If we want the Covid vaccine to be a success, experts must help the public understand the science behind it
4 years, 1 month ago

If we want the Covid vaccine to be a success, experts must help the public understand the science behind it

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. We need only look at the scandal around Professor Neil Ferguson, who resigned in May after ignoring a stay at home order, but whose work was highly influential in preventing many deaths during the early outbreak of Covid-19. Some, like Andrew Wakefield, have made millions off of poor science and destabilised public trust in one of the most successful public health measures of human history. But consider the makers of the new Covid vaccine, they must not just fight against the limits of science, but the ferocious and uninformed attacks of Hollywood celebrities, who many people look up to and entrust more than a “nerd” the government and media have made their enemy.

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History of this topic

Trump’s first term brought world-changing vaccine. His second could bring retreat
1 month ago

Trump’s first term brought world-changing vaccine. His second could bring retreat

LA Times  

President Trump once celebrated the COVID-19 vaccines released at the end of his first term as “one of the greatest achievements of mankind,” echoing the sentiments of mainstream medical officials who praised their rapid development as pivotal in combating the then-raging pandemic. There’s Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s pick to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, who …

Britain needs a ‘vaccine taskforce’ to prepare for the next pandemic, Lords warn
1 month ago

Britain needs a ‘vaccine taskforce’ to prepare for the next pandemic, Lords warn

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Britain needs a “peacetime vaccine task force” to prepare for the …

"Bad news for public health": Jay Bhattacharaya, Trump's pick to lead NIH, got COVID-19 all wrong
1 month, 2 weeks ago

"Bad news for public health": Jay Bhattacharaya, Trump's pick to lead NIH, got COVID-19 all wrong

Salon  

By most accounts, President-elect Donald Trump bungled the federal response to COVID-19, publicly downplaying concern about a virus that he privately admitted was “deadly stuff.” “It’s going to disappear. One day — it’s like a miracle — it will disappear,” Trump said in Feb. 2020, at the same time he was admitting to journalist Bob Woodward that the virus was …

One-third of Americans don’t trust the COVID vaccines, survey finds
2 months ago

One-third of Americans don’t trust the COVID vaccines, survey finds

Salon  

Across the U.S., 35% of adults reported that they did not trust COVID-19 vaccines, without much variation across years 2021-2023, according to a survey published in the journal Vaccine: X this week. Vaccine hesitancy is one piece of a growing distrust in public health exacerbated by the government’s pandemic response that many experts fear will only deepen with the new …

‘Dire implications’: Experts warn Trump could spark global health crisis with latest idea
2 months ago

‘Dire implications’: Experts warn Trump could spark global health crisis with latest idea

Raw Story  

Over the weekend Donald Trump said he is considering a ban on not just vaccine mandates, but vaccines themselves—an extension of his embrace of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He is expected to put RFK Jr., a known AIDS denialist and anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist and purveyor of vaccine misinformation who has likened the use of vaccines to the "holocaust," in charge …

‘Most people are confused’: What to know about the latest Covid shot
4 months, 1 week ago

‘Most people are confused’: What to know about the latest Covid shot

Politico  

Even the Democratic National Convention turned into a superspreader event. And despite the virus’ prevalence — and the persistent threat of long Covid — public health officials are contending with a myriad of obstacles as they try to boost the population’s defenses, including dwindling enthusiasm for the shots, lackluster testing and the end of a program meant to help the …

As COVID-19 ticks up in some places, US advisers recommend a fall vaccination campaign
6 months, 2 weeks ago

As COVID-19 ticks up in some places, US advisers recommend a fall vaccination campaign

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ …

Column: This GOP-leaning political polling firm has turned into a purveyor of anti-vaccine propaganda
6 months, 3 weeks ago

Column: This GOP-leaning political polling firm has turned into a purveyor of anti-vaccine propaganda

LA Times  

Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, seen here with his political patron Gov. It’s true that Rasmussen had a detectable pro-Republican “house effect,” in polling parlance — but one that was consistent enough to compensate for in published polling averages. In March 2023, Rasmussen reported the results of a poll it had conducted four months after the election, purportedly finding that …

With measles on the rise, rebuilding trust in vaccines is a must
8 months ago

With measles on the rise, rebuilding trust in vaccines is a must

Al Jazeera  

In Sweden, until the late 1960s, people drove on the left. Last month, the organisation I lead made a payout from our International Federation of the Red Cross Disaster Response Emergency Fund to the Red Cross Society of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Red Cross Society of Bosnia and Herzegovina will spend much of its allocated funds on mobile information units, …

