Lowyat.NET: Latest topics by cranx

Channel 7 Australia journalist hospitalised

cranx — Sat, 28 Aug 2021 13:35:56 +0800

Denham Hitchcock has shared his story of being hospitalised after receiving the Pfizer jab, suffering from pericarditis, a rare side effect that results in inflammation of the heart.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CTBCWyyBhaI/?ut...g_web_copy_link

In a post to Instagram, the Channel 7 journalist wrote that he’d “battled over whether” to share his experience or not, “but decided after 27 years of being a journalist who’s primary goal is to discover the truth – it would be hypocritical not to”.

“I’m NOT anti-vax. But I’m really not pro vax either. I’m pro choice – and pro information to make that choice. Above all I’m PRO opening the bloody country up and to do that I don’t see any way around getting the majority of Australia vaccinated. So I got the Pfizer shot,” Hitchcock said.

“The first week was like any vaccine. Feeling off. But nearing the end of the second week my heart started to race, I was getting pins and needles in the arms, extreme fatigue and a very strange sensation of dizziness. I took Nurofen, and I kept working.

“By the end of the third week I was getting steadily worse – sharp chest pain – cold shivers and chills – and the dizziness was intense. 25 days after the shot and probably a little late to hospital – but here I am – diagnosed with pericarditis – or inflammation of the heart due to the Pfizer vaccine.”

The extremely rare side effect impacts about one in 74,000 people who receive the Pfizer vaccine. In overseas studies, according to advice from Australia’s Department of Health, it particularly impacts males under 30 years of age after they’ve received their second dose.

With Delta outbreaks in three of Australia’s states and territories, the benefits of protection against Covid-19 far outweigh the tiny risk of possible side effects from getting the jab.

Executive director of the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Professor Jason Kovacic, told news.com.au that instances of myocarditis and pericarditis after receiving the Pfizer vaccine occur “only very, very rarely”.

“About 60 people per one million can get myocarditis with the mRNA vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna) and it is generally a mild, short-lived illness. These complications cause inflammation of the heart muscle or inflammation of the lining around the heart muscle,” Professor Kovacic explained.

“These complications have been reported in just a handful of people around the world and to the best of our knowledge most of them have recovered. In contrast, risk of having some of heart complications if you contract Covid-19 is about 1000 times higher at five to 10 per cent.”

Pointing to a recent observational study, Prof Kovacic said that young males infected with the virus are up to six times more likely to develop inflammation of the heart as opposed to those who received the jab.

“Covid-19 vaccines are incredibly safe and incredibly effective at preventing people from getting seriously unwell with Covid-19 infection,” he added.

“The benefits for being vaccinated far outweigh any risk to the heart, especially given the highly infectious nature of the Delta variant which is now affecting an increasing number of young people.”

“My present thought would be – in the current vaccine frenzy, no one is talking about this but it’s clearly happening – and if you want the vaccine and have any heart history it would be worth talking to your GP about your vaccine choice, especially as AZ is readily available and does not have this side effect,” Hitchcock advised.

His diagnosis comes after Georgia Clark, a reporter with The Daily Telegraph, also revealed that she was being treated for pericarditis – but urged Aussies to continue coming forward to get vaccinated.

“If this is what the vaccine has done to me, who knows what would happen if I actually caught Covid, I could die,” the 27-year-old told The Daily Telegraph.

“Hearing about that has inspired me to speak out, because I know this is nowhere near as bad as catching Covid.”

https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/he...62aa973db8cda7e

Israel May Deny Green Pass to People Who Have Not

cranx — Wed, 25 Aug 2021 11:05:25 +0800

Israel May Deny Green Passports to People Who Have Not Received COVID Booster
Health Minister Horowitz says that since the vaccine loses effectiveness over time, proof of immunity will no longer be valid for those who have not had the booster

People who do not receive a coronavirus booster shot will eventually be denied a so-called green passport, which allows entry into various venues, Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz said on Tuesday.

“This is simply because, in terms of its effectiveness, the vaccine is valid only for a period of five or six months,” Horowitz told Channel 13 television. “After about half a year, you have to get a third dose. Otherwise, the vaccine loses its power.”

“The Green Pass testifies that a person is safe in a certain way,” he added. “So the moment we know that the vaccine loses its effectiveness after a certain period, there’s no justification for giving a green pass to someone who hasn’t gotten another dose.”

Nevertheless, he said, the booster will become a requirement for a Green Pass only when the shot is available to everyone aged 12 and older. Currently, only people aged 30 and up qualify for the third dose.

Earlier Tuesday, the Health Ministry approved giving the third shot to anyone aged 30 and over who had received the second dose at least five months ago. It had previously only been available to people aged 40 and up. The move was recommended by a number of expert advisory committees. So far, 1,575,898 Israelis have gotten the third dose.

"The doctors who decide this, who advise us, the vaccine committee, are going with the method of gradual stages to make it 100 percent safe," Horowitz said on Kan Bet public radio. "I assume that in a very short time, it will be available for everyone."

The decision to lower the age for receiving the booster was based on data accumulated from older people, which showed the third shot to be both safe and effective, in the hopes that it will lower the rising infection rates. More than 80 experts have participated in discussions of the booster in recent weeks.

