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COVID-19 vaccine

November 26, 2022

Vaccinated People Accounting for Majority of COVID Deaths in US: Report

A new analysis revealed that for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, most Americans dying from the virus were vaccinated or boosted.

The analysis published by the Washington Post found that 58% of COVID-19 deaths in August “were people who were vaccinated or boosted.”

The outlet described a “troubling trend” as the percentage of deaths among the vaccinated has been “steadily rising” over the last year.

In September 2021, vaccinated individuals made up just 23% of coronavirus deaths. In January and February 2022, that figure had jumped to 42%, the WaPo report noted.

The diminishing efficacy of coronavirus vaccines and “increasingly contagious strains of the virus being spread to elderly and immunocompromised people” have caused more deaths among those who have received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to the analysis.

“We can no longer say this is a pandemic of the unvaccinated,” said Cynthia Cox, the vice president of the Kaiser Family Foundation, which conducted the analysis on behalf of WaPo.

Outgoing White House Chief Medical Adviser Anthony Fauci has emphasized the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines in preventing severe illness and deaths, encouraging people to get fully vaccinated as soon as possible.

“My message, and my final message, maybe the final message I give you from this podium, is that please, for your own safety, for that of your family, get your updated COVID-19 shot as soon as you’re eligible to protect yourself, your family and your community,” Fauci said. “I urge you to visit vaccine.gov to find a location where you can easily get an updated vaccine, and please do it as soon as possible.”

Fauci has previously acknowledged that the vaccines don’t necessarily protect against coronavirus infection and transmission.

Sources: Washington Post | Fox News

By T. Thompson
July 21, 2022

NBA Champion Regrets Getting COVID-19 Vaccine

Andrew Wiggins, the Golden State Warriors forward who was an All-star nominee for the 2021-2022 season, said he regrets getting the COVID-19 vaccine.

“I still wish I didn’t get [vaccinated], to be honest with you,” Wiggins told FanSided’s Mark Carman. “But you’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do.”

“I did it, and I was an All-Star this year and champion, so that was the good part, just not missing out on the year, the best year of my career,” he said.

“But for my body, I just don’t like putting all that stuff in my body, so I didn’t like that and I didn’t like that it wasn’t my choice. I didn’t like that it was either get this or don’t play,” Wiggins added.

Wiggins initially resisted the NBA’s vaccine mandate and filed for a religious exemption. He ultimately got the vaccine after his exemption request was denied.

Despite his mixed feelings, Wiggins told Fox News Digital that he loves the Golden State organization.

“Steve [Kerr] is a great coach. A player’s coach,” Wiggins said. “He’s going to put everyone in a position to do well. He gives all his players confidence, and when you’re on the court, he lets you play your game. Whatever your game is, he lets you play it.”

“He keeps his team motivated. He keeps his team going, and he holds everyone accountable,” he said. “I love Golden State. I love the organization. They treat me and my family so well. I love it.”

By T. Thompson
July 20, 2022

Health Experts Quit Over “Bad Science”

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are facing staffing shortages due to “bad science.”

“It’s like a horror movie I’m being forced to watch and I can’t close my eyes,” an unnamed senior FDA official told Common Sense. “People are getting bad advice and we can’t say anything.”

An unnamed NIH scientist told the outlet: “They have no leadership right now. Suddenly, there’s an enormous number of jobs opening up at the highest level positions.”

The publication noted that the people they spoke with agreed to be quoted anonymously, for fear of professional repercussions.

“I used to be proud to tell people I work at the CDC. Now I’m embarrassed,” a scientist at the CDC said.

What’s causing the embarrassment? According to Dr. Marty Makary, a top public-health expert at Johns Hopkins University, “In short, bad science.”

Makary continued:

“The longer answer: that the heads of their agencies are using weak or flawed data to make critically important public health decisions. That such decisions are being driven by what’s politically palatable to people in Washington or to the Biden administration. And that they have a myopic focus on one virus instead of overall health.”

Last month, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, CDC director, said that everyone six months or older should receive the mRNA covid vaccines.

But some health experts are alarmed by the recommendation.

“The public has no idea how bad this data really is. It would not pass muster for any other authorization,” a high-level FDA official said.

Makary said the data submitted by Pfizer and Moderna to receive emergency approval for their COVID-19 vaccines was lacking. Pfizer’s trial included under 1,000 children and didn’t show any efficacy against infection, he said. Moderna’s trial included roughly 6,000 children and reported a 4% reduction in infection.

“It seems criminal that we put out the recommendation to give mRNA covid vaccines to babies without good data. We really don’t know what the risks are yet. So why push it so hard?” a CDC physician said.

“A more honest announcement would have been: ‘We approved the vax for babies & toddlers based on very little data. While we believe its safe in this population, the study sample size was too low to make a [conclusion] about safety. Note that studies were done in kids without natural immunity,” Makary told DailyMail.com.