COVID-19 vaccines: Much ado about known unknowns
8 months ago

COVID-19 vaccines: Much ado about known unknowns

The Hindu  

There are things we know that we don’t know. This risk was identified and flagged back in 2021; packaging was modified to insert information associated with the side effects; even the WHO wrote about it first in May 2021 and then in 2023.Read Bindu Shajan Perapaddan’s report on the rare vaccine side-effect is “no secret” and they are “well aware …

A German man who received 217 COVID vaccinations becomes focus of new immunisation research
10 months ago

A German man who received 217 COVID vaccinations becomes focus of new immunisation research

ABC  

In short: German researchers have studied the immune response of a 62-year-old man who they say had received more than 200 COVID shots for "private reasons" within the space of 29 months. German researchers have studied the immune response of a 62-year-old man who they say had received more than 200 COVID shots for "private reasons" within the space of …

Column: Disinformation is a public health crisis. Here’s how scientists and doctors are fighting it
10 months, 2 weeks ago

Column: Disinformation is a public health crisis. Here’s how scientists and doctors are fighting it

LA Times  

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: Is there a way to inoculate the public against his anti-vaccine lies? “Scientists really recognize this as a problem, from what they see in the community and read in the news,” says Tara Kirk Sell of Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Health Security. It’s part of an emerging genre of advice for scientists, public health officials …

Column: Scientists are paying a huge personal price in the lonely fight against anti-vaxxers
1 year, 2 months ago

Column: Scientists are paying a huge personal price in the lonely fight against anti-vaxxers

LA Times  

In the preface of the new book by vaccine expert and pro-science crusader Peter Hotez, there are several acknowledgments of a kind that may never have appeared before in a book like it. Things have only gotten worse since then, as Hotez reports in his new book, “The Deadly Rise of Anti-Science: A Scientist’s Warning.” A professor of pediatrics and …

Opinion: Scientists have become sitting ducks. We need leaders to step up and defend us
1 year, 3 months ago

Opinion: Scientists have become sitting ducks. We need leaders to step up and defend us

LA Times  

In April 2020, when President Trump and Anthony Fauci appeared at a news conference to discuss the pandemic, the backlash against COVID scientists was already building. During the pandemic, our team at the Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine developed a low-cost COVID vaccine that was scaled for production in India and Indonesia, where almost 100 million doses …

Gov. DeSantis and Florida surgeon general warn against new COVID-19 restrictions and vaccine
1 year, 4 months ago

Gov. DeSantis and Florida surgeon general warn against new COVID-19 restrictions and vaccine

Associated Press  

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday criticized recent efforts across the U.S. to tamp down a recent jump in COVID-19 cases through temporary restrictions or masking, and his state surgeon general warned against getting the latest COVID-19 vaccine, which is expected to be available this month. The criticism from DeSantis at news conference in Jacksonville, Florida, arrived …

Disease X vaccine ‘could be ready within 100 days of new threat emerging’
1 year, 4 months ago

Disease X vaccine ‘could be ready within 100 days of new threat emerging’

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. This is a groundbreaking commitment from CEPI to provide momentum that will drive the …

America's antivaxx crisis laid bare: A QUARTER believe MMR shot causes autism and a THIRD think the Covid vaccines killed thousands, poll finds
1 year, 4 months ago

America's antivaxx crisis laid bare: A QUARTER believe MMR shot causes autism and a THIRD think the Covid vaccines killed thousands, poll finds

Daily Mail  

The Kaiser Family Foundation surveyed 2,007 adults in an online poll this year America's growing anti-vaxx crisis has been laid bare in a national poll that shows huge chunks of the country believe in conspiracy theories about safe shots. The Kaiser Family Foundation poll also found that a third of adults believe that the Covid shots caused thousands of sudden …

Andrew Bridgen vows to ‘continue to ask questions’ about vaccines
1 year, 11 months ago

Andrew Bridgen vows to ‘continue to ask questions’ about vaccines

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Andrew Bridgen MP has apologised for any offence caused after he …

FDA vaccine advisers ‘disappointed’ and ‘angry’ that early data about new Covid-19 booster shot wasn’t presented for review last year
2 years ago

FDA vaccine advisers ‘disappointed’ and ‘angry’ that early data about new Covid-19 booster shot wasn’t presented for review last year

CNN  

CNN — Some vaccine advisers to the federal government say they’re “disappointed” and “angry” that government scientists and the pharmaceutical company Moderna didn’t present a set of infection data on the company’s new Covid-19 booster during meetings last year when the advisers discussed whether the shot should be authorized and made available to the public. Video Ad Feedback 'Outrageous': Bernie …

NOT REAL NEWS: A look at what didn't happen this week
2 years ago

NOT REAL NEWS: A look at what didn't happen this week

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The article suggests that these …

Are the unvaccinated still a danger to the rest of us?
2 years, 2 months ago

Are the unvaccinated still a danger to the rest of us?