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-...ster-1.10147312

NO Supermarkets & Hypermarkets for the unvax

cranx — Fri, 13 Aug 2021 19:28:34 +0800

KOTA KINABALU: Business owners here are crying foul over the new Sabah SOPs that permit only fully vaccinated staff and customers into their premises, saying it will put them at a disadvantage.

The revised SOPs released last night stated that while dining-in will be maintained in Sabah, all eatery operators must ensure only fully vaccinated staff and customers, with a low-risk status on their MySejahtera, enter their premises.

And as for supermarkets and hypermarkets, only customers and workers who have been fully vaccinated are allowed to enter the premises.

Sabah is currently in Phase 2 of the national recovery plan.

West Coast Coffee Shop and Restaurant Association chairman Yong Chee Yun pointed out that eateries will receive the short end of the stick from this ruling because not many people in Sabah have received Covid-19 vaccination, let alone their second jabs.

Despite the state government ramping up the inoculation exercise recently, he said Sabah’s vaccination rate, particularly for people who have obtained both doses, remained the lowest in the country.

“Many of our members have complained that these regulations will cost them dearly because many of their workers have not even received one dose of the vaccine,” he told FMT.

“The same goes for customers, many of whom have only received their first shots. Our member eateries have had to tell customers (with only one dose of vaccination) that they cannot dine in.

“Business is down after the SOPs were released yesterday. But some coffee shop operators have decided to ignore this by allowing anyone in … I have warned them that they are doing this at their own peril.”

As of yesterday, the Sabah health department said 43.9% of the adult population in the state had received their first dose while only 19.6% had completed both doses.

Yong said the dilemma for eatery operators in the state is that many have either non-Malaysian workers or those with permanent residence status.

“If the workers are not holding the red identity cards, they have the IMM13 document (issued to Filipino refugees who escaped to Sabah in the 1970s after unrest in southern Philippines).

“Even if the vaccination centres are allowing walk-in vaccination now, there are just too many people. We are not even sure if the IMM13 card holders are eligible for the free vaccination.

“That’s why we are hoping the government will reconsider this decision,” he said.

Yong also proposed that the government emulate Singapore, which he said allowed open-air eateries to receive all customers, including those yet to be vaccinated.

Meanwhile, Sabah Employers Association president Yap Cheen Boon also questioned the latest SOPs, saying the decision came as a surprise to many.

He said without engagements with the private sector, such health-centric policy measures will result in “economic collateral damage”.

“The state’s adult full vaccination rate currently stands at nearly 20%. Hence, with a stroke of the pen, only 20% of supermarket outlets and eateries will have the approval to open, and in turn receive up to 20% of customers at any time.

“Businesses cannot compel or force employees to be vaccinated. As such, businesses without fully vaccinated staff will be paying the price for actions beyond their control.”

Yap said businesses without fully vaccinated employees should be allowed to operate, with weekly screening tests conducted on employees, paid for by businesses and submitted to the health ministry for monitoring.

“Employees choosing not to be vaccinated for any reason should not enjoy the same benefits as their fully vaccinated colleagues when it comes to salaries or other benefits.”

https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/...usiness-groups/

EU looking into new possible side-effects of mRNA

cranx — Fri, 13 Aug 2021 10:50:30 +0800

Aug 11 (Reuters) - Three new conditions reported by a small number of people after vaccination with COVID-19 shots from Pfizer (PFE.N) and Moderna (MRNA.O) are being studied to assess if they may be possible side-effects, Europe's drugs regulator said on Wednesday.

Erythema multiforme, a form of allergic skin reaction; glomerulonephritis or kidney inflammation; and nephrotic syndrome, a renal disorder characterised by heavy urinary protein losses, are being studied by the safety committee of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), according to the regulator.

Pfizer, by far the biggest supplier of COVID-19 vaccines to the European Union, and Moderna did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.

Just over 43.5 million doses of Moderna's vaccine, Spikevax, have been administered in the European Economic Area as of July 29, the EMA said, compared to more than 330 million doses of the Pfizer shot, Comirnaty, developed with Germany's BioNTech (22UAy.DE).

Last month, the EMA found a possible link between very rare heart inflammation and the mRNA vaccines. However, the European regulator and the World Health Organization have stressed that benefits from these vaccines outweigh any risks.

The watchdog did not give details on Wednesday on how many cases of the new conditions were recorded, but said it had requested more data from the companies. The EMA did not recommend changes to the labelling of the vaccines.

It disclosed the new assessments as part of routine updates to the safety section of all authorised vaccines' database and added menstrual disorders as a condition it was studying for vaccines, including those from AstraZeneca (AZN.L) and J&J (JNJ.N), after the EMA's update last week.

https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare...nes-2021-08-11/

3 RMAF personnel believed killed in shooting

cranx — Fri, 13 Aug 2021 10:38:11 +0800

KUCHING (Aug 13): Three personnel from the Royal Malaysian Air Force are believed to have been killed in a shooting incident at their camp in Kota Samarahan around 7.15am today.

An initial survivor of the shooting, who was rushed to the Sarawak General Hospital Heart Centre, is also said to have died moments ago.

