Florida Advises Against New Covid Boosters For Most Age Groups, Citing No ‘Sufficient Clinical Evidence’
The Florida Department of Health is officially advising people under the age of 65 not to receive Covid boosters.The Florida Department of Health is officially advising people under the age of 65 not to receive Covid boosters.Uncle Sam’s Making Me Take The Covid Jab To Become An American Citizen
Give me liberty or give me subclinical myocarditis.New CDC director expects COVID vaccine will be like flu shots where you'll 'get your annual COVID shot'
Dr. Mandy Cohen – the new Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – said she expects the COVID vaccine to become an annual inoculation like the flu shot.
Spectrum News asked Cohen if the country is at a point where Americans should get one COVID shot each year.
Cohen responded, "We're just on the precipice of that, so I don’t want to get ahead of where our scientists are here and doing that evaluation work, but yes, we anticipate that COVID will become similar to flu shots, where it is going to be you get your annual flu shot and you get your annual COVID shot."
"That's where we're going to," she continued, and added, "We're not quite there yet."
The CDC director said an official guidance from the U.S. health agency regarding an annual COVID shot should arrive in early or mid-September.
Cohen – the previous secretary of health and human services in North Carolina – said she expects a new COVID booster by the fall.
The topic of trust in public health agencies plummeting during the COVID-19 pandemic was broached during the interview. In March, a Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health survey found that approximately a quarter of Americans have little-to-no trust in the CDC for health information.
Cohen – a Democrat – told Spectrum News, "While we saw trust go down in lots of institutions, we actually saw trust increase in North Carolina. We measured trust in the Department of Health and Human Services and saw that increase."
She added, "We still had respectful disagreement, but at least we're having a respectful conversation about how to approach hard, hard topics."
When asked if the CDC could have done things differently during the COVID-19 pandemic, she replied, "There were some early places where the CDC didn’t perform and execute in the way they needed to."
Cohen said she is concerned about distrust regarding vaccines.
"I'm very worried about parents not vaccinating kids," she said.
On the topic of proposed cuts to the CDC budget, Cohen said, "Just like we have a military to protect us here and around the world, we need a CDC that can protect us. We can’t see those cuts and have the national security assets we need here at the CDC."
Cohen became the CDC director earlier this month following the departure of her predecessor – Dr. Rochelle Walensky.
Earlier this month, Cohen told NBC News the CDC needs to have "an everyday, tactical plan" to "bringing the best evidence that we possibly can" to the public.
She admitted that the CDC had lost trust during the pandemic, but promised transparency at the health agency under her watch.
Cohen added, "You're going to hear us with some key messages, making sure that folks hear them over and over."
The outlet said Cohen's team in North Carolina "sometimes turned to faith leaders, NASCAR drivers, even TikTok influencers to get scientific information to the public."
NBC News said of Cohen, "But she works hard to focus instead on re-infusing a spark back into the work done at the CDC. On her first day, she played Alicia Keys and other music in the lobby to greet her new co-workers."
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Low-Risk Medical School Students Are Being Forced To Get The Covid Booster
The Covid-19 bivalent booster is being forced on low-risk medical students, while CDC and hospital workers are not mandated to receive it.MSNBC's Joe Scarborough melts down over critics mocking him after he admits wanting fourth COVID booster
MSNBC host Joe Scarborough attacked his critics on Wednesday after he was mocked online for lamenting his not having received a fourth COVID-19 vaccine booster shot.
What is the background?
Scarborough revealed on "Morning Joe" Tuesday that he regretted not yet having received his fourth booster shot. At the same time, Scarborough admitted that he had been "completely knocked down" with COVID after receiving his third booster shot.
"Instead of me being down for a month with fatigue, if I had taken the [fourth] booster, I would have probably sneezed, said, 'What was that?' and kept going," Scarborough lamented.
The admission that he has already received three COVID booster shots and believed he needed a fourth led to widespread mockery online and accusations that his line of thinking is "bats**t insane."
What happened next?
Scarborough responded to his critics on "Morning Joe" Wednesday, condemning people skeptical about COVID booster shots as "anti-vaxxers."
"I felt really sorry for anti-vaxxers and their children when they were left-wing freaks. And I feel really sorry for anti-vaxxers and their children now that they’re right-wing freaks," he said. "Their conspiracy theories are so bizarre. They’re ignoring science."
"You know, yesterday when I was talking about getting COVID, and I should have gotten a fourth booster shot. A lot of these freaks were, ‘Oh, fourth booster shot, robot.' No, listen, here's the deal, moron," he went on to say. "If you get a flu shot, what do you do? Do you go to the doctor? 'Oh my god, you want me to have a 50th flu shot?' No. You get a flu shot every year."
The MSNBC host added that booster shots are necessary every six months and that being healthy is contingent upon receiving regular booster shots. He even claimed that not receiving the shots is akin to smoking cigarettes.
"Put on your big boy pants. Put on your big girl pants," he said. "And if you want to be healthy, I don’t care if you don't, that's your business, smoke cigarettes, do whatever you want to do, stay up all night, don't sleep. That's fine. Be unhealthy. Your choice."
