Tag: Vaccine

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Health

AstraZeneca Vaccine and Blood Clots: What Is Recognized So Far

AstraZeneca Vaccine and Blood Clots: What Is Known So Far

Still, German researchers have said these clots were more common in recipients of the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine than in people who had never received the shot.

European regulators had recommended that recipients of the vaccine seek medical help for a number of possible symptoms, including leg swelling, persistent abdominal pain, severe and persistent headache or blurred vision, and tiny spots of blood under the skin outside of the area where the Injection was given was given.

However, these symptoms were so vague that the UK emergency departments almost immediately saw an increase in patients worried they were as they were described. As a result, some emergency physicians have asked for more central guidance on how to deal with what they termed largely unnecessary hospital visits.

German researchers have described special blood tests that can help diagnose the disorder and have suggested treatment with a blood product called intravenous immunoglobulin, which is used to treat various immune disorders.

Drugs called anticoagulants or blood thinners can also be given but are not used frequently – heparin – because the vaccine-related condition is very similar to that rarely seen in people given heparin.

Other vaccines, particularly those given to children for measles, mumps, and rubella, have been linked to transient low levels of platelets, an essential component of blood clotting.

Reduced platelet counts have been reported in a small number of patients who received the Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca vaccines. One recipient, a doctor in Florida, died of a cerebral haemorrhage when his platelet counts failed to restore, and others were hospitalized. US health officials have stated that the cases are being investigated, but they have not reported the results of those reviews and have yet to advise that they are linked to the vaccines.

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Health

Vaccine Passports: What Are They, and Who May Want One?

Vaccine Passports: What Are They, and Who Might Need One?

With vaccinations against Covid-19 on the rise, attention is turning to tools that can help people prove they have been vaccinated and potentially bypass the stifling restrictions put in place to fight the pandemic.

Although the idea has met with opposition over privacy and equity concerns, there are already several types of coronavirus vaccination records, sometimes referred to as “vaccination records,” in paper and digital form. Hundreds of airlines, governments, and other organizations are experimenting with new electronic versions, and the number is growing every day, even though their use has been very limited.

Portable vaccine records are an old idea: travelers to many parts of the world, children enrolling in school, and some health care workers have long had to show them as evidence that they were vaccinated against diseases.

However, vaccination records use digital tools that take the concept to a new level, and experts predict that electronic verification will soon become part of everyday life, especially for international air travel, but also for access to crowded spaces like theaters.

Here are some of the most important questions to be asked.

In general, the term is understood to mean an electronic vaccination record, possibly in the form of a QR code, which is easily accessible via a smartphone or possibly stored on the device, but can also be printed out.

At its simplest, the documentation is a physical card created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and usually given to people who receive their first Covid-19 shot in the US, or the ” yellow card “of the World Health Organization for decades by travelers vaccinated against diseases such as yellow fever. But these are on paper, filled in by hand, and are quite prone to forgeries.

The tool may need to take into account several variables: it is unclear how long it will take to vaccinate, poor batches can occur, and the emergence of new variants of the virus will likely require new vaccines. In the long run, an electronic record may need to indicate which specific vaccine a person received from which batch and when.

More than a dozen competing versions are already being developed and promoted.

In the short term, the clearest application may be in international travel, and the reason is obvious at every major airport: the number of passengers is a fraction of the prepandemic, but there are enormous lines at airline counters and passport control.

Many countries already require proof of a recent negative coronavirus test for entry. So far, this documentation has existed almost exclusively on paper or on the passenger’s phone and has to be confirmed by human eyes at the airport. Therefore, it is not possible to check in for a flight online or even at an electronic kiosk in the terminal.

As travel restrictions wear off, the volume will increase and many nations are expected to start demanding proof of vaccination (or previous coronavirus infection) to enter, or simply skip the quarantine requirement. More passengers and more documentation requirements make processing even more unwieldy.

“We need to automate this,” said Nick Careen, senior vice president of the International Air Transport Association, an airline industry trading group. “Even if compulsory vaccination has never been approved, there will still be a test requirement and we cannot do it manually.”

(Even with an electronic system, officials say there will be some people who will have to use paper health documents because they don’t have access to digital tools.)

No major country has publicly released vaccine reviews for domestic travel. However, some governments and companies are already requiring proof of a negative coronavirus test for access to certain crowded places, and some are now requiring proof of vaccination, increasing the desire for an electronic alternative.

