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Covid News Watch
Student Gets Leg Amputated After COVID Vaccine, Dies of Brain Blood Clots + More
Student Gets Leg Amputated After COVID Vaccine, Dies of Brain Blood Clots
International Business Times reported:
A 20-year-old student whose leg was amputated after getting a COVID-19 vaccine has died of blood clots in the brain.
Ketsiree Kongkaew, who studied at Phangnga Community College in Thailand, died of a hemorrhagic stroke after brain surgery. The student had remained unconscious following the surgery and needed a ventilator to breathe. She was pronounced dead Monday.
The young woman, who had been admitted to the Songklanagarind Hospital, had previously gotten her left leg amputated after she developed blood clots following her second dose of COVID-19 vaccine, according to the Bangkok Post.
Fauci: ‘I Would Vaccinate Them in a Second’
NIAID director Anthony Fauci tells Axios even though the chances of young children getting seriously ill from COVID-19 are small he urges parents to immunize them once a vaccine is authorized.
Driving the news: An FDA expert panel on Tuesday endorsed an emergency use authorization for a lower dose of Pfizer‘s COVID-19 vaccine for 5- to 11-year-olds, paving the way for another swath of the U.S. population to be vaccinated.
Most Parents Don’t Plan to Vaccinate Young Children Against COVID Right Away, KFF Survey Finds
A COVID-19 vaccine could be available for little kids soon, and public health leaders say vaccinating them could help end the pandemic — but only if parents actually get them vaccinated.
A new survey suggests that’s uncertain at best.
The majority of parents say they will not get their younger children vaccinated right away, according to the survey published Thursday from the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Pfizer Gets U.S. Contract for 50 Million COVID Vaccine Doses for Kids
Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) and BioNTech SE (22UAy.DE) said on Thursday they expect to deliver 50 million more doses of their COVID-19 vaccine to the U.S. government by April-end, as the country prepares to vaccinate children.
The move comes after a panel of outside advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration voted on Tuesday to recommend its authorization for the vaccine in children aged 5 to 11. The agency’s decision on the vaccine for the age group is awaited. read more
Will Kids Be Forced to Get a COVID Vaccine? | Opinion
With the news that the Biden administration has purchased 65 million pediatric vaccine doses from Pfizer comes a pressing question: will kids be forced to get the COVID vaccine?
The vaccine was neither approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), nor recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), for pediatric use when the administration made its purchase. Meanwhile, states are already making policy around vaccinating children.
Arizona’s Attorney General Argues COVID Vaccines Not Properly Tested for Safety
In his legal dispute with the Biden administration over mandates, Attorney General Mark Brnovich is now raising questions about whether COVID-19 vaccines were properly tested for safety.
The latest version of his lawsuit filed in federal court says the process used by the FDA for full approval “has been significantly accelerated.’’
He cites the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control’s statement that vaccine licensing “is a lengthy process that can take 10 years or longer.’’
Why Even Some Vaccinated Parents Aren’t Planning to Rush to Give Kids COVID Shot
Sarah Beth Burwick, a lawyer in Los Angeles, said she and her husband both got their COVID-19 vaccinations at “the earliest possible opportunity” and their two children received all of their childhood vaccinations “on the schedule, without even questioning it.”
But she’s not planning to rush out to get the children, ages 5 and 2, vaccinated against COVID, even though one of them could be eligible as soon as next week.
“There would need to be information out there to convince us it was necessary first,” Burwick, 37, said. “I would say I think it’s unnecessary. And I’m uncomfortable with how quickly it’s rolling out with such a small study.”
Health Minister Insists Vaccination Not Beneficial for Children
Health Minister Jorge Alcocer has once again claimed that COVID-19 vaccines could inhibit the development of children’s immune systems.
Alcocer made the remarks a week and a half after claiming that vaccinating children against COVID-19 could have a “limiting” effect on the development of their immune systems. He said Tuesday that he wouldn’t vaccinate his grandchildren.
Conscript Dies Day After Second Vaccine Shot
A 23-year-old army conscript died on Tuesday, one day after he received a second dose of COVID-19 vaccine, different from the first.
