in hotel quarantine. Last week authorities recommended that the AstraZeneca vaccine be given only to people 60 or over; people 50-59 were encouraged to get the Pfizer vaccine instead.
Exclusive: Athlete Who Recovered From COVID Facing ‘Very Different Future’ After Second Dose of Pfizer Vaccine Triggers Myocarditis
Greyson Follmer, an Ohio State University (OSU) student, was an elite athlete and member of the university’s chapter of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC).
But, according to his mother, the 19-year-old from Ohio is looking at a very different future now, after he developed severe heart complications following his second dose of Pfizer’s COVID vaccine.
In an exclusive interview with The Defender, Marie Follmer said nobody warned her about the potential for increased risks of COVID vaccine-related adverse events for people like her son, who already had COVID and had acquired natural immunity.
Canadian Politician, Doctors Condemn Censorship of Scientific Inquiry and Suppression of Information on Vaccine Risks to Kids
Canadian politician Derek Sloan and three medical professionals — who say they represent hundreds of their colleagues — said last week in a press conference on Parliament Hill the Canadian government is suppressing information about the harmful effects of lockdowns, vaccine risks in children and the efficacy of certain COVID treatments.
The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) issued a “dire statement” late April threatening doctors who spoke out about what they witnessed in their local hospitals and communities while working on the frontlines of COVID, said Sloan.
“The purpose of CPSO is to protect the public,” said Sloan, “not stifle legitimate scientific inquiry or dissent by professional doctors.”
Nearly 4,000 Women Report Menstrual Problems Including Heavy Bleeding and Delayed Periods After Getting Their COVID Vaccine
Nearly 4,000 women have suffered period problems shortly after getting their Covid jab, Britain’s vaccines watchdog has confirmed.
The issues, which have typically involved ‘heavier than usual’ bleeding or a delayed period, have primarily affected women aged between 30 and 49.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said it had received 2,734 reports linked to the AstraZeneca jab up to May 17.
Some Young San Diegans Among Hundreds Reporting Heart Condition After COVID-19 Vaccine
More than 300 cases of heart inflammation after COVID-19 vaccinations have been reported in young people across the U.S., including some young San Diegans.
“This may be coincidental, a person may be predisposed to this, it may be as we see often in this vaccine that our own immune system starts reacting in an inflammatory way against our own muscles,” said Dr. Michael Welch, an allergist and immunologist at Rady Children’s Hospital, where eight boys have been admitted after suffering painful heart muscle inflammation after getting vaccinated.
According to San Diego County, 105,308 San Diego residents age 12 to 17 have gotten the COVID-19 vaccine. This means the eight young people reported to have experienced heart symptoms represent 0.007 percent of all vaccine recipients.
Buffalo Bills’ Cole Beasley Says He’d Rather Retire Than Get COVID-19 Vaccine
Buffalo Bills wide receiver Cole Beasley, in a challenge to the National Football League’s new Covid-19 training camp and preseason protocols, tweeted that he’d rather retire than get a vaccine.
“Everyone — Hi, I’m Cole Beasley and I’m not vaccinated!,” he wrote in a post Friday that he called a “Public Service Announcement.”
“I will be outside doing what I do,” Beasley added. “I’ll be out in the public. If you’re scared of me then steer clear, or get vaccinated. Point. Blank. Period. I may die of covid, but I’d rather die actually living.”
Million-Dollar Lotteries Fail to Cut Through Vaccine Apathy
State efforts to juice COVID-19 vaccination rates through million-dollar lotteries haven’t reversed the steep decline in adults seeking out shots when many pockets of the country remain vulnerable to the coronavirus.
While Ohio did see a two-week bump in adult vaccination rates last month after becoming the first state to offer sizable cash prizes, the pace of vaccinations there has already fallen off. And states that followed its headline-grabbing example made some small gains without showing evidence of any comparable surge, a POLITICO analysis of federal and state data shows.
“It’s just not working,” said Irwin Redlener, who directs the Pandemic Resource and Response Initiative at Columbia University. “People aren’t buying it. The incentives don’t seem to be working — whether it’s a doughnut, a car or a million dollars.”
