Understanding PCR Tests for Coronavirus
Opinion | From the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the clarion call has been to test, test and test some more. However, right from the start, serious questions arose about the tests being used to diagnose this infection, and questions have only multiplied since then. Positive reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests have been […]
Pfizer’s Experimental COVID-19 Vaccine 90 Percent Effective?
The German biotech firm BioNTech SE issued a joint press release with its American partner Pfizer, Inc. on Nov. 9, 2020 to announce that interim analysis of a global Phase 3 study of their mRNA-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccine appeared to demonstrate an efficacy rate “above 90%”measured seven days after the second dose.1 “This is really a […]
Facebook Bans Ads “Discouraging” Vaccination
Facebook has announced that the company is implementing a new global policy banning paid advertisements on its platform that it has determined discourage people from getting vaccinated.1 According to a blog authored by Kang-Xing Jin, Head of Health and Rob Leathern, Director of Product Management at Facebook: Today, we’re launching a new global policy that […]
New York Bar Calls for COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate and Promotion
Opinion | The New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) House of Delegates approved resolutions on Nov. 7, 2020 that included urging the state to consider mandating a COVID-19 vaccine once “scientific consensus” emerges that it is safe, effective and necessary.1 The NYSBA also called for a number of other legal reforms and public health measures related […]
CDC Gives States COVID-19 Vaccination Program “Playbook”
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) created a national COVID-19 Vaccine Program Playbook for state, territorial and local public health officials and their partners and issued directions for how to plan and operationalize COVID-19 vaccine programs in their jurisdictions. State health departments throughout the United States submitted comprehensive drafts of their COVID-19 vaccine distribution […]
Scientists and Doctors Call for Return to Normal Life in The Great Barrington Declaration
Story Highlights On Oct. 6, 2020, an international group of scientists, doctors and other medical professionals issued a petition, The Great Barrington Declaration (GBD), challenging the wisdom of current restrictive public health strategies employed by governments for addressing COVID-19. The GBD signatories called for “focused protection” that commits resources to protecting vulnerable populations, allowing most […]