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In a significant development, AstraZeneca the pharmaceutical giant behind one of the world's most widely used COVID-19 vaccines has admitted for the first time that its product carries a rare risk of Thrombosis Thrombocytopenia Syndrome, triggering blood clots and low blood platelet counts. This admission comes amid mounting concerns over the safety profile of the AstraZeneca vaccine, known as Covishield in India and Vaxzevria in Europe.
The acknowledgement surfaced in UK court documents, where AstraZeneca conceded that its adenovirus vector technology-based vaccine could, in very rare cases, lead to TTS, a serious blood clotting disorder. The revelation has sparked renewed scrutiny and raised questions about the vaccine's overall risk-benefit profile. Legal actions have been initiated against AstraZeneca, with about 51 cases lodged in the UK High Court by individuals and families affected by adverse reactions to the vaccine.
In India, where Covishield constitutes a significant portion of the national vaccination drive, the admission has prompted discussions about vaccine safety and public confidence. Dr. Ishwar Gilada, an infectious disease expert, emphasised the rarity of TTS, with incidence rates estimated at one in 50,000.
Despite the rare risk of TTS, experts emphasise the overwhelming benefits of vaccination in mitigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Vaccines, including Covishield, have played a crucial role in preventing severe illness, hospitalisations, and deaths associated with the virus.
The admission by AstraZeneca underscores the need for ongoing monitoring and assessment of COVID-19 vaccines to ensure their safety and effectiveness in the global fight against the pandemic.
(With inputs from multiple agencies)
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PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) This week marks a post-pandemic turning point, as hospitals are no longer required to report COVID-19 admissions to the government.
Almost as soon as the masks went on in 2020, the federal government began tracking the COVID virus in communities. States and hospitals were required to report positive tests and hospital admissions.
Last year they ended the test reporting requirement, but added that hospitals report flu and RSV in addition to COVID.
So with the sunset of these requirements, the reporting from hospitals becomes voluntary, said VDH Respiratory Disease Program Manager Elena Diskin. [The] CDC has strongly encouraged hospitals to continue reporting voluntarily, given the value of these data.
The data fueled dashboards such as the CDCs weekly FluView report, in which you could see how widespread flu activity was in your region.
So, I think its really important for folks, especially those who need to watch more closely their own health or the health of those around them, to monitor the trends of respiratory viruses, Diskin said.
Diskin said VDH can still track the spread of viruses because mandatory reporting was just one piece of the puzzle.
So, emergency department visits are one of the faster ways to see changes in those trends, she said. And thats really what we would point to as kind of are key indicator right now.
Still, Diskin hopes hospitals will continue to provide the data. They can do it voluntarily. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has also proposed a new rule that would, in effect, reinstate required reporting beginning Oct. 1.
The UK Covid-19 Inquiry has opened in Belfast today where it will hear several weeks of testimony.
It will look at decision making in Northern Ireland during the pandemic and how it contributed to the handling of the crisis.
Families who lost loved ones to Covid-19 during the pandemic walked to the opening day of hearings this morning.
There was emotional testimony on the steps of the inquiry as they talked about their relatives and the questions they want answered.
They include whether a different approach to the pandemic could have saved lives and whether delays in the provision of healthcare led to some people dying of otherwise curable forms of cancer.
Among those due to give evidence are representatives of bereaved families, health professionals, current and former senior civil servants, and Stormont politicians.
The inquiry is likely to examine tensions between the parties who made up the Stormont Executive at the time and whether it fed into Covid decision making.
The inquiry will sit for three weeks in Northern Ireland.
Among the areas it will cover is the Stormont government's response to the emerging crisis.
That will include the initial reaction, subsequent decision making, and both the political and civil service performance.
There is also likely to be a considerable focus on rules around public gatherings and funerals including .
There was an outcry in Northern Ireland when large crowds of republicans, including senior Sinn Fin politicians, attended the funeral of former IRA leader Bobby Storey.
The public prosecution service later decided not to bring any charges due to what it said was a lack of "clarity and coherence" within the regulations.
This incident was raised during the inquiry today.
Former DUP agriculture minister Edwin Poots also caused controversy when he claimed there was a higher incidence of the infection in nationalist areas.
