vaccine

13Dec

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

POP CULTURE & TRENDS

Deep Roots Of Distrust Shape Vaccine Hesitancy In Polygamous Communities

In polygamous communities, deep roots of distrust shape vaccine hesitancy. From the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as the Mormon church or LDS church, followed government guidelines to protect members of their religious community. On March 25, 2020, the church closed its temples and encouraged members to wear masks. Leaders praised vaccination, which church President Russell M. Nelson, a retired surgeon, called a “literal godsend.” He and other senior members received vaccinations, calling on church members to follow their example. Fundamentalist branches of Mormonism, however – groups who began separating from the LDS church after it ended the institutionally sanctioned practice of polygamy in 1904 – took a different ro...

Offering Insight Into Vaccine Hesitancy – Unverified Reports Of Vaccine Side Effects In VAERS Aren’t The Smoking Guns Portrayed By Right-Wing Media Outlets

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Offering Insight Into Vaccine Hesitancy – Unverified Reports Of Vaccine Side Effects In VAERS Aren’t The Smoking Guns Portrayed By Right-Wing Media Outlets

HEALTH Matt Motta, Oklahoma State University and Dominik Stecuła, Colorado State University Chances are you may not be not familiar with the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, or VAERS. Co-managed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration, VAERS was established in 1990 to detect possible safety problems with vaccines. Unfortunately, the anti-vaccine movement has used this once-obscure database to spread misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine. VAERS is ripe for exploitation because it relies on unverified self-reports of side effects. Anyone who received a vaccine can submit a report. And because this information is publicly available, misinterpretations of its data has been used to amplify COVID-19 misinformation through dubious...

A Doctor Explains What A Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Suspension Means For You

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

HEALTH & WELLNESS, VIDEO REELS

A Doctor Explains What A Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Suspension Means For You

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration on April 13, 2021 halted use of the one-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine that has been given to 6.8 million people in the U.S. The pause is due to reports of blood clotting in six people who have received the vaccine. One woman died, and another has been hospitalized in critical condition. Dr. William Petri, an infectious disease physician and immunologist at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, answers questions to help put this development in context. What is this potential side effect of the J&J vaccine for COVID-19? The potential side effect is a blood clot in the veins that drain blood from the brain. This is called central venous sinus thrombosis. In the vaccine-associated cas...

Here’s How To Make The Real And Risky Rollout Of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 Vaccine A Success

5Mar

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

BUSINESS

Here’s How To Make The Real And Risky Rollout Of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 Vaccine A Success

More than 50 million Americans have received at least one dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. So far, Americans have been largely brand-agnostic, but that’s about to change as a new vaccine rolls out. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine has been hailed as a game changer. It requires only a single dose rather than two doses spaced weeks apart, and it does not need freezer storage, making it a natural fit for hard-to-reach rural areas and underserved communities with limited access to health care and storage facilities. But while many people are excited about the prospects of only one shot, the new vaccine is also getting backlash. Part of that is coming from lack of clarify about the vaccines’ efficacy numbers, and part of it is more nuanced. On March 2, the U.S. Conferen...

Maybe The End Of The Pandemic, What’s In A Name For A Vaccine Campaign?

3Mar

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Maybe The End Of The Pandemic, What’s In A Name For A Vaccine Campaign?

Nearly 50 million people in the U.S. had received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine by March 1, and millions of others have spent hours online trying to get an appointment. But soon, the demand could fall because of vaccine hesitancy. How is the government going to get people on board? From my research, I have found that an important part of a successful vaccine campaign is in the name. As a health communication scholar who studies the history of epidemics, I have been interested in the naming and public delivery of the COVID-19 government response. In many ways, this moment parallels crises of the past, as people in previous epidemics and pandemics also struggled to find ways to protect themselves against deadly disease. Abandoning the ‘Operation Warp Speed’ name In the week ...