Watch Morning Joe Highlights: Jan. 25 | MSNBC www.youtube.com
Ironically, Scarborough repeated his claim that receiving COVID boosters will make a COVID infection "less intense," despite just one day earlier admitting that he had an intense infection after his third booster.
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Moderna CEO makes surprising admission about COVID vaccine booster shots for young people: 'Decide for themselves'
Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel made an eyebrow-raising admission about his company's COVID-19 vaccine booster shot this week.
What did Bancel say?
Speaking with Yahoo Finance, Bancel questioned whether young people will need future COVID vaccine boosters.
In fact, he appeared to limit those who may need an annual booster to vulnerable populations, such as older people and those with comorbidities. For such individuals, the annual booster will be akin to the seasonal flu shot.
"I think it's going to be like the flu," Bancel said.
"If you're a 25-year-old, do you need an annual booster every year if you're healthy? You might want it," he added, "but I think it's going to be similar to flu, where it's going to be people at high risk, people above 50 years of age, people with co-morbidities, people with cancer and other conditions, you know, [people with] transplants."
Bancel estimated that 1.5 billion people fall into "high risk" categories. But for those who don't? He actually endorsed freedom of individuals to make their own decisions.
"People that are younger are going to have to decide for themselves what they want to do," Bancel said.
Moderna CEO on COVID vaccines: Not everyone will need an annual COVID-19 booster www.youtube.com
The admission is particularly noteworthy because it comes from someone who profits if Moderna sells more of its COVID vaccine booster shots.
Just last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention authorized children (ages 6 to 17) to receive Moderna's Omicron-specific booster shot.
Anything else?
Fortunately, the Biden administration is also accepting that COVID-19 will be treated like the seasonal flu in the future.
"It is becoming increasingly clear that, looking forward with the COVID-19 pandemic, in the absence of a dramatically different variant, we likely are moving towards a path with a vaccination cadence similar to that of the annual influenza vaccine, with annual, updated COVID-19 shots matched to the currently circulating strains for most of the population," Dr. Anthony Fauci said last month.
Top vaccine expert with FDA and NIH warns healthy young people not to get COVID-19 booster: 'There's not clear evidence of benefit' versus risk
A top vaccine expert is advising that healthy young people should not get the latest COVID-19 booster shot because "there's not clear evidence of benefit."
Paul Offit is the director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), professor of pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, a member of National Institutes of Health (NIH) working group on vaccines, and a member of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC). Previously, Offit was a member of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.
Offit is also one of the few vaccine experts voicing caution regarding the new COVID boosters.
On Aug. 31, the FDA granted emergency use authorizations (EUAs) of COVID-19 boosters from Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech. The bivalent version of the previous vaccines are for use as a single booster dose at least two months following primary or booster vaccination. Moderna's mRNA booster shots are approved by the FDA for individuals 18 years of age or older, and the Pfizer-BioNTech version is authorized for those 12 or older.
However, Offit is advising healthy young people to skip the new booster shot.
During an appearance on CNN earlier this month, Offit said that those over 65, the immuno-compromised, and anyone with serious chronic health ailments could benefit from the boosters.
He was concerned that government health agencies were going to try to oversell the booster to everyone.
"What I fear is that they're going to say everybody should get it when in fact, the healthy young person really is unlikely to benefit from the booster dose, and so I hope they targeted more specifically, to those really who are most likely to benefit from this additional dose," he said during the CNN interview.
The CNN anchor was perplexed that the health official didn't recommend everyone get the new jab.
She asked the vaccine expert, "Why not get it? Right? If it does give you even if it's a smaller benefit, is there any reason not to get the booster?"
Offit replied, "I think that when you're asking people to get a vaccine, I think there has to be clear evidence of benefit, and we're not going to have clinical studies before this launches."
Moderna has begun human trials on the booster shots, and Pfizer is expected to begin theirs this month. Experts believe that trials likely wouldn't be completed until the spring.
"But you'd like to have at least human data people you know, getting this vaccine, you see a clear and dramatic increase in neutralizing antibodies, and then at least you have a correlate of protection against BA.4 and BA.5," he continued.
"You're asking people to get a new product for which there's no data," Offit also told CNN. "Mice data are not adequate to launch 100-plus-billion-dose effort."
The booster shot was authorized by the FDA despite not having been tested on humans. Pfizer's preliminary findings were based on tests on eight mice. The FDA based the EUA authorization on the testing of mice, data from current COVID-19 vaccines, and earlier iterations of boosters.
"Because if you don't have that, if there's not clear evidence of benefit, then it's not fair I think to ask people to take a risk no matter how small," Offit declared. "The benefit should be clear."
\u201cDr. Paul Offit fears CDC will recommend new Covid boosters for all when "a healthy young person is unlikely to benefit ..."\n\nAfter CNN pushback: "If there's not clear evidence of benefit, it's not fair to ask ppl to take a risk, no matter how small. The benefit should be clear."\u201d— Scott Morefield (@Scott Morefield) 1662058674
On Sept. 21, Offit wrote an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal titled: "CDC Oversells the ‘Bivalent’ Covid Shot."
