U.S. weighing shorter timeline for COVID booster shots, says Biden https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa-booster-idUSKBN2FS1OO Federal health authorities are discussing shortening the timeline for COVID-19 booster shots to allow additional doses sooner than the eight-month window officials have been targeting, President Joe Biden said on Friday. For now, the planned timeline remains in place for adults to have another dose of the vaccine eight months after the original inoculation, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said at a news briefing later on Friday. The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday said U.S. regulators could approve a third COVID-19 shot of the two-dose Moderna Inc and Pfizer Inc-BioNTech AG beginning at least six months after full vaccination. “The question raised is: should it be shorter than eight months, should it be as little as five months? That’s being discussed,” Biden told reporters at the White House, adding that he had discussed the issue with his chief medical officer, Dr. Anthony Fauci, earlier on Friday. Biden said the U.S. booster program was “promising” and on track to start in mid-September, pending regulatory approval. Top U.S. health officials, in a separate briefing on Friday, said U.S. cases of the coronavirus continue to rise amid the fast-spreading Delta variant. Vaccination rates were also higher, they said. Deaths and cases were up 11% and 3% respectively over the past seven days nationwide, with hospitalizations up 6% over the past week to an eight-month high, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.[L1N2PY1IF] U.S officials are preparing to offer booster shots for all adults starting on Sept. 20, pending approval by the Food and Drug Administration and the CDC. Boosters are already approved for some U.S. patients with compromised immune systems. Johnson & Johnson, which offers a one-shot COVID-19 vaccine, this week said early data showed a second booster dose increased antibodies against the virus and plans talks with U.S. regulators. Some scientists and the World Health Organization have cast doubt on the need for an extra shot at this time, but Biden has said he plans to get one.
TOKYO,Today 06:35 pm JST More Moderna vaccine contamination detected in Okinawa Okinawa Prefecture suspended the use of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine on Sunday after another contamination was spotted, the local government said. The lots affected by the contamination spotted in Okinawa on Saturday are different from the 1.63 million doses suspended after the two deaths, according to local media reports. https://japantoday.com/category/national/More-Moderna-vaccine-contamination-detected-in-Okinawa
I disagree with the assumption by U.S. health officials that people need a booster shot because Hospitalizations and Deaths are increasing. The fact, Covid Hospitalizations, Covid ICU admissions, and Covid Deaths are increasing primarily in those NOT VACCINATED here in North America. They obviously are not going to take a booster shot. Not in those that are vaccinated which is where the booster shots will be targeting. The only exception is those that are immunocompromise. They need a booster and such will help prevent the possibility of a Variant of Concern being born in North America.
nah, we've got Israel and UK data to go by. I trust what the WH is saying on hospitalizations and agree with their booster logic.
The last time the White House stated we needed it about 1 1/2 months ago but the CDC contradicted them and said NO. Recently, the CDC said only that the immunocompromise needed booster which is what I agree with. A booster shot now with so many NOT VACCINATED...those not vaccinated needs to be a priority considering those with vaccinations right now... If we get infected with Covid, we're not likely to need Hospitalization, ICU admission nor Death in comparison to those that are NOT VACCINATED. Personally, I'm fully vaccinated and will not get a Covid booster until the fall of next year when I'm scheduled to get my Prevnar and FLU vaccinations regardless what's going on in Israel or the U.K...not countries I plan to visit if ever. Staying in shape, taking my vitamin D / Zinc, wearing my face mask in public along with the existing full vaccination will have to do until next fall for me. Although I'm a citizen of France, Canada and the United States...I primarily live in Canada. Currently, Canada Health states NO for a Covid booster because we don't see the need from the data that's being reviewed for those that are already fully vaccinated. https://globalnews.ca/news/8073916/canada-covid-19-vaccine-boosters/ The question now...what data is the United States viewing that Canada has states NO ??? Answer - Maybe the crazy shit occurring on the U.S. southern borders with their surging Covid Hospitalizations, Covid ICU admissions and Covid Deaths within those NOT VACCINATED. wrbtrader
Fact-checkers rip apart new anti-vaxx conspiracies about Pfizer vaccines https://www.rawstory.com/vaccine-lies/ A popular reason anti-vaxxers are using for avoiding availing themselves of the Pfizer vaccine aimed at protecting them from COVI-19 got the fact-check treatment from the Washington Post on Monday. On Aug. 24, Dr. Robert Malone, who bills himself as one of the researchers behind mRNA vaccines, told Steve Bannon on his War Room podcast,that the vaccine in question lacks liability protection. According to the Post's Glenn Kessler, Malone told Bannon, "The little trick that they have done here: They have issued two separate letters for two separate vaccines. The Pfizer vaccine which is currently available is still under emergency use authorization and it still has the liability shield … The product that's licensed … it's called Comirnaty. … that's the one that liability waiver will no longer apply to." As Kessler reports, that claim is simply not true, and that it is also being shared by anti-vax proponent Robert F. Kennedy who recently wrote, "Licensed adult vaccines, including the new Comirnaty, do not enjoy any liability shield." Kessler began by noting that Emergency Use Authorizations (EUA) are one way the government uses to bring much-needed help to the public, and in the case of the Pfizer vaccine, the terms for use are detailed with FDA noting, "The licensed vaccine has the same