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About 7 million Americans have received the updated versions of the coronavirus vaccines, compared to the 56.5 million people who received last year’s version. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services data shows that the major vaccine manufacturers, Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech, have gotten their updated shots out to about 2 percent of the population as of Wednesday, Reuters reported. These updated vaccinations are “single-target shots aimed at coronavirus’s XBB.1.5 omicron subvariant of the coronavirus, which was the dominant variant in the U.S. for much of this year but has since been overtaken as the virus continues to evolve,” the outlet...

Model and actress Katerina Pavelek, 41, received her Covid-19 booster shot over a year ago. Like most people, Pavelek thought the jab would improve her immune system – instead, it did the opposite, and she suffered heavily as a result. Pavelek was diagnosed with an incurable chronic neurological illness known as myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), a long-term illness with a wide range of symptoms that affects daily activities. At times, this condition may confine people to their beds. ME/CFS can worsen if individuals with this illness overwork themselves. The model was also suspected to have respiratory ALS, a neurodegenerative...

Former NIAID Director and White House chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci said Thursday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe ” that it was likely a yearly COVID booster shot would be available like the Flu shot is. Co-host Mike Barnicle asked, “How many booster shots we’ll be getting? How long in the future we will be getting booster shots?” Fauci said, “You know, we don’t know definitely the answer to that. It is likely that this thing is not going to disappear, it’s not going to be eradicated, and it’s not going to be eliminated. So it’s going to be around,...

In addition to cardiac events, another life-threatening side effect has been associated with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. When is the risk period? Does the flu shot play any role in these events? What actions should we take to better protect ourselves? Summary of Key Facts An increased risk of stroke events has been identified with the Pfizer COVID-19 bivalent vaccine, according to a joint statement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The onset time in people aged 65 years and older was 1–21 days after the booster, with a significant cluster...

In August 2021, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave emergency authorization to the new booster shot called “bivalent.” The new vaccine contains two messenger RNA (mRNA) components of the coronavirus. Half of the vaccine targets the original strain, and the other half targets the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron subvariant lineages. The new COVID boosters were not tested on humans at the time, only on mice. FDA was only relying on the mice trial data. The CDC panel then voted to recommend the shots for people over the age of 12 and for children as young as 5 to 11....

The White House is offering discounts on groceries to Americans who get the new bivalent Covid booster in a desperate bid to boost uptake of the new vaccine. People who get the Omicron-specific shot at CVS, Safeway, Winn-Dixie, or Rite Aid will get up to $20 off their purchases this winter. It comes amid a soaring inflation crisis that has driven up the price of household staples. A recent American Farm Bureau report found Thanksgiving dinner this year will cost a whopping 20 per cent more than last year. The new booster incentive comes ahead of a potential spike in...

New COVID-19 booster shots are set to be authorized this week by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and will be available to most Americans before human testing has even been completed. The shots have been modified to target the latest Omicron variant, but won't have finished testing in humans when the FDA makes the decision. Instead, the FDA is relying on data from other sources - like research in mice and older vaccines, the Wall Street Journal reported. 'Real world evidence from the current mRNA Covid-19 vaccines, which have been administered to millions of individuals, show us that the...

Joe tested positive this morning

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention signed off on boosters for 5- to 11-year-olds following the independent vaccine advisers recommendation for an additional dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine following a primary series. The CDC's vaccine advisers voted 11-1, with 1 abstention Thursday to support recommending a booster dose, which the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized earlier this week. The recommendation they voted on was: "A single Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine booster dose is recommended for persons ages 5-11 years at least 5 months after the primary series, under the FDA's Emergency Use Authorization."

A fourth COVID-19 vaccine shot will be necessary to prevent future coronavirus infection, Pfizer’s CEO said Sunday as the pharmaceutical company prepares to submit supporting data to the Food and Drug Administration. “Right now, the way that we have seen, it is necessary, a fourth [shot] right now,” CEO Albert Bourla said in an interview with CBS News’ “Face the Nation.” “The protection that you are getting from the third, it is good enough, actually quite good for hospitalizations and deaths. It’s not that good against infections but doesn’t last very long,” he said. “But we are just submitting those...

