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Covid News Watch
Teen Dies of Cardiac Arrest Weeks After Receiving Pfizer COVID Vaccine + More
Teen Dies of Cardiac Arrest Weeks After Receiving Pfizer COVID Vaccine
International Business Times reported:
A 17-year-old girl in Washington, who contracted COVID-19 and fully recovered from the disease, died late last month after receiving her second dose of the coronavirus vaccine.
The unnamed teen, who was jabbed with Pfizer‘s COVID-19 vaccine on Sept. 3 and Sept. 15, died of cardiac arrest on Oct. 23, ClarkCountyToday.com reported, citing data from the United States government’s Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). She tested positive for the coronavirus in August, but she was able to fully recover, according to the data.
The teen did not have any pre-existing health conditions prior to her death and had no contact with sick people or family members.
Another COVID Vaccine Mix-Up: Nearly 100 Maryland Kids Given Wrong Shot Dose
International Business Times reported:
Incorrect dosages of the Pfizer COVID vaccine were administered to 98 students in Montgomery County in Maryland, causing the children to need a second dose of the shot.
The students of South Lake Elementary School received a diluted dosage of the COVID shot offered at a vaccine clinic at their school on Nov. 10.
The vaccine error was discovered on Nov. 13 by the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, which consulted with the Maryland Department of Health and vaccine maker Pfizer, which recommended an additional dose of the shot for the impacted children.
14 Northern California Children Given Wrong Amount of COVID Vaccine
A Northern California health clinic gave 14 children the wrong dose when administering pediatric COVID-19 vaccines over the weekend.
Sutter Health said in a statement that 14 of the vaccinations given at its pediatric clinic in Antioch had “an incorrect amount” of diluent, which is used to dilute the concentrated form of the vaccine, KGO-TV reported. The statement did not specify if the doses were too much or too little.
Connecticut Nursing Home COVID Outbreak Results in 89 Infected, 8 Dead
A nursing home in Connecticut is recovering from a significant coronavirus outbreak, after 89 residents and staff tested positive for the virus, facility leadership reported Monday.
At Geer Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in North Canaan, Connecticut, eight residents with “serious underlying health issues” died as a result of the outbreak, nursing home leadership said in a statement. They said 78 residents and staff have since recovered since testing positive, and there are now only three active cases within the community of individuals living within the nursing home.
Facility leaders said 87 of the 89 infected residents and staff were fully vaccinated, so leaders are “obviously concerned we experienced some level of waning immunity.”
More Than 10,000 Australians Have Filed Coronavirus Vaccine Injury Claims
The Sydney Morning Herald reported:
Taxpayers are facing a hefty bill for rare but significant coronavirus vaccine injuries, with at least 10,000 people planning to claim under the federal government’s no-fault indemnity scheme.
Services Australia is building an online portal, to be launched next month, for uncapped claims above $5,000 from those who suffered injury and loss of income due to their COVID-19 vaccine, with compensation for medical costs and lost wages to be paid by the government.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration recorded 78,880 adverse events linked to COVID-19 vaccination, representing a small minority (0.21%) of the 37.8 million doses administered to 18.4 million people, by Nov. 7.
Florida Woman Dies After Suing Hospital to Get Ivermectin
A 47-year-old Florida teacher hospitalized with COVID-19 has died after her husband sued in an unsuccessful effort to force doctors to treat her with ivermectin.
Tamara Drock died Friday, 12 weeks after being admitted to Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center, Ryan Drock told the Palm Beach Post.
He sued the hospital last month in an attempt to require doctors to administer ivermectin, a drug used to treat conditions caused by parasitic worms. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved the drug to treat COVID-19, saying it hasn’t proved effective in pre-clinical trials.
Pfizer Seeks FDA Emergency Use Authorization for Its Experimental COVID Antiviral Pill
Pfizer announced Tuesday that it is seeking emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its experimental antiviral COVID-19 pill, known as PF-07321332 or Paxlovid.
The pill is to be administered in combination with an older antiviral drug called ritonavir and is meant to treat mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in patients at increased risk of hospitalizations or death, the company says.
Nurse Tells Why She’s Refusing COVID Shot, Not Letting Her Kids Get It Either
Most people in Connecticut who are eligible have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 — which is just over 70%. But there are still thousands who refuse to get the vaccine.
One is a registered nurse, who despite having seen the ravages of COVID-19 firsthand, refuses to get the vaccine. Camile, who did not provide her last name, is a registered nurse at a major Connecticut hospital and worked in the COVID ward.
