“You may choose to look the other way, but you can never say again that you did not know.”
— William Wilberforce
On Nov. 26, 2020, when I raised questions1 about the results of Pfizer’s and Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine trials, all that was in the public domain were the study protocols2 and a few press releases.3 Now, two journal publications4 and around 400 pages of summary data are available in the form of multiple reports presented by and to the U.S. Food and Drug […]
Story Highlights A highly transmissible new strain of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has been identified in South Africa and has now spread to at least eight other countries including the U.K., Switzerland, Finland, Japan, Australia, Zambia, France and South Korea. The mutations of the new strain represent significant changes to key structures involved […]
On Nov. 9, 2020, Pfizer, Inc. announced that the experimental messenger RNA (mRNA) BNT162b2 vaccine for COVID-19 it developed in partnership with Germany’s BioNTech SE had an efficacy rate of 90 percent, based on the results of human clinical trials on the vaccine.1 2 3 This news was followed up a week later with an […]
Story Highlights Health officials in Russia tell Russians to avoid drinking alcohol two weeks prior to and 42 days after receiving the emergency use Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine The Sputnik V manufacturer’s alcohol warning contradicts That of Russian health officials. The manufacturer recommends refraining from alcohol three days after each of the two doses of […]
A 40-year old business consultant in India, who volunteered to be a participant in clinical trials of the experimental COVID-19 vaccine (Covishield) created by AstraZeneca and Oxford University is suing Serum Institute of India (SII), which is producing the vaccine in India, for 50 million rupees ($680,000) after he developed acute encephalopathy (brain dysfunction) within […]
Story Highlights International Air Transport Association has developed a mobile application called IATA Travel Pass for passengers. The Travel Pass is a “digital passport” that will enable airlines to track passengers’ COVID-19 testing and vaccination status before boarding planes. North American airlines have not made a public comment on whether COVID-19 vaccination will be required […]
Brazil briefly stopped clinical trials of CoronaVac, the Chinese-made experimental vaccine for COVID-19, after a death among trial participants was reported on Nov 9, 2020. The Bhutantan Institute in San Paulo, Brazil had been conducting Phase 3 trials with more than 10,000 volunteers when the study was halted.1 However, within days, Bhutantan officials announced they […]
There’s been a lot of talk lately about whether or not the fast-tracked COVID-19 vaccine will in fact be safe and effective. While vaccine makers insist that any vaccine reaching the market will have undergone rigorous testing, the way trial protocols are designed suggests these vaccines may leave a lot to be desired. As reported1 by […]
A volunteer in one of the most advanced coronavirus vaccine trials in the world has died and, despite the news, AstraZeneca’s testing continues. … A major setback in the race to develop a coronavirus vaccine. Of course, I’m not going to get a vaccine if they don’t know what the hell you’re working with. A […]
On Sept. 8, 2020, nine pharmaceutical companies working on COVID-19 vaccines signed a pledge saying they would not submit their experimental vaccines to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) unless they were shown to be both safe and efficacious in the Phase 3 human clinical trials.1 2 3 4 5 The pledge, signed by […]