Many L.A. Cops and Firefighters Aren’t Vaccinated Against COVID.. Is This a Public Safety Threat?
Los Angeles Times via MSN reported:
When COVID-19 vaccines became available in California, police officers, firefighters and other first responders got priority access, and potentially more.
There were Airbnb gift cards, bicycles and cameras. Cash raffles ranged from $20 to $1,000. Some prison healthcare workers were made eligible for cash prizes just for sitting through a 30-minute “Vaccination Education” training.
But despite the priority access and array of incentives, vaccination rates for police, fire and corrections agencies across L.A. and California have lagged well behind the state’s average for adult residents, according to a survey of agencies conducted by The Times.
Pfizer Vaccine Approved for 12-15-Year-Olds in New Zealand – Report
New Zealand has tentatively cleared the COVID-19 vaccine that Pfizer (PFE) developed in partnership with BioNTech (BNTX) for 12-15-year olds, according to a Reuters report.
“After careful consideration of the most up-to-date scientific and medical data available, Medsafe has announced provisional approval for our young people to be given the Pfizer vaccine,” Reuters quoted PM Jacinda Ardern as saying.
Medsafe is New Zealand’s drugs regulator. The country has more than 250,000 children aged 12 – 15 years who now stand to benefit from the Pfizer vaccine. The vaccine rollout to this group will begin after Cabinet’s approval, expected by the end of June.
Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine Produces Strong Antibody Response in Infant Model, Finds Study
A new study conducted by a group of scientists has found that Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine offers strong neutralising antibody responses to the virus in baby rhesus macaques without any adverse effects.
The strong strong immunity response elicited by the vaccines in 16 baby rhesus macaques persisted for 22 weeks, the results published in Science Immunology said, as per an Indian Express report.
Why Has “Ivermectin” Become a Dirty Word?
On December 8, 2020, when most of America was consumed with what The Guardian called Donald Trump’s “desperate, mendacious, frenzied and sometimes farcical” attempt to remain president, the Senate’s Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee held a hearing on the “Medical Response to COVID-19.” One of the witnesses, a pulmonologist named Dr. Pierre Kory, insisted he had great news.
“We have a solution to this crisis,” he said unequivocally. “There is a drug that is proving to have a miraculous impact.”
Kory was referring to an FDA-approved medicine called ivermectin. A genuine wonder drug in other realms, ivermectin has all but eliminated parasitic diseases like river blindness and elephantiasis, helping discoverer Satoshi Ōmura win the Nobel Prize in 2015. As far as its uses in the pandemic went, however, research was still scant. Could it really be a magic Covid-19 bullet?
Moderna Plans To Expand COVID-19 Vaccine Production
Wall Street Journal via Reuters:
Moderna Inc. (MRNA.O) is adding two new production lines at its COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing plant in Massachusetts, in a bid to prepare for making more booster shots, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday.
The additions will help Moderna increase overall production capacity by 50% at the plant, the report said citing company officials. (https://on.wsj.com/3xD7Wvj)
Moderna did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
56-Year-Old Dies Minutes After Second Pfizer Vaccine + More
56-Year-Old Greek Woman Dies Minutes After Second Pfizer Vaccine
A 56-year-old Greek woman died at Kalavryta Hospital just a few minutes after her second dose of the Pfizer vaccine.
The middle-aged woman, who was vaccinated during her 10:00 AM appointment in the morning of Friday at the hospital was pronounced dead just a few minutes after she received her shot.
As is normal procedure, the woman was sitting in a separate area while she was monitored for negative developments that can occur after the vaccine administration.
Just 10 minutes after she was vaccinated, she complained of a “burning” pain in her chest and her back, and collapsed.
Doctors on the scene tried to revive the woman, and even to intubate her, but stopped their frantic efforts one hour after she collapsed.
Some Vaccine Experts Having Second Thoughts About Rushing to Inoculate Kids
Los Angeles Times via MSN reported:
From the earliest days of the pandemic, doctors and public health officials have seen widespread vaccination as the most effective way to stop COVID-19 in its tracks. But a growing contingent of medical experts is now questioning whether that conventional wisdom ought to apply to children.
