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Vaxxed Dr. Fauci Acknowledges COVID Vaccines ‘Don’t Protect Overly Well’ Against Infection
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top immunologist in the U.S., acknowledged on Tuesday that vaccines against COVID “don’t protect overly well” against infection but are still necessary.
“One of the things that’s clear from the data [is] that even though vaccines — because of the high degree of transmissibility of this virus — don’t protect overly well, as it were, against infection, they protect quite well against severe disease leading to hospitalization and death,” he said.
Fauci, who recently got the virus despite being vaccinated and boosted, told Fox News that the jabs are still important because they can keep people from getting severely ill.
“My message to people who seem confused because people who are vaccinated get infected — the answer is if you weren’t vaccinated, the likelihood [is] you would have had [a] more severe course than you did have when you were vaccinated,” he said.
Dr. Malone Warns of Immune Imprinting After Fauci Floats Second Booster Shots
Dr. Robert Malone is warning of immune imprinting after Dr. Anthony Fauci signaled his backing for second COVID-19 vaccine boosters for all Americans aged 5 and older.
Immune imprinting refers to a phenomenon whereby initial exposure to a virus strain may prevent the body from producing enough neutralizing antibodies against a new viral strain.
A number of studies have found negative effectiveness among vaccinated groups. That means those who get vaccinated are more likely to get infected.
In some areas, the vaccinated account for a majority of those infected or in hospitals or dying from COVID-19. In Louisiana, for example, 70% of the deaths recorded between June 23 and June 29 were among the vaccinated.
White House: COVID Booster ‘Will Not Preclude’ Shot for Later Variants
People who get boosted for COVID-19 now will still be eligible to get a variant-specific vaccine in the fall, the White House COVID-19 Response Team said Tuesday.
The White House team emphasized that those who have not received the first booster should do it immediately.
White House COVID-19 response coordinator Ashish Jha noted that overall, it is up to the FDA and the CDC to confirm that people who get boosted now can do so again in the fall, but that the data so far suggests that “getting vaccinated will not preclude you from getting a variant-specific vaccine later this fall or winter.”
New Yorkers Frustrated as Demand Crashes Monkeypox Vaccine Website
New Yorkers are frustrated with the monkeypox vaccine rollout in the city, as a surge of high demand crashed its booking website.
The rare vaccine is highly sought after as monkeypox cases in New York City continue to rise.
As of July 12, there were 267 people who tested positive for the virus in the city. The city made a bundle of appointments available that same afternoon. However, the website crashed within minutes. Many of those trying to book appointments were met with error messages.
Adapted, Two-Strain Vaccines to Lift COVID Protection — EU Official
Adapted versions of established mRNA COVID-19 vaccines that address two variants in one shot will soon offer people better protection than vaccines that are now available, a European health official said on Wednesday.
Moderna (MRNA.O) and the BioNTech-Pfizer (22UAy.DE) alliance are working on vaccines based on a combination of the original Wuhan virus and an Omicron subvariant.
Referred to as bivalent shots, these are planned for use in the autumn vaccination campaign.
Omicron Subvariants BA.4, BA.5 Dominate U.S. Coronavirus Cases as White House Sticks to Same Strategies
U.S. News & World Report reported:
A pair of highly transmissible Omicron subvariants that quickly changed the U.S. variant scene is not yet prompting any new strategies from the White House.
BA.4 and BA.5 were responsible for more than 81% of new coronavirus cases reported last week, according to updated estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s up from 70% of infections the week prior.
Despite the trends, White House officials on Tuesday insisted the U.S. is prepared for the subvariants and stuck to their usual talking points surrounding vaccines, therapeutics and masks.
AstraZeneca Says COVID Vaccine as Effective as mRNA Shots in Review
AstraZeneca (AZN.L) said on Wednesday a review of real-world data showed its COVID-19 vaccine provided equally effective protection against hospitalization and death after two doses as with current mRNA shots from Pfizer and Moderna (MRNA.O).
Coronaviruses Can Survive on Frozen Meat for a Month
U.S. News & World Report reported:
Had COVID? You might want to clean your freezer out. A new study suggests that cousins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus can survive on frozen meat and fish for up to 30 days.
The research — prompted by COVID outbreaks in Asia in which packaged meat was suspected as the virus’ source — was conducted on frozen chicken, beef, pork and salmon. The findings were published June 11 in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology.
Her team conducted its research without the use of the actual coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Instead, researchers relied on surrogate viruses with similar protein spikes.
Researchers said their findings are significant because SARS-CoV-2 can reproduce in the gut, not just in the respiratory tract where most people feel its effects.
Long COVID Patients Turn to ‘Blood Washing’ Procedure — a BMJ Investigation Shows Patients Spend a Lot to Likely Benefit Little
With long COVID patients becoming increasingly frustrated with the lack of available treatments, some have now taken to traveling to Cyprus, Germany and Switzerland for experimental “blood washing,” according to a recent investigation by The BMJ and ITV News.
Over the past year, people experiencing this often debilitating condition have visited private clinics for apheresis, a blood-filtering treatment normally used for patients with lipid disorders, where they are also given anticoagulants, citing the hypothesis that “symptoms of long COVID are caused by small clots in the blood that are blocking the flow of oxygen through capillaries,” wrote Madlen Davies, investigations editor for The BMJ.
South Korea Expands Booster Shots as COVID Cases Creep Up
Health officials in South Korea are expanding booster shots to adults 50 and over as COVID-19 cases creep up again across the country.
South Korea had previously given second booster shots to people who are 60 or older and those with compromised immune systems. Officials are now expanding the eligibility of those shots to people in their 50s and all adults with pre-existing medical conditions. Weeklong quarantines will be maintained for people who test positive.