LA Times  

For almost two years, COVID-19 vaccine holdouts have been the objects of earnest pleading and financial inducements, of social-media shaming and truth campaigns. For one thing, whether those who remain unvaccinated are still driving coronavirus spread hinges partly on the status of the U.S. population’s immunity. For the 49% of “fully vaccinated” Americans who’ve had at least one booster dose, …

Centre Has Not Got Scientific Advice on Vaccines for Children Aged Below 12: Union Minister
2 years, 5 months ago

Centre Has Not Got Scientific Advice on Vaccines for Children Aged Below 12: Union Minister

News 18  

Union Minister for Health, Chemicals and Fertilisers Mansukh Mandaviya on Thursday said the government has not received any advice from the scientific community on vaccines for children below 12 years of age. About the availability of vaccines, Mandaviya said six companies in the country make vaccines and their manufacturing capacity is around 20 crore doses monthly; they include Corbavax, mRNA …

COVID-19 vaccines saved nearly 20 million lives in first year, say scientists
2 years, 6 months ago

COVID-19 vaccines saved nearly 20 million lives in first year, say scientists

Firstpost  

The main finding — 19.8 million COVID-19 deaths were prevented — is based on estimates of how many more deaths than usual occurred during the time period. Using only reported COVID-19 deaths, the same model yielded 14.4 million deaths averted by vaccines Nearly 20 million lives were saved by COVID-19 vaccines during their first year, but even more deaths could …

COVID-19 vaccines saved 20 million lives in first year, scientists say
2 years, 6 months ago

COVID-19 vaccines saved 20 million lives in first year, scientists say

LA Times  

A new study says nearly 20 million lives were saved by COVID-19 vaccines during their first year, but even more deaths could have been prevented if global targets had been reached. Nearly 20 million lives were saved by COVID-19 vaccines during their first year of availability, but even more deaths could have been prevented if international targets for the shots …

Confusion prevails over covid protocols as public fears wane
2 years, 6 months ago

Confusion prevails over covid protocols as public fears wane

Live Mint  

We’re now in a weird phase of the covid pandemic. Danish social scientist Michael Bang Petersen of Aarhus University told me that familiarity with covid is changing people’s attitudes. And that means it’s hard to adapt our behaviour to the situation—the way public health officials urged us to do during previous waves. “We know from research that social isolation is …

WHO seeks data on smallpox vaccine, the possible antidote against monkeypox
2 years, 7 months ago

WHO seeks data on smallpox vaccine, the possible antidote against monkeypox

India Today  

The World Health Organisation on Friday said that the monkeypox virus outbreak is not like Covid-19, however many uncertainties about the future remain. The worrying part remains that cases have been reported in countries where monkeypox is not endemic and is the first time that such a transmission has been seen outside of West Africa. WHO said that monkeypox is …

‘Anti-science extremist’: Tory MP shut down for claiming Covid jabs ‘disaster in the making’
2 years, 9 months ago

‘Anti-science extremist’: Tory MP shut down for claiming Covid jabs ‘disaster in the making’

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A Tory MP …

Myths, disinformation are preventing people from getting booster shots
2 years, 9 months ago

Myths, disinformation are preventing people from getting booster shots

LA Times  

Micheal Federico, left, gives Raymundo de Los Santos, a vaccination at the historic First African Methodist Episcopal Church in Los Angeles. In Los Angeles County, there remain 1.7 million residents who haven’t received a single vaccination dose, and 2.7 million vaccinated people who are eligible for a booster but haven’t yet received one, county Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said …

Op-Ed: The anti-vax movement was already getting scary. COVID supercharged it
2 years, 10 months ago

Op-Ed: The anti-vax movement was already getting scary. COVID supercharged it

LA Times  

Conspiracy theorists’ disinformation has led to the deaths of thousands of Americans every week by discouraging COVID-19 vaccinations. One study found that people who believe “9/11 truther” theories are more likely than average to also believe COVID-19 vaccines are dangerous. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an influential anti-vaxxer, said at a recent rally in Washington: “Bill Gates and his 65,000 satellites …

Vaccine refusal is child abuse
2 years, 10 months ago

Vaccine refusal is child abuse

Salon  

Republican media and politicians adopted an anti-vaccine message for one obvious purpose: To sabotage Joe Biden's presidency by prolonging the pandemic. Due to Republican obstruction, the U.S. is the only United Nations member state not to ratify the Convention on the Rights of Child — mainly because Republicans fear it will interfere with the "right" to beat children and force …