Updated

April 9, 2021, 7:09 p.m. ET

To be most useful, a digital record would need to be widespread – from governments controlling travelers, airlines and shipping lines screening passengers, corporations restricting admission, and the conglomeration of healthcare providers, government agencies and pharmacies that give the shots.

This in turn means that it has to be easy to use and relatively inexpensive. It would be an obstacle if companies had to spend a lot of money or introduce new software.

In February, the Israeli government began issuing their digital Green Pass or physical certificate to vaccinated people. She has to enter places like hotels and theaters.

In the past month, hundreds more companies around the world – airlines, governments, drugstore chains, and others – began using privately controlled digital systems to review health records. Most use the systems – including one called CommonPass and the International Air Transport Association’s own system, Travel Pass – on a trial basis to check for negative coronavirus tests.

The systems are designed to also provide evidence of vaccination if required.

In March, Aruba and JetBlue allowed US passengers to show CommonPass, a negative test developed by the Commons Project, a Switzerland-based nonprofit organization, with support from the World Economic Forum. Lufthansa passengers flying to the USA can also use it.

In the same month, Singapore Airlines became the first airline to use the Travel Pass only to a limited extent for passengers between Singapore and London and will use it on a large scale in May.

Also in March, New York State became the first US government to introduce a system developed with IBM, the Excelsior Pass, which some venues could use to prove vaccination. Florida and Texas governors have vowed to block such a system in their states, calling it a violation of government and privacy invasion.

Iceland this month eased entry restrictions for people who have been vaccinated, and the UK is about to experiment with a vaccine review requirement to attend sporting events. So far, however, neither country has implemented a digital system.

The Biden government admits that private entities will use such systems, but says the federal government will not be involved in creating such a system. “There won’t be a federal vaccination database or federal mandate that requires everyone to receive a single vaccination record,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said this week.

However, this does not preclude a federal agency from using a privately developed electronic health record to screen international travelers.

Many of the concerns raised are about privacy, but the people who develop the systems say they can be addressed.

For example, CommonPass and its app do not contain any health information about the user, said Paul Meyer, executive director of the Commons Project Foundation. If a participating airline needs to know if a passenger had a negative test or vaccination and a participating pharmacy has the information, CommonPass can communicate with both and return a simple yes or no answer without providing any specific data.

“You shouldn’t have to give your health record to Yankee Stadium or an airline,” Meyer said.

Many technology and health institutions have come together as the Vaccine Credential Initiative to develop a commonly agreed set of open standards. This means that the software underlying a verification system is transparent and can be easily adapted to other systems, while at the same time protecting privacy. The WHO has a similar initiative, the Smart Vaccination Certificate.

However, some companies create closed, proprietary systems that they want to sell to customers, and some appear to have access to user information.

One concern is that a variety of systems may not be compatible, defeating the purpose of making it easier to verify a person’s status.

Another objection is that any requirement to prove vaccination status would discriminate against those who can’t get the shot or refuse the shot, and there is still uncertainty about how well vaccination prevents virus transmission.

For these reasons, the WHO said this week that it does not support asking for proof of vaccination for travel – for now.

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Politics

Plunging Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Provide Dents State Inoculation Efforts

Plunging Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Supply Dents State Inoculation Efforts

“The last thing we wanted to hear about was that we were getting fewer vaccines,” Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, a Republican, told reporters on Friday. “We were hoping to start up as they promised.”

In a statement, New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, a Democrat, said, “We won’t be able to get as many shots into the arms of New Yorkers as we’d like”. He added, “As has been the case since our vaccination efforts began, the X-Factor is care, care, care.”

Some state health officials had hoped to use Johnson & Johnson’s unique, easy-to-store vaccine to target college students and other temporary groups. Others offered it at mass vaccination sites or directed it to rural areas.

Instead, Johnson & Johnson can shipments across the states will drop sharply next week: California will drop from 572,700 to 67,600 cans, Texas from 392,100 to 46,300, Florida from 313,200 to 37,000, and Virginia from 253,400 to 27,900.

In Virginia, which will expand vaccine coverage to the entire adult population in nine days, the effect will be “tremendous,” said Dr. Danny Avula, the state vaccination coordinator. He said officials should warn people that appointments could be difficult to come by, even though they would be allowed to register for recordings.

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Health

Blood Clots Linked to AZ Vaccine Stem From Uncommon Antibody Response

Blood Clots Linked to AZ Vaccine Stem From Rare Antibody Reaction

The antibodies resulted in a condition called thrombotic thrombocytopenia, which caused both clotting and abnormal bleeding. The researchers suggested calling the newly identified version in these patients “vaccine-induced immunothrombotic thrombocytopenia” or VITT.

