Category: Corona Virus Vaccine

CLAIM

Unapproved genetically modified organisms in the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines could permanently change our DNA

DETAILS

Factually inaccurate: There are no genetically modified organisms in the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines. Inadequate support: The studies cited to support the claim that vaccine mRNA can modify the human genome are unrelated to vaccination or didnt actually find any DNA modification. Theres no reliable evidence showing that DNA in vaccines integrates into our DNA or increases the risk of cancer. In fact, several vaccines predating COVID-19 vaccines contain DNA, such as the chickenpox vaccine. These have been shown to be safe.

KEY TAKE AWAY

Concerns over the potential health effects of residual DNA in biological products like vaccines arent new or unknown to regulatory agencies. Regulatory agencies like the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have recommended specific limits on the amount of residual DNA in a vaccine. DNA-containing vaccines, such as the chickenpox vaccinea live attenuated vaccine containing a DNA virushave also been widely used before the pandemic and have been shown to be safe.

The tweet is a brief summary of an article published by Barnett in July 2023 on her blog Dystopian Down Under, revolving around a lawsuit brought against Pfizer and Moderna by Australian primary care physician Julian Fidge. Fidge seeks to stop further distribution of the vaccines in Australia, alleging that the vaccines contain unapproved GMOs. Both companies have challenged the injunction.

Fidge has promoted ivermectin as a COVID-19 treatment, despite the lack of reliable clinical evidence to support this, and has posted claims on social media suggesting that COVID-19 vaccines are deadly. Fidge was banned from prescribing certain drugs of dependence in December 2022, after the Medical Board of Australia found his practice had enabled a patients drug dependence, although this ban has been suspended following a temporary stay granted by an appeals court.

In this review, we discuss a few of the primary claims present in the Barnett article and demonstrate why they are inaccurate and misleading.

Health Feedback reached out to the Therapeutic Goods Administration, Australias regulator for pharmaceutical products, regarding Fidges claim about GMOs in the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines.

In an email, a spokesperson for the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator stated that:

COVID-19 mRNA vaccines do not meet the definition of a GMO in the Gene Technology Act 2000 so do not require a licence from the Gene Technology Regulator. The vaccines do not contain a GMO.

Australias Office of the Gene Technology Regulator defines a GMO (genetically modified organism) as:

COVID-19 mRNA vaccines dont contain organisms. As such, the claim that they contain unapproved GMOs is inaccurate. One example of a COVID-19 vaccine that does contain a GMO and is regulated as such is the AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 vaccine, as it uses a modified adenovirus vector to deliver the genetic material of the spike protein into cells.

While gene technology is also involved in making the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, notably recombinant bacteria as we will explain below, the vaccines dont contain the bacteria themselves.

Developing certain desirable traits in plants and animals, such as seedless fruits and intelligence in working dogs, is a human practice that has spanned centuries. Before gene technology was developed however, humans relied on selective breeding (artificial selection) to achieve this aim.

Apart from making it easier and faster to achieve certain traits in plants and animals, gene technology has been indispensable to medical advances. For instance, large-scale production of human insulin (a sugar-regulating hormone) is possible thanks to such technology. Insulin is critical for people with type I diabetes, whose bodies are unable to produce enough of the hormone. Type I diabetes can lead to fatal consequences if untreated.

An article by the American Diabetes Association explains that before this was possible, insulin from the pancreas of cattle and pigs was used for such patients, which occasionally led to allergic reactions.

Nowadays, we can obtain recombinant human insulin by inserting the genetic material encoding human insulin into a plasmid (a circular DNA molecule), and then inserting the plasmid into the bacterium Escherichia coli or bakers yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae)[1]. The bacterial or yeast cells carrying the plasmid will then produce insulin.

The manufacturing process for COVID-19 mRNA vaccines shares some similarities with the process for making recombinant human insulin. The Pfizer vaccine manufacturing process was detailed in a New York Times article, explaining that the genetic material for the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein is mass-produced by inserting it into a plasmid, which is then inserted into E. coli.

