#CORONAVIRUS DISEASE 2019

[gumjrop]

CDC Recommends Updated 2024-2025 COVID-19 and Flu Vaccines for Fall/Winter Virus Season

Media Statement

For Immediate Release: June 27, 2024 Contact: Media Relations (404) 639-3286

Today [June 27, 2024], CDC recommended the updated 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccines and the updated 2024-2025 flu vaccines to protect against severe COVID-19 and flu this fall and winter.

It is safe to receive COVID-19 and flu vaccines at the same visit. Data continue to show the importance of vaccination to protect against severe outcomes of COVID-19 and flu, including hospitalization and death. In 2023, more than 916,300 people were hospitalized due to COVID-19 and more than 75,500 people died from COVID-19. During the 2023-2024 flu season, more than 44,900 people are estimated to have died from flu complications.

Updated 2024-2025 COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendation

CDC recommends everyone ages 6 months and older receive an updated 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine to protect against the potentially serious outcomes of COVID-19 this fall and winter whether or not they have ever previously been vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccine. Updated COVID-19 vaccines will be available from Moderna, Novavax, and Pfizer later this year. This recommendation will take effect as soon as the new vaccines are available.

The virus that causes COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, is always changing and protection from COVID-19 vaccines declines over time. Receiving an updated 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine can restore and enhance protection against the virus variants currently responsible for most infections and hospitalizations in the United States. COVID-19 vaccination also reduces the chance of suffering the effects of Long COVID, which can develop during or following acute infection and last for an extended duration.

Last season, people who received a 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccine saw greater protection against illness and hospitalization than those who did not receive a 2023-2024 vaccine. To date, hundreds of millions of people have safely received a COVID-19 vaccine under the most intense vaccine safety monitoring in United States history.

Updated 2024-2025 Flu Vaccine Recommendation

CDC recommends everyone 6 months of age and older, with rare exceptions, receive an updated 2024-2025 flu vaccine to reduce the risk of influenza and its potentially serious complications this fall and winter. CDC encourages providers to begin their influenza vaccination planning efforts now and to vaccinate patients as indicated once 2024-2025 influenza vaccines become available.

Most people need only one dose of the flu vaccine each season. While CDC recommends flu vaccination as long as influenza viruses are circulating, September and October remain the best times for most people to get vaccinated. Flu vaccination in July and August is not recommended for most people, but there are several considerations regarding vaccination during those months for specific groups:

Pregnant people who are in their third trimester can get a flu vaccine in July or August to protect their babies from flu after birth, when they are too young to get vaccinated.

Children who need two doses of the flu vaccine should get their first dose of vaccine as soon as it becomes available. The second dose should be given at least four weeks after the first.

Vaccination in July or August can be considered for children who have health care visits during those months if there might not be another opportunity to vaccinate them.

For adults (especially those 65 years old and older) and pregnant people in the first and second trimester, vaccination in July and August should be avoided unless it won’t be possible to vaccinate in September or October.

Updated 2024-2025 flu vaccines will all be trivalent and will protect against an H1N1, H3N2 and a B/Victoria lineage virus. The composition of this season’s vaccine compared to last has been updated with a new influenza A(H3N2) virus.

For more information on updated COVID-19 vaccines visit: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) | CDC. For more information on updated flu vaccines visit: Seasonal Flu Vaccines | CDC.

The following statement is attributable to CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen:

“Our top recommendation for protecting yourself and your loved ones from respiratory illness is to get vaccinated,” said Mandy Cohen, M.D., M.P.H. “Make a plan now for you and your family to get both updated flu and COVID vaccines this fall, ahead of the respiratory virus season.”

