COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate Unlikely in Canada Say Health Officials
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 […]
New CDC Data Shows 94 Percent of COVID-19 Death Cases Had Underlying Poor Health Conditions
The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Sept. 2 weekly update on COVID-19 mortality in the U.S., which is published by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), reported 170,566 deaths “involving COVID-19” that occurred between Feb. 1, 2020 and Aug. 29, 2020.1 During the same time period there were 1,841,678 deaths from […]
The T-Cell Response to COVID-19 Infections and Immunity
Story Highlights Rapid decline of neutralizing antibodies following COVID-19 infection in some people have led to concerns that immunity to the SARS-CoV-2 virus Is temporary. However, several recent studies have shown a presence of virus-specific T-cells that remain, including among patients with mild or asymptomatic infections. Long-lasting immunity after recovery from COVID-19 infection may be […]
ACIP Updates Influenza Vaccine Guidelines for Seniors
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued new updates for influenza vaccines for 2020–2021 “flu season,” primarily for Fluzone and Fluad vaccines. In November 2019, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) licensed inactivated injectable Fluzone High-Dose Quadrivalent (HD-IIV4) for use in persons aged […]
Major Protests in Berlin and London Opposing Forced Masking and Lockdowns
Responding to big public demonstrations in Berlin and London against forced masking, “social distancing” and lockdown laws that have torn apart the economic and social fabric of European societies, mainstream media outlets described the tens of thousands of people who attended the gatherings as “covid-deniers,”1 2 and “conspiracy theorists and far-right groups.”3 Most of the […]
Massachusetts Public Health Officials Require Annual Flu Shots for Child Care and All Grades Through College
On Aug. 19, 2020, Massachusetts public health officials announced that all children six months of age and older who are attending child care, pre-school, kindergarten, K-12 and colleges and universities in Massachusetts will be required to get the influenza vaccine “to reduce flu-related illness and the overall impact of respiratory illness during the COVID-19 pandemic.”1 […]