Scientists have put forward various theories of what triggers the immune response. The AstraZeneca vaccine uses a chimpanzee adenovirus to transport DNA into recipients and trigger an immune response against the coronavirus. Laboratory research has shown that the chimpanzee virus or DNA could be causing the problem. Some researchers have suggested that bleeding from the injection mixed with the vaccine could bring platelets into the crosshairs of the immune system.

Dr. Greinacher called the theories plausible but unproven.

The article described special blood tests that could help diagnose the disorder and differentiate it from other, more common, clotting problems unrelated to the vaccine. The research team suggested treatment with a blood product called intravenous immunoglobulin, which is used to treat various immune disorders. Dr. Greinacher compared the treatment to putting out a fire.

Medicines called anticoagulants or blood thinners can also be given. However, the researchers advised against prescribing a commonly used heparin because the vaccine-induced condition is very similar to a severe reaction that is rarely seen in people given heparin.

The second report from Norway described five patients, one male and four female health workers aged 32 to 54, who had blood clots and bleeding seven to ten days after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine. Four had severe blood clots in the brain and three died. Severe headache was one of her early symptoms. Like the German patients, they all had high levels of antibodies that could activate blood platelets.

The team from Norway also recommended intravenous immunoglobulin treatment. The researchers said the disorder is rare but “a new phenomenon with devastating effects on otherwise healthy young adults,” and they suggested it might be more common than previous studies with the AstraZeneca vaccine had shown.

On Friday, European regulators also said they were reviewing reports of some blood clot cases that have occurred in people who had received the Johnson and Johnson vaccine. In the United States, federal agencies are investigating reports of another type of unusual blood disorder in which a few dozen people who received either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines experienced steep decreases in platelet counts.

Benjamin Mueller and Melissa Eddy contributed to this.

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Health

Vaccine Slots Go Unused in Mississippi and Different States

Vaccine Slots Go Unused in Mississippi and Other States

When it comes to getting the coronavirus vaccine, Mississippi residents have a wealth of options. There were more than 73,000 slots on the state’s scheduling website on Thursday, up from 68,000 on Tuesday.

In a way, the growing number of appointments in Mississippi is cause for celebration: it reflects the increasing supply that has led states across the country to open up eligibility to anyone over the age of 16.

However, public health experts say the pile of unclaimed appointments in Mississippi exposes something more worrying: the large number of people who are reluctant to get vaccinated.

“It is time to do the heavy lifting that is required to overcome the hesitation we encounter,” said Dr. Obie McNair, an internist in Jackson, the state capital, whose office has plenty of vaccines but not enough buyers.

Though access remains an issue in rural Mississippi, experts say the state – one of the first to open the permit to all adults three weeks ago – could be a harbinger of how much of the country is in the Will Face Coming Weeks When Growing Supply Allows Most Americans Who Would Like The Vaccine To Have Appointments Easily.

The hesitation has national implications. Experts say that between 70 and 90 percent of Americans must be vaccinated for the country to achieve herd immunity. At this point the virus can no longer spread through the population.

In terms of vaccination rates, Mississippi still has a long way to go: only a quarter of all residents have received at least one dose, according to the state, compared to the statewide average of 33 percent. Other southern states, including Tennessee, Arkansas, Alabama, and Georgia, have similarly low vaccination rates.

A closer look at Mississippi’s demographics explains why hesitation can be particularly pronounced. The state reliably elects Republicans, a group that remains very skeptical about the coronavirus vaccine. Almost half of all Republican men, and a total of 40 percent of Republicans, said they did not plan to vaccinate, according to several recent surveys. These numbers have changed little in the months since vaccines first became available. In contrast, only 4 percent of Democrats said they won’t get the vaccine.

Another contributing factor to the state’s low vaccination rate could be Mississippi’s large black community, which makes up 38 percent of the state’s population but accounts for 31 percent of the doses administered, according to the state. Reluctance to vaccinate remains somewhat high among African Americans, although doubts and suspicions – largely due to previous government abuses such as the infamous Tuskegee syphilis experiments – have declined significantly in recent months.

According to a survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation published last week, about 55 percent of black adults said they had been vaccinated or were planning to vaccinate soon. That’s an increase of 14 percentage points from February, which is a rate of 61 percent versus Hispanics at 64 percent.