“I feel just everything was rushed. I don’t feel there is enough evidence to make an educated decision on if the vaccine is safe and effective,” Camile said.
Can You Get a COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Shot? Some States Aren’t Waiting for FDA and Say All Adults Should Get Another Dose
Health authorities in Arkansas said on Monday they would broaden eligibility for COVID-19 vaccine booster shots to all adults, as a growing list of state and local officials look for ways to accelerate third doses in hopes of heading off a potential new wave of the virus.
“For Pfizer and Moderna, those who are 18 and over, go get the shot. There are not any limitations on that. Obviously, you should be six months after the second shot. But we want you to get the booster,” Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson told reporters on Monday.
That’s a significant expansion beyond the current recommendations of federal health officials. While boosters are recommended for all adult recipients of Johnson & Johnson‘s vaccine, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention allows boosters for more limited groups of Pfizer and Moderna recipients: seniors 65 and older, adults with underlying medical conditions, and those who live or work in “high-risk settings.”
Moderna Offers NIH Co-Ownership of COVID Vaccine Patent Amid Dispute With Government
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) said Monday it has engaged Moderna in “good faith discussions” to resolve a months-long dispute over the company’s patent application that advocates say could impact global production of the shots.
Moderna is offering to share ownership of its COVID-19 vaccine patent with the U.S. government to resolve the dispute, the vaccine maker said, and would allow the Biden administration to “license the patents as they see fit.”
An NIH spokesperson declined Monday to comment directly on Moderna’s offer, citing “ongoing discussions.”
Pfizer Deal Would Allow Experimental COVID Pill to Be Manufactured Around the World
U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has agreed to a license-sharing deal that would allow its experimental COVID-19 drug to be manufactured more widely around the globe. It’s an agreement that the company says could give more than half of the world’s population access to the treatment, even as Pfizer rebuffs calls to grant poorer countries access to its coronavirus vaccine formula.
The company said this month that the drug, a pill regimen called paxlovid, reduced the risk of COVID-19 hospitalization or death by 89% when administered within three days of the onset of symptoms.
Pandemic Sees Big Rise in Obese Children in England
There has been a substantial rise in the number of obese children in England during the pandemic, data from NHS Digital suggests.
In 2019-20, 10% of children were obese at the start of primary school, but in 2020-21 the figure was more than 14%.
Experts said poverty, lockdowns and a rise in mental health problems will all have played a role.
Over Half of Parents Skeptical About Safety, Efficacy of COVID Vaccines for Children + More
Over Half of Parents Are Skeptical About the Safety, Efficacy of COVID Vaccines for Children: Poll
A new poll suggests more than half of parents in the U.S. are skeptical about the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines for children as eligibility recently opened to kids 5 to 11.
The Washington Post-ABC News survey found that just under half, or 46%, of parents with a child under 18 said they were either very or somewhat confident that the coronavirus vaccines are safe for children ages 5 to 17, while 47% said they were confident the vaccines are effective at preventing serious illness and death for the age group.
Meanwhile, 52% of parents polled were not so sure. The poll found 41% of respondents said they are “not at all” confident that the vaccines are safe for children in that age group, and 11% saying they are “not so” confident; 52 % also said they were “not at all” or “not so” confident of the vaccine’s efficacy.
5,266 New Infections, Hospitalizations Continue to Grow: Breakthrough Cases Continue to Climb
TwinCities Pioneer Press reported:
Minnesota state officials continue to urge residents to get vaccinated against COVID-19, saying it is the best way to prevent a severe infection and to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
But infections, hospitalizations and deaths in people who are fully vaccinated continue to climb. Breakthrough cases account for 17% of all infections diagnosed in 2021 as well as 15.2% of hospitalizations and 15.7% of deaths.
Health officials say breakthrough rates are not an accurate measure of vaccine efficacy. But the rate of such cases has grown significantly this fall.
The Enormous Mental Health Impact of COVID
While only a miniscule percentage of humans on Earth have not been affected in some way by the COVID-19 pandemic, the ways in which people’s lives have been altered are as diverse as the severity of the effects themselves (with some having even seen positives to come out of the situation).
However, as Statista’s Martin Armstrong notes, one negative impact which has been felt to similar degrees around the world is that on our mental health.
Latest estimates from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) show that increases in the prevalence of depression or its symptoms have been observed in all of the countries in its remit that have available data.