By T. Thompson
July 2, 2022

US Government Makes $3.2B Deal with Pfizer

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY…
1776: Continental Congress resolves, “these United Colonies are and of right ought to be Free and Independent States.”

Pfizer Inc. and its partner BioNTech SE announced a new $3.2 billion deal with the U.S. government for 105 million doses of its updated COVID-19 vaccine.

The companies will receive $3.2 billion from the U.S. government “upon receipt of the first 105 million doses,” Pfizer said in a press release. The Biden administration also has the option to purchase up to 195 million additional doses — a total of 300 million doses.

“Vaccines have been and will remain critical to protecting people of all ages against COVID-19,” Pfizer Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Albert Bourla said in a statement. “We remain proud of our long-term partnership with the U.S. government in helping to address this pandemic, and of the ongoing impact of vaccination efforts in the U.S. and around the world.”

Under the new lucrative deal, the average price per dose is more than $30 — a roughly 65% increase from the $19.50 per dose price the U.S. government paid Pfizer in its initial contract.

According to Reuters, Pfizer has forecast COVID-19 vaccine sales of $32 billion this year, and the new contract should boost that number.

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data shows that the U.S. government has distributed roughly 450 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine since December 2020.

By T. Thompson
March 15, 2022

Pfizer: Fourth Booster Shot ‘Necessary’

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said that a fourth COVID-19 shot is “necessary.”

“Right now, the way that we have seen, it is necessary, a fourth booster right now. The protection that you are getting from the third, it is good enough, actually quite good for hospitalizations and deaths,” Bourla said during an appearance on CBS’s Face the Nation.

“It’s not that good against infections but doesn’t last very long. But we are just submitting those data to the FDA [Food and Drug Administration], and then we will see what the experts also will say outside Pfizer.”

Bourla said Pfizer aims to create a vaccine effective against all variants of COVID-19 for longer periods of time.

“We are working very diligently right now … to make not only a vaccine that will protect against all variants, including omicron, but also something that can protect for at least a year,” he said. “And if we be able to achieve that, then I think it is very easy to follow and remember so that we can go back to really the way used to live.”

On Saturday, Bourla told CNBC that his company plans to submit data for a fourth COVID-19 dose.

“It’s clear that there is a need in an environment of omicron to boost the immune response,” he said during an appearance on CNBC’s Squawk Box.

Source:

Pfizer planning to submit data on 4th Covid shot soon, while working on vaccine for all variants

By T. Thompson
March 8, 2022

Florida Recommends Against COVID Shots for Healthy Kids

Florida’s Department of Health is recommending against COVID-19 vaccinations for “healthy children,” officially contradicting the official guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

State surgeon general Joseph Ladapo said Florida “is going to be the first state to officially recommend against the COVID-19 vaccines for healthy children.”

Ladapo’s comments came at the end of a roundtable discussion on the coronavirus response. He did not provide details on what qualifications would determine a healthy child.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who was sitting next to Ladapo, added that there has been “a failure to weigh costs and benefits, whether that’s lockdowns, whether that’s school closures, or whether that’s even something about whether a healthy seven-year-old kid should get the COVID vaccines.”

The CDC recommends the coronavirus vaccine for everyone aged 5 and older.

Later, during a press briefing, White House press secretary Jen Psaki was asked if the Biden administration considers Florida’s move sound policy.

“Absolutely not,” Psaki replied.

“Let me just note that we know the science. We know the data and what works and what the most effective steps are in protecting people of a range of ages from hospitalization and even death. The FDA and CDC have already weighed in on the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines for those 5 and older,” she said.

Source:

Florida to advise against COVID-19 vaccine for healthy kids, contradicting CDC

By T. Thompson
February 27, 2022

Fox News Host Says COVID Vaccine Saved His Life

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY…
2012: Wikileaks begins disclosing 5 million emails from private intelligence company Stratfor.

Fox News host Neil Cavuto returned to his show after an unexplained five-week absence, which had worried many viewers.

Cavuto told his Cavuto: Coast to Coast audience that his second bout of COVID-19 had landed him in the intensive care unit, where things were “touch and go” for some time.

The veteran anchor has multiple sclerosis and survived stage 4 cancer and open-heart surgery, meaning he’s one of the 3% of Americans with a weakened immune system who “cannot sustain the full benefits” of the COVID-19 vaccine.

But, he stressed, some defense was better than none.

“Let me be clear,” he said. “Doctors say had I not been vaccinated at all, I wouldn’t be here.”

Last October, Cavuto had his first bout with COVID-19 and received death threats after disclosing his diagnosis and urged viewers to get vaccinated.

Cavuto said that this time was a “far, far more serious strand, what doctors call COVID pneumonia” and that he was in the ICU for “quite a while.”

He had asked Fox to keep the illness private because he didn’t want to become the story — but felt he owed viewers an explanation for his prolonged absence. He also appeared to dismiss claims that his hospitalization was due to the vaccine itself, calling that a “grassy knoll theory.”

