German citizens protesting in Berlin on Nov. 18, 2020 against new more restrictive coronavirus lockdowns, masking and social distancing restrictions were dispersed by police forces using water cannons and pepper spray on the crowd of about 10,000. Whistling, chanting and banging saucepans while holding signs, most of the demonstrators were not wearing masks or social […]
With a COVID-19 vaccine possibly rolling out to the public by December or early next year, some governments are pushing for a mandatory vaccine program, as in Denmark where it was met with protests. The national government in Denmark had to abandon a new law that would require a mandatory COVID-19 vaccine after Danish citizens took to the streets […]
The government of Canada has signed deals to purchase COVID-19 vaccines from four pharmaceutical companies when their vaccines are approved to be given to the public. According to Canada’s Minister of Public Services and Procurement Anita Anand, the Canadian government has contracts with Janssen Pharmaceuticals (a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson), Moderna, Novavax and Pfizer […]
While public health officials at the World Health Organization (WHO) and in other countries argue about whether the new SARS CoV-2 virus is causing a “second wave” of infections in countries that are easing lockdown measures or the world is simply experiencing “one big wave of transmission,” since late July Germany and other European countries […]
Story Highlights Unlike most other countries, Sweden has not enforced nationwide lockdowns and home quarantines to combat the spread of COVID-19, instead relying on individual citizens to voluntarily follow the government’s suggested guidelines for social distancing to protect the vulnerable. So far, both the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths are higher in Sweden than […]
In October 2017, the government of Costa Rica added the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine to the country’s national vaccination program. The decision to do so was based on the recommendation of the Costa Rican Ministry of Health’s National Commission on Vaccination and Epidemiology (CNVE), which is the Costa Rican government’s equivalent of the U.S. Centers […]
An amendment has been introduced in the Italian Senate’s health committee that would eliminate he country’s requirement for proof of vaccination for children starting school. The amendment is expected to pass the senate committee within the week and will then move to the parliament for a vote. Over the last few years, Italy’s vaccination laws […]
Colombian law 1626 was introduced in 2013. Bureaucratic language approved by a handful of senators established that HPV vaccination was “free and mandatory.” What followed was widespread injuries to girls1 who received an HPV shot which was never safety tested against a saline placebo2 and includes a scientifically problematic and controversial aluminum adjuvant.3 The authorities and health officials in the […]
The Delhi government in India issued a notice on Dec. 19, 2018 making the measles and rubella (MR) vaccine mandatory for students between the ages of nine months and 15 years old without the consent of student or their parents.1 Parents received an email from the schools in Delhi informing them that all students would […]
On Dec. 4, 2018, Italy’s Minister of Health, physician Giulia Grillo, dismissed all 30 members of the Italian Ministry of Health’s health advisory board, the Consiglio Superiore di Sanità (CSS) or Higher Health Council. According to an article in Il Globo newspaper, “The CSS is the country’s most important committee of technical-scientific experts, who advise […]