Author: Shannon Becker
Updated COVID booster tied to strong Omicron immune response
CIDRAP – The new bivalent (two-strain) Moderna COVID-19 vaccine booster triggered stronger neutralizing antibody responses against the highly transmissible Omicron variant at 28 days than the previously authorized booster, with no safety concerns, according to the interim results of a phase 2/3 open-label, nonrandomized study published late last week in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Sep 22, 2022
When should I get the omicron booster?
Washington Post – The broad protection from these updated shots — called bivalent boosters — could prevent more than 100,000 hospitalizations in the coming months, according to one estimate. But many people still have questions about who should get the new booster, the best timing for the shot and if it would be better to delay […]
Sep 22, 2022
Uganda has confirmed seven Ebola cases so far, one death
Reuters – Uganda has confirmed seven cases of Ebola including in a man who died this week, and seven other deaths are being investigated as suspected cases of a strain for which the authorities do not yet have a vaccine, officials said on Thursday. The 24-year-old man who died had developed a high fever, diarrhoea […]
Sep 22, 2022
I’m not a Superdodger
Just when I thought I was a “superdodger” COVID finally found me. My husband brought it home from the grocery store (we think). It went for my lungs immediately, skipping the “mild” version like most people who have had the vaccine series have been reporting. I had a virtual appointment with my doctor on day […]
Sep 22, 2022
Food Supply Disruption, Vaccine Disinformation, Is Another Front for Russian Falsehoods
NYT – Disinformation experts agree that there is a main driver for these falsehoods: Russia. Propaganda from the Kremlin. Russia is trying to deflect its responsibility for disrupting the world food supply through its invasion of Ukraine. And they warn that these conspiracy theories will only find a more receptive audience as Russia’s invasion continues […]
Sep 22, 2022
Facebook’s anti-vax carrot emoji, explained
Mashable – This is why your uncle has carrot emojis in his Twitter handle. To avoid censorship for the spread of COVID-19 misinformation, anti-vax groups on Facebook have begun coding their messages with the carrot emoji, according to a report from the BBC. The emoji is used in place of the word “vaccine” to avoid the wrath of Facebook’s […]
Sep 22, 2022
A Recipe for Danger: Social Media Challenges Involving Medicines
FDA – Don’t Cook Chicken in NyQuil…
Sep 22, 2022
‘I’m deeply concerned’: Francis Collins on trust in science, how Covid communications failed, and his current obsession
Stat – Former NIH director and current White House science adviser Francis Collins told a group of journalists late last week about his passion for both the Cancer Moonshot and the new biomedical research agency known as ARPA-H. But he also revealed his pain at seeing people spurn mRNA Covid vaccines developed with breathtaking speed and lamented that […]
Sep 22, 2022
Conspiracy Theories About COVID-19 Help Nobody
Foreign Policy – In July 2020, the Lancet, one of the world’s premier medical journals, announced the creation of a COVID-19 “Commission” with the stated mission “to help speed up global, equitable, and lasting solutions to the pandemic.” Many of the commissioners are distinguished scientists, doctors, former politicians, or policy experts with a clear connection to the remit of a […]
Sep 22, 2022
COVID deaths: more than 10 million children lost a parent or carer
Nature – Roughly 10.5 million children worldwide have a parent or carer who died from COVID-19, according to a modelling study1. The figure is a dramatic increase on earlier estimates. India, Indonesia and Egypt were the countries most affected; other regions throughout Africa and southeast Asia were also badly hit.
Sep 22, 2022