A number of other heavily republican states are also facing an abundance of doses. On Thursday, Oklahoma officials who have provided 34 percent of its residents with at least one dose announced they would open the license to non-state residents, and in recent weeks Republican governors in Ohio and Georgia have raised concerns about lackluster vaccine demand among their residents.

Tim Callaghan, assistant professor at Texas A&M University School of Public Health and an expert on vaccine skepticism, said more research was needed to determine the reasons behind the declining vaccine demand in Mississippi. The Americans were probably the first to face the problem. “If you want to see vaccine hesitate, it will be in red states like Mississippi,” he said.

Updated

April 9, 2021, 5:04 p.m. ET

Mississippi officials are aware of the challenge. On Tuesday, Governor Tate Reeves held a press conference with a group of medical experts who tried to dispel some of the misinformation related to the vaccines. They tried to explain the vaccine development process, refuted claims that the vaccine can cause miscarriages, and shared their own personal experiences after receiving the shot.

“I had about 18 hours of turbulence,” said Governor Reeves, describing the mild, flulike symptoms he felt after his second injection. “But I could go on and go on and work and I feel a lot better every day knowing I have been vaccinated.”

Access remains a challenge in parts of rural Mississippi, especially among African Americans who live far from drive-through vaccination centers in urban areas, which account for roughly half of the doses administered by the state. The scheduling system has also proven frustrating for the poor and elderly, who often lack internet access to book appointments or take them to remote vaccination sites.

“We need to get the vaccines to the people, to pop-up locations that don’t require internet or advance registration,” said Pam Chatman, the founder of Boss Lady Workforce Transportation, a system of minivans that drove ferries Mississippi Delta residents to mass vaccination sites.

Demand among African Americans is still robust, she said, noting long lines that formed outside a tent in Indianola, a small town in the Delta this week, that was selling the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine. (The tents with the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which require two doses, were almost empty.)

But hesitation is common. Dr. Vernon Rayford, an internist in Tupelo, said he was frustrated with patients who gave various reasons for rejecting the vaccine. They claim it will give them Covid-19 or make them sterile and they worry about unknown effects that could appear decades later. “I’ve heard some really crazy theories,” he said.

Dr. Rayford, who sees patients of all races, said he has noted subtle differences in skepticism: African Americans express suspicion of the health care system while whites express a more amorphous distrust of the government. “It’s like that line from ‘Anna Karenina’,” he said. ‘All happy families are equal; Every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. ‘“

Dr. Brian Castrucci, President of the de Beaumont Foundation, which focuses on public health, has worked to allay such fears. Dr. Castrucci, an epidemiologist, is particularly concerned about young Conservatives, ages 18 to 34; He cited a recent poll that found that 55 percent of Republican women with college degrees under the age of 49 would not be vaccinated.

“His polls like this one keep me up at night,” he said.

The biggest barriers to greater vaccine adoption are the misinformation that thrives on social media and the mixed news from Republican governors confusing people.

“By easing Covid restrictions, elected leaders are pushing coronavirus narratives in states like Florida, Mississippi, Texas and Georgia that work against a narrative that promotes the urgency of vaccinations,” he said. “And unfortunately, our vaccination campaigns are being rolled back late at night on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.”

So far, Mississippi health officials have focused much of their vaccine delay efforts on African American and Hispanic residents through partnerships with churches and health clinics. Governor Reeves, a Republican, has so far refused to highlight the skepticism among white conservatives in the state, but health officials said they planned to address the issue through Facebook and Zoom meetings with local organizations.

Public health experts say that well-crafted messages are needed from doctors, religious leaders, and other individuals trusted by a particular community. Dr. Thomas Friedan, a former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who participated in a focus group of vaccine-reluctant Trump voters organized by the de Beaumont Foundation last month, said participants wanted their fears to be recognized and they longed for factual information without being instructed or belittled. “There’s no real way to communicate about vaccines, but you need multiple messages with multiple messengers,” said Dr. Friedan, who leads the Resolve to Save Lives health advocacy group. “And people don’t want to hear from politicians.”

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Health

Papua New Guinea (PNG) Covid-19 outbreak, vaccine marketing campaign

Papua New Guinea (PNG) Covid-19 outbreak, vaccine campaign

A health worker is preparing to test for Covid-19 coronavirus outside a makeshift clinic at a sports stadium in Port Moresby on April 1, 2021.

Gorethy Kenneth | AFP | Getty Images

Misinformation on social media is hindering Papua New Guinea’s vaccination efforts.