'Significant underestimation'
Counsel to the Inquiry Clair Dobbin KC said Covid-19 had struck Northern Ireland during a "fragile" time politically.
The power-sharing Executive had just been re-established after a three-year collapse and had to confront an unprecedented public health emergency just months later.
She questioned whether there had been a "significant underestimation of the speed and scale of what was unfolding" and little evidence of urgency.
In the early days of the pandemic, the inquiry heard that the Executive appeared to be reacting not leading with people left people to make their own decisions.
Ms Dobbin said the June 2020 funeral of veteran IRA leader Bobby Storey had undermined political consensus and asked whether it had damaged public confidence in the restrictions in place at the time.
The inquiry was also told that ministerial WhatsApp messages had been deleted on devices belonging to both Arlene Foster and Michelle O'Neill, who were first and deputy first ministers at the time.
They apparently did not receive a message from the inquiry that all such communications were to be kept as potential evidence.
A barrister for bereaved families later described this as a "sorry revelation".
Peter Wilcock KC for the families said at times it appeared that "party politics mattered more to some senior politicians than following the science".
He was particularly critical of Sinn Fin for attending Mr Storey's funeral at the same time as ordinary families were being denied by Executive decisions they had helped take.
Documents produced to the inquiry also showed deep frustration on the part of Northern Ireland's Chief Medical Officer Dr Michael McBride.
In a communication with Health Minister Robin Swann in Autumn 2020, Mr McBride described - what is believed to be a reference to other executive ministers - as "dysfunctional".
He added: How will we ever get through this with an enemy within. I've a good mind to walk off and leave them to it, as no doubt do you.
"But then those that really matter, those whom they seem to have forgotten they represent, are really depending on us."
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Ms Foster and Ms O'Neill, who were first and deputy first ministers at the time, are expected to give evidence in the weeks ahead.
Inquiry chair Heather Hallett met eight bereaved families in Belfast last night ahead of the proceedings.
One of the first groups she will hear from - Northern Ireland Covid Bereaved Families for Justice - represents around 150 families.
Brenda Doherty is a founding member.
Her 82-year-old mother Ruth Burke was the first woman to die of the infection in Northern Ireland.
Ms Doherty said she hoped it was important to have the inquiry in Belfast to look specifically at Northern Irelands experience.
She said that Northern Ireland had at times too closely followed UK rules when the circumstances were different and that there should have been greater cross border partnership to better tackle the pandemic.
Ms Doherty said: "Recommendations cant sit on the shelf and gather dust, were always the last tram.
"So actually to have them here, to have the chair meet the families who are taking part in a listening exercise, because its our voices that need to be heard."
She said her family was still dealing with the trauma of losing their mother during lockdown with all the restrictions that accompanied the death and funeral.
Ms Burke contracted the virus while in hospital and was the fourth person to die in Northern Ireland and the first woman.
"It was a closed coffin, we didnt get to bring her home, we met her at the cemetery gates," she said.
"My brothers and her grandsons still struggle with the fact that they didnt get to carry her," she added.
At the time, ten family members were allowed in the cemetery but only Ms Doherty and her sister were allowed at the graveside.
"I went to touch the coffin and I was told that I couldnt touch it and I couldnt be there til mummy was in a hole in the ground, so I didnt even get to touch her coffin," Ms Doherty said.
"And after that the cemetery gates were closed for three weeks and we werent allowed in until the restrictions at cemeteries were lifted," she said.
"For us as a family, mummy dying without any of us there, we will never, ever get over that," she added.
Ms Doherty said: "Theres a lot of guilt, and the families that we support I would say the guilt is not ours to carry, we were only following guidelines.
"But you still feel guilty and I dont think my mummy would have understood why none of us were there.
"She was as sharp as a nail, but I think if someone was trying to explain to her that she had to die without any of us, she wouldnt have been able to comprehend why that was."
SHANGHAI (AP) The first scientist to publish a sequence of the COVID-19 virus in China staged a sit-in protest outside his lab after authorities locked him out of the facility a sign of Beijings continuing pressure on scientists conducting research on the coronavirus.
