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Champion Show Jumper, 22, Who Suffered ‘Extremely Rare’ Reaction to Moderna Vaccine May Never Ride Again
A champion show jumper may never ride a horse again after two massive clots formed on her lungs in an incredibly rare reaction to the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.
Imogen Allen, 22, was told by doctors that the clots, which formed two weeks after she was jabbed, could have been triggered by the vaccine alongside five years on the combined contraceptive pill.
Ms. Allen, from Woodcote, Berkshire, may never be able to ride a horse again and has had her dreams of becoming a police detective dashed after she was left bedbound.
FDA Staff Declines to Take Stance on Pfizer’s COVID Vaccine Booster Shots, Citing Lack of Verified Data
The staff of the Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday declined to take a stance on whether to back booster shots of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, saying U.S. regulators haven’t verified all the available data.
“There are many potentially relevant studies, but FDA has not independently reviewed or verified the underlying data or their conclusions,” they wrote in a 23-page document published on the agency’s website. “Some of these studies, including data from the vaccination program in Israel, will be summarized during the September 17, 2021 VRBPAC meeting.”
COVID Teams Can Vaccinate Pupils Against Parents’ Wishes, Schools Told
Healthcare staff can decide whether children get a COVID vaccine against the wishes of their parents, according to government guidelines published on Wednesday that left some headteachers fearing protests at the school gates.
The guidelines say vaccinations for children aged 12 to 15 will be administered by School Age Immunisation Service (SAIS) teams that already carry out flu and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccinations in England. The role of schools will be limited to providing a site and distributing information and consent forms to pupils and parents.
When It Comes to the Delta Variant, the Kids Are All Right
Here’s the cost-benefit calculus parents need to consider — and it’s not a close call.
There’s little evidence that the Delta variant is more dangerous for kids than earlier versions of the virus. It spreads more easily, yes, but the minuscule death rate among infected children continues to drop compared with versions of the virus circulating last year.
By the end of July 2021, more than 80 percent of COVID-19 cases (adults and children) were caused by the Delta variant, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That sounds like an alarming statistic, and in some ways, it is. But when it comes to children, the facts don’t merit panic. In July, eight children under age 15 died, compared with 17 in July 2020. Some of the decrease may be due to improved treatment and vaccination of children 12 years and older, but the case fatality rate for children too young for the vaccine is lower than last year.
Teens Turn to COVID-19 Vaccine Advocacy as Most State Laws Prohibit Minors From Being Vaccinated Without Consent
There is a high school sophomore from Texas who wakes up at 6 a.m. on the weekends when she knows her parents are asleep, so she can secretly and quietly make calls as an ambassador for a teen pro-vaccine group, fighting off vaccine misinformation.
The reason for all the cloak and dagger secrecy? The 15-year-old, who asked to be called Rain (not her real name), is the daughter of QAnon followers who hold strident views against mask wearing, social distancing and the coronavirus vaccine.
A Pfizer Analysis Makes the Case for a COVID Vaccine Booster
The Food and Drug Administration released an analysis by Pfizer on the need for a booster shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
Pfizer’s analysis says data from Israel and the United States in the context of the Delta variant suggests “that vaccine protection against COVID-19 infection wanes approximately 6 to 8 months following the second dose.”
The company said the available data supports its request for FDA approval of a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to be given about six months after the second dose in people 16 years and older.
GOP Lawmakers Call for Pelosi to Subpoena Fauci on COVID-19 Origin
A group of House Republicans led by Rep. Chip Roy of Texas are calling on Speaker Nancy Pelosi to direct the committees of jurisdiction to subpoena multiple public health officials — including Dr. Anthony Fauci — to gain answers on the origin of the coronavirus.
In a letter sent to Pelosi on Tuesday, the lawmakers said that they have unsuccessfully attempted to seek information from multiple officials about the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases’ (NIAID) funding they believe may have been used for gain-of-function research, which can make viruses more infectious.
COVID-19 Hospitalizations Dropping in Florida
The number of people ending up in Florida’s hospitals with COVID-19 continues to drop this week, and that’s good news not just for strained staff but also patients who had elective procedures put on hold.
Florida looks to be in better shape now than a month ago when it comes to people hospitalized with the coronavirus.
“We’re looking at about a 40% improvement in the overall census over three weeks and about a 30% improvement in the ICU census,” said Justin Senior, the chief executive officer of Safety Net Hospital Alliance of Florida.