Khanti Anantasiri, who was based in Tak province, died at his home in Chom Bung district of Ratchaburi on Tuesday afternoon, one day after being inoculated with the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Khanti had no underlying health condition. He took leave from his camp, Oct. 22-28, to return home to get his second dose of vaccine, and was given Astra Zeneca. He was earlier given a first dose of Sinovac vaccine. The father said he believed his son died as a result of the vaccination. His son’s body was sent to Ratchaburi Hospital for an autopsy.
Jabs Do Not Reduce Risk of Passing COVID Within Household, Study Suggests
People who are fully vaccinated against COVID yet catch the virus are just as infectious to others in their household as infected unvaccinated people, research suggests.
Now a study has revealed that while vaccination against COVID is crucial to preventing severe disease and death, even fully jabbed individuals catch the virus — and pass it on.
Cheap Antidepressant Shows Promise Treating Early COVID
A cheap antidepressant reduced the need for hospitalization among high-risk adults with COVID-19 in a study hunting for existing drugs that could be repurposed to treat coronavirus.
Researchers tested the pill used for depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder because it was known to reduce inflammation and looked promising in smaller studies.
They’ve shared the results with the U.S. National Institutes of Health, which publishes treatment guidelines, and they hope for a World Health Organization recommendation.
‘Continuous Need for Boosting’ — Moderna Chairman Says + More
‘Continuous Need for Boosting’ — Moderna Chairman Says Yearly Covid Boosters May Be Required (VIDEO)
There may be a need for endless COVID booster shots according to Moderna Chairman Noubar Afeyan.
“It may well need an annual booster, potentially varying on a year-to-year or every few years basis as the virus varies,” Afeyan told Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo.
“We just don’t know how this virus is going to travel from being a pandemic all the way to potentially an endemic virus we have to get used to living with,” he said. “I think if we end up there, there will be a continuous need for boosting,” he added.
Three People Accidentally Given COVID Vaccines at Military Base
The United States Army has launched an investigation into reports that three people were accidentally given the coronavirus vaccine at a Washington state military base.
“Joint Base Lewis-McChord is aware that three people were inadvertently administered the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine instead of another vaccine at the Lewis Main Exchange,” Lt. Col. Joey Sollinger with I Corps Public Affairs told the Military Times.
Sollinger added that “positive corrective action has been taken at this vaccination site to prevent such errors from happening again” adding that an investigation has been launched.
Miami Valley Parents React to FDA’s Approval of COVID Vaccine for Kids Ages 5 to 11
A U.S. Food and Drug Administration panel voted to endorse the Pfizer vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 Tuesday and parents in the Miami Valley are reacting to the vote.
Though the decision was unanimous, some members of the panel voiced concerns over myocarditis, a rare vaccine side effect in teens and young adults that causes heart inflammation. “I think we have to very carefully monitor the safety profile of this vaccine going forward,” FDA Advisor Dr. Cody Meissner said.
Some parents said their kids won’t be getting the vaccine if it’s authorized due to it being new and seeing things like breakthrough cases.
Why Won’t the CDC or FDA Reveal the VAERS URF?
Summary: The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) underreporting factor (URF) is required information to be known for any risk-benefit of assessment of a vaccine. The fact that this number was never calculated by the FDA or CDC means that all the safety recommendations to date have been by guessing. This has resulted in the needless loss of life of well over 150,000 Americans.
For example, if you report an adverse event in V-Safe, the app they told you about when you got vaccinated, you are told to file a VAERS report. It is essentially the mother of all adverse event reporting systems for vaccine events in the U.S. There is nothing more comprehensive than VAERS. The most important thing to know about VAERS is that it is always underreported. This is widely known.
CDC Says 4th COVID Booster Dose May Be Needed for Immunocompromised People
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in updated COVID-19 guidelines this week that some immunocompromised people may need a fourth dose of the vaccine.
The agency wrote that people who are over 18 years old who already received an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine primary series and received an additional mRNA vaccine dose may receive a single COVID-19 booster dose — Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson — at least six months following their third mRNA vaccine dose.
