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Vaccine Injury Compensation Programs Overwhelmed as Congressional Reform Languishes

Politico reported:

A pair of federal programs compensating people who suffer injuries from vaccines and pandemic treatments are now facing so many claims that thousands of people may not receive payment for their injuries any time soon.

The first program, meant for standard vaccines, such as measles and polio, has too little staff to handle the number of reported injuries, and thousands of patients are waiting years for their cases to be heard.

A second program designed for vaccines and other treatments created or used during pandemics has seen unsustainable growth. Between 2010 and 2020, the Countermeasure Injury Compensation Program received 500 complaints. In the two years since COVID-19 appeared, it has received over 8,000 complaints.

Epidemiologist: ‘COVID-19 Can Result in Long-Term Consequences, Even Among the Vaccinated’

KCCI CBS News reported:

It’s estimated between 10% to 30% of patients can suffer with long COVID after recovering from COVID-19, according to the American Medical Association.

Now new research shows even people who are vaccinated that have mild infections can experience lingering symptoms that affect the heart, brain, lungs and other parts of the body, CBS News reports.

Sam Nordel was vaccinated and boosted when she got COVID-19 in January. Now the previously healthy 47-year-old working mom suffers from long COVID.

B.C. Man Among First Canadians Approved for COVID-19 Vaccine Injury Payout

CBC News reported:

In the year since he became partially paralyzed, Ross Wightman has kept his focus on small victories — from getting up the stairs unassisted, to going for a solo walk near his rural B.C. home.

But the biggest win came in the form of an e-mail from Canada’s Vaccine Injury Support Program (VISP) that confirmed something he says he knew all along: that his condition was likely caused by the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.

“That was quite vindicating,” Wightman said from his Lake Country home in the Okanagan Valley. “To have it in hand, in paper, acknowledging it has been vindicating.”

COVID Vaccines Can’t Keep Up With New Omicron Subvariants

The Week reported:

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the air. New subvariants of the Omicron strain of the COVID-19 virus “appear to be even more immune-resistant than the original,” Axios reported Wednesday.

The original Omicron strain was known as BA.1, but that’s old hat by now. All the cool kids are getting BA.4, or even BA.5. Unfortunately, while the virus has moved on, vaccine makers are stuck in the past.

Per Axios, “[c]linical trials are underway to study tweaked versions of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines” designed to tackle O.G. Omicron, but by the time they’re ready — this fall at the earliest — it might be too late.

How Are Vaccines Being Adapted to Meet the Changing Face of SARS-CoV-2?

The BMJ reported:

It seems like a lifetime ago, but the first clinically approved vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 was given to a patient just 17 months ago, on Dec. 8, 2020. Since that first vaccine dose, developed by the drug company Pfizer, a number of vaccines have been developed. Ten are approved by the World Health Organization, and scores more are still undergoing trials.

However, just as vaccine development hasn’t stood still, neither has the virus itself. The changing face of the novel coronavirus has challenged scientists to modify existing vaccines to better tackle the changing characteristics of SARS-CoV-2. Yet, despite much talk of modified vaccines for variants, the world is still using largely the same original vaccines for initial rollouts and booster doses.

“It seems as if the dominant things I’m hearing about at the moment are updates to existing vaccines,” says Paul Bieniasz, virologist at the Rockefeller University, New York.

‘Significant’ Cases of Neurological Disorder Associated with the AstraZeneca Vaccine

The Epoch Times reported:

A U.K. study by University College London has confirmed “small but significant” cases of the serious Guillain–Barré syndrome (GNS), a rare neurological disorder associated with the AstraZeneca vaccine for COVID-19.

The researchers speculate that “the majority or all” of the 121 UK cases of GBS (pdf) in March to April 2021 were associated with first doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine administered in January.

“A similar pattern is not seen with the other vaccines or following a second dose of any vaccine,” said lead author Prof. Michael Lunn on May 30.

7 in 10 Public Schools Report Increase in Children Seeking Mental Health Services Since Pandemic’s Start: Survey

The Hill reported:

Seven out of 10 public schools say they have seen an increase in children seeking mental health services since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, a study from an independent government agency has revealed.

The Institute of Education Sciences found requests increased across all demographics accounting for region, school size and level and percentages of minority students and students in poverty. A slight majority of public schools surveyed reported that they moderately or strongly agree they can effectively provide mental health services to their students.

The institute, which is under the purview of the Education Department, launched the study, called the School Pulse Panel, to investigate the impact of the pandemic on a sample of elementary, middle, high and combined schools throughout the country.

The researchers are conducting their study from January to June and are tracking schools’ teaching formats and health policies throughout the study’s entirety. They are additionally probing different topics related to the pandemic’s impact on education each month.