It is understood that he was also an Air Force personnel member.

Sarawak police commissioner Datuk Aidi Ismail, who confirmed the shooting, said police from the Kota Samarahan police headquarters are currently at the scene.

“Early investigations showed that the incident took place at the camp’s guardhouse,” said Aidi.

In a statement, the Air Force called on the public not to speculate on the incident to allow the police to conduct a thorough investigation.

The statement also said that an internal investigation team would be formed to determine the cause of the incident.

https://www.theborneopost.com/2021/08/13/th...samarahan-camp/

Fully vaccinated man dies of COVID-19

cranx — Thu, 12 Aug 2021 14:04:53 +0800

A woman’s fully vaccinated father died from COVID-19, with her saying she “can't imagine how much more he would have suffered if he had not gotten the vaccine.”

Yvonne Rodriguez saw her ill father, Patricio Elizondo, for the last time at the hospital. She remembered him struggling to breathe on his own, Newsweek reported.

When Rodriguez saw an X-ray of her father’s chest it was explained that he contracted COVID-19 despite being fully vaccinated and being cautious.

Initially, she thought her father was experiencing a flare-up of congestive heart failure or a recurring infection. In addition to heart problems, Elizondo had diabetes, making him a greater risk of developing severe COVID-19.

Elizondo mostly stayed indoors and wore his mask, Rodriguez said, not knowing where he got the virus that ultimately messed up his lungs.

On Tuesday, Elizondo died after succumbing to lung complications related to having COVID-19.

According to Jan Patterson, an infectious disease specialist at UT Health, Rodriguez was right in her assessment, that her father would have suffered more if he had not been vaccinated.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website, “There is some evidence that vaccination may make illness less severe for those who are vaccinated and still get sick.”

There are no vaccines that provide 100 percent protection against the virus, with the CDC stating that “there will be a small percentage of fully vaccinated people who still get sick, are hospitalized, or die from COVID-19.”

As Changing America previously reported, the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are about 95 percent effective against symptomatic COVID-19; Johnson & Johnson is around 66 percent.

Most masks are deemed ineffective in the eyes of Michael Osterholm, an epidemiologist and director of the University of Minnesota Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, he explained in an interview on CNN.

https://thehill.com/changing-america/well-b...vid-19-daughter

Pfizer Vaccine Could Get Final FDA Approval by Sep

cranx — Thu, 05 Aug 2021 11:33:01 +0800

[YOUTUBE]9ycg09rbmpY[/YOUTUBE]

As the delta variant spreads across the nation, NBC News has learned federal authorities are aiming to give Pfizer final approval by early next month. The transition from “emergency use authorization” could help more public and private institutions mandate the vaccine.

'$100 to anyone who gets fully vaccinated' - Biden

cranx — Fri, 30 Jul 2021 15:16:52 +0800

[YOUTUBE]ErN_naBjtQ0[/YOUTUBE]

US President Joe Biden on Thursday (July 29) urged local governments to pay people to get vaccinated against Covid-19, and set new rules requiring federal workers to provide proof of vaccination or face regular testing, mask mandates and travel restrictions.

The measures are Biden's latest attempt to spur reluctant Americans to get vaccinated as the Delta variant of the coronavirus surges nationwide, infecting unvaccinated people in particular.

Mandatory Vaccination for All Retail Workers

cranx — Thu, 29 Jul 2021 13:32:43 +0800

KUALA LUMPUR: The Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry is in the final phase of making vaccination of all employees in the retail sector one of the pre-conditions for approval for companies to resume operation, during the National Recovery Plan (NRP) period.

Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi said this was especially for economic activities that involved face-to-face contact and interaction.

"The retail, distribution and services are among important economic sectors for the development of the country.

"They are also sectors which have been adversely affected by the implementation of the Movement Control Order (MCO) where almost the entire retail sector is not allowed to operate except those in essential services.

"Therefore, the ministry hopes that the vaccination to the workers in the retail sector can be expedited to enable the business to reopen and operate fully earlier under PPN," he said in a statement today.

Nanta said the ministry was also looking into expanding the industrial vaccination centres (PPVIN) for the retail industry vaccination programme (RiVAC) outside the Klang Valley, especially in Johor and Penang, in the near future.

"Additional PPVIN will accelerate the achievement of the Operation Surge Capacity objective which targets 100 per cent of the Klang Valley population to receive at least the first dose of the vaccine by Aug 1."

Nanta said there were currently five RiVAC PPVINs in the Klang Valley that started operations this week and one RiVAC PPVIN in Melaka would start operating in early August.

He said thus far, a total of 226,353 employees in the retail and distribution industry nationwide had registered through 4,033 companies with the RiVAC.

"As of yesterday, a total of 2,348 people had received the first dose of vaccine at the RiVAC PPVIN at Mid Valley Exhibition Centre (MVEC); 1,206 people at the RiVAC PPVIN at IOI City Mall and 779 people at the RiVAC PPVIN Petaling Jaya Performing Arts Centre, in Bandar Utama," he said.