[gregor-samsung]

“ The scope of her work, Reed told me, encompassed a range of infectious diseases that threaten gorilla health, of which Ebola is only the most exotic. The others were largely human diseases of more conventional flavor, to which gorillas are susceptible because of their close genetic similarity to us: TB, poliomyelitis, measles, pneumonia, chickenpox, et cetera. Gorillas can be exposed to such infections wherever unhealthy people are walking, coughing, sneezing, and crapping in the forest. Any such spillover in the reverse direction—from humans to a nonhuman species—is known as an anthroponosis. The famous mountain gorillas, for instance, have been threatened by anthroponotic infections such as measles, carried by ecotourists who come to dote upon them. (Mountain gorillas constitute a severely endangered subspecies of the eastern gorilla, confined to the steep hillsides of the Virunga Volcanoes in Rwanda and neighboring lands. The western gorilla of Central African forests, a purely lowland species, is more numerous but far from secure.) Combined with destruction of their habitat by logging operations, and the hunting of them for bushmeat to be consumed locally or sold into markets, infectious diseases could push western gorillas from their current levels of relative abundance (maybe a hundred thousand in total) to a situation in which small, isolated populations survive tenuously, like the mountain gorillas, or go locally extinct. But the forests of Central Africa are still relatively vast, compared to the small Virunga hillsides that harbor mountain gorillas; and the western gorilla doesn’t face many ecotourists in its uncomfortable, nearly impenetrable home terrain. So measles and TB aren’t the worst of its problems. “I would say that, without a doubt, Ebola is the biggest threat” to the western species, Reed said. What makes Ebola virus among gorillas so difficult, she explained, is not just its ferocity but also the lack of data. “We don’t know if it was here before. We don’t know if they survive it. But we need to know how it passes through groups. We need to know where it is.” And the question of where has two dimensions. How broadly is Ebola virus distributed across Central Africa? Within what reservoir species does it lurk? “

David Quammen, Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic; W. W. Norton, 2012 [ eBook ]

[usaitbari]

Paxlovid has been free so far. Next year, sticker shock awaits.

Paxlovid has been free so far. Next year, sticker shock awaits.

Nearly 6 million Americans have taken Paxlovid for free, courtesy of the federal government. The Pfizer pill has helped prevent many people infected with COVID-19 from being hospitalized or dying, and it may even reduce the risk of developing long COVID. But the government plans to stop footing the bill within months, and millions of people who are at the highest risk of severe illness and are…

[reportwire]

Paxlovid has been free so far. Next year, sticker shock awaits.

Paxlovid has been free so far. Next year, sticker shock awaits.

Nearly 6 million Americans have taken Paxlovid for free, courtesy of the federal government. The Pfizer pill has helped prevent many people infected with COVID-19 from being hospitalized or dying, and it may even reduce the risk of developing long COVID. But the government plans to stop footing the bill within months, and millions of people who are at the highest risk of severe illness and are…

[theusarticles]

Bill Clinton has COVID, but says he's "doing fine overall" thanks to vaccines

Bill Clinton has COVID, but says he’s “doing fine overall” thanks to vaccines

Former President Bill Clinton participates in The Temple Emanu-El Streicker Center Presents: Two Presidents, One Extraordinary Evening at Temple Emanu-El on November 10, 2022 in New York City. Michael Kovac/Getty Washington — Former President Bill Clinton said Wednesday that he had tested positive for COVID-19 but that his symptoms were mild and he encouraged people to get vaccinated. It is the…

[carlocarrasco]

COVID-19 Crisis: DOH Secretary says bivalent vaccines are effective against Omicron FE.1

As the issuance of bivalent vaccines for COVID-19 is going on nationwide, Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Ted Herbosa announced that the said vaccines are effective against the newest Omicron subvariant FE.1, according to a GMA Network news report. To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the GMA news article. Some parts in boldface… Bivalent COVID-19 vaccines remain…

[jinxedshapeshifter]

fox news learn how to fucking GOOGLE THINGS CHALLENGE

[covid-safer-hotties]

Alarm bells ring in Japan as experts warn of fast-spreading new Covid variant KP. 3 - Published July 19, 2024

Paywalled at the South China Morning Post: Unpaywalled by Covidsafehotties.

The country reported a 39 per cent week-on-week surge in infections from July 1 to 7, with Okinawa the hardest hit

Japan is grappling with a new and highly contagious coronavirus variant that is fuelling the country’s 11th wave of Covid-19 infections, health experts warn. The KP. 3 variant is spreading rapidly, even among those who are vaccinated or have recovered from previous infections, according to Kazuhiro Tateda, president of the Japan Association of Infectious Diseases.

“It is, unfortunately, the nature of the virus to become more resilient and resistant each time it changes into a different form,” Tateda told This Week in Asia. “People lose their immunity quite quickly after being vaccinated, so they have little or no resistance.”