From Fear and Disbelief, We Are Now Ready for Peaceful Coexistence with COVID
2 years, 11 months ago

From Fear and Disbelief, We Are Now Ready for Peaceful Coexistence with COVID

News 18  

It has been about two years now since the ubiquitous, tiny, invisible enemy “the coronavirus” has wreaked havoc on our physical and mental well-being, healthcare systems, education of our youngsters, economy and the social fabric of the society. Though we knew more about the virus, vaccination was available and certain treatment protocols were in place during the second wave, yet …

COVID vaccines lower hospitalizations across the board, not just in the US
2 years, 11 months ago

COVID vaccines lower hospitalizations across the board, not just in the US

Associated Press  

CLAIM: Vaccines only reduce hospitalizations in the U.S., not in other countries. At the conference, McCullough said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is conducting academic fraud and that COVID-19 vaccines are not effective at preventing hospitalization from COVID-19. One post sharing the clip of McCullough read, “CDC data purporting to show a reduction in hospitalization following Covid vaccination …

Prior infection, vaccines provide best protection from COVID
2 years, 11 months ago

Prior infection, vaccines provide best protection from COVID

LA Times  

A nursing home resident receives a COVID-19 booster shot. A new study that compares prior infection and vaccination concludes getting the shots is still the safest way to prevent COVID-19. A new study that compares prior infection and vaccination among people in California and New York concludes that getting the shots is still the safest way to prevent COVID-19. The …

Covid-19: What will it take to vaccinate the world?
2 years, 11 months ago

Covid-19: What will it take to vaccinate the world?

Hindustan Times  

This is one of a series of interviews by Bloomberg Opinion columnists on how to solve the world’s most pressing policy challenges. It will not provide very durable protection Clara Ferreira Marques: You’re a veteran advocate for global health, vaccines and tropical-disease control, and served as a U.S. science envoy during the Obama administration. The Texas Children’s Hospital Center for …

Abcarian: It's looking like we all might get COVID someday
3 years ago

Abcarian: It's looking like we all might get COVID someday

LA Times  

Over the last few weeks, you’ve probably had the same conversation I’ve been having: “We’re all going to get it, aren’t we?” “Yep.” Call it fatalism. “I don’t think it’s a foregone conclusion that everybody will get COVID-19,” UCLA infectious disease expert Otto Yang told the “Today” show last month. “Endemic is now often used to describe the point where …

Centre's decision on Covid vaccination for kids 'unscientific': Senior AIIMS epidemiologist
3 years ago

Centre's decision on Covid vaccination for kids 'unscientific': Senior AIIMS epidemiologist

India Today  

A senior epidemiologist at AIIMS, who is the principal investigator of Covaxin trials for adults and children at the institute, on Sunday termed the Centre's decision to vaccinate children against Covid "unscientific" and said it will not yield any additional benefit. Dr Sanjay K Rai, who is also the president of the Indian Public Health Association, said before implementing the …

Arguments over COVID vaccines could drive rise in family breakdowns, counsellors warn
3 years ago

Arguments over COVID vaccines could drive rise in family breakdowns, counsellors warn

ABC  

Relationship counsellors say the increasing need for a COVID-19 vaccination to work, travel and dine out may begin to tear families apart if they cannot settle on a mutual decision. Key points: Relationship counsellors are expecting a surge in families needing support to navigate COVID-19 vaccine decisions They say the decision on whether to vaccinate young children can be challenging …

How to talk with vaccine-hesitant people
3 years, 1 month ago

How to talk with vaccine-hesitant people

BBC  

How to talk with vaccine-hesitant people Getty Images Sceptics are more likely to be convinced by gentle suggestions than forceful demands Researchers have uncovered the best way to discuss the benefits of vaccination with someone who's unsure. "It's important to have a two-way dialogue, where we listen with empathy and genuinely seek to understand what their objections are," says Cook, …

Hardcore vaccine refuseniks could need deradicalising like terrorists – expert
3 years, 1 month ago

Hardcore vaccine refuseniks could need deradicalising like terrorists – expert

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “You’re getting to people who …

Next pandemic may be worse, says scientist behind UK's Covid-19 vaccine
3 years, 1 month ago

Next pandemic may be worse, says scientist behind UK's Covid-19 vaccine

India Today  

One of the scientists behind the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine is warning that the next pandemic may be more contagious and more lethal unless more money is devoted to research and preparations to fight emerging viral threats. In excerpts released before a speech Monday, Professor Sarah Gilbert says the scientific advances made in fighting deadly viruses “must not be lost” because …