According to the PNG’s Covid-19 Response Controller, many people are reluctant to vaccinate as false information about the vaccines is spread even as coronavirus cases increase.

The country reported 1,730 cases and 12 deaths between March 29 and April 4, according to a joint report from the World Health Organization and the PNG’s national ministry of health.

Cases of infection rose again in February, and PNG has reported 7,839 cases so far, data from Johns Hopkins University showed. However, there is consensus that the actual number is much higher, which is masked by low testing capacity and other logistical difficulties.

“We have been lulled into a kind of complacency and false sense of security that we have overcome over this first wave that we feared,” David Manning, PNG’s Covid-19 National Pandemic Response Controller, told CNBC’s Will Koulouris .

Papua New Guinea is located north of Australia and is a heavily forested island country with fewer than 9 million people.

This, of course, is attributed to the hesitation of the vaccine, and you can attribute this to a lack of awareness.

David Manning

National Pandemic Response Controller, Papua New Guinea

The National Capital District, home of PNG’s capital, Port Moresby, has the most reported cases, followed by the western province, which is also where the rate of infection is increasing.

A combination of events – funerals, holidays, and school resumption – resulted in “continuous transmission of the virus,” William Pomat, director of the PNG Institute of Medical Research, told CNBC last week.

Vaccine hesitate

So-called “vaccine nationalism” has made it difficult for small developing countries like PNG to resort to gunfire to vaccinate their populations. Many of them rely on an international vaccination initiative called Covax, but vaccine supply for that program is facing delays from India, which is also struggling to stem an increase in home cases.

PNG ran a vaccination campaign last week using around 8,000 cans of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 shots donated from neighboring Australia. More cans are expected from China and India in the coming weeks.

The island nation has vaccinated fewer than 600 people so far, which, according to Manning, is way behind schedule.

“Of course, this is attributed to the hesitation of the vaccine, and it can be attributed to a lack of awareness – basically information about whether the vaccine has any side effects and the fake news spread on social media,” he said, adding that vaccine skeptics exert comparatively less pressure in urban areas.

Combating misinformation

Manning said Facebook reached out to PNG and asked how the social network could help dispel some of the misinformation that was spread, but he failed to explain the details of that conversation.

Facebook launched a public awareness campaign in PNG this week to help users identify and combat health misinformation. It runs for five weeks and contains graphics and videos in several languages.

“For this campaign, we will continue to focus our efforts on addressing misinformation related to Covid-19 and vaccines to ensure Papuan New Guineans are able to verify their visibility to official public health resources,” said Mia Garlick , Facebook’s director of public order in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands said in a statement on Wednesday.

“This campaign complements a call we launched in Papua New Guinea last week
Provide tips to local users on how to prevent Covid-19, “Garlick added.

Stressed health infrastructure

The outbreak puts undue strain on PNG’s already poor health infrastructure.

International organizations like Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) have warned of an impending collapse. According to experts, many frontline health workers who are already few are falling ill with Covid-19.

“If you get sick, no one will stand – not only for Covid, but also for other diseases and so on,” said Pomat of the Institute of Medical Research.

He stated that Covid tests are only done for those who “might show up” (at the) a health facility if they show symptoms and those who volunteer to go inside. “

Even then, hospitals and medical facilities will run out of components needed to perform these tests.

As PNG works with its development partners, including Australia, to ensure the supply of more test kits and components, it has also introduced stricter social restrictions. For example, stores have been asked to deny entry to those who do not wear masks, while travel between provinces is strictly regulated.

Manning said the pandemic response needs to be tailored to PNG’s coastal communities as well as the highland region, where even in the best of times it is difficult to provide health, police or government services.

“So we have now shifted our focus from a national response to a provincial response and are working closely together with the provincial health authorities that are currently inundated with surges, “he said.

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Health

On-line Scammers Have a New Provide for You: Vaccine Playing cards

Online Scammers Have a New Offer For You: Vaccine Cards

SAN FRANCISCO – Small rectangular notes were put up for sale on Etsy, eBay, Facebook, and Twitter in late January. They were printed on cardboard, were 3 “by 4” and had razor-sharp black lettering. Sellers listed them for $ 20 to $ 60 each, with discounts on packages of three or more. Laminated ones cost extra.

All were fakes or fake copies of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention vaccination cards given to people vaccinated against Covid-19 in the United States.

“We found hundreds of online stores selling the cards, possibly thousands have sold,” said Saoud Khalifah, founder of Fakespot, which offers tools for detecting fake listings and reviews online.