NYC Shares Timeline for Kids Ages 5-11 1st COVID Vaccine Doses Pending Federal OK
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio says COVID-19 vaccines could begin being administered to kids ages 5-11 early next month if federal health officials grant emergency use authorization of the Pfizer shots for that subset in the coming days.
A key step in the authorization process happened on Tuesday. The FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee reviewed Pfizer’s data and heard from regulators in an all-day meeting on the vaccine’s safety and efficacy before voting on whether its benefits outweigh any serious potential side effects in children. After the lengthy review, the panel voted to endorse Pfizer’s COVID vaccine for 5- to 11-year-olds.
Exacerbated by Pandemic, Childcare Crisis Hampers Economy
The childcare business has for years operated in a broken, paradoxical market: low wages for workers and high costs for consumers. Yet the critical service somehow managed to limp along.
Now, the pandemic has made clear what many experts had long warned: The absence of reliable and affordable childcare limits which jobs people can accept, makes it harder to climb the corporate ladder and ultimately restricts the ability of the broader economy to grow.
Vaccine Eligibility for Mood Disorders Underscores Elevated COVID Risk
The Washington Post via MSN reported:
When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention added mood disorders to the list of conditions that put people at high risk for severe COVID-19 recently, clinicians were not surprised. The mind-body connection, they say, is long-settled research.
But the scientific seal of approval is still critical: It makes millions of people eligible for booster shots based on their mental health diagnosis alone and gives vulnerable groups more reason to protect themselves.
The CDC on Oct. 14 added “mental health conditions” to a long list of mostly physical conditions that make someone likely to be hospitalized, need a ventilator or die of the coronavirus, including cancer, diabetes and obesity.
Merck Agrees to Let Other Drug Makers Make Its COVID Pill
Pharmaceutical company Merck agreed to allow other drug makers to produce its COVID-19 pill, in a move aimed at helping millions of people in poorer countries get access to the potentially life-saving drug, a United Nations-backed public health organization said on Wednesday.
The Medicines Patent Pool said in a statement that it had signed a voluntary licensing agreement for molnupiravir with Merck and its partner Ridgeback Biotherapeutics.
The Shifting Sands of ‘Gain-of-Function’ Research
In Greek mythology, the Chimaera was a fire-breathing monster, a horrifying mishmash of lion, goat and snake that laid waste to the countryside. In 2015, virologists led by Ralph Baric at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill reported the creation of their own chimaera.
They took a version of the coronavirus responsible for the deadly outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in the early 2000s — now known as SARS-CoV — and adorned it with surface proteins from a different coronavirus taken from Chinese horseshoe bats.
In the laboratory, this particular mash-up was able to break into human cells and also make mice ill. This chimaera came with a message: other coronaviruses have the potential to spark a human pandemic. In just a few years’ time, that warning would prove prescient, as a distant cousin of SARS-CoV has now killed more than 4.9 million people worldwide.
51,007 Total Breakthrough COVID Cases Reported in Massachusetts, Which Is 1.08% Of Vaccinated People
The number of breakthrough COVID cases in Massachusetts increased by 3,078 this week.
On Tuesday, the state released its weekly report on the number of cases in vaccinated people.
The cumulative count this week was 51,007 people, which is just 1.08% of the 4.7 million people in Massachusetts who are fully vaccinated.
Professional Help Can’t Keep Up With Children’s Mental Health Needs + More
Professional Help Can’t Keep Up With Children’s Mental Health Needs
The San Diego Union-Tribune reported:
From June of last year to late this past spring, an average of five children a week were being admitted to the medical school’s teaching hospital at East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C., after overdosing on medications such as acetaminophen, opiates, antidepressants and even Ritalin.
John Diamond and his colleagues had never seen anything like it. “Normally,” he says, “we see five kids a month.”
FDA Advisory Panel OK’s Pfizer Vaccine for Kids 5 to 11
A smaller dose of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine cleared its first regulatory hurdle Tuesday for use in young children, after a Food and Drug Administration advisory committee voted to recommend it for emergency use authorization for those ages 5 to 11.