Tateda, who sits on Japan’s advisory panel formed at the start of the pandemic, said the coming weeks will be critical as authorities monitor the variant’s spread and impact.

While hospitals have reported a sharp uptick in Covid-19 admissions, Tateda said he is “relieved that not many of these cases are severe”. Typical symptoms of the KP. 3 variant include high fever, sore throat, loss of smell and taste, headaches, and fatigue.

According to the health ministry, medical facilities across Japan logged a 1.39-fold – or 39 per cent – increase in infections from July 1 to 7, compared to the previous week.

Okinawa prefecture has been the hardest hit by the new strain of the virus, with hospitals reporting an average of nearly 30 infections per days. The KP. 3 variant has accounted for more than 90 per cent of Covid-19 cases nationwide, the Fuji News Network reported, leading to renewed concerns about bed shortages at medical facilities.

Since Japan’s first detected Covid-19 case in early 2020 involving a man who returned from the Chinese city of Wuhan, East Asian nation has recorded a total of 34 million infections and around 75,000 related deaths. The country’s Covid-19 caseload peaked on August 5, 2022, when more than 253,000 people were receiving treatment.

Japan’s uptick in cases coincides with similar increases being observed globally. In the US, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention reported a 23.5 per cent week-over-week rise in the number of people visiting hospitals with Covid-19 symptoms during the week ending July 6.

High-profile US.figures such as President Joe Biden and Doug Emhoff, husband of Vice-President Kamala Harris, have recently tested positive and gone into isolation. Meanwhile, several riders in the ongoing Tour de France cycling race have also returned positive test results.

Experts say it is too early to determine the full impact of the new variant on Japanese businesses or cross-border activities like travel. Precautionary measures are already in place at the country’s air and seaports to monitor the health of incoming arrivals. However, the global spike in cases may deter some Japanese from venturing abroad this summer.

A recent survey by Nippon Life insurance found that just 3.2 per cent of Japanese plan to travel abroad in the coming months, which is likely to depress annual travel figures once again. In 2023, Japan saw 9.62 million outbound travellers, a recovery after three years of extremely low pandemic-era numbers, but still far below the 20.01 million outbound travellers recorded in 2019.

Despite the latest surge, infectious disease expert Tateda insists there is no need for panic in Japan. However, he emphasised the importance of following precautions implemented during the pandemic’s peak, such as mask-wearing in public, handwashing, and social distancing.

Tateda also stressed that anyone testing positive should immediately isolate themselves.

[darkmaga-retard]

The FDA has authorized the use of a new Covid vaccine from Novavax under emergency use authorization even though they have neither licensed nor approved it.

Despite the Novavax vaccine being a more traditional vaccine technology, the listed side effects on the manufacture’s website are very similar to what has been seen from the mRNA shots, including myocarditis, pericarditis and other ‘serious and unexpected’ side effects.

InfoWars reports: The Novavax Covid shot uses a more traditional vaccine technology than the exotic mRNA technology of Pfizer or Moderna, or the exotic viral vector technology of J&J or AstraZeneca. The Novavax vaccine is not a gene therapy. It is very different than the upcoming saRNA self replicating ‘replicon’ Covid vaccine that Japan is set to begin injecting in October.

“The Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine, Adjuvanted (2024-2025 Formula) has not been approved or licensed by FDA, but has been authorized for emergency use by FDA, under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to prevent Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in individuals 12 years of age and older. Refer to the full Fact Sheet for information about the Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine, Adjuvanted,” the Novavax website said. “The EUA of this product is in duration of the COVID-19 EUA declaration justifying emergency use of the product, unless the declaration is terminated, or the authorization is revoked sooner.”

Interestingly, President Joe Biden ended the Covid emergency over a year ago, bringing into question the authenticity of the Covid pandemic ’emergency’ authorization.

Novavax’s Covid vaccine has been available for patients in a number of countries outside the U.S. for a number of years now. It is being billed to Americans as an alternative for those hesitant of taking the exotic modified mRNA novel technology into their bodies.

[longhaulerbear]

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is associated with short- and long-term neurological complications. The variety of symptoms makes it difficult to unravel molecular mechanisms underlying neurological sequalae after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Here we show that SARS-CoV-2 triggers the up-regulation of synaptic components and perturbs local electrical field potential.