The Moderna and Myocarditis Link Needs More Study
Some 71 million Americans have been vaccinated with the Moderna vaccine. The company has seen its stock price soar. But last week, Moderna announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration would take more time to decide whether the company’s two-dose vaccine could be used on children aged 12 to 17 after studies showed the vaccine resulted in a higher incidence of myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart, in males.
Europe approved the Moderna vaccine for use in adolescents in July. But Finland has paused use in young men; Sweden, Germany and other European countries have also announced age-related restrictions.
New Antiviral Drugs Mark a Big Turning Point in the COVID Pandemic
The latest news in the fight against COVID-19 is encouraging. Two new antiviral drugs have been deemed so effective that clinical trials ended early. Data from these trials have not yet been published. However, regulators are moving swiftly to consider general use of the drugs. They will fill a large gap in the toolkit doctors are using to fight the virus, and could well help end the global pandemic.
The new drugs are molnupiravir (Lagevrio), developed by Merck, a pharmaceutical company, working with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, a biotech firm, and Paxlovid, which was developed by Pfizer. All three are American companies.
Those most at risk from the serious effects of COVID are far less likely to be hospitalized, or die, if they take a course of either of these pills in the five days after symptoms first appear.
Opinion: A Pandemic of Misery Has Lessons Not to Be Forgotten. A National Commission Will Help.
Four senators, two Democrats and two Republicans, have proposed legislation to create a 9/11-commission-style national panel that would examine the pandemic and help prepare for the future. This bill ought to be approved by Congress.
Their bill would create a 10-member commission, five from each party, with powers to hold hearings and issue subpoenas, as well as handle intelligence information. It would report within 20 months.
One vital area of inquiry is public health systems, which were overwhelmed during the pandemic. Another part of the probe would focus on the virus origins. The recent U.S. intelligence community report on the virus origins was inconclusive. A commission with time and resources could get closer to the truth, although unfettered cooperation by China is essential, and so far has not been forthcoming.
A Zoo’s Three ‘Beloved’ Snow Leopards Die of COVID
On Friday, the Lincoln Children’s Zoo announced that the leopards — Everest, Makalu and Ranney — had died of complications from COVID-19, about one month after the animals had tested positive for the coronavirus.
Two Sumatran tigers, Axl and Kumar, were also infected, but the zoo said Friday that they “have made a seemingly full recovery from their illness.”
In a statement in October, the zoo said the infected animals were being treated with steroids and antibiotics, but it did not say whether they had been vaccinated. Zoetis, a former Pfizer subsidiary based in New Jersey, has provided an animal-specific coronavirus vaccine to zoos across the country. The Lincoln Children’s Zoo did not immediately respond to an interview request.
UK Firm to Trial T-Cell COVID Vaccine That Could Give Longer Immunity
An Oxfordshire-based company will soon start clinical trials of a second-generation vaccine against COVID-19, an easy-to-administer skin patch that uses T-cells to kill infected cells and could offer longer-lasting immunity than current vaccines.
The vaccines prime T-cells to remove infected cells from the body quickly after infection, thus preventing viral replication and disease. While the antibodies produced by the current COVID vaccines stick to the virus and stop it infecting cells, T-cells find and destroy infected cells.
Those other vaccines, such as the Pfizer/BioNTech and the AstraZeneca/Oxford University jabs, also produce a T-cell response, but to a lesser extent.
Israel Approves Coronavirus Vaccines for Younger Children
Israel on Sunday approved giving the COVID-19 vaccine to children between the ages of 5 and 11.
The Health Ministry decision follows approval by U.S. health authorities earlier this month to OK the vaccine for the same age group.
Israel was one of the first countries in the world to carry out a broad vaccination campaign in its adult and adolescent population early this year, and it became the first country to carry out a widespread booster campaign over the summer.
Thousands of Double-Jabbed Over 50s Have Died From COVID in Last 4 Weeks + More
Revealed: Thousands of Double-Jabbed Over 50s Have Died From COVID in Last 4 Weeks
More than 2,500 fully vaccinated over 50s have died from COVID-19 in the past month in England, new data shows.
In a report published by the UK Health Security Agency analysis revealed 2,683 fully vaccinated over 50s have died within 28 days of positive COVID test in the last four weeks.
The figures reflect the fact that the vast majority in this age group has had at least two COVID vaccines.