Further information and registration can be made through the ministry's portal at rov.kpdnhep.gov.my/rov or directly contact the Trade Distribution and Services Industry Secretariat (SPIP) at 03-8882 5881/ 5905 or via email to rov@kpdnhep.gov.my. – BERNAMA

https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2021/07/...ation-mandatory

NFL Football Red wristband, Yellow wristband

cranx — Mon, 26 Jul 2021 23:13:54 +0800

The NFL has deferred to its teams the procedure for visually identifying vaccinated and unvaccinated players at practice. In Pittsburgh, unvaccinated players are wearing yellow wristbands (first-round rookie running back Najee Harris is one of the few wearing it). In Jacksonville, unvaccinated players will wear a wristband.

In Tampa, the team has said vaccinated players will wear a red wristband and unvaccinated players will wear a yellow wristband. Photos emerging from Sunday’s practice reveal plenty of players with red wristbands, such as tight end Rob Gronkowski and receiver Mike Evans. For some players, no wristband can be seen.

Quarterback Tom Brady had no wristband. Neither did quarterback Blaine Gabbert or quarterback Kyle Trask.

Running back Leonard Fournette, who has made it clear that he’s not vaccinated, had no wristband, either.

It’s unclear what any of it means, other than the intended procedures apparently aren’t being completely adhered to, yet.

Red wristband, yellow wristband; some Bucs had no wristband at all originally appeared on Pro Football Talk

https://sports.yahoo.com/red-wristband-yell...-110732478.html

Southeast Asia turning away from Chinese vaccines

cranx — Sat, 24 Jul 2021 11:21:43 +0800

Southeast Asia is reducing its reliance on Chinese Covid-19 vaccines, with some countries pivoting towards rival shots amid concerns about vaccine efficacy as the delta variant rips through their populations.

Public doubts about the Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines against the highly contagious mutation could deal a blow to China’s vaccine diplomacy efforts in its own regional backyard. Asia is being ravaged by a fresh wave of Covid-19 which is causing record daily highs in many countries.

Fears have centred in particular on infections and even deaths among inoculated frontline health workers, prompting both Indonesia and Thailand this month to change their vaccine policies and offer booster shots of Moderna and AstraZeneca to medics.

In Indonesia, currently a global virus epicentre, Covid-19 is taking a devastating toll on healthcare workers, with 114 doctors dying so far this month alone, according to the Indonesian Medical Association.

In early July, the Thai health ministry confirmed that 618 medical workers out of 677,348 who had received two doses of Sinovac, had also been infected.

Malaysia last week announced it too would consider booster shots with either Pfizer-BioNTech or the AstraZeneca vaccines for people who had received a double shot of Sinovac.

The government, which is facing public discontent over soaring cases despite a strict and protracted lockdown, said it would stop administering Sinovac beyond its current stocks of 12 million doses, although Khairy Jamaluddin, the immunisation minister, denied the decision was linked to efficacy fears.

The slower release of data on Chinese vaccines has fanned efficacy doubts, even though Sinopharm was given emergency approval by the World Health Organisation in May, and Sinovac in June. No significant safety concerns have been flagged on either.

According to the WHO, Sinopharm’s efficacy in preventing symptomatic infection was 78 per cent in the UAE, Bahrain, Egypt and Jordan combined.

On July 7, the New England Journal of Medicine published the results of a study conducted among 10.2 million people vaccinated with Sinovac in Chile.

It found the vaccine to be 65.9 per cent effective for the prevention of Covid-19, 87.5 per cent for the prevention of hospitalisation, 90.3 per cent for the prevention of ICU admission, and 86.3 per cent for the prevention of Covid-19–related death.

Professor Benjamin Cowling, an epidemiologist of Hong Kong University, warned against letting “perfect be the enemy of the good” when considering the use of Chinese shots, which are produced from inactivated virus, similar to flu vaccines.

“Just because they are not perfect, doesn’t mean they are not good,” he said.

“There is no question that these vaccines are saving lives… inactivated vaccines have lower effectiveness against infection than some of the other vaccines but they still have very high levels of effectiveness against severe disease or death.”

Mr Cowling argued that in a situation of vaccine shortage, such as the one facing Southeast Asia, a less efficient vaccine was still better than none at all.

Sinovac, the leading vaccine developer and manufacturer in China, has exported some 150 million doses to Southeast Asia, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines, at a time when global vaccine supply chains have struggled to meet demand.

“It’s very unfortunate that there have been these cases of deaths in healthcare workers but, acknowledging that the vaccines are highly effective, that means that a much worse situation has been averted,” he said.

“What we don’t have is a clear picture in many of these locations of the scale of infections in the community,” said Mr Cowling, adding that it was “disappointing” at this stage in the pandemic to see that infection control in countries like Indonesia had not been stepped up to protect medical workers.

But he argued that more public data was needed on Chinese vaccines to address specific concerns about efficacy against the Delta variant.

Preliminary studies have suggested that inactivated virus vaccines could offer less protection against variants than the original virus.

A study published this week by scientists from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura as well as Colombo Municipal Council in Sri Lanka, and the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, suggested Sinopharm’s vaccine elicited weaker antibody responses against the Delta variant.

Both Sinopharm and Sinovac were contacted for comment.