[reportwire]

Bill Clinton has COVID, but says he's "doing fine overall" thanks to vaccines

Bill Clinton has COVID, but says he’s “doing fine overall” thanks to vaccines

Former President Bill Clinton participates in The Temple Emanu-El Streicker Center Presents: Two Presidents, One Extraordinary Evening at Temple Emanu-El on November 10, 2022 in New York City. Michael Kovac/Getty Washington — Former President Bill Clinton said Wednesday that he had tested positive for COVID-19 but that his symptoms were mild and he encouraged people to get vaccinated. It is the…

[carlocarrasco]

COVID-19 Crisis: Department of Health (DOH) and private sector explain wasted vaccines

COVID-19 Crisis: Department of Health (DOH) and private sector explain wasted vaccines

Do you believe everything the Department of Health (DOH) declared with regards to their handling of COVID-19 here in the Philippines? In recent times, local news organizations published their own reports about something really unfortunate…the expiration of millions of COVID-19 vaccines amounting to an estimated P15.6 billion. Think about that carefully. Many billions of Pesos worth of COVID-19…

[covid-safer-hotties]

Deaths Are Up Post-Covid, and So Are Funeral Stocks: Prognosis - Published Aug 19, 2024

The Business of Death Aussies, Americans, and Brits — and no doubt people in many other nations — are dying faster than before the pandemic.

Even though Covid waves are becoming less deadly, thanks mostly to increased immune protection from vaccinations and prior infections, the coronavirus remains a significant killer. And stubbornly high all-cause mortality rates indicate that its direct and indirect effects are helping drive a sustained increase in death and disease around the globe.

It’s depressing news, I know.

With death comes bereavement, and there’s been a lot of that since SARS-CoV-2 began spreading widely in late 2019. The number of officially reported Covid fatalities (7.1 million worldwide) doesn’t fully explain the trend in excess deaths. (Neither do Covid vaccines, since body bags were piling up months before the shots were released, and multiple studies show the immunizations protect against severe illness and death).

There’s no silver lining to the tragic loss of life. But if one group sees an upside, it’s those providing funerals, cremations, and burials. Publicly traded companies handling funerals and related services have handed investors an average 79% return since Jan. 1, 2020 — outpacing the 60% gain in the MSCI All Country World Index, one of the broadest measures of the global equity market.

The US highlights the morbid picture. In the two decades before the pandemic, the number of deaths had been climbing at an average clip of almost 1% a year — reflecting population growth and aging, and the devastating opioid epidemic — for a crude rate in 2019 of 869.7 deaths for every 100,000 Americans.

Covid catapulted the rate well beyond 1,000 in 2020 and 2021 before the rate dropped back to just over 984 in 2022. Last year, there were 927.4 deaths per 100,000 people in the US — almost 12% above the 20-year average — for nearly 3.1 million deaths all up.

The coronavirus directly and indirectly contributed to many of them. For instance, a jump in drug overdoses and alcohol use–related diseases during the pandemic likely added to fatalities from unintentional injuries and chronic liver disease in 2023, according to a study this month. Covid also led to more cardiometabolic disease, and age-adjusted mortality rates for diabetes, heart disease, and stroke were above pre-pandemic levels.

Last month, researchers reported similar findings in Australia, where emergency departments have taken longer to hospitalize patients arriving in ambulances — a sign of health-system stress associated with a greater risk of patients dying up to 30 days after their initial medical encounter.

Mortality rates in England have also stayed persistently high since Covid hit, likely reflecting the direct effects of the illness, pressures on the National Health Service, and disruptions to chronic disease detection and management, researchers said in a study in January.

“The greatest numbers of excess deaths in the acute phase of the pandemic were in older adults,” Jonny Pearson-Stuttard and colleagues wrote. “The pattern now is one of persisting excess deaths, which are most prominent in relative terms in middle-aged and younger adults.”

Almost five years into the pandemic, dodging SARS-CoV-2 still remains one of the best ways to avoid adding to the toll — and the frequency of funerals. —Jason Gale

[didanawisgi]

SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein Accumulation in the Skull-Meninges-Brain Axis