Zhang Yongzhen wrote in an online post Monday that he and his team had been suddenly notified they were being evicted from their lab, the latest in a series of setbacks, demotions and ousters since the virologist published the sequence in January 2020 without state approval.
When Zhang tried to go to the lab over the weekend, guards barred him from entering. In protest, he sat outside on flattened cardboard in drizzling rain, pictures from the scene posted online show. News of the protest spread widely on Chinese social media and Zhang told a colleague he slept outside the lab but it was not clear Tuesday if he remained there.
I wont leave, I wont quit, I am pursuing science and the truth! he wrote in a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo that was later deleted.
AP correspondent Charles de Ledesma reports a leading scientist in China is protesting his eviction from his lab.
In an online statement, the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center said that Zhangs lab was being renovated and was closed for safety reasons. It added that it had provided Zhangs team an alternative laboratory space.
But Zhang wrote online that his team wasnt offered an alternative until after they were notified of their eviction, and that the lab offered didnt meet safety standards for conducting their research, leaving his team in limbo.
Zhangs latest difficulty reflects how China has sought to control information related to the virus: An Associated Press investigation found that the government froze meaningful domestic and international efforts to trace it from the first weeks of the outbreak. That pattern continues to this day, with labs closed, collaborations shattered, foreign scientists forced out and Chinese researchers barred from leaving the country.
When reached by phone on Tuesday, Zhang said it was inconvenient for him to speak, saying there were other people listening in. In an email Monday to collaborator Edward Holmes seen by AP, Zhang confirmed he was sleeping outside his lab after guards barred him from entering.
An AP reporter was blocked by a guard at an entrance to the compound housing Zhangs lab. A staff member at the National Health Commission, Chinas top health authority, said by phone that it was not the main department in charge and referred questions to the Shanghai government. The Shanghai government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Zhangs ordeal started when he and his team decoded the virus on Jan. 5, 2020, and wrote an internal notice warning Chinese authorities of its potential to spread but did not make the sequence public. The next day, Zhangs lab was ordered temporarily shut by Chinas top health official, and Zhang came under pressure by Chinese authorities.
Around the time, China had reported several dozen people were being treated for a respiratory illness in the central city of Wuhan. Possible cases of the same illness had been reported in Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan involving recent travelers to the city.
Foreign scientists soon learned that Zhang and other Chinese scientists had deciphered the virus and called on China to release the sequence. Zhang published it on Jan. 11, 2020, despite a lack of government permission.
Sequencing a virus is key to the development of test kits, disease control measures and vaccinations. The virus eventually spread to every corner of the world, triggering a pandemic that disrupted lives and commerce, prompted widespread lockdowns and killed millions of people.
Zhang was later awarded prizes in recognition for his work.
But Zhangs publication of the sequence also prompted additional scrutiny of his lab, according to Holmes, Zhangs collaborator and a virologist at the University of Sydney. Zhang was removed from a post at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention and barred from collaborating with some of his former partners, crippling his research.
Ever since he defied the authorities by releasing the genome sequence of the virus that causes COVID-19 there has been a campaign against him, Holmes said. Hes been broken by this process and Im amazed he has been able to work at all.
On May 11, 2023, ICE released the Post Pandemic Emergency COVID-19 Guidelines and Protocols, which supersedes the Pandemic Response Requirements (PRR) 10.0 released on November 1, 2022.
On November 1, 2022, ICE released a revised version of the PRR, which includes several updates and points of clarification to the previous version of the PRR released on June 13, 2022.
On June 13, 2022, ICE released a revised version of the PRR, which includes several updates and points of clarification to the previous version of the PRR released on April 4, 2022.
On April 4, 2022, ICE released a revised version of the PRR, which includes several updates and points of clarification to the previous version of the PRR released on Oct. 19, 2021.
On October 19, 2021, ICE released a revised version of the PRR, which includes several updates and points of clarification to the previous version of the PRR released on March 18, 2021.
On March 16, 2021, ICE released a revised version of the PRR, which includes several updates and points of clarification to the previous version of the PRR released on October 27, 2020.
