‘Skipping COVID Booster Could Reduce Your IQ’: Vax Propaganda Thrives at LA Times
The LA Times is out with an opinion piece by two Yale professors who suggest that failing to get a COVID-19 booster could reduce your IQ.
Their argument: a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that COVID-19 itself reduces IQ, which “suggests yet another reason to get the vaccine: It may protect your intellect.”
For starters, the study’s authors found that the cognitive deficits were largely observed in those who had the original COVID-19 strains, not recent strains. “The largest deficits in global cognitive scores were observed in the group of participants with SARS-CoV-2 infection during periods in which the original virus or the alpha variant was predominant as compared with those infected with later variants.”
The authors specifically looked at vaccinated vs. unvaccinated, and only observed “a small cognitive advantage among participants who had received multiple vaccinations.”
The LA Times article also ignores the fact that COVID-19 vaccines and boosters do not prevent infection. It also ignores that the NEJM study authors “found smaller cognitive deficits among participants who had been infected during recent variant periods than among those who had been infected with the original virus or the alpha variant.”
Doc Who Blamed COVID Vax for Patient’s Death Could Face Discipline
A California physician accused of gross negligence for attributing a stroke patient’s death to the COVID-19 vaccine without any evidence, among other allegations, faces potential disciplinary action by his state’s medical board.
The complaint against Tam Ky Nguyen, MD, filed last month by the Medical Board of California, includes other accounts of alleged gross negligence, repeated negligent acts, and failure to maintain adequate and accurate records. As a result, Nguyen could face suspension of his medical license, probation, or license revocation. Nguyen has held a medical license since 1996.
According to the complaint, the case was initiated in Sept. of 2021 after Fountain Valley Regional Hospital submitted a report to the medical board alleging that Nguyen “failed to submit to a psychiatric evaluation,” didn’t comply with a co-admitting requirement, and sent “concerning communications about COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines” to the Fountain Valley Regional Hospital Medical Executive Committee.
WHO Approves Bavarian Nordic’s Mpox Vaccine for Adolescents
The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday it had approved Bavarian Nordic’s mpox vaccine for adolescents aged 12 to 17 years, an age group considered especially vulnerable to outbreaks of the disease that has triggered global concern.
The WHO said in a statement that it gave the Jynneos vaccine prequalification for adolescents on Oct. 8.
The WHO declared mpox a global public health emergency for the second time in two years in August after a new type of the virus spread from the Democratic Republic of Congo to its neighbors.
The United Nations agency approved the use of the vaccine in September as the first shot against mpox in adults, making it easier for badly hit African countries to access the vaccine.
Children, adolescents and those with weakened immune systems have been particularly vulnerable to mpox, a viral infection that typically causes flu-like symptoms and skin lesions filled with pus.
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US FDA Pauses Novavax’s Trial of Combo COVID-Flu Shot on Safety Concerns
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has put Novavax’s trial of an experimental COVID-flu vaccine combination on hold after one person who received the shot reported nerve damage, the company said on Wednesday.
Shares of the vaccine maker plunged about 20% to $10.13 in early trading. Novavax said it was working with the FDA to resolve the clinical hold on the trial of its combination shot and the standalone flu vaccine.
A participant enrolled in a mid-stage study of the vaccine reported symptoms of motor neuropathy, or damage to the nerve cells that control muscles or movement, last month.
Eli Lilly to Trial Use of Weight Loss Drugs to Combat Unemployment in U.K.
U.S. pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly is exploring whether obesity drugs could be used to curb joblessness after signing a major investment deal with the U.K.
The weight-loss treatment firm and creator of Zepbound announced Monday that it would commit £279 million ($364 million) to help tackle Britain’s significant health challenges — including obesity.
The “strategic collaboration,” agreed with the U.K.’s Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, came as part of a wider £63 billion package of investments announced at the close of the Labour government’s inaugural International Investment Summit on Monday.
CDC Probes if Bird Flu Mutations Impact Vaccine Stockpile
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is investigating whether the U.S. stockpile of bird flu vaccines is still well matched to the virus after discovering recent mutations.
The CDC said Friday it identified genetic changes present in the virus, known commonly as H5N1, after sequencing samples from three people with the infection in California. The nation’s top dairy state has identified six human cases this month, bringing the total number of U.S. infections this year to 20. Almost all have been workers in contact with sick animals.
The viruses, which appear closely related to those currently spreading in dairy cows, contained mutations that could have an impact on the nation’s stockpile of bird flu vaccines. The CDC said it is examining whether its existing store of candidate vaccines are still well-matched to these viruses.
The U.S. has been ramping up its supply of bird flu vaccines as a nationwide outbreak among poultry and dairy cows spreads.
Inside Unitedhealth’s Strategy to Pressure Physicians: $10,000 Bonuses and a Doctor Leaderboard
The emails from UnitedHealth Group managers were filled with exclamation marks and pleasantries about the weather. But the underlying message to doctors in late 2020 was persistent and urgent: Hit your targets to see more patients. We need to bring in more money.
At the time, deaths from COVID-19 were surging, and no vaccine was available. But inside a UnitedHealth practice, the “#1 PRIORITY” became documenting older patients’ chronic illnesses to generate more revenue from the federal government, the emails show.
One email trumpeted “ADDITIONAL BONUSES!!” for doctors who scheduled more appointments, encouraging them to meet with older patients on weekends. “We need to complete ALL our Medicare Advantage Visits,” one manager declared. The company even started a program where it enticed Medicare Advantage patients with $75 gift cards if they completed a checkup.