COVID-19 | Government to wait for expert view on booster dose, jabs for children
3 years, 1 month ago

COVID-19 | Government to wait for expert view on booster dose, jabs for children

The Hindu  

Any decision on COVID-19 vaccine booster dose or vaccines for children would be strictly based on the recommendations made by the expert committee looking into the matter. Applauding the work done by the scientific community and the medical staff, he stated that the nation had so far reported 3.46 crore COVID-19 cases and 4.6 lakh deaths. ‘Bold decisions taken’ The …

How one discredited 1998 study paved the way for today's anti-vaxxers
3 years, 1 month ago

How one discredited 1998 study paved the way for today's anti-vaxxers

Salon  

Long before the COVID-19 pandemic and the concomitant vaccine, the anti-vaccination movement was mainly identified with one very specific myth: the idea that vaccines cause autism. Wakefield's wake Once a British doctor, Wakefield is infamous for being the lead author of a 1998 case series that studied links between autism and digestive conditions — and, he claimed, documented changes in …

‘False sense of security’ around COVID vaccines: WHO
3 years, 1 month ago

‘False sense of security’ around COVID vaccines: WHO

Al Jazeera  

WHO chief says many vaccinated people wrongly think they no longer need to take other precautions against COVID. The chief of the World Health Organization has warned that the COVID-19 pandemic is not yet over and that some people were falling into a “false sense of security” after being vaccinated against the virus. In a news briefing in Geneva on …

Opinion | How rumours are still spreading fear about Covid vaccine in India
3 years, 1 month ago

Opinion | How rumours are still spreading fear about Covid vaccine in India

India TV News  

Today I want to write about people who are deliberately trying to avoid Covid vaccination. Salman has millions of fans and his words carry weight, but when our reporters explored further, they found that people mostly living in Muslim-dominated localities of the state are now showing vaccine hesitancy. The state health minister Rajesh Tope said, the government decided to rope …

Covid passes granted to those unable to get vaccinated
3 years, 1 month ago

Covid passes granted to those unable to get vaccinated

NL Times  

People who cannot be vaccinated against the coronavirus for medical reasons will soon be able to get a temporary coronavirus access pass as an alternative, said Health Minister Hugo de Jonge in parliament. The trial also showed that it is not good to have their own doctor assess an alternative because it could put them "in a complicated position." According …

US parents split over COVID vaccines for young children
3 years, 2 months ago

US parents split over COVID vaccines for young children

Hindustan Times  

The main health authority in the US has authorized the BioNTech-Pfizer COVID vaccine for children aged 5 to 11 earlier this month. "We know millions of parents are eager to get their children vaccinated, and with this decision, we now have recommended that about 28 million children receive a COVID-19 vaccine," CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said in a statement at …

Covid misinformation is everywhere
3 years, 2 months ago

Covid misinformation is everywhere

CNN  

New York CNN Business — The information landscape about Covid-19 is bewildering, with factual and fictional claims competing for attention. “Most commonly,” the report’s authors wrote, “six in ten adults have heard that the government is exaggerating the number of Covid-19 deaths by counting deaths due to other factors as coronavirus deaths and either believe this to be true or …

Strengthening vaccine trust
3 years, 2 months ago

Strengthening vaccine trust

The Hindu  

India has found its footing in its campaign to vaccinate citizens against COVID-19. Providing data from a trusted source, like government agencies or academic institutions, can also help correct misperceptions about vaccines. And so, creatives and public health experts must work closely together to bolster vaccine confidence. We recently launched a campaign with creative support provided by the leading marketing …

News Analysis: It’s harder to justify COVID vaccine for children if pandemic’s end is near
3 years, 2 months ago

News Analysis: It’s harder to justify COVID vaccine for children if pandemic’s end is near

LA Times  

Nicole Sweeney took son Colin to get a Pfizer vaccine in the spring. That’s reason enough to urge that parents get access to a COVID-19 vaccine for their young children if they want it, he said. California California plans ambitious effort to vaccinate young children State officials are preparing to offer COVID-19 vaccine doses to California’s 3.5 million children ages …

How to fight COVID vaccine misinformation?
3 years, 2 months ago

How to fight COVID vaccine misinformation?

Al Jazeera  

Opposition to vaccination is as old as vaccination itself. Although vaccines save five lives every minute, and even though 85 percent of children worldwide are vaccinated against diphtheria, tetanus, and whooping cough, some people are resisting the life-saving shots. Although this opposition has not prevented many countries from reaching very high vaccine uptake – for example in Spain, nearly 80 …

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