“Some of you who’ve wanted to put me out of my misery darn near got what you wished for,” he added.

“So, sorry to disappoint you! But no, the vaccine didn’t cause that … My very compromised immune system did.”

Source:

Lauding vaccines, Fox’s Neil Cavuto says a 2nd bout of COVID nearly killed him

By T. Thompson
February 25, 2022

America Braces For Potential 4th COVID Shot

American health officials, experts, and vaccine manufacturers are already preparing for a potential fourth COVID-19 booster shot to bolster protection against whatever variant may come next.

“The potential future requirement for an additional boost or a fourth shot for mRNA or a third shot for J&J is being very carefully monitored in real time. And recommendations, if needed, will be updated according to the data as it evolves,” National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) director Anthony Fauci said.

A senior Biden administration official told Axios that the federal government plans to test new vaccines that combine multiple strains of the virus to find what offers the broadest coverage.

The U.K. recently decided it will soon offer a fourth shot to the elderly and some people with health conditions. Meanwhile, Israel has already offered fourth shots and has started releasing preliminary data on their effect.

But experts say the need for another booster will depend on how much the virus continues to circulate.

“It may not be as big an issue in the U.S. if we’re really at a contained state,” said Scripps Research Executive Vice President Eric Topol.

But, Topol cautioned, we got lucky that a third shot of the original vaccine works so well against the Omicron variant — and there’s no guarantee that luck will hold against another.

“We have to run not just on luck. This is not a casino here,” Topol said. “We have to do better.”

Source:

America prepares for a potential 4th COVID shot

By T. Thompson
February 10, 2022

Did Biden’s Top Science Adviser Engage in Insider Trading?

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY…
1763: Treaty of Paris ends French-Indian War, surrendering Canada to Britain

Biden’s top science adviser, Eric Lander, publicly promoted the COVID-19 vaccine while holding a significant number of shares in BioNTech SE, Pfizer’s vaccine partner.

Lander, who resigned on Monday amid accusations that he’d bullied and demeaned his staff, had 90 days to sell his stocks following his Senate confirmation on May 28. He divested most of his holdings in June, but he waited until Aug. 5 to sell the remaining $500,000 to $1 million worth of BioNTech stock.

When the head of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) ultimately sold his shares 69 days after his confirmation, the company was at its second-highest stock price ever at $404.92 — more than $50 more than two days earlier.

In the weeks leading up to that Aug. 5 transaction, Lander promoted the Biden administration’s vaccination efforts.

  • June 29
    “And we need to keep up the pressure to truly defeat the pandemic by ensuring that everyone is vaccinated,” Lander wrote in an article for the Boston Globe. “You can do your part by respectfully reaching out to people you know who haven’t yet been vaccinated.”
  • Aug. 4
    “Coronavirus vaccines can end the current pandemic if enough people choose to protect themselves and their loved ones by getting vaccinated,” Lander wrote in an opinion piece for the Washington Post.

Lander did not disclose his stock holdings in either op-ed. But an OSTP spokesperson dismissed the notion that Lander had done anything wrong.

“Eric was fully legally compliant,” the spokesperson said. “The law is clear – and conversations and opinion pieces telling people they should get vaccinated during a global pandemic are not even close to an ethics concern.”

During the 90 day period following his Senate confirmation, Lander agreed he would “not participate personally and substantially in any particular matter that to my knowledge has a direct and predictable effect on the financial interests of the entity until I have divested it, unless I first obtain a written waiver […] or qualify for a regulatory exemption.”

Watchdog groups view the situation as ethically dubious.

“I don’t think you have the most senior scientist in the administration during a pandemic invested in a certain vaccine maker. It looks like something he should have divested immediately,” Marsco.

Jeff Hauser, the founder of the watchdog Revolving Door Project, also weighed in on Lander’s transactions.

“From a common sense perspective, there’s a conflict of interest that raises questions needlessly,” Hauser said.

“This is probably legal in the kind of way that underscores why, just as with Congress, executive branch officials should be forced to wholly liquidate non-broadly held funds before taking office.”

Source:

Lander held on to vaccine maker stock months into tenure

By T. Thompson
February 9, 2022

Money Talks: Pfizer’s COVID Vaccine Hits Record Number of Sales

Pfizer announced that the COVID-19 vaccine it makes with BioNTech registered a staggering $36.8 billion of sales in 2021.

The Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is now the top-selling pharmaceutical product ever in a single year, by a wide margin.

Axios reported that Humira was the next highest, with $20.7 billion reported in 2021.

Pfizer expects that the vaccine will generate another $32 billion of sales this year, and the company’s new antiviral COVID pill, Paxlovid, will net $22 billion.

Despite the record-breaking revenue, Pfizer’s stock fell more than 5% because Wall Street had expected even higher numbers.

Source:

A new top-selling medicine: Pfizer’s COVID vaccine

By T. Thompson
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