Their doubts are not borne of conspiracy beliefs, but couched in the carefully calibrated language of risk and benefit. And they’re expected to get a public airing Friday as advisors to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ponder a spate of post-vaccine heart problems in adolescents and young adults.
Latest CDC VAERS Data for 12- to 17-Year-Olds Include 7 Deaths, 271 Serious Adverse Events Following COVID Vaccines
This week’s number of reported adverse events among all age groups following COVID vaccines surpassed 350,000, according to data released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The data comes directly from reports submitted to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS).
VAERS is the primary government-funded system for reporting adverse vaccine reactions in the U.S. Reports submitted to VAERS require further investigation before a causal relationship can be confirmed. Every Friday, VAERS makes public all vaccine injury reports received as of a specified date, usually about a week prior to the release date.
Data released today show that between Dec. 14, 2020 and June 11, 2021, a total of 358,379 total adverse events were reported to VAERS, including 5,993 deaths — an increase of 105 deaths over the previous week. There were 29,871 serious injury reports, up 1,430 compared with last week.
Poll: 46 Percent of Unvaccinated Say They Will Definitely Not Get Vaccine
Nearly half of Americans who are unvaccinated say they will definitely not get the coronavirus vaccine, according to a new poll.
The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll reported that 46% of the unvaccinated said they will definitely not get the vaccine and 29 percent said they will probably not get the vaccine.
Those who are most hesitant to get the coronavirus vaccine include white evangelicals, Republicans, rural Americans, young adults and those without college degrees.
Hundreds of Vaccinated Indonesian Health Workers Get COVID-19, Dozens in Hospital
More than 350 doctors and medical workers have caught COVID-19 in Indonesia despite being vaccinated with Sinovac and dozens have been hospitalized, officials said, as concerns grow about the efficacy of some vaccines against more infectious variants.
Most of the workers were asymptomatic and self-isolating at home, said Badai Ismoyo, head of the health office in the district of Kudus in central Java, but dozens were in hospital with high fevers and falling oxygen-saturation levels.
Kudus, which has about 5,000 healthcare workers, is battling an outbreak believed to be driven by the more transmissible Delta variant, which has raised its bed occupancy rates above 90%.
‘I Remember It Very Well’: Dr. Fauci Describes a Secret 2020 Meeting to Talk About COVID Origins
In the early days of the growing coronavirus outbreak that would soon become a pandemic, an elite group of international scientists gathered on a conference call to discuss a shocking possibility: The virus looked like it might have been engineered in a laboratory.
“I remember it very well,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top infectious disease expert at the National Institutes of Health, said in an interview with me on Wednesday. “We decided on the call the situation really needed to be looked into carefully.”
The teleconference on Feb. 1, 2020, appears to have played a pivotal role in shaping the early views of several key scientists whose published papers and public statements contributed to the shutting down of legitimate discussion about whether a laboratory in Wuhan, China, might have ignited the COVID-19 pandemic.
Vaccine Doses Expire in U.S. as Uptake Falls by 68%
Millions of vaccines are in danger of being thrown out as the U.S. immunization campaign hits a wall of vaccine refusal. The U.S. led Canada in first dose coverage by 45% to 35% at the beginning of May, but since then Canada has added a further 29%, and the US just 7%.
U.S. vaccinations peaked at more than 3.4 million a day in April but fell to under a million a day at the beginning of June, with many sites seeing only a trickle of visitors. Vaccinations have since increased to about 1.1 million a day, as states rolled out incentives including cash giveaways.
High Hopes for Johnson & Johnson’s COVID Vaccine Have Fizzled in the U.S.
When Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose coronavirus vaccine was authorized for emergency use in late February, it was seen as a breakthrough for reaching vulnerable and isolated Americans, a crucial alternative to vaccines that require two shots weeks apart and fussier storage. It was soon popular on college campuses, in door-to-door campaigns and with harder-to-reach communities that often struggle with access to health care.
But with only 11.8 million doses administered in the United States so far — less than 4% of the total — the “one and done” vaccine has fallen flat. States have warned for weeks that they may not find recipients for millions of doses that will soon expire, partly because the vaccine’s appeal dropped after it was linked to a rare but serious blood-clotting disorder and injections were paused for 10 days in April.