The coronavirus has turned many people into opportunists, like those who hoarded bottles of hand sanitizer at the beginning of the pandemic or those who cheated recipients of their stimulus controls. Now online scammers have been sticking to the latest winning initiative: the little white cards that provide proof of shots.

Online stores selling counterfeit or stolen vaccination cards have skyrocketed in recent weeks, Khalifah said. The efforts are far from hidden, as Facebook pages with the name “Vax cards” and eBay offers with “blank vaccination cards” are openly haggling over the items.

Selling counterfeit vaccination cards could violate federal laws that prohibit copying of the CDC logo, legal experts said. If the cards were stolen and filled in with incorrect numbers and dates, they could also break identity theft laws, they said.

But the profiteers have made progress as the demand for cards from anti-vaccine activists and other groups has increased. Airlines and other companies recently stated that they may need proof of Covid-19 immunization so that people can travel or attend events safely.

The cards can also be central to “vaccination records” that provide digital proof of vaccination. Some technology companies that develop vaccination records require users to upload copies of their CDC cards. Los Angeles recently started using the CDC cards for its own digital vaccination record.

Last week, 45 attorneys general joined forces to call Twitter, Shopify, and eBay to stop selling counterfeit and stolen vaccination cards. Officials said they were monitoring the activity and feared that unvaccinated people would misuse the cards to attend major events, potentially spreading the virus and prolonging the pandemic.

“We’re seeing a huge market for these fake cards online,” said Josh Shapiro, Pennsylvania attorney general, whose office has been investigating fraud related to the virus. “This is a dangerous practice that undermines public health.”

Updated

April 8, 2021, 9:44 p.m. ET

The CDC said it was “aware of fraud related to counterfeit Covid-19 vaccination cards.” It urged people not to share pictures of their personal information or vaccination cards on social media.

Facebook, Twitter, eBay, Shopify, and Etsy said that selling counterfeit vaccination cards is against their rules and that they are removing posts promoting the items.

The CDC introduced vaccination cards in December, describing them as the “easiest” way to keep an eye on Covid-19 shots. Counterfeit vaccination card sales increased in January, Khalifah said. Many people found the cards to be easy to forge from samples available online. Authentic cards have also been stolen from their workplaces by pharmacists and put up for sale, he said.

Many people who bought the tickets were against the Covid-19 vaccines, Khalifah said. In some anti-vaccine groups on Facebook, people have publicly boasted of getting the cards.

“My body is my choice,” one commenter wrote in a Facebook post last month. Another person replied, “Cant wait to get mine too lol.”

Other shoppers want to use the cards to trick pharmacists into giving them a vaccine, Khalifah said. Because some vaccines are two-shot vaccines, people can enter the wrong date on the card for a first vaccination, giving the impression that they will need a second dose soon. Some pharmacies and state vaccination centers have given priority to people due for their second shots.

An Etsy seller who refused to be identified said she recently sold dozens of counterfeit vaccine cards for $ 20 each. She justified her actions by saying that she was helping people avoid a “tyrannical government”. She added that she did not plan to be vaccinated.

Vaccine advocates say they have been troubled by the distribution of counterfeit and stolen cards. To hold these people accountable, Savannah Sparks, a pharmacist in Biloxi, Miss., Began posting videos on TikTok last month identifying sellers of counterfeit vaccine cards.

In a video, Ms. Sparks explained how she tracked the name of a pharmacy technician in Illinois who snapped up several cards for himself and her husband and then posted them online about them. The pharmacy technician had not disclosed her identity, but rather linked the post to her social media accounts, in which she used her real name. The video has 1.2 million views.

“It made me so angry that a pharmacist would use her access and position this way,” said Ms. Sparks. The video caught the attention of the Illinois Pharmacists Association, which reported the video to a state board for further investigation.

Ms. Sparks said her work attracted critics and anti-vaccination campaigners, who threatened her and put her home phone number and address online. But she was not deterred.

“You should come first and work to ensure that people get vaccinated,” she said of pharmacists. “Instead, they are trying to use their positions to spread fear and help people circumvent the vaccine.”

Pennsylvania attorney general Mr Shapiro said that selling counterfeit and stolen cards is not only against federal copyright law, but it is most likely against civil and consumer protection laws that require an item to be used as advertised. The cards could also violate state impersonation laws, he said.

“We want them to stop immediately,” Shapiro said of the scammers. “And we want companies to take serious and immediate action.”