30 Fully Vaccinated Massachusetts Residents Died of COVID in First Week of November
International Business Times reported:
At least 30 fully vaccinated people in Massachusetts have died of COVID-19 over the past week as the number of breakthrough cases continues to rise.
Health officials in Massachusetts recorded 30 breakthrough COVID-19 deaths between Oct. 30 and Nov. 6, raising the state’s cumulative coronavirus deaths among the fully vaccinated to 468. The number of deaths represents 0.01% of the state’s inoculated population.
COVID-19 cases among the vaccinated also rose by 4,608 during the same period. As of Nov. 6, the state recorded a total of 58,807 breakthrough COVID infections, representing 1.2% of the state’s fully vaccinated population.
Wealthier Parents More Likely to Get COVID Vaccines for Young Kids: Poll
U.S. News & World Report reported:
In a finding that suggests a family’s income influences parents’ views on COVID vaccines for their younger kids, a new survey shows the more money parents make, the likelier they are to get their kids a shot.
The poll of more than 2,000 parents found that 47% of those with annual incomes of $100,000 or more were willing to get their children ages 5-11 vaccinated, compared with just 37% of those with incomes between $75,000 and $99,000, and only 34% of those with incomes under $50,000, CNN reported.
Regulator Reviewing Reports of ‘Rare’ and Serious Condition Linked to Moderna Vaccine
Europe’s drug regulator on Thursday confirmed it is investigating reports of a blood condition in recipients of Moderna’s mRNA COVID-19 vaccine.
According to a bulletin posted by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), it is reviewing six cases of capillary leak syndrome, considered a “very rare disorder,” after they were reported in the EMA’s EudraVigilance database.
“At this stage, it is not yet clear whether there is a causal association between vaccination and the reports of capillary leak syndrome,” the EMA wrote on Thursday, adding that “these reports point to a safety signal…information on new, or changes in, adverse events that may potentially be associated with a medicine or vaccine and that warrant further investigation.”
CDC Hasn’t Updated COVID Vax Breakthrough Data — Agency Doesn’t Report Real-Time Breakthrough Data, but States Provide Some Answers
In mid-October, the CDC started publishing cases and deaths by vaccination status on its COVID Data Tracker for the first time. But the information was only current as of Sept. 4 — and the page hasn’t been updated since.
In addition, the CDC’s page on breakthrough hospitalizations by vaccination status is only current through the end of August.
It’s definitely a problem that here in the U.S., we have not had real-time, reliable data on breakthrough infections,” said Leana Wen, MD, a professor of health policy and management at George Washington University. “Why should we be waiting until we see Americans end up in the hospital with breakthrough infections before we take action and recommend boosters more broadly?”
Moderna Says COVID Vaccine Has Fewer Breakthrough Cases Than Pfizer’s, but Higher Myocarditis Rates in Young Men
Moderna defended the use of its COVID-19 vaccine Thursday, saying the protection it offers against severe disease, hospitalization and death outweighs the risk of myocarditis, a rare heart condition seen in a small number of young men who received the shot.
Reported cases of the rare heart inflammation in men under age 30 are relatively higher after Moderna’s vaccine compared with those who received the shots made by Pfizer and BioNTech, Moderna Chief Medical Officer Dr. Paul Burton told reporters on a call Thursday.
More Than 2 Million Ellume COVID Home Tests Recalled Due to False-Positives
More than 2 million of Ellume’s at-home COVID-19 tests have been recalled by the company due to “higher-than-acceptable” false-positives.
Ellume first announced a voluntary recall of some of its rapid antigen tests in October due to an increased chance of false-positives. More than 2 million tests are now included in the recall, the US Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday.
Top Biden Health Officials Push to Make Coronavirus Booster Shots Available to All Adults
Anxious about a surge of coronavirus infections enveloping Europe as cases tick up in the United States, senior health officials in the Biden administration are pressing urgently to offer vaccine booster shots to all adults. But support for the renewed push is not unanimous.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky has expressed caution about making extra shots so broadly available now, according to several officials familiar with the situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. As a result, tension is rising among officials over how quickly to proceed and who should get the shots.
With U.S. Aid Money, Schools Put Bigger Focus On Mental Health
In Kansas City, Kansas, educators are opening an after-school mental health clinic staffed with school counselors and social workers. Schools in Paterson, New Jersey, have set up social emotional learning teams to identify students dealing with crises. Chicago is staffing up “care teams” with the mission of helping struggling students on its 500-plus campuses.