formulation as the EUA-authorized vaccine and the products can be used interchangeably to provide the vaccination series without presenting any safety or effectiveness concerns. The products are legally distinct with certain differences that do not impact safety or effectiveness." That, Kessler asserts, is what opponents of the vaccine are basing their misinformation on -- which a Pfizer spokesperson has debunked. In an email, Pfizer spokesperson Sharon J. Castillo wrote, "The statement that the products are 'legally distinct with certain differences' refers to the differences in manufacturing information included in the respective regulatory submissions." Castillo added, "Specifically, while the products are manufactured using the same processes, they may have been manufactured at different sites or using raw materials from different approved suppliers. FDA closely reviews all manufacturing steps, and has found explicitly that the EUA and BLA [biologics license application] products are equivalent." Kessler wrote this where the law known as the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (PREP Act) comes into play. "The PREP Act designation means that claims related to coronavirus vaccines are covered by the Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program (CICP), not the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP), which was set up to handle vaccine lawsuits<," he wrote. "In other words, a person cannot sue a manufacturer for an injury caused by a vaccine or other product listed as a countermeasure, but they can seek compensation from CICP filing a claim. The intent of the law is to urge manufacturers to quickly gear up to combat a possible pandemic without fear of lawsuits. (There is an exception in the law if a person can prove 'willful misconduct' by a manufacturer.) Castillo confirmed that, explaining, "The liability protections afforded under the PREP Act are tied to the declared public health emergency and not whether the vaccine is sold under an EUA. Therefore, both Comirnaty and the Pfizer-BioNTech covid-19 vaccine receive the same liability protections as medical countermeasures against covid-19." You can read more here
This demonstrates why boosters are important for the elderly... COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness in preventing hospitalization drops among oldest Americans, but still over 80%, CDC analysis finds https://www.cbsnews.com/news/covid-19-vaccine-hospitalization-oldest-americans/ The effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines against hospitalization appears to drop over time among adults over 75, although it still remained above 80% at the end of July, according to an analysis released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The new data was presented Monday to the CDC's independent panel of vaccine experts, who met to discuss federal plans for a potential booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine next month. The agency's finding is the latest to suggest protection against severe disease may be starting to wane among the most vulnerable Americans vaccinated earliest in the pandemic, as the country battles a record wave of infections fueled by the Delta variant. But the agency also conceded that drawing conclusions about the amount of time vaccines protect older or more vulnerable people from hospitalization would not be easy. "It actually may be very difficult for us to disentangle time, since vaccination and the impact of the Delta variant, especially in some populations that we know were vaccinated earlier in the time course. So if we see waning in the last couple of months, it could be really difficult," Dr. Sara Oliver, a key CDC vaccine official, told the panel. The analysis appeared to show that vaccines continue to confer the same or close to the same amount of protection for people up to the age of 75, though. The effectiveness at preventing hospitalization "remains high, 94% or higher, for adults 18 to 49," Dr. Oliver said. An earlier CDC analysis collected from this COVID-NET surveillance data was also released over the weekend as a preprint that has yet to be peer reviewed. The study's authors say the vaccines appeared to remain "highly effective in preventing hospitalization" from COVID-19, even as an estimated 16.1% of hospitalized patients were fully vaccinated in June. Hospitalizations among people who were fully vaccinated were more likely to have occurred among older residents of nursing homes, and among those with underlying conditions — nearly a third with immunosuppressive conditions. "Based on these data from January through July ... COVID-19-associated hospitalization rates were 17 times higher in unvaccinated," CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told reporters earlier this month, previewing the data's release. The CDC said Monday it plans to convene another meeting of the panel in mid-September to discuss more data on the additional shots, likely ahead of the Biden administration's plans to roll out booster shots the week of September 20. While top federal health officials previously said they were planning for the possibility that third doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines would be needed eight months after Americans received their first two shots, recent data from the drugmakers and abroad have suggested booster shots might be needed sooner than six months from vaccination. "The number eight months has been thrown around. Six months has been discussed. And that's where the science will ultimately drive what those recommendations will be," Dr. Jay Butler, a top CDC official in the agency's COVID-19 response, told a Twitch livestream last week. The Food and Drug Administration will have to green-light vaccine makers' submissions for regulatory approval to administer booster shots before the CDC's advisers can vote on a formal recommendation for a third shot. Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech say they completed submitting their application for approval of a booster dose last week, citing data on people who saw a boost in antibodies with a third shot "between 4.8 and 8 months after" their initial two doses. Nearly one million Americans have already received an additional dose of COVID-19 vaccine since August 13, when the CDC and FDA allowed for some immunocompromised Americans to return for another shot. But health officials have been warning providers against giving shots "off-label" to other Americans ineligible to receive more doses, after the CDC said that more than a million Americans had received an unauthorized booster shot earlier this year. A handful of the committee's members voiced concerns over the White House's booster dose announcement coming ahead of formal recommendations. "Since the South is having a horrible outbreak of Delta, many, many, many hospitals have already started vaccinating healthcare workers with third doses and patients," said Dr. Helen Keipp Talbot, a professor at Vanderbilt University on the panel. "That is very frightening to me that healthcare providers are trying to do the best job that they can, are taking guidance from HHS and White House, and now have put themselves at risk," said Dr. Talbot. The CDC's advisers also discussed Monday the safety and effectiveness of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine, following its full approval by the Food and Drug Administration earlier this month. The panel's members voted unanimously to recommend the continued use of the shots to prevent COVID-19, finding that the vaccines' benefits in averting COVID-19 hospitalization and death outweighed the risks of rare but serious side effects like myocarditis and pericarditis. Only 701 reports from the rare heart inflammation cases have been received by the CDC of confirmed hospitalizations in people under 30 following their vaccination, an official told the advisers on Monday. Most have since been discharged and recovered from their symptoms. To date, nearly 160 million Americans have been fully vaccinated with the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines. "The risks that we're talking about following vaccination is generally within seven days but the benefits last for far longer than seven days," Dr. Grace Lee, a pediatrics professor at Stanford University and chair of the advisory committee. "It's important for us to continue to look ahead, particularly as schools have reopened, and we recognize that there are a significant proportion of our children in schools who have not yet had the opportunity to be vaccinated because they are not eligible for vaccination. So this is going to continue to be incredibly important for us," Dr. Lee added.
Axios-Ipsos poll: Vaccine hesitancy may be crumbling Likelihood that parents will get the COVID-19 vaccine for their children as soon as available https://www.axios.com/axios-ipsos-p...ing-9ffe938f-5b9b-4707-bfe4-f7c3dc559ba9.html Vaccine hesitancy in the U.S. is showing signs of crumbling, according to the latest installment of the Axios/Ipsos Coronavirus Index. Fewer adults than ever now say they won't take the shot, and in the past two weeks there has been a sharp increase in the share of parents who plan to get their younger kids vaccinated as soon as it's allowed. The big picture: Many factors are playing a role — including the Delta variant's strength, kids' return to school and FDA approval of the first COVID-19 vaccine — but the biggest drivers appear to be the rise of mandates. One in three unvaccinated Americans in the survey said FDA approval would make them likely to take the vaccine. But 43% said their boss requiring vaccinations would make them likely to do so, up from 33% a month ago. What they're saying: "Schools, organizations, companies, governments implementing mandates are forcing people to deal with them," said Cliff Young, president of Ipsos U.S. Public Affairs. "That's what going on." Why it matters: Ipsos pollster and senior vice president Chris Jackson notes that children younger than 12 — about 48 million people — now make up the largest group of unvaccinated people in the country. By the numbers: 68% of parents said they either have already vaccinated their children or are likely to as soon as it's permitted for their age group. That's the highest share ever in our survey, and a 12-point spike from 56% just two weeks ago. 72% of adults now say they've already taken the vaccine. Another 8% say they're likely to take it. The 20% who say they're either not very likely (6%) or not at all likely (14%) comprise a new low in the survey, and down from a combined 34% in March and 23% two weeks ago. Between the lines: Over the past two weeks, the survey found an across-the-board rise in indicators related to work or government mandates. 19% said their employers are requiring all workers to get vaccinated, up from 16% two weeks ago. 54% said employers are requiring all workers to wear masks in the workplace, up from 51%. 22% said their employers had extended or returned to a work from home policy, up from 17%. 40% also reported their state or local governments were requiring masks to be worn in public places, up from 33% two weeks ago; and another 40% said teachers or government workers in their area were being requiring to get the vaccine, up from 34%. People are adjusting their own behaviors as well: 56% saw friends or relatives outside the home in the last week, the lowest share since April. Half of respondents said they are practicing social distancing, the highest share since early May — though only 12% said they're canceling travel plans. 60% say returning to their normal, pre-coronavirus lives right now would pose a large or moderate risk — up from 53% just two weeks ago. The intrigue: The share of Americans who say they feel hopeful right now has plummeted to 34%, from 48% in March — but those saying they feel motivated, energized, inspired or resilient has risen by at least as much. That suggests that, rather than giving up, these Americans are reassessing their expectations about how quick a fix the first generation of vaccines alone can be— and resolving to do what it takes over the long haul. Methodology: This Axios/Ipsos Poll was conducted Aug. 27-30 by Ipsos' KnowledgePanel®. This poll is based on a nationally representative probability sample of 1,071 general population adults age 18 or older. The margin of sampling error is ±3.2 percentage points at the 95% confidence level, for results based on the entire sample of adults. (Article has charts at above url)
Latest vaccine news same as the old vaccine news, we're all gonna die with or without vaccines. No hope, this is it, extinction level event is upon us. Help us lordy, heeeeeeeelp us.