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Health

Covid vaccine maker CureVac hopes shot will get EU approval in June

Covid vaccine maker CureVac hopes shot will get EU approval in June

Coronavirus vaccine maker CureVac is hoping its Covid shot will get European approval in the second quarter.

Franz-Werner Haas, CEO of CureVac, told CNBC on Thursday that the vaccine maker was close to finalizing recruitment for the vaccine’s Phase 3 clinical trial. In view of the urgent need for additional effective coronavirus vaccines and the accelerated regulatory approval process, approval cannot take place long afterwards.

“According to our calculations, we expect to have the data by late April or early May,” Haas told CNBC’s Squawk Box Europe.

“We therefore assume that, depending on the dates, we will receive the approval in early June.”

As soon as the study is running, the German biotechnology company CureVac will wait for safety data and then carry out an interim analysis of the results of the late study. It is also crucial that a certain number of study participants have to wait for Covid-19 to develop to determine how effective the vaccine is in preventing the virus.

The data is then sent to regulatory authorities such as the European Medicines Agency for so-called “ongoing review”. This is where the data is analyzed by regulators to expedite the evaluation of new, potentially life-saving vaccines or drugs in public health emergencies.

The UK and EU have pre-ordered up to 455 million doses of CureVac’s mRNA vaccine, pending regulatory approval. The company is already making its vaccine, even though it hasn’t been approved, pending approval of the shot.

Haas, CEO of CureVac, said the company is trying to avoid manufacturing pitfalls that have been hit by other vaccine manufacturers. This issue was perhaps most noticeable at AstraZeneca, and has significantly relieved the vulnerability of global supply chains.

“Manufacturing is certainly a struggle right now,” he said.

“It’s not just that we manufacture ourselves, we have a whole network in Europe, with other companies that also support us in manufacturing, but it is sometimes very difficult to get the equipment to set up the plants, however also the material for the production of the mRNA. “

“But we are doing everything we can to produce as many cans as possible,” added Haas.

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Health

On-line Scammers Have a New Supply For You: Vaccine Playing cards

Online Scammers Have a New Offer For You: Vaccine Cards

SAN FRANCISCO – Small rectangular notes were put up for sale on Etsy, eBay, Facebook, and Twitter in late January. They were printed on cardboard, three inches by four inches, with razor-sharp black lettering. Sellers listed them for $ 20 to $ 60 each, with discounts on packages of three or more. Laminated ones cost extra.

All were fakes or fake copies of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention vaccination cards given to people vaccinated against Covid-19 in the United States.

“We found hundreds of online stores selling the cards, possibly thousands have sold,” said Saoud Khalifah, founder of FakeSpot, which offers tools for detecting fake listings and reviews online.

The coronavirus has turned many people into opportunists, like those who hoarded bottles of hand sanitizer at the beginning of the pandemic or those who cheated recipients of their stimulus controls. Now online scammers have taken up the latest profit initiative: the little white cards that provide proof of shots.

Online stores selling counterfeit or stolen vaccination cards have skyrocketed in recent weeks, Khalifah said. The efforts are far from hidden, as Facebook pages with the name “Vax cards” and eBay offers with “blank vaccination cards” are openly haggling over the items.

Selling counterfeit vaccination cards could violate federal laws that prohibit copying of the CDC logo, legal experts said. If the cards were stolen and filled in with incorrect numbers and dates, they could also break identity theft laws, they said.

But the profiteers have made progress as the demand for cards from anti-vaccine activists and other groups has increased. Airlines and other companies recently stated that they may need proof of Covid-19 immunization so that people can travel or attend events safely.

The cards can also be central to “vaccination records” that provide digital proof of vaccination. Some technology companies that develop vaccination records require users to upload copies of their CDC cards. Los Angeles recently started using the CDC cards for its own digital vaccination record.

Last week, 45 attorneys general joined forces to call Twitter, Shopify, and eBay to stop selling counterfeit and stolen vaccination cards. Officials said they were monitoring the activity and feared that unvaccinated people would misuse the cards to attend major events, potentially spreading the virus and prolonging the pandemic.

“We’re seeing a huge market for these fake cards online,” said Josh Shapiro, Pennsylvania attorney general, whose office has been investigating fraud related to the virus. “This is a dangerous practice that undermines public health.”

Updated

April 8, 2021, 5:27 p.m. ET

The CDC said it was “aware of fraud related to counterfeit Covid-19 vaccination cards.” It urged people not to share pictures of their personal information or vaccination cards on social media.

Facebook, Twitter, eBay, Shopify, and Etsy said that selling counterfeit vaccination cards is against their rules and that they are removing posts promoting the items.

