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The state has confirmed an additional case of pertussis — or whooping cough — on Hawaii Island amid an outbreak that has so far sickened 11 since March. HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The state has confirmed an additional case of pertussis — or whooping cough — on Hawaii Island amid an outbreak that has so far sickened 11 since March. Several of the recent cases have been in infants too young to be fully vaccinated. Officials said the cases indicate “community spread” of pertussis on Hawaii Island. Because of that, the state Health Department is strongly recommending that parents stay up...

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration amended the emergency use authorizations (EUAs) of the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 bivalent mRNA vaccines to simplify the vaccination schedule for most individuals. This action includes authorizing the current bivalent vaccines (original and omicron BA.4/BA.5 strains) to be used for all doses administered to individuals 6 months of age and older, including for an additional dose or doses for certain populations. The monovalent Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines are no longer authorized for use in the United States. What You Need to Know: Most individuals, depending on age, previously vaccinated with a monovalent...

Currently authorized bivalent COVID-19 boosters demonstrated similar protection against symptomatic illness from the XBB/XBB.1.5 Omicron subvariants as from BA.5-related subvariants, according to a CDC study. From December 2022 to January 2023, the bivalent boosters' vaccine effectiveness (VE) against symptomatic infection was a similar 48% versus XBB/XBB.1.5-related strains and 52% versus BA.5-related sublineages, reported Ruth Link-Gelles, PhD, of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, and colleagues in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reportopens in a new tab or window (MMWR). Meanwhile, Pfizer's updated booster demonstrated superior neutralizing antibody activity compared with the company's original product against all the latest...

Following an analysis of vaccine surveillance data, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) say they have found no evidence of increased risk of ischemic stroke among people 65 and older who receive Pfizer’s bivalent booster..... ... researchers and physicians have repeatedly stressed that the risk of stroke due to COVID-19 infection is higher than the risk caused by immunization.

It’s long overdue, but it looks like our overlords at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) are finally following the science and admitting that there may be very serious side effects to the COVID vaccines they pushed on the American people. The vaccine in question is the Bivalent Pfizer-BioNTech shot, and the CDC acknowledges that a “safety signal” has been triggered regarding an increased risk of ischemic stroke in people aged 65 and older.Mayo Clinic defines an ischemic stroke as one that “occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is interrupted or reduced, preventing brain tissue from...

Background: During Late 2022, the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.5 sublineages accounted for most of the sequenced viral genomes worldwide. Bivalent mRNA vaccines contain an ancestral SARS-CoV-2 strain component plus an updated component of the Omicron BA.4/BA.5. Since September 2022, a single bivalent booster dose has been recommended for adults who have completed a primary vaccination series and are at high risk for severe Covid-19 disease. Evidence regarding the effectiveness of the bivalent vaccine in reducing hospitalizations and death due to Covid-19 is warranted.Methods: This retrospective cohort study included all members of Clalit Health Services, aged ≥65, eligible for a bivalent booster....

Results from a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report suggest the COVID-19 bivalent booster does little more than restore protection levels to pre-vaccination levels.In September, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) — over the objections of the agency’s own advisors — authorized Pfizer’s COVID-19 bivalent booster on an emergency basis, without any testing or demonstration that the products had any benefit in human beings.The only “emergency” was that collapsing demand for Pfizer’s original shots had caused a lapse in the drugmaker’s windfall profits.Responding to this embarrassment, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) last week published...