With a windfall of federal coronavirus relief money at hand, schools across the U.S. are using portions to quickly expand their capacity to address students’ struggles with mental health.
EU Authorizes 2 Medicines for People at Risk of Severe COVID
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has recommended the authorization of two new medicines against the coronavirus for people at risk of severe disease.
In a statement on Thursday, the EU drug regulator said it had concluded that the monoclonal antibody treatments — a combination of casirivimab and imdevimab, and the drug regdanvimab — have both been proven to significantly reduce the risk of hospitalization and death in patients vulnerable to serious COVID-19.
The EMA said both regdanvimab and the casirivimab and imdevimab combination should be offered to people over age 12 who don’t yet require oxygen support, but are at risk of worsening COVID-19. It said the combination drug can also be used preventatively. Both drugs must be administered intravenously.
Minnesota Vikings’ Dakota Dozier Hospitalized for COVID Issues
A Minnesota Vikings player who is vaccinated was hospitalized Tuesday because he was having trouble breathing because of COVID-19, coach Mike Zimmer said Wednesday.
According to a source, the player is offensive guard Dakota Dozier, who was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list on Friday.
He is in stable condition now, per Zimmer, but remains hospitalized. When asked whether the player’s reaction was to the vaccine (booster) or COVID-19, Zimmer said: “No, it was COVID. I’m not a doctor, but it was COVID pneumonia or something — he had a hard time breathing.”
GSK-Vir COVID Antibody Works as Shot in the Arm as Well as Infusion
Britain’s GSK (GSK.L) and partner Vir (VIR.O) said on Friday their antibody-based COVID-19 drug was shown in a trial to work as well when given as a shot in the arm as when administered via the standard infusion, potentially offering more convenience.
GSK said it would now speak to global regulators, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, about potential approval for the new method of administration, known as intramuscular injection, which can be carried out by family doctors and spare patients a trip to hospital.
Sotrovimab is authorized for emergency use in the United States to prevent mild or moderate cases of COVID-19 from worsening. The European Medicines Agency has given its go-ahead for use by member states though EU-wide approval is still outstanding.
‘I Went Home and Cried:’ U.S. Employers Offer Few Protections for Pregnant Workers
Jennifer, a family nurse practitioner in Texas, told her employer a few months into the COVID-19 pandemic that she was pregnant and requested changes to her work to limit her exposure to COVID-19.
Instead of providing her with accommodations to her work that would reflect her pregnancy, her managers held a meeting at which Jennifer claims she was told she was no good to them pregnant, and that she should take unpaid family medical leave as she was going to be replaced by a non-pregnant worker. She had worked at the employer for five years.
At seven months pregnant during the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving to find another job wasn’t immediately an option.
Pfizer CEO Says People Who Spread Misinformation on COVID Vaccines Are ‘Criminals’ + More
Pfizer CEO Says People Who Spread Misinformation on COVID Vaccines Are ‘Criminals’
People who spread misinformation on COVID-19 vaccines are “criminals” and have cost “millions of lives,” Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said Tuesday.
Speaking with Washington D.C.-based think tank Atlantic Council, Bourla said there is a “very small” group of people that purposefully circulate misinformation on the shots, misleading those who are already hesitant about getting vaccinated.
Should You Vaccinate Your 5-Year-Old?
The Wall Street Journal reported:
If you’re agonizing about whether to have your young child vaccinated against COVID-19, be reassured: The risk is extremely low either way. Serious complications are so uncommon in this age range that of 2,186 children in the Pfizer vaccine study, no child in either the vaccine or placebo group developed severe illness from COVID.
There’s an important exception, though: If a child already had COVID, there’s no scientific basis for vaccination. Deep within the 80-page Pfizer report is this crucial line: “No cases of COVID-19 were observed in either the vaccine group or the placebo group in participants with evidence of prior SARS-CoV-2 infection.”
That’s consistent with the largest population-based study on the topic, which found that natural immunity was 27 times as effective as vaccinated immunity in preventing symptomatic COVID. Natural immunity is likely even more robust in children, given their stronger immune systems. An indiscriminate COVID vaccine mandate may result in unintended harm among children with natural immunity.
423 Million COVID Doses Administered. 3,100 Injury Claims Filed. $0 Paid Out.
USA Today via Yahoo!News reported:
Hours after Diane Spears got the single-shot Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine on Mar. 27, she felt woozy and lethargic, and it only got worse from there. Doctors at two hospitals diagnosed the Oxford, Pennsylvania, woman with a blood-clot-induced stroke, but it was too late. She died on Apr. 6.