This week, Sinovac spokesperson Liu Peicheng told Malaysia’s Bernama that although there was a “reduction in its neutralising effect,” the vaccine “remains effective against the Delta variant.”

Some Southeast Asian nations now find themselves in a tight spot between assuaging their public that they are not being shortchanged over the best vaccines and the risk of upsetting China - one of their major trade partners – which is using vaccine diplomacy to extend its regional influence.

In Thailand, public anxiety was fuelled by a leaked document from the health ministry that quoted an official saying the offer of a Pfizer booster shot to medical workers would be "an admission that Sinovac can't give protection".

“For Southeast Asian governments, concerns about potentially upsetting Beijing take a backseat to the immediate political priority of managing worsening outbreaks across the region, and the latter includes ensuring frontline workers in particular are given all possible protection,” said Peter Mumford, a regional analyst with the Eurasia Group.

He said governments faced a “tricky balance” to demonstrate they were diversifying supplies to counter the Delta variant while “also not exaggerating the risks from the Chinese vaccine and thereby potentially exacerbating broader vaccine hesitancy and causing undue alarm.”

Drew Thompson, a senior research fellow at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at Singapore’s National University, said China’s vaccine diplomacy fit into the general pattern of Beijing’s increasingly assertive approach to foreign policy.

“China’s threat to only permit people who have been vaccinated with Chinese vaccines to enter China is a coercive tool and one which creates more pressure” on countries like Singapore or Malaysia with large ethnically Chinese populations with family ties to the mainland, he said.

But he added that Singapore, which is on track to vaccinate two thirds of its citizens by early August without including Sinovac in its official programme, had become “adept at striking that balance and standing up for itself, pursuing its own interests and not offending China.”

The biggest challenge to Asian governments might be facing down criticisms from their own public.

“It is a difficult communication exercise to persuade people that ‘something is better than nothing,’ because that’s not a good marketing slogan,” said Professor Cowling.

“People don’t want to settle for what they think is second best, if they can wait a little bit longer and get something better. But the limitations in supply are really a big issue.”

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/southeast-asia-tu...-113939190.html

Unstudied Link Between COVID Vaccine and Periods

cranx — Fri, 23 Jul 2021 14:27:00 +0800

[YOUTUBE]IGqDGeDssmY[/YOUTUBE]

After Katharine Lee got her COVID-19 vaccine, she noticed an unusual side effect: a heavier period. She shared her observation with a fellow anthropologist, Kathryn Clancy, who had the same reaction. Clancy posted her findings on Twitter and the tweet went viral––apparently, they weren’t alone in this: thousands of people were experiencing similar side effects from the vaccination. The two biological anthropologists went on to launch a research study into the effects the COVID-19 vaccines might have on the menstrual cycle. Early findings: even some people who had aged out of periods, or were on hormone-suppressing drugs, experienced sudden, heavier periods.

But this wasn’t one of the side effects that the CDC looked for in its studies.

As it turns out: this comes from a long lineage of periods, and people with periods, being overlooked in scientific studies. VICE News digs into the history of how and why scientists have failed to adequately study periods and kept any information they do have away from the people who have them. And how that’s having very real consequences today.

White House slams Facebook

cranx — Fri, 16 Jul 2021 11:04:13 +0800

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-surgeon...ion-2021-07-15/

WASHINGTON, July 15 (Reuters) - Facebook is not doing enough to stop the spread of false claims about COVID-19 and vaccines, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Thursday, part of a new administration pushback on misinformation in the United States.

Facebook, which owns Instagram and WhatsApp, needs to work harder to remove inaccurate vaccine information from its platform, Psaki said.

She said 12 people were responsible for almost 65% of anti-vaccine misinformation on social media platforms. The finding was reported in May by the Center for Countering Digital Hate, but Facebook has disputed the methodology.

"All of them remain active on Facebook," Psaki said. Facebook also "needs to move more quickly to remove harmful violative posts," she said.

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy also raised the alarm over the growing wave of misinformation about COVID-19 and related vaccines, saying it is making it harder to fight the pandemic and save lives.

"American lives are at risk," he said in a statement.

In his first advisory as the nation's top doctor under President Joe Biden, Murthy called on tech companies to tweak their algorithms to further demote false information and share more data with researchers and the government to help teachers, healthcare workers and the media fight misinformation.

"Health misinformation is a serious threat to public health. It can cause confusion, sow mistrust, harm people's health, and undermine public health efforts. Limiting the spread of health misinformation is a moral and civic imperative," he said in the advisory, first reported by National Public Radio.

False information feeds hesitancy to get vaccinated, leading to preventable deaths, Murthy said, noting misinformation can affect other health conditions and is a worldwide problem.

A Facebook spokesperson said the company has partnered with government experts, health authorities and researchers to take "aggressive action against misinformation about COVID-19 and vaccines to protect public health".

"So far we've removed more than 18 million pieces of COVID misinformation, removed accounts that repeatedly break these rules, and connected more than 2 billion people to reliable information about COVID-19 and COVID vaccines across our apps," the spokesperson added.

Facebook has introduced rules against making certain false claims about COVID-19 and its vaccines. Still, researchers and lawmakers have long complained about lax policing of content on its site.