How Lack Of Internet Access Has Limited Vaccine Availability For Racial And Ethnic Minorities

2Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

SOCIAL JUSTICE, VIDEO REELS

How Lack Of Internet Access Has Limited Vaccine Availability For Racial And Ethnic Minorities

Racial and ethnic minority communities that lack internet access have been left behind in the race to get a COVID-19 vaccine. The average monthly cost of internet access, about US$70, can be out of reach for those who can barely afford groceries. Reporters and scholars have written about the effects of lack of internet access in rural areas in the U.S. and developing countries, but they have paid less attention to the harm of lack of internet access in racial and ethnic minority communities in major cities. We are researchers who study health disparities. We are concerned that even when vaccinations are offered in these communities, those at greatest risk for COVID-19 may be unable to obtain appointments without the help of family or friends. This includes racial and ethnic minority comm...

An Expert Says Yes Biden Can Fix The Vaccine Mess

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

HEALTH & WELLNESS, VIDEO REELS

An Expert Says Yes Biden Can Fix The Vaccine Mess

When President Joe Biden was sworn in on Jan. 20, he inherited the raging COVID-19 pandemic, one of the most difficult crises any incoming president has ever faced. More than 400,000 Americans have died from the coronavirus, and tens of thousands more will likely die before the virus is brought under control. Vaccines are the ultimate solution for the COVID-19 crisis. If enough people are vaccinated, and the virus remains sufficiently stable, the country can hope to achieve control over the virus and people can hope to get back to something like normal life. We’re still a long way from that, however. While estimates vary, scientists believe that we will need to vaccinate about 240 million people, which represents about 70% of the U.S. population, to achieve that kind of control. As an ex...

Oxford-AstraZeneca Vaccine Doesn’t Require Supercold Temperature, And Is Cheaper Than Pfizer’s And Moderna’s

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Oxford-AstraZeneca Vaccine Doesn’t Require Supercold Temperature, And Is Cheaper Than Pfizer’s And Moderna’s

The biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca has released data on what is now the third promising vaccine candidate against COVID-19 – and it has several advantages over those of its competitors, Pfizer and Moderna. On Monday, AstraZeneca released interim analysis of its phase 3 trial data of 23,000 volunteers from the U.K. and Brazil. These results show that the test vaccine is between 70% and 90% effective in stopping COVID-19, depending on the vaccine doses administered. Although less effective than the reported results from the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine candidates, this vaccine is still more effective than annual influenza vaccines that reduce the risk of flu by between 40% and 60%. Notably none of the vaccinated participants needed hospitalizations or reported severe disease. ...

Monoclonal Antibodies – What Are They And Why We Need Them As Well As A Vaccine

17Jul

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Monoclonal Antibodies – What Are They And Why We Need Them As Well As A Vaccine

When President Trump was diagnosed with COVID-19, one of the cutting-edge experimental therapies he received was a mixture of monoclonal antibodies. But now a vaccine may soon be available. So are other therapies necessary or valuable? And what exactly is a monoclonal antibody? Over the past few months, the public has learned about many treatments being used to combat COVID-19. An antiviral like remdesivir inhibits the virus from replicating in human cells. Convalescent plasma from the blood of donors who have recovered from COVID-19 may contain antibodies that suppress the virus and inflammation. Steroids like dexamethasone may modify and reduce the dangerous inflammatory damage to the lungs, thereby slowing respiratory failure. The FDA issued emergency use authorization for Eli Lilly’s...

Buying Storing And Shipping A Coronavirus Vaccine Giving It Safely To Everyone On Earth, Will Be Hard And Expensive

11Nov

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

LIFESTYLE

Buying Storing And Shipping A Coronavirus Vaccine Giving It Safely To Everyone On Earth, Will Be Hard And Expensive

Infectious diseases do not respect borders. An estimated 3 billion people in low-income countries across Africa, Asia and Latin America are likely to lack access to a COVID-19 vaccine for years after it becomes available. In poor nations, many communities lack the health care workers needed to administer vaccines, as well as the capacity to handle vaccines properly by keeping them extremely cold. As a bioethicist studying global access to essential medicines, I’m closely monitoring what wealthy countries, foundations and international organizations are doing about this problem. COVAX The COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access Facility, or COVAX, is a joint effort by 184 countries working with international organizations to make it possible for people everywhere to get affordable access to COVID...