The 17-0 vote, with one abstention, will now go to the FDA, which is expected to make a final ruling in the coming days. If authorized, the move would make nearly the entire U.S. population eligible for a COVID shot. Only children ages 4 and younger would remain ineligible.
Factbox: Countries Vaccinating Children Against COVID
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s committee of outside experts will weigh in on authorisation of Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) and BioNTech SE’s COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use in children aged 5-11.
The panel’s vote to the FDA on Tuesday is an important regulatory step toward inoculating millions of children in the United States, where schools are largely open for in-person learning.
The following is a list of some countries that have approved or are considering vaccinating children:
San Antonio ISD Plans COVID Vaccination Clinics for Children Ages 5 to 11
With COVID-19 vaccines for children between the ages of 5 to 11 expected to be approved in a matter of days, local school districts are making plans to vaccinate students.
One of the largest school districts in our area, San Antonio ISD, said it has identified some partners to help with the vaccinations and hopes to get as many young kids vaccinated before the end of the year.
“We already have plans underway, and our focus, of course, will be to try to get as many students in that 5- to 11-year-old group vaccinated as possible. We’re preparing to have some outreach to parents,” said Toni Thompson, associate superintendent of Human Capital Management at SAISD.
EcoHealth Throws NIH Under the Bus Over Wuhan Gain-of-Function Report; Researcher Claims ‘Massive Cover-Up’
The question over whether the NIH funded risky gain-of-function research in Wuhan, China was officially ‘answered’ last week, after the agency claimed that one of their partners, EcoHealth Alliance, failed to report that they had ‘accidentally’ created a chimeric coronavirus that was able to infect humanized mice.
To review, in a Wednesday letter addressed to Rep. James Comer (R-KY), NIH Principal Deputy Director Lawrence A. Tabak admits to funding a “limited experiment” to determine whether “spike proteins from naturally occurring bat coronaviruses circulating in China were capable of binding to the human ACE2 receptor in a mouse model.”
According to the letter, humanized mice infected with the modified bat virus “became sicker” than those exposed to an unmodified version of the same bat coronavirus.
Lucknow: COVID Dips but Breakthrough Infections Soar
Lucknow: COVID-19 transmission rate has dropped drastically in the past couple of months, but most of the cases reported in this period were of breakthrough infections, which experts warn can result in a mutation if people do not take precautions in the ongoing festive season.
Nearly 80% (91 out of 114) COVID-19 cases reported from Sept. 1 till Oct. 23 were of breakthrough infection, revealed the data accessed by the TOI from the office of chief medical officers.
Breakthrough COVID Patient’s Survival Is ‘a Tribute to Faith, Science and Love’
Twin Cities Pioneer Press reported:
David Wettergren shouldn’t be here. Wettergren, 82, of North Oaks, nearly died last month in the intensive care unit at M Health Fairview St. John’s Hospital in Maplewood while being treated for a severe breakthrough case of COVID-19. Wettergren, who is fully vaccinated, spent 33 days in the hospital, 23 of which were in the ICU, 11 of those on a ventilator. He then spent three weeks in transitional care at Cerenity Senior Care Center in White Bear Lake.
Minnesota has seen at least 45,827 breakthrough cases of COVID-19 and at least 263 deaths among fully vaccinated people, according to the state Department of Health. There have been 2,178 breakthrough cases resulting in hospitalizations.
Biden Delays Release of JFK Assassination Records, Blaming COVID Pandemic
The U.S. will “unfortunately” continue to delay the public release of records related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, and officials say the COVID-19 pandemic is to blame.
The move was announced in a memo signed by President Joe Biden and released by the White House Friday.
In 1992, Congress ruled that “all Government records concerning the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. . . should be eventually disclosed to enable the public to become fully informed about the history surrounding the assassination,” the missive said.
Early COVID Treatments Should Not Be Ignored
COVID-19 vaccines are not as effective in preventing infection and transmission as initially thought. Since we will have to live with COVID-19, it is vital that we stop suppressing the discussion of early treatment options for all patients, regardless of whether they have been vaccinated or not.
The bulwark of opposition to repurposed drugs from public health officials, tech companies, academics, and the media has been astonishing. The shaming and erasing of clinicians who have actually healed patients with therapeutics has significantly damaged the public’s trust in medicine and scientific research.
