12 Fully Vaccinated People Died of COVID in L.A. County + More
2 Fully Vaccinated People Died of COVID in L.A. County, Showing Shots Work ‘Extraordinarily Well,’ Health Officials Say
With millions of people in Los Angeles County now fully vaccinated against COVID-19, public health officials said Thursday evidence is becoming clearer that the shots provide exceptional protection against sickness and death from the virus.
Data on “breakthrough cases,” or people who test positive for coronavirus despite being vaccinated, shows that only 0.00036% of fully vaccinated people went on to die from the virus, Barbara Ferrer, the county’s public health director, said in a news briefing.
Latest CDC Data Show Reports of Adverse Events After COVID Vaccines Surpass 200,000, Including 943 Among 12- to 17-Year-Olds
The number of reported adverse events following COVID vaccines surpassed 200,000 according to data released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The data comes directly from reports submitted to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS).
VAERS is the primary government-funded system for reporting adverse vaccine reactions in the U.S. Reports submitted to VAERS require further investigation before a causal relationship can be confirmed.
Every Friday, VAERS makes public all vaccine injury reports received as of a specified date, usually about a week prior to the release date. Today’s data show that between Dec. 14, 2020 and May 14, a total of 227,805 total adverse events were reported to VAERS, including 4,201 deaths — an increase of 144 over the previous week — and 18,528 serious injuries, up 1,338 since last week.
The Warnings Are Clear: Vaccinating Kids for COVID Is a Dangerous Gamble
A decade ago, Ohio researchers bemoaned the difficulty of recruiting children for clinical trials. In the article, “Pediatric Drug-Trial Recruitment: Enticement Without Coercion,” published in the journal Pediatrics, researchers identified barriers such as “the challenge of determining appropriate payments for participation that are not coercive,” “the need to obtain consent from parents” and “ethical concerns.”
With COVID-19, it appears the government and pharma may have determined they can simply leapfrog over these pesky obstacles.
On May 10, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) extended the FDA’s Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID vaccine to adolescents 12 through 15 years of age.
9 Dating Apps Partner With White House in Latest Scheme to Boost Slumping Vaccine Rates
The White House is partnering with nine popular dating apps to entice Americans to get vaccinated by offering special incentives to users who have received their COVID shot.
In an attempt to overcome vaccine hesitancy, Match, Tinder, Hinge, OKCupid, BLK, Chispa, Plenty of Fish, Bumble and Badoo will give vaccinated users access to premium content and a host of perks including boosts, super likes and special stickers displayed on their profile that show that they have received their shot, Forbes reported.
Users will also be able to filter potential matches by vaccination status or book vaccination appointments through the apps. Promotional campaigns on the apps will launch in the coming weeks and run until the July 4 Independence Day holiday.
New York Governor Announces $5 Million COVID Vaccine Lottery Incentive
New Yorkers could win up to $5m from the New York state lottery if they get vaccinated against COVID-19 at a state-run clinic, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Thursday.
The new incentive, called the “Vax & Scratch”, will allow those who get vaccinated to receive a $20 lottery ticket for the $5m Mega Multiplier Lottery.
Thirteen winners will get a monetary prize ranging from $20 to $5m.
New York’s initiative is one of many incentives that have been recently launched across the US as officials search for new ways to boost the dwindling demand for COVID-19 vaccines.
U.S. COVID-19 Vaccination Pace Is Down by Nearly Half in the Last Month. These States Slow to Vaccinate May Struggle This Summer, Expert Warns
For many, a nationwide return to normalcy from the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to accelerate into the summer as more businesses and state governments prepare for a large-scale reopening. Sports stadiums are filling up, mask mandates are being shed, and travel and tourism industries anticipate a rebound with cruise lines planning for passengers once again.
Health officials have pointed out, however, that such successes are largely contingent on getting the U.S. fully vaccinated as quickly as possible. And right now, the rate of vaccination is slowing.
The average daily pace of coronavirus vaccinations is down almost 50% from its April peak, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data published Thursday.
COVID: Three Deaths in Scotland Linked to Vaccine
Three “extremely rare” deaths in Scotland have been linked to adverse effects from COVID-19 vaccines.
National Records of Scotland (NRS) said the effects had been recorded as the “underlying cause” in each of the three deaths, which were before 30 April.
100 Million Doses of Johnson & Johnson’s Vaccine Need to Be Checked for Contamination and May Need to Be Thrown Out
Emergent BioSolutions CEO Robert G. Kramer admitted to the House of Representatives on Wednesday that more than 100 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine are on hold and possibly contaminated.
It was the first time that Kramer admitted the high figure of potentially spoiled vaccines after The New York Times reported last month that the facility may have jeopardized 62 million of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine doses, after ruining 15 million doses of the vaccine through cross-contamination with ingredients for AstraZeneca’s vaccine.