In July, after Diane Spears’ death, an attorney representing her family’s attorney submitted a claim to an obscure federal program that compensates people for serious side effects from vaccines, drugs and other treatments. People who claim injury under the program, however, face an uphill battle getting a favorable decision.
Spears’ case is among 3,158 claims alleging injuries from COVID-19 interventions since the beginning of the pandemic. Of those claims, 1,357 allege injuries or deaths from the COVID-19 vaccine. So far, none of those claims have been paid, and only two vaccine cases have been rejected.
Germany, France Restrict Moderna’s COVID Vaccine for Under-30s Over Rare Heart Risk — Despite Surging Cases
Germany’s vaccine advisory board on Wednesday recommended against using Moderna’s COVID-19 shot in people under 30 due to evidence suggesting a very small risk of heart inflammation, joining France and a string of other European countries restricting the vaccine as coronavirus cases across the continent soar to record levels.
Germany and France are the latest European countries to restrict the use of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine in younger people, joining a string of Nordic nations including Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Norway. All cite studies indicating a very limited risk of heart inflammation in young recipients of mRNA coronavirus vaccines, which includes Pfizer and Moderna shots.
Moderna COVID Vaccine Patent Dispute Headed to Court — U.S. NIH Head Says
U.S. National Institutes of Health scientists played “a major role” in developing Moderna Inc’s (MRNA.O) COVID-19 vaccine and the agency intends to defend its claim as co-owner of patents on the shot, NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins told Reuters on Wednesday.
In a story first reported by the New York Times on Tuesday, Moderna excluded three NIH scientists as co-inventors of a central patent for the company’s multibillion-dollar COVID-19 vaccine in its application filed in July.
Collins said the agency has been trying to resolve the patent conflict with Moderna amicably for some time and has failed.
Judge Rules Unvaccinated Doctor Can Treat COVID Patient With Ivermectin at Edward Hospital in Naperville
The latest lawsuit seeking to let a COVID-19 patient receive ivermectin against a hospital’s directives took an odd turn after the physician chosen to administer the medication allegedly acknowledged he is not vaccinated against the coronavirus.
Sun Ng, 71, who came to the U.S. from Hong Kong to celebrate his granddaughter’s first birthday, contracted a case of COVID-19 so severe that in mid-October he ended up on a ventilator at Edward Hospital in Naperville, according to a complaint filed by his daughter, Man Kwan Ng.
Behind the Story: COVID Test Leads to $4K Bill
KRQE News 13 Albuquerque reported:
In the first part of a two-part series on medical billing practices, KRQE News 13 Investigative Reporter Larry Barker highlights the story of an Albuquerque woman who was left with a more than $4,000 dollar bill after getting a COVID-19 test at a newer free-standing Albuquerque emergency room and hospital on the city’s westside.
In total, that bill included a $450 charge for the test, a $2265.32 facility fee, and a $1316.28 charge for a chat with a doctor.
Therapeutic Goods Administration Requests Information From Pfizer After Medical Journal Alleges Contractor ‘Falsified’ Safety Data
Australia’s medicines regulator has sought additional information from Pfizer after an investigation by the British Medical Journal alleged serious issues with a small number of its vaccine safety trials, including claims of “falsified data” and slowness following up on adverse reactions.
The BMJ’s report, published last week, centered on a former employee of Ventavia Research Group, a Texas-based contractor involved in the phase-three trials for Pfizer’s COVID vaccine last year.
A Computer Glitch Led to Incorrect COVID Test Results for Some Anchorage Residents
When Anchorage resident Joe Thomas opened his email on Sunday, he read a concerning message from the day before: He had tested positive for COVID-19.
But then, about an hour and a half later, Thomas got another email saying he was negative.
Thomas wasn’t alone in the confusion. Capstone Clinic, the company that runs multiple COVID testing sites in Anchorage and Mat-Su, says a computer glitch led to false-positive tests for 124 people. All were linked to a single computer analyzing tests from Thursday.
Vaccinated Browns RBs Nick Chubb, Demetric Felton Test Positive for COVID
Browns running backs Nick Chubb and Demetric Felton tested positive for COVID-19, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported Tuesday. Chubb and Felton were subsequently placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list, the team announced.
Both backs are vaccinated, so they aren’t immediately ruled out for Week 10. Each player would need two negative tests 24 hours apart to play.