Murthy said at a White House press briefing that COVID-19 misinformation comes mostly from individuals who may not know they are spreading false claims, but also a few "bad actors".

His advisory also urges people not to spread questionable information online. The head of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, a group that tracks COVID-19 misinformation online, said it was inadequate.

"On tobacco packets they say that tobacco kills," the group's chief executive Imran Ahmed told NPR. "On social media we need a 'Surgeon General's Warning: Misinformation Kills.'"

U.S. COVID-19 infections last week rose about 11% from the previous week, with the highest increases in areas with vaccination rates of less than 40%, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and continued to tick up on Wednesday. read more

Cases plummeted in the spring as the vaccine rolled out following a winter spike in infections, but shots have slowed and just about 51% of the country has been vaccinated, Reuters data show.

"It's been hard to get people to move" from not wanting the COVID-19 vaccine "to recognizing that the risk is still there," Dr. Richard Besser, a former CDC chief who now heads the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, told MSNBC.

Representatives for the nation's largest tech companies could not be immediately reached for comment on the advisory.

MAG workers to be fully-vaccinated by mid-August

cranx — Thu, 08 Jul 2021 13:01:36 +0800

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG) employees are expected to be fully- vaccinated by mid-August following its participation in the industry vaccination centre programme at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

In a statement, Malaysia Airlines Bhd said a total of 5,150 vaccines have been allocated for MAG’s Kuala Lumpur-based employees including those in Malaysia Airlines, Firefly, Amal, MASkargo and AeroDarat.

Employees comprising technical and cabin crew as well as customer-facing staff will be receiving their first dose of the Sinovac Covid-19 vaccination between July 6 and July 23 and a second dose by mid-August.

A similar programme is being planned for its employees based at the Penang International Airport.

“As an organisation that puts its employees’ safety, health, and well-being as a priority, the group is pleased to participate in the programme.

“MAG has introduced the enforcement of the MAG vaccination policy as part of its ongoing commitment to ensuring a safe environment at the workplace, and this includes making Covid-19 vaccination compulsory for all MAG employees, ” said MAG group CEO Izham Ismail.

He added that almost 90% of the 1, 200 MAG employees in Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan have been vaccinated.

An additional 1, 200 MAG employees in Peninsular Malaysia had obtained their first dose.

“Vaccination plays a vital role in the restart of domestic and international air travel and tourism. We remain steadfast in our commitment to adopting the highest safety and hygiene standards in air travel, ” said Izham.

To further support the nation’s biggest Covid-19 immunisation drive, MAG continues to mobilise its employees from across the group to volunteer at several mega vaccination centres namely the Axiata Arena, Bukit Jalil and the KL Convention Centre.

https://www.thestar.com.my/business/busines...d-by-mid-august

ISIS Malaysia: Selective Vaccine Passports

cranx — Thu, 08 Jul 2021 11:28:29 +0800

KUALA LUMPUR, July 8 — The Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia has criticised the selective recognition of Covid-19 vaccines for travel by both major Western and Asian powers.

The local think tank said this would lead to a “more fractured world” where smaller countries would feel “torn” between major blocs.

“It’s not difficult to imagine how a Covid-19 vaccine passport could become a tool to impose influence, control and power. That is exactly what we need to work against,” ISIS Malaysia chief executive Herizal Hazri told CodeBlue Tuesday.

“But it is important to mention that this isn’t a uniquely ‘Western’ development. For instance, until April 2021, a condition for entry to China included the stipulation that applicants must be vaccinated with vaccines produced in China.”

The European Union (EU) delegation to Malaysia said in a statement yesterday that the EU would consider recognising Malaysia’s Covid-19 vaccination certificate as equivalent to the EU Digital Covid Certificate for travel into the region, but noted there is no common EU-wide list of entry requirements for international travellers. EU’s vaccine passport is currently only for European citizens or residents and enables exemption of free movement restrictions like testing and quarantine for travel between the 27 EU countries, as well as Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein.

According to the EU, entry into the region is “in principle” allowed to people fully vaccinated with coronavirus vaccines authorised in the EU, including shots manufactured in facilities not covered by marketing authorisation in the bloc. EU countries can also permit entry to people who received Covid-19 vaccines that were approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) for emergency use.

EU’s drug regulator, the European Medicines Agency (EMA), has authorised four Covid-19 vaccines — the Vaxzevria version of the AstraZeneca-Oxford shot manufactured in the EU and the United Kingdom, as well as the coronavirus vaccines by American pharmaceutical companies Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson.

The WHO’s emergency-use listing covers AstraZeneca vaccines produced by South Korea and India, besides the version manufactured in the EU, as well as the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, and Chinese vaccines Sinopharm and Sinovac. The AstraZeneca vaccines used in Malaysia are made in South Korea, Thailand, and Japan, while the government has also rolled out the Pfizer and Sinovac shots.

“Geopolitics have long permeated vaccine production and distribution, and it is likely that some aspects of it will spill over to vaccine passports. At least initially,” Herizal said.

“Countries will soon be aware that the disruption that follows unequal vaccinations as well as selective recognition of vaccines will cost more to the global economy, for example supply chain disruptions will cause inflation.

