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‘Rabbit Hole’: Piles of Reports Mounting in Death of 21-Year-Old After COVID Vaccine, Coroner Says
The death of a woman in her 20s after she received a COVID-19 vaccine could progress to a full coronial inquest. Coroner Catherine Fitzgerald told the involved parties that she would tighten the reins on expert reports being filed to the court, as mountains of medical information piled up. Natalie Boyce, 21, died in March 2022 at The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, five weeks after receiving a Moderna vaccine booster.
At a mention hearing in court on Wednesday, Moderna Australia lawyer Jesse Rudd said an expert they had been working with required further medical information.
Ms. Fitzgerald allowed Moderna’s request but said she would be reluctant to chase further such material going forward, telling lawyers “These sorts of requests will be scrutinized.” Lawyers for Ms Boyce’s family opposed Moderna’s request on the grounds that the doctor saw the young woman for lupus four years before she died.
Ms. Boyce was studying at Deakin University. She spent the last three weeks of her life unconscious. Her death certificate lists myocardial infarction with subacute myocarditis as the cause.
Dr. Fauci Reveals His ‘Next Worst Nightmare’
Top immunologist Dr. Anthony Fauci revealed on Saturday during an appearance on CNN that his “next worst nightmare” would be a “repeat” of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fauci served as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) for 38 years before retiring in 2022. During the pandemic, he was one of the lead members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force under former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden.
“Unfortunately, my worst nightmare came true with COVID. When I think about my next worst nightmare, it’s a repeat of what we’ve just seen,” Fauci told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour when he was asked about recent warnings regarding the spread of Dengue fever and avian flu.
“Whether that’s a pandemic influenza or another coronavirus that’s respiratory borne…that efficiently spreads from person to person that can make you very sick and kill you. That’s the thing that can be a devastating pandemic.”
COVID Didn’t Grow Vulnerability to Illness: Study
The COVID-19 pandemic didn’t make adults more susceptible to common infections and illnesses like asthma, COPD, pneumonia or the flu, a review of more than 256 million patient records concludes.
Why it matters: The findings add a new wrinkle to the debate over whether the virus can cause long-lasting changes to the immune system or whether the body’s defenses reset themselves following recovery.
What they found: Epic Research analyzed records from 1,500 hospitals and more than 34,100 clinics, focusing on patients ages 18 to 50 and the prevalence of respiratory, gastrointestinal and infectious diseases.
Yes, but: People with underlying health conditions like obesity and diabetes still can be more susceptible to serious illness when they contract COVID. Between the lines: Previous studies have concluded that COVID typically doesn’t damage the immune system or make one more vulnerable to future infections.
European Commission Didn’t Provide Enough Information About COVID Vaccine Deals, EU Court Says
The European Commission did not allow the public enough access to information about COVID-19 vaccine purchase agreements it secured with pharmaceutical companies during the pandemic, the EU general court said Wednesday.
The decision came a day ahead of a vote at the European Parliament at which European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is seeking reelection.
A group of EU lawmakers had taken legal action after the commission refused to grant them complete access to COVID-19 vaccine contracts secured between the EU’s executive arm and manufacturers.
The court noted that the commission failed to show why divulging the agreements’ provisions on the indemnification of the pharmaceutical companies for any damages they would have to pay in the event of a defect in their vaccines would have actually harmed their commercial interests.
Long COVID Rates Are Expected to Decline: Study
U.S. News & World Report reported:
People’s odds for Long COVID appear to be declining with the advent of new variants of the virus, along with repeat infections and vaccinations, new research shows.
That suggests that the average person’s chances of developing long-term symptoms is falling over time, concluded a team from Germany.
“Although the cause of post-COVID-19 condition is still not fully understood, the outlook for the future for all those who have not yet developed post-COVID-19 is positive,” concluded study senior author Dr. André Karch, from the University of Münster.
His team based its findings on a survey of almost 110,000 Germans, conducted in the fall of 2022.
Arizona Department of Health Relaunches COVID Vaccination Program
The Arizona Department of Health has relaunched its mobile COVID-19 vaccination program, according to a news release. The program is designed to give Arizona residents access to free COVID-19 vaccinations from anywhere to anyone who requests it.
The program uses four mobile vendor partners to provide COVID-19 vaccinations to residents. It also has a vaccine health educator to provide in-person or virtual vaccine health education and access to resources.
The program, in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is intended to fill the gap in access to COVID-19 vaccines for the uninsured and underinsured, according to a news release.