Five Years Before a Vaccine Can ‘Hold the Line’ Against COVID Variants, England’s Medical Chief Says
England’s top medical officer has warned that the coming winter will continue to be difficult for the country’s health system despite the country’s successful coronavirus vaccination program.
A further easing of lockdown restrictions in England was delayed this week due to a surge in cases of the delta variant first discovered in India.
In a speech to the NHS Confederation Thursday, Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty said the current wave of COVID infections due to the delta variant would likely be followed by another surge in the winter.
U.S. To Spend $3.2b on Treatments for COVID-19, Other Viruses
The Associated Press reported:
The United States is devoting $3.2 billion to speed development of antiviral pills to treat COVID-19 and other dangerous viruses that could turn into pandemics.
The new program will invest in “accelerating things that are already in progress” for COVID-19 but also would work to come up with treatments for other viruses, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert. He announced the investment Thursday at a White House briefing.
‘I Remember It Very Well’: Dr. Fauci Describes a Secret 2020 Meeting to Talk About COVID Origins
In the early days of the growing coronavirus outbreak that would soon become a pandemic, an elite group of international scientists gathered on a conference call to discuss a shocking possibility: The virus looked like it might have been engineered in a laboratory.
“I remember it very well,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top infectious disease expert at the National Institutes of Health, said in an interview with me on Wednesday. “We decided on the call the situation really needed to be looked into carefully.”
A Quarter of Parents Won’t Let Their Children Get COVID Vaccine, Poll Finds + More
A Quarter of Parents Won’t Let Their Children Get COVID-19 Vaccine, Poll Finds
As vaccine hesitancy continues to be an issue, approximately one in four parents say they do not intend to get their child vaccinated against COVID-19, a Harris poll finds — and more than 10% intend to only have their child receive one dose, which may not be enough to protect against the Delta variant now taking hold in the U.S.
The poll, conducted June 11-13 among 2,015 U.S. adults, found the vast majority of parents will have their children fully vaccinated against Covid-19, including 62% of those with children under age 12, who are not eligible yet for the vaccine, and 54% of those ages 12 and older, with a further 9% saying their children are already vaccinated.
Inventor of mRNA Technology: Vaccine Causes Lipid Nanoparticles to Accumulate in ‘High Concentrations’ in Ovaries
On June 10, Dr. Robert Malone, creator of mRNA vaccine technology, joined evolutionary biologist Bret Weinstein, Ph.D., for a 3-hour conversation on the “Dark Horse Podcast” to discuss multiple safety concerns related to the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
In this short outtake from the full podcast, Malone, Weinstein and tech entrepreneur Steve Kirsch touch on the implications of the controversial Japanese Pfizer biodistribution study. The study was made public earlier this month by Dr. Byram Bridle, a viral immunologist.
Ivermectin Could Have Saved ‘Millions’ of Lives — But Doctors Were Told Not to Use It
Kory, a lung and ICU specialist and former professor of medicine at St. Luke’s Aurora Medical Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is the president and chief medical officer of the Frontline COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC). Another founding member of FLCCC is Dr. Paul Marik who, as noted by Kory, is the most-published intensive care specialist who is still practicing medicine and seeing patients.
Marik, known for having created an effective sepsis treatment protocol, was asked by a group of peers early on in the pandemic to help create a treatment protocol for COVID-19. The resulting collaboration led to the creation of the FLCCC. Each of the five founding members has treated critical illnesses for decades and, as Weinstein says, they are “unimpeachable. You couldn’t ask for better credentials. You couldn’t ask for a better publication record.”
Yet, despite stellar credentials and being on the frontlines treating hundreds of COVID-19 patients, they have been dismissed as “kooks on the fringe, making wild-eyed claims,” Weinstein says. How can that be? Initially, the FLCCC insisted, based on the evidence, that COVID-19 was a corticosteroid-dependent disease and that corticosteroids were a crucial part of effective treatment.