NEW YORK (AP) — Three studies released Friday offered more evidence that COVID-19 vaccines are standing up to the omicron variant, at least among people who received booster shots. They are the first large U.S. studies to look at vaccine protection against omicron, health officials said. Three shots of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were about 67% effective against omicron-related symptomatic disease compared with unvaccinated people. Two doses, however, offered no significant protection against omicron, the researchers found. “It really shows the important of getting a booster dose,” said the CDC’s Emma Accorsi, one of the study’s authors.

Former Malaysian football player Serbegeth Singh, more popularly known as Shebby Singh, died suddenly from a heart attack while out cycling on Wednesday, January 12th. Shebby, who has worked in recent years as a football pundit, received his COVID-19 booster shot just five days earlier on January 7th. Shebby’s son, Sonuljit Singh, told Free Malaysia Today that his father had received the booster shot five days before his death, labeling those speculating about the jab being related to his sudden death as ‘irresponsible‘. “He had it on January 7th and left us five days later as everyone knows. We do...

Regulators for the European Union have issued a warning that frequent COVID-19 booster shots could have an adverse affect on the immune system, and may not be a feasible means of combating the pandemic. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) reported that having repeat booster shots every four months could weaken the human immune system. Marco Cavaleri, the EMA’s head of Biological Health Threats and Vaccine Strategy stated in a press briefing that boosters “can be done one or maybe twice, but we don’t think it should be repeated all the time.” He continued, “We need to think about how we...

One of the main reasons Sen. Joe Manchin said he could not vote for President Joe Biden's "Build Back Better" bill is his concern about inflation. Manchin is worried the bill would increase deficits and debt and fuel even more inflation, which is now rising faster than it has in 40 years. Manchin's concerns about inflation are confirmed by two recent studies. They show inflation costs the average U.S. household an incredible $5,000 a year.

A pilot for a major airline estimated that 80 percent of his fellow pilots will refuse to take a COVID vaccine booster if it’s mandated, telling tech entrepreneur Steve Kirsch that they will quit before they take the jab again. During an interview with Kirsch, Latane Campbell, who has 34 years of experience flying in the military and for a commercial airline, shared his perspective on the experimental vaccines, mandates, masking, and how this is going to end. Kirsch, the executive director of the Vaccine Safety Research Foundation, has been a leading voice promoting repurposed drugs to treat COVID, and...

COVID-19 case totals have spiked in the state of Israel, reaching all-time record highs, as citizens are subjected to their fourth round of vaccines.Ths Israeli government is running out of options as their regime of restrictions and mandated shots have clearly failed.“There is no control of the omicron wave,” said Sharon Alroy-Preis, the Israeli Health Ministry’s top public health official, during an appearance on Israel’s Channel 13.“Probably no one is protected from infection,” said Jonathan Halevy, who serves as president of Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem…

COVID-19 case totals have spiked in the state of Israel, reaching all-time record highs, as citizens are subjected to their fourth round of vaccines. Ths Israeli government is running out of options as their regime of restrictions and mandated shots have clearly failed. “There is no control of the omicron wave,” said Sharon Alroy-Preis, the Israeli Health Ministry’s top public health official, during an appearance on Israel’s Channel 13. “Probably no one is protected from infection,” said Jonathan Halevy, who serves as president of Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem.

As schools across the country return to in-person learning after winter break amid soaring cases of COVID-19 caused by the Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this morning authorized the use of a booster dose in children ages 12 to 17 if it has been at least 5 months since completing the primary vaccination series. The regulatory agency also said children ages 5 to 11 who are immunocompromised can receive a third dose, as well. The booster period was also reduced from 6 months following the primary series to 5 months for adults.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has tested positive for the coronavirus on Sunday after experiencing symptoms of the virus while at home on leave. In an emailed statement released Sunday night, Austin said that he is fully vaccinated and received his booster shot in October, which he says has made the infection "much more mild."

"Most patients I’ve seen that had 2 doses of Pfizer/Moderna still had ‘mild’ symptoms, but more than those who had received a third dose. More fatigued. More fever. More coughing. A little more miserable overall. But no shortness of breath. No difficulty breathing. Mostly fine," he said. For those who just had the one shot of the J&J vaccine and never took a booster, the situation isn't as good. "Most patients I’ve seen that had one dose of J&J and had Covid were worse overall. Felt horrible. Fever for a few days (or more). Weak, tired. Some shortness of breath...