“We are already seeing the highest inflation in food prices in decades and there is no secret that the bulk of food suppliers are from lesser-developed economies. The longer they are denied access to vaccines, the bigger impact it will have on all.”

When asked which individual EU countries were likely to accept Covid-19 vaccines used in Malaysia, Herizal maintained that diplomacy and internal negotiations between countries would continue on the issue of vaccine recognition as more nations reopen during the pandemic.

“But we should also look further down the road. In the medium or long term, the vaccines’ effectiveness could decrease, and we might be needing booster shots to increase immunity levels. This raises the question of what happens to someone vaccinated with a ‘recognised’ vaccine, but no longer immune from Covid-19. What happens to that person’s travel plans then?”

When asked if Malaysia should reciprocate and deny entry to European travellers should the EU refuse to recognise Malaysia’s Covid-19 vaccine certificate, Herizal said a “tit-for-tat response is only a short-term solution”.

“Fundamentally, it is in the interests of all countries that safe, seamless travel resume soon. It is not in Malaysia’s interest to be selective when we reopen our borders just because the EU is doing so.”

The BBC reported last week sources as saying that India would not recognise a EU vaccine pass for international travellers unless the bloc acknowledged India’s own vaccine certificate, with Delhi reportedly telling EU countries that it would “institute a reciprocal policy for recognition of the EU Digital Covid Certificate.”

https://codeblue.galencentre.org/2021/07/08...fracture-world/

Singapore Vaccination Marketing Campaign

cranx — Tue, 06 Jul 2021 11:00:06 +0800

[YOUTUBE]yAQ51SJkQPw[/YOUTUBE]
[YOUTUBE]Cf2T3YgyaHA[/YOUTUBE]
[YOUTUBE]2ozNu6nk3aY[/YOUTUBE]

Singles worldwide are realizing vaccine centers

cranx — Wed, 30 Jun 2021 12:20:52 +0800

Of all the places to score a date in Seoul, Korean schoolteacher Jeon Byunghoon did not think the vaccination center would be one of them.
Jeon, a teacher in his late 30s, took part last week in the country's nationwide vaccine rollout for teachers. What he did not expect when he got in line was meeting a female teacher who had "so much in common" with him.

"We were all standing quietly in line, and I thought I'd break the silence and talk to someone, knowing they were probably teachers too. She had long brown hair and pretty eyes. When we got to chatting, I realized we went to the same university and had mutual friends," Jeon told Insider.
The two went for coffee after they got their COVID shots and added each other on messaging platform KakaoTalk.

"I'm not saying she's the love of my life, but we've gone on two dates since," he added.
Jeon is just one of many singles who've found love in an unlikely place - the vaccine center. While countries ramp up their vaccine drives and open it up to younger people, the dating scene around these centers is turning into a veritable fishing pool of eligible singles emerging from the dark ages of prolonged quarantine, raring to mingle (and get vaccinated too, of course.)

Vaccine rollouts across the US may have even been boosted when the authorities found a way to make getting vaxxed sexier with dating app tie-ins. The White House announced this May that dating sites like Bumble, Tinder, and OkCupid were going to allow users to filter matches by vaccination status, per NPR.
British publication The Face wrote that more singles in the UK emerging from the loneliness of lockdown were also on the prowl for dates at vaccine sites. "It was quite fun being there, watching hot people queue up. If you match with them on Tinder, there's a guaranteed conversation starter - asking them if they've been vaxxed," said Orla, 22, an art student from London who spoke to The Face.

She added that people were "literally jumping out of taxis in the middle of the road to join the queue" full of young, hot, pro-vaccine people.

Meanwhile, back in Asia, Beijing-based bank executive Wu Fan told Insider that she was chatted up by a "decent-looking young man in a suit" while queuing to get jabbed.
"We added each other on WeChat and realized that beyond being vaccinated we had other things to talk about too, like our mutual love for house plants. It's a bit weird to snag a date while lining up for a medical procedure, but I'm much more comfortable meeting someone I know for sure is vaccinated," Wu said.

And in Singapore where the government is currently rolling out COVID shots for younger citizens, some people are getting lucky too. Darren Yeoh, 31, who works in biochemical research, told Insider that he showed up for his jab at a local community center and got to chatting with a "cute girl" who he asked out after they both got their shots.

"The conversation started with her asking if I was 'nervous' to get the shot, and why I picked Pfizer over Moderna," Yeoh told Insider.
"I kind of regretted not wearing something nicer than a gym tank top with holes in it to the vaccine appointment. So, hot vaccine tip for everyone out there: Overdressing is underrated."

https://www.businessinsider.in/internationa...ow/83948915.cms

Inventor of mRNA vaccines - Dr. Robert Malone

cranx — Fri, 25 Jun 2021 16:52:50 +0800

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-97...ID-vaccine.html

The inventor of mRNA vaccines said 'the government is not being transparent about the risks' of the COVID-19 vaccine after YouTube deleted a video where he discussed potential risks for young adults and teens.

Dr. Robert Malone, who invented the mRNA technology that's now being used in the COVID-19 vaccine, told Fox's Tucker Carlson on Wednesday night that there isn't enough data about the risks for these age groups and doesn't believe they should be forced to get vaccinated.