Chief of Pediatric Critical Care: ‘Never Taken Care of a Single Patient With a Vaccine-Related Complication Until Now’
Lucien Wiggins, 12, arrived at Tufts Children’s Hospital by ambulance June 7 with chest pains, dizziness and high levels of a protein in his blood that indicated inflammation of his heart. The symptoms had begun a day earlier, the morning after his second vaccination with the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA shot.
For Dr. Sara Ross, chief of pediatric critical care at the Boston hospital, the event confirmed a doubt she’d been nursing: Was the country pushing its luck by vaccinating children against COVID at a time when the disease was relatively mild in the young — and skepticism of vaccines was frighteningly high?
“I have practiced pediatric ICU for almost 15 years and I have never taken care of a single patient with a vaccine-related complication until now,” Ross told Kaiser Health News. “Our standard for safety seems to be different for all the other vaccines we expose children to.”
800+ People Await Decisions From Government’s ‘Opaque’ COVID Vaccine Injury Compensation Program
A U.S. government compensation program that would provide payouts to people who have been injured or lost loved ones from experimental COVID vaccines includes a board with an unknown number of anonymous members who have not awarded a penny to a single victim among hundreds of applicants to date.
Currently, 869 people are awaiting decisions from the Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program (CICP), which was set up to compensate people who have been injured by fast-tracked and experimental “countermeasures,” including vaccines and other drugs.
‘My Husband Died in COVID Vaccine Reaction’: Caller Condemns Mandatory Jabs Policy
This caller’s husband, a 32 year old doctor, died in an extremely rare reaction to the Covid vaccine. She condemns the idea that care workers should be “forced” to have the jab.
It comes after Matt Hancock announced that coronavirus jabs will be made compulsory for care home staff in England, branding it a “sensible and reasonable step.”
He also confirmed there are considerations ongoing on whether to extend the measure to all NHS staff.
Caller Charlotte told Shelagh, “My husband died of the vaccine in January. He was 32 and a doctor and the coroner is going through an inquest at the moment.
The U.S. Agrees to Buy 200 Million More Doses of Moderna’s Vaccine, in Case Boosters Are Needed.
The Biden administration, planning for the possibility that Americans could need booster shots of the coronavirus vaccine, has agreed to buy an additional 200 million doses from the drugmaker Moderna with the option to include any developed to fight variants as well as pediatric doses.
The purchase, with delivery expected to begin this fall and continue into next year, gives the administration the flexibility to administer booster shots if they prove necessary, and to inoculate children under 12 if the Food and Drug Administration authorizes vaccination for that age group, according to two administration officials not authorized to discuss it publicly.
Experts do not yet know whether, or when, booster shots might be necessary. The emergence of variants in recent months has accelerated research on boosters, and the current vaccines are considered effective against several variants, including the Alpha variant which was first identified in Britain and which became dominant in the United States.
Get a Jab, Win a Condo: Hong Kong Tries Vaccine Incentives
Like many in Hong Kong, Jason Chan had no immediate plans to get vaccinated against COVID-19. For the finance professional, there seemed to be no pressing need, with travel restrictions still in place and no major outbreak at home.
But Chan had a change of heart when he heard that one of the city’s property developers was offering a lucky draw with a grand prize of a one-bedroom condominium. The day the draw was announced, he went online and made a booking to get vaccinated.
The COVID Vaccine and the People of Nextdoor
When the big announcement came in January that the Covid vaccine would soon be available in my state of North Carolina, an army of citizens prepared by reading research, watching videos, downloading data, memorizing talking points.
These warriors would become crucial in the delivery of misinformation and memes about the COVID-19 vaccine at the grassroots level.
These people are my neighbors. Their battlefield is the Nextdoor social media platform. And they’re intent on keeping their zip code from getting vaccinated.
Kroger Vaccine Lottery Giveaway: First Winners To Be Announced Wednesday
Starting Wednesday, Kroger will be giving away $1 million each week for five weeks, as well as free groceries for a year, to people who have received the COVID-19 vaccine.
The #CommunityImmunity Giveaway runs through July 10 with winners scheduled to be selected weekly.The first winner will be announced some time on Wednesday.
Officials said the giveaway was created by Kroger Health to support the Biden administration’s national effort to have at least 70% of U.S. adults receive their first COVID-19 vaccine dose by July 4.