France Says It Has Ordered 50,000 Doses of Merck’s COVID Antiviral Pill
France has ordered 50,000 doses of Merck & Co’s (MRK.N) experimental COVID-19 antiviral drug for adults, the country’s health minister Olivier Veran told a hearing at the French Senate on Tuesday.
“France positioned itself very early in pre-ordering. France ordered 50,000 doses of the drug,” Veran told lawmakers about molnupiravir, which is Merck & Co’s experimental antiviral pills to treat COVID-19 ailments.
52,000 Breakthrough COVID Cases Recorded in Indiana; 531 Fully Vaccinated Residents Dead + More
52,000 Breakthrough COVID Cases Recorded in Indiana; 531 Fully Vaccinated Residents Dead
International Business Times reported:
More than 52,000 fully vaccinated residents in Indiana have suffered from a breakthrough infection since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the state data.
A total of 52,484 breakthrough infections were reported in Indiana as of Thursday, Oct. 21. The figures represent 1.568% of the state’s vaccinated population, according to the Indiana Department of Health.
The latest report from the state’s health department also showed that 531 fully vaccinated individuals in Indiana died of COVID-19 since the state confirmed its first case of novel coronavirus on March 6, 2020.
Firing Dr. Fauci Now May Help Joe Biden Manage the Next COVID Wave, and His Poll Numbers
Joe Biden built his presidential campaign around his assertion that he would “shut down the virus, not the economy.” Accordingly, his approval rating has slumped and risen along with U.S. infection and death rates.
The number of COVID cases nationwide is again on the decline — and, some Democratic strategists say, that gives the administration an opportunity to change the tone of the discussion around the virus.
Biden now has a chance to depoliticize the issue with an action that is suddenly less controversial than it would have been just days ago: Fire Anthony Fauci.
Pfizer Vax for Young Kids Passes the Test Among FDA Staff
Pfizer-BioNTech‘s COVID-19 vaccine produced an immune response and was safe and effective in young children, but its benefits may be largely dependent on severity of the COVID outbreak, according to FDA briefing documents released late Friday.
The FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) will meet on Tuesday for the third time this month to discuss COVID-19 vaccines, this time to see if the benefits outweigh the risks among children ages 5-11 years.
China to Start Vaccinating Children to Age 3 as Cases Spread
Children as young as 3 will start receiving COVID-19 vaccines in China, where 76% of the population has been fully vaccinated and authorities are maintaining a zero-tolerance policy toward outbreaks.
China becomes one of the very few countries in the world to start vaccinating children that young against the virus. Cuba, for one, has begun a vaccine drive for children as young as 2. The U.S. and many European countries allow COVID-19 shots down to age 12, though the U.S. is moving quickly toward opening vaccinations to 5- to 11-year-olds.
Moderna Says Its COVID Vaccine Protective, Safe in Young Children
Moderna Inc (MRNA.O) said on Monday its COVID-19 vaccine generated a strong immune response and was generally well-tolerated in children aged six to 11 years, and the company plans to submit the data to regulators soon.
Moderna said its two-dose vaccine generated virus-neutralizing antibodies in children and safety was comparable to what was previously seen in clinical trials of adolescents and adults.
A panel of FDA advisers will vote on Tuesday whether to authorize rival Pfizer (PFE.N) and BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine for use in children aged five to 11 years.
How Should Patients With Autoimmune Diseases Approach COVID Vaccination? — Mixed Messaging and a Lack of Tailored Research Leaves Providers and Patients in the Dark
Healthcare is a personal and individualized relationship between a provider and patient. Each patient is treated according to their particular symptoms and personal health characteristics. For this reason, the wide variability in patient responses to the same medical treatments must be acknowledged and accounted for in making public health decisions.
Yet, there has been a lack of specific government guidance to help those with autoimmune diseases navigate COVID-19 vaccination.
