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 […]
Virginia Health Commissioner Wants to Mandate COVID-19 Vaccine
Virginia’s Commissioner of Health Dr. Norman Oliver, MD said on Aug. 21, 2020 that he intends to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for all residents of Virginia as soon as a vaccine is available. “[Coronavirus] is killing people now, we don’t have a treatment for it and if we develop a vaccine that can prevent it from […]
Makers of Experimental COVID-19 Vaccines Lobby EU for Liability Protection
Vaccines Europe, a pharmaceutical industry lobbying group, has issued a memo to its member companies saying it would seek liability protection from the European Union (EU) for corporations manufacturing COVID-19 vaccines. The memo, obtained by the Financial Times, expressed concern about the “inevitable risks” of rushing the development and global marketing of COVID-19 vaccines.1 2 3 […]
Pharmacists, Pharmacy Interns Given Green Light to Vaccinate Children
Under an amendment to the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (PREP), pharmacists and pharmacy interns in the United States are now permitted to administer vaccines recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to children over three years of age.1 Currently, there are 28 states that allow pharmacists to administer vaccinations to […]
Public Acceptance of COVID-19 Vaccine Faces Many Hurdles
Story Highlights Even before a vaccine against COVID-19 has been introduced to the public in the U.S., expectations for it are low. Dr. Anthony Fauci warns that a COVID-19 vaccine is not expected to be either long-lasting or more than 50 to 60 percent effective. Citing experience with other vaccines, a COVID-19 vaccine is not […]
Flu Vaccination Associated With Increased Viral Shedding
Opinion | When your body is infected with a disease-causing virus such as influenza, the virus is “shed” into the environment, via your saliva and other bodily fluids and skin lesions. If someone comes in contact with that shed virus, it’s possible that they, too, will become infected with the virus. There’s still a lot of […]