On October 27, 2020, ICE released a revised version of the PRR, which updated the definition of and procedures surrounding severe psychiatric illness in ICEs identification of aliens at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19; adjusted ICE procedures in notifying the detainee and his or her legal counsel within 12 hours that the detainee falls within the populations identified as potentially being at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19 and/or subclasses certified in Fraihat v. ICE; added a requirement for non-dedicated ICE detention facilities to evaluate new admissions within five days of entering custody to determine if the detainee falls within the population identified as potentially at higher risk for serious illness from COVID-19; added a section on ICE procedures for handling vulnerable populations at high risk, to include performance standards for screening, testing and custody determinations, to include requiring all new arrivals into ICE detention be tested for COVID-19 within 12 hours of arrival (collection timeframe may extend to 24 hours if facility collection logistics require additional time); included updated procedures for the use of safe cleaning products, as well as reporting requirements and ICE investigations if adverse reactions to cleaning products are experienced by detainees; amended detainee transfers by discontinuing the transfer of ICE detainees except in certain circumstances, with transfers required to clear quarantine protocols and ICE Health Services Corps, and transfers for any other reasons requiring pre-approval by the local ERO Field Office Director; highlighted that extended lockdowns must not be used as a means of COVID-19 prevention practice; and established that medical isolation is operationally distinct from administrative or disciplinary segregation, or any punitive form of housing.
On September 4, 2020, ICE released a revised version of the PRR, a dynamic document that was developed in consultation with the CDC and is updated as new information becomes available and best practices emerge. This version of the PRR updates the list of COVID-19 symptoms recognized by the CDC; provides additional guidance on protocols for asymptomatic staff who have been identified as close contacts of a confirmed COVID-19 case; clarifies that whenever possible, ICE will limit transfers of both ICE detainees and non-ICE detained populations to and from other jurisdictions and facilities unless necessary for medical evaluation, medical isolation/quarantine, clinical care, extenuating security concerns, to facilitate release or removal, or to prevent overcrowding; updates isolation protocols for COVID-19 cases to incorporate the latest CDC guidance on discontinuing transmission-based precautions using a symptom-based or time-based strategy rather than a testing-based strategy; and provides additional information on testing for asymptomatic individuals with known or suspected recent exposure.
On July 28, 2020, ICE released a newly revised version of the PRR, which identifies additional populations potentially at higher risk for serious illness from COVID-19; provides updated guidance on personal protective equipment (PPE); updated guidance on hygiene practices; offers additional guidance when transporting a detainee with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19; includes direct reference to CDC guidance for individuals in medical isolation in detention facilities; and includes an updated testing section based on recently released CDC guidance.
On June 22, 2020, ICE ERO released a revised version of the PRR, which expanded the list of COVID-19 symptoms; identified additional vulnerable populations potentially at higher risk for serious illness from COVID-19; provided that if single isolation rooms are unavailable, individuals with confirmed COVID-19 should be isolated together as a cohort separate from other detainees, including those with pending test results and that suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases maintain separation of groups by common criteria; and added facility compliance measures and updated visitation protocols.
On April 10, 2020, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) released the COVID-19 Pandemic Response Requirements (PRR), a guidance document developed in consultation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that builds upon previously issued guidance. Specifically, the PRR sets forth specific mandatory requirements expected to be adopted by all detention facilities housing ICE detainees, as well as best practices for such facilities, to ensure that detainees are appropriately housed and that available mitigation measures are implemented during this unprecedented public health crisis.
BEIJING (AP) The first scientist to publish a sequence of the COVID-19 virus in China said he was allowed back into his lab after he spent days locked outside, sitting in protest.
Zhang Yongzhen wrote in an online post early Wednesday that authorities had tentatively agreed to allow him and his team to return to his laboratory and continue their research for the time being.
Zhang had been staging a sit-in protest outside his lab since the weekend after he and his team were suddenly notified they had to leave their lab, a sign of Beijings continuing pressure on scientists conducting research on the coronavirus.
One of Chinas leading coronavirus researchers has staged a sit-in protest outside his Shanghai lab after reportedly being kicked out, state media reported Tuesday.
Virologist Zhang Yongzhen is widely credited as the first scientist to sequence the SARS-Cov-2 virus genome, an essential step to understanding the virus and making vaccines to combat it. But Zhang, who continues to research similar viruses, has seemingly been sleeping outside his lab in recent days.