The CDC introduced vaccination cards in December, describing them as the “easiest” way to keep an eye on Covid-19 shots. Counterfeit vaccination card sales increased in January, Khalifah said. Many people found the cards to be easy to forge from samples available online. Authentic cards have also been stolen from their workplaces by pharmacists and put up for sale, he said.

Many people who bought the tickets were against the Covid-19 vaccines, Khalifah said. In some anti-vaccine groups on Facebook, people have publicly boasted of getting the cards.

“My body is my choice,” one commenter wrote in a Facebook post last month. Another person replied, “Cant wait to get mine, lol.”

Other shoppers want to use the cards to trick pharmacists into giving them a vaccine, Khalifah said. Because some vaccines are two-shot vaccines, people can enter the wrong date on the card for a first vaccination, giving the impression that they will need a second dose soon. Some pharmacies and state vaccination centers have given people priority based on their second shots.

An Etsy seller who refused to be identified said she recently sold dozens of counterfeit vaccine cards for $ 20 each. She justified her actions by saying that she was helping people avoid a “tyrannical government”. She added that she did not plan to be vaccinated.

Vaccine advocates say they have been troubled by the distribution of counterfeit and stolen cards. To hold these people accountable, Savannah Sparks, a pharmacist in Biloxi, Miss., Began posting videos on TikTok last month identifying sellers of counterfeit vaccine cards.

In a video, Ms. Sparks explained how she tracked the name of a pharmacy technician in Illinois who snapped up several cards for himself and her husband and then posted them online about them. The pharmacy technician had not disclosed her identity, but rather linked the post to her social media accounts, in which she used her real name. The video has 1.2 million views.

“It made me so angry that a pharmacist would use her access and position this way,” said Ms. Sparks. The video drew the attention of the Illinois Pharmacists Association, which reported the video to a state board for further investigation.

Ms. Sparks said her work attracted critics and anti-vaccination campaigners, who threatened her and put her home phone number and address online. But she was not deterred.

“You should come first and work to ensure that people get vaccinated,” she said of pharmacists. “Instead, they are trying to use their positions to spread fear and help people circumvent the vaccine.”

Pennsylvania attorney general Mr Shapiro said that selling counterfeit and stolen cards is not only against federal copyright law, but it is most likely against civil and consumer protection laws that require an item to be used as advertised. The cards could also violate state impersonation laws, he said.

“We want them to stop immediately,” Shapiro said of the scammers. “And we want companies to take serious and immediate action.”

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Prime Official Warned That Covid Vaccine Plant Needed to Be ‘Monitored Intently’

Top Official Warned That Covid Vaccine Plant Had to Be ‘Monitored Closely’

Mr de Notaristefani, a former executive at two large pharmaceutical companies, cited “significant” staffing problems and wrote that plans to increase staff were “insufficient to enable the company to produce at the required speed”.

He also noted that audits by the FDA and individual companies hiring Emergent “highlighted the need for extensive staff training and strengthening the quality function.”

Nevertheless, he wrote: “The organization has the necessary experience / competence” to enlarge its production. He wrote that “the management is knowledgeable and appears confident” and that with adequate government oversight, “risks can be mitigated”.

At the time of the visit, Emergent was also planning to manufacture a third Covid-19 vaccine developed by Novavax. Since then, this company has partnered with another manufacturer. “Offloading the Novavax program to another facility will also help ease the burden on Emergent Bayview,” wrote de Notaristefani.

Emergent is a longtime federal entrepreneur in the biological defense field. Sales of its anthrax vaccines accounted for nearly half of Strategic National Stockpile’s annual budget of half a billion dollars for most of the past decade, The Times reported last month. This left the government with less money on items needed during a pandemic, and last year the lack of basic health care in inventory became a symbol of the government’s botched coronavirus response.

Although the original federal contract for the Baltimore plant required Emergent to demonstrate large-scale manufacture of a pandemic influenza vaccine – designated by health officials as a pressure test of its capabilities – Emergent had yet to do so, The Times reported Tuesday. The company risked default on the original contract, which set a deadline of June 2020. The company also has separate agreements with the two vaccine makers valued at more than $ 875 million.

In an effort to solve the factory’s problems, federal officials have simplified Emergent’s mission by limiting themselves to just making Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine and forcing AstraZeneca to relocate their production lines. Johnson & Johnson now also maintains direct control of manufacturing, although the workforce at the facility in southeast Baltimore remains with Emergent.