'I don't think the benefits outweigh the risks in that cohort,' said Malone, referring to people in the 18 to 22 age bracket, 'but unfortunately the risk-benefit analysis is not being done.'

'My concern is I know there are risks but we don't have access to the data,' Malone said. 'And so, I am of the opinion that people have the right to decide whether to accept vaccines or not, especially since these are experimental vaccines.'

Malone shared his concerns the same day that an advisory group for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say there is a 'likely link' between rare cases of heart inflammation in adolescents and young adults and the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines.

The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines use mRNA technology, and the Johnson & Johnson vaccine uses the more traditional virus-based technology.

Malone says on his website that he invented the field of messenger mRNA therapeutics in 1988.

'His discoveries in mRNA non viral delivery systems are considered the key to the current COVID-19 vaccine strategies,' his biography says.

His warnings come as a presentation was released earlier Wednesday: The COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Technical (VaST) Work Group discussed nearly 500 reports of the heart inflammation, known as myocarditis, in vaccinated adults under age 30.

The group of doctors said the risk of myocarditis or pericarditis following vaccination with the mRNA-based shots in adolescents and young adults is notably higher after the second dose and in males.

Malone pioneered 'in-vitro RNA transfection' and also 'in-vivo RNA transfection' in 1987 and 1988 at the Salk Institute, according to his biography. He did that on frog embryos and mice.

[YOUTUBE]fdR0EHTX_5w[/YOUTUBE]

Parents all for examyear students to be vaccinated

cranx — Wed, 23 Jun 2021 15:05:08 +0800

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2021...o-be-vaccinated

PETALING JAYA: Parents and students are all for prioritising exam-year students for vaccinations so that schools can open soon.

Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia chairman Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said it was also a good idea to have vaccinations for students carried out at schools.

“If students can be completely vaccinated as soon as possible, schools may open earlier than planned, too, ” she told The Star.

She also said that schools should be used only as vaccine centres for students as security might be a challenge if the premises were turned into public vaccine dispensing centres.

Noor Azimah said vaccine supply should not be an issue as a large supply of doses was expected this month and July.

However, she noted that logistics matters in administering the vaccines to students in a timely manner might pose a challenge.

Melaka Action Group for Parents in Education chairman Mak Chee Kin said the vaccine rollout for students should commence as soon as possible.

“Preferably before we reach Phase 3 and schools resume face-to-face sessions, ” he said.

Educationist Datuk N. Siva Subramaniam said vaccinating the students was “essential”.

“We cannot avoid vaccinating the students, especially since the government has approved the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for those above the age of 12, ” he said.

Meanwhile, Form Five students are relieved that the wait is finally over for them to be vaccinated.

Chen Jiazen, 17, said he had been waiting to get his Pfizer-BioNTech shot.

Although the teenager from Subang Jaya is not fond of anything involving needles, including injections, he wants to be vaccinated and play his part in achieving herd immunity.

Another student, Mohamed Shahrizal Samsudeen, 17, said he could not wait for things to get back to normal, return to school and prepare for his upcoming Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia examination.

“As Malaysian citizens, we must help our country to overcome this pandemic and help the government to stop the virus from spreading widely, ” he added.

No cases of Heart Inflammation linked to

cranx — Sat, 19 Jun 2021 15:26:45 +0800

https://www.theedgemarkets.com/article/no-c...-dr-noor-hisham

KUALA LUMPUR (June 19): The Ministry of Health (MoH) said today it has not received any reports of heart inflammation from people who had been administered with Pfizer-BioNTech's Cormirnaty vaccine in Malaysia.

The ministry said in a statement today in the wake of reports by several countries such as the United States, United Kingdom and Singapore on the risk of myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) and pericarditis (inflammation of two outer layers of tissue surrounding the heart) associated with Covid-19 vaccines using mRNA technology, namely Pfizer and Moderna.

“Currently, only one type of mRNA vaccine, namely Comirnaty produced by Pfizer-BioNTech has been approved for conditional registration in Malaysia," said Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

He said the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency has carried out risk assessments on the safety issue based on information obtained from other regulatory agencies and international references.

“The MoH has concluded that the safety profile of the (Pfizer) vaccine remains positive and its usage for the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme will not be affected," he said, stressing that the benefits of the vaccine far outweigh the risks.

“As of June 13, a total of 2,793,826 Comirnaty vaccines have been given to the Malaysian population, involving a total of 1,676,959 first doses and 1,116,867 second doses,” Dr Noor Hisham said.

He said MoH also noted that no regulatory action has been taken by international reference bodies such as the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) on the Covid-19 mRNA vaccine products.

“MoH will continuously monitor through a registered product quality monitoring programme and pharmacovigilance to ensure the quality, safety and effectiveness of the vaccine.

“MoH also will inform the public of the latest developments from time to time,” he added.

Symptoms associated with myocarditis and pericarditis include chest pain, changes in heart rate and difficulty in breathing.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported more than 300 cases of myocarditis out of more than 20 million adolescents who had been vaccinated, most of them males under the age of 30.