UK Vaccines Watchdog ‘Approves Second Jabs for 16- and 17-Year-Olds’
The government’s vaccines watchdog is understood to have approved the idea of second COVID vaccinations for teenagers aged 16 and 17, putting in place another element of plans to boost protection from the virus into the winter.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) decided in favour of first jabs for the age group in early August, saying at the time it was likely that second shots would begin 12 weeks after the first dose.
However, it is now nearly 12 weeks since the initial decision, with some parents reporting that GPs were telling teenagers they would need to wait until they were 18 for their second dose.
Fauci Says Vaccines for Kids Between 5-11 Likely Available in November
Vaccines for kids between the ages of 5 and 11 will likely be available in the first half of November, top U.S. infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said on Sunday, predicting a timetable that could see many kids getting fully vaccinated before the end of the year.
“If all goes well, and we get the regulatory approval and the recommendation from the CDC, it’s entirely possible if not very likely that vaccines will be available for children from 5 to 11 within the first week or two of November,” Fauci said in an interview with ABC’s This Week.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration officials are reviewing the Pfizer/BioNTech application seeking authorization of its 2-dose vaccine for younger children, with its panel of outside advisers scheduled to weigh in on Oct. 26.
In Major Shift, NIH Admits Funding Risky Virus Research in Wuhan
“I totally resent the lie you are now propagating.” Dr. Anthony Fauci appeared to be channeling the frustration of millions of Americans when he spoke those words during an invective-laden, made-for-Twitter Senate hearing on July 20.
The immediate target of Dr. Fauci’s wrath was Senator Rand Paul, who was pressing the nation’s top doctor to say whether the National Institutes of Health had ever funded risky coronavirus research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Based on new information disclosed by the National Institutes of Health, however, Paul might have been onto something.
Emergency Department Sees Increase of Mental Health Issues Among Children
According to data released from The White House, emergency department visits for mental health have increased in 2020, with children experiencing moderate to severe anxiety and depression. An increase of 24% for children ages 5 through 11, and a more than a 30% increase in visits for those between 12 and 17 years old.
Anhdao Zabarsky, assistant program director of the Children’s Behavioral Health Initiative at the Center for Human Development (CHD) in Springfield, said she has seen a dramatic increase of mental health issues among children and youth even before COVID-19 hit.
“Prior to the pandemic, the prevalence of mental illness among children and young adults was increasing,” she said. “But COVID-19 dramatically exacerbated the problem. More and more children and adolescents have needed our In Home Therapy and Therapeutic Mentoring services. Still, the pandemic has taken a serious toll on top of existing challenges.”
Bipartisan Legislators Demand Answers From Fauci on ‘Cruel’ Puppy Experiments
A bipartisan letter demands answers from the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and President Biden’s chief medical adviser.
The White Coat Waste Project, the nonprofit organization that first pointed out that U.S. taxpayers were being used to fund the controversial Wuhan Institute of Virology, have now turned its sights on Anthony Fauci on another animal-testing-related matter — infecting dozens of beagles with disease-causing parasites to test an experimental drug on them.
Europe Drug Regulator Backs Use of Moderna’s COVID Booster Vaccine
The European Union’s drug regulator on Monday said it has concluded in its review that Moderna‘s (MRNA.O) COVID-19 booster vaccine may be given to people aged 18 years and above, at least six months after the second dose.
It is the second COVID-19 booster vaccine to be approved in the EU.
U.S. Gun Violence Increased 30% During COVID Pandemic
PennState Health News reported:
Gun violence increased by more than 30% in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study by Penn State College of Medicine researchers. The researchers said that stress, domestic violence, lack of social interactions and greater access to firearms might have contributed to the increase.
The researchers obtained data on shooting deaths, suicides and gun-related injuries from the Gun Violence Archive. They analyzed daily incidents in each state, as well as the District of Columbia, from February 2019 through March 2021. They compared incidents reported before the pandemic (February 2019 through February 2020) to gun violence reported during the first year of the pandemic (March 2020 through March 2021).
According to the findings, 28 states, including Pennsylvania, experienced a significantly higher number of shootings during the first year of the pandemic. In some states such as Minnesota, Michigan and New York, the rate of gun violence rose by more than 100%. Meanwhile, Alaska was the only state to see significantly lower rates of gun violence during the pandemic.