"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that everyone over 12 receive a 'bivalent' COVID-19 vaccine as a booster dose," he wrote. "But only a select group are likely to benefit, and the evidence to date doesn’t support the view that a bivalent vaccine containing omicron or its subvariants is better than the monovalent vaccine. The CDC risks eroding the public’s trust by overselling the new shot."
Americans are not rushing to get the latest booster shot.
According to CDC data released on Thursday, an estimated 4.4 million Americans received the new booster. That figure represents approximately 1.5% of people in the U.S. who are eligible to receive the injection.
Democratic official threatens school closures, new mandates over COVID-19 booster numbers
A Maryland Democratic official is threatening new mandates and "virtual school" if residents in his county fail to increase the county's COVID-19 vaccine "booster numbers."
What are the details?
Marc Elrich (D) is the country executive of Montgomery County, the most populous county in Maryland. Over the weekend, he threatened residents with new draconian restrictions.
Elrich said that weathering a future surge without new restrictions would require residents to "increase our booster numbers," thus implying that if COVID-19 vaccine booster inoculation does not become more widespread, the county would enact restrictions in the face of a new COVID wave.
"Being fully vaccinated at this point is not being completely protected," Elrich said. "For us to weather future upticks and surges without mandates, virtual learning, or restrictions — we must increase our booster numbers."
Being fully vaccinated at this point is not being completely protected. For us to weather future upticks and surges without mandates, virtual learning, or restrictions - we must increase our booster numbers. Find a vaccination site here: http://ow.ly/cYqj50IQhqq— County Exec Marc Elrich (@County Exec Marc Elrich) 1650801619
Ironically, Montgomery County is one of the most vaccinated counties in the United States.
Data shows that 93% of Montgomery County residents age 5 or older are vaccinated against COVID-19, including 95% of residents over 65. Meanwhile, 77% of residents 65 or older — the age demographic most vulnerable to COVID-19 — are boosted while 47% of all residents are boosted.
Elrich's threat predictably drew backlash.
One critic pointed out that booster shots do not prevent case surges. A self-avowed "fellow liberal" urged Elrich to "please stop," suggesting that he should instead focus on issues that actually impact Montgomery County residents, like crime. Another local resident called Elrich an "authoritarian."
"This is very misguided, wrong messaging and application of science all in 1 tweet! Threatening virtual learning for the Least at risk, based on knowing the negative impact it had, because of booster rates, even though having booster doesn’t prevent cases and prevent an 'uptick'!" said WTTG-TV senior vice president Patrick Paolini.
"At least they’re open about it: Do what we say or we will force you with mandates or taking away school from your kids," noted conservative commentator Karol Markowicz.
Anything else?
Elrich's threat to send kids back to "virtual school" (i.e., closing schools) is particularly jarring because of the well-known negative impacts of closing schools.
Not only did students suffer significant learning loss during school closures, but mental health struggles are now plaguing children and teenagers. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization says the impact of school closures is "particularly severe for the most vulnerable and marginalized boys and girls and their families."
Elrich has been endorsed for re-election by the local school union.
Pfizer CEO pushes annual COVID-19 vaccine shot as company makes billions: 'Easier to convince people to do it'
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla admitted Saturday that he is hoping people around the world will receive annual COVID-19 vaccine shots.
The admission comes as the global community implements booster campaigns because, as Reuters noted, the COVID vaccines have proven to be effective at preventing most deaths and hospitalizations, but not transmission.
What are the details?
Speaking with Israel's N12 News, Bourla was asked whether he believes COVID booster shoots will be administered on a regular basis, such as every four or five months. In response, Bourla expressed hope in annual vaccine shots.
"This will not be a good scenario," Bourla said of regular booster shots, Reuters reported. "What I'm hoping [is] that we will have a vaccine that you will have to do once a year."
Bourla's justification? Because convincing people to receive an annual shot is easier than convincing them to receive bi-annual boosters.
"Once a year — it is easier to convince people to do it. It is easier for people to remember," Bourla explained. "So from a public health perspective, it is an ideal situation. We are looking to see if we can create a vaccine that covers Omicron and doesn't forget the other variants and that could be a solution."
How much money is Pfizer making?
When Pfizer released its third-quarter earnings report last November, the company estimated its COVID-19 vaccine would generate $36 billion in total revenue through 2021.
During the same time period, Pfizer reported a net income (or profit) of nearly $8.146 billion, up from just $1.469 billion during the third-quarter of 2020.
What about the US?
CDC Director Rochelle Walensky admitted last week that her agency is working to change the definition of "fully vaccinated" to include booster shots.
"What we really are working to do is pivot the language to make sure that everybody is as up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines as they personally could be, should be, based on when they got their last vaccine," Walenksy said.
"That means if you recently got your second dose, you’re not eligible for a booster, you’re up to date," she explained. "If you are eligible for a booster and you haven’t gotten it, you’re not up to date and you need to get your booster in order to be up to date."
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