Oxford Begins COVID-19 Vaccine Trials to Meet September Deadline
On Mar. 17, 2020, European Commission (EC) president Ursula von der Leyen said she was hopeful a vaccine for COVID-19 could be available this September. Her view was based on conversations she had had with managers of German biotechnology firm CureVac AG which has developed an experimental messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine that it plans to […]
Miscounting Deaths from Coronavirus?
On Mar. 19, 2020, the number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 in Italy reached 3,405. The number was significant in that it surpassed the number of COVID-19 deaths in China, which stood at 3,245 at the time, and thus it was widely reported by the media.1 2 3 4 The following day, the president of […]
Infant Boy in India Dies Within Hours of Receiving Pentavalent Vaccine
A five-month-old infant boy died on Feb. 12-13, 2020 within hours of receiving the “5-in-1” pentavalent (diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, hepatitis B and Haemophilus influenzae type B) vaccine at a vaccination clinic in Arani, India.1 2 After he was vaccinated by the health nurse at the clinic, the boy was sent home with his parents. According to […]
A Vaccine for Coronavirus by Autumn?
There appears to be a consensus opinion among leading public health authorities that a coronavirus vaccine for COVID-19 would take at least 12-18 months to develop, test and be ready for market distribution. The projection assumes that an aggressive development schedule would produce a licensed vaccine proven safe and effective for use in humans no […]
Bill Gates Says Health Care Workers Will Be First to Get Coronavirus Vaccine
Microsoft founder and philanthropist Bill Gates predicted on Mar. 18, 2020 that the first licensed coronavirus vaccines for COVID-19 will be available within 18 months and that health care workers will be among the first to get the shots. Gates co-chairs the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which recently invested $50 million to develop a […]
Mortality Rate for COVID-19 May Be Closer to Influenza
At a press briefing on Mar. 3, 2020, the director general of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, said, “Globally, about 3.4 percent of reported COVID-19 cases have died.” On Mar. 13, The New York Times reported that modeling experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) were estimating that if […]