Authorities said they informed the lab it would have to close due to construction and gave the scientist two days to move everything into another facility. But Zhang, in a now-deleted Weibo post, claimed that a student informed him about the eviction, not the authorities, and that the other lab did not have the proper containment equipment and security needed to safely work with highly contagious and risky viruses.
It is unclear whether Zhang is still outside the Shanghai lab, and on Tuesday he told the Associated Press it was inconvenient for him to talk publicly about the protest. Meanwhile, state authorities have prevented most media from getting near the lab.
But Zhangs rare protest underscores the tense dynamic between the Chinese government and the public health officials and scientists who study COVID-19. China has repeatedly said it supports transparent research into the origin of the virus and is committed to sharing the data with the world, but observers outside China argue that has not been the case.
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Zhang had been staging a sit-in protest outside his lab since the weekend after he and his team were suddenly notified they had to... Read More Zhang had been staging a sit-in protest outside his lab since the weekend after he and his team were suddenly notified they had to leave their lab, a sign of Beijing's continuing pressure on scientists conducting research on the coronavirus. The Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center previously said Zhang's lab was being renovated and was closed for safety reasons. But Zhang said his team wasn't offered an alternative until after the eviction and the new lab didn't meet safety standards for conducting their research. Read Less BEIJING: The first scientist to publish a sequence of the Covid-19 virus in China said he was allowed back into his lab after he spent days locked outside, sitting in protest. Zhang Yongzhen wrote in an online post early on Wednesday that authorities had "tentatively agreed" to allow him and his team to return to his laboratory and continue their research for the time being. Zhang had been staging a sit-in protest outside his lab since the weekend after he and his team were suddenly notified they had to leave their lab, a sign of Beijing's continuing pressure on scientists conducting research on the coronavirus. The Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center previously said Zhang's lab was being renovated and was closed for safety reasons. But Zhang said his team wasn't offered an alternative until after the eviction and the new lab didn't meet safety standards for conducting their research. Zhang's latest difficulty reflects how China has sought to control information related to the virus: An Associated Press investigation found that the government froze meaningful domestic and international efforts to trace it from the first weeks of the outbreak. That pattern continues to this day, with labs closed, collaborations shattered, foreign scientists forced out and Chinese researchers barred from leaving the country.
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Zhang Yongzhen, the Chinese virologist who first published the Covid-19 virus sequence, was allowed back into his laboratory after a prolonged sit-in protest that highlighted the ongoing suppression of scientific research in China. Zhang's determined protest came as a response to his sudden and unexplained eviction from the lab, which had been a critical site for coronavirus research. The ordeal began over the weekend when Zhang and his team were unexpectedly barred from entering their lab at the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center. In an act of resistance, Zhang stationed himself outside the lab, enduring several nights exposed to the elements, including periods of drizzling rain. He and his team displayed banners with messages like Resume normal scientific research work, which quickly captured the public's attention and spurred widespread discussion on social media. The images and stories of Zhangs protest resonated across various platforms, eventually putting pressure on the local authorities to address the situation. By early Wednesday, Zhang announced through a post on Weibo that a "tentative agreement" had been reached with the medical center. This agreement temporarily reinstated his team's access to their lab and initiated negotiations to potentially relocate the lab without disrupting their critical research activities. The Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center had previously justified the lab's closure by citing urgent renovations needed for "safety reasons" and claimed that alternative laboratory space was provided. However, Zhang countered these claims in his statements online, arguing that the alternatives were unsuitable and that the eviction notice was abruptly given without proper justification, reflecting a lack of support and transparency from the institution. This incident is part of a broader pattern of challenges Zhang has faced since he chose to publish the genomic sequence of the virus on January 11, 2020, without waiting for government approval. His actions, though crucial for global Covid-19 research, led to a series of professional setbacks, including being barred from conducting further virus isolation and being removed from a prestigious post at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Despite international recognition and several awards for his groundbreaking work, Zhang's career in China has been marred by governmental interference and restrictions, underscoring the tight control over scientific inquiry, especially regarding sensitive topics like Covid-19. Zhangs struggle and subsequent protest not only illustrate the personal cost of scientific integrity but also reflect the ongoing conflict between scientific advancement and political control in China. (With inputs from agencies)