E. coli divides every 20 minutes, provided laboratory conditions are optimal, allowing very large amounts of plasmid to be generated relatively quickly[2].

The DNA is then harvested from the bacteria and cut to isolate the segment containing the spike proteins genetic material. This segment is then transcribed into mRNA.

Because of the manufacturing process, a certain amount of DNA still gets left behind in the vaccine. Regulatory agencies, like the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, have recommended limits on the amount of residual DNA in biological products like vaccines, as they are aware of potential health concerns related to residual DNA.

However, Barnetts claim that there is a dangerously excessive level of residual DNA in COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, citing the findings of genomics expert Kevin McKernan as evidence, is inaccurate.

McKernans findings about residual DNA were examined in two reviews from Health Feedbackin both reviews, we concluded that while McKernan and colleagues may have detected DNA in the vaccines, they offered no reliable evidence that the amount of DNA had exceeded the limits recommended by regulatory agencies. In fact, one of the tests performed by McKernan actually found that residual DNA levels in the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine vials tested were well below recommended limits, as we pointed out in this review.

Misinformation surrounding the presence of DNA in vaccines has existed long before the COVID-19 pandemic, as an early Health Feedback review documented. Like early iterations of such misinformation, Barnetts article plays up fears that COVID-19 vaccine mRNA can modify our DNA, citing various studies that purportedly support this claim.

She cited a study allegedly showing the Pfizer Covid vaccine mRNA is able to enter the human liver cell line and reverse transcribe into DNA in vitro. However, this study, conducted by Alden et al.[3] at Lund University in Sweden, comes with major caveats, which Health Feedback reported on in March 2022.

Experts pointed out that the experimental system used was artificial, as the researchers used a liver cancer cell line, which is more likely to overproduce an enzyme used for reverse transcription (making DNA from RNA) compared to healthy cells. The researchers also used much higher doses of vaccine in the experiment than the dose administered to adults.

Furthermore, the study didnt find reverse-transcribed DNA entering the nucleus, much less integrating into the cells DNA.

Barnett also went on to cite two other studies purportedly supporting the claim. But a closer reading of these studies indicates that neither study shows vaccine mRNA modifying the human genome. In fact, one is a preprint (a research paper that hasnt yet been peer-reviewed) showing spike mRNA in the nucleus of human cells during infection, not vaccination.

The other study found that mice could inherit certain immunological traits from their parents that had been injected with lipid nanoparticles[4]. This type of nanoparticle is used to encase vaccine mRNA.

However, the researchers didnt find that the lipid nanoparticles had modified the mices DNA. Instead, they proposed that this was the result of DNA methylation:

The mechanism of inheritance also remains to be determined. Likely, it is partially mediated through DNA methylation changes that interferons and other inflammatory cytokines might have induced in this case. DNA methylation-based mode of inheritance has recently been proposed with the transgenerational inheritance observed with pre-exposure to different pathogens.

DNA methylation involves a reversible chemical change to the DNA strand and is an example of epigenetics. Epigenetics affect how our genes work, without changing the underlying sequence of our DNA. In the case of methylation, methyl groups are added to the DNA strand. The methyl groups typically block proteins that are needed for gene expression, thus turning the gene off.

Although these changes dont affect the underlying DNA sequence, epigenetic changes can still be transmitted from parent to child. In fact, these changes have been proposed as an explanation for the increased risk of certain metabolic diseases in children born to women who experienced poor nutrition in pregnancy. Notably, studies of people affected by the Dutch famine at the end of World War II greatly advanced this aspect of our understanding of epigenetics and its role in health[5,6].

Even if residual DNA were to make it into our cells, theres no evidence indicating this would integrate into our genes. As the Vaccine Education Center of the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia explained here, for DNA to integrate into our genome, the DNA would not only have to enter the nucleus, the enzyme called integrase is also needed, which isnt present.

There are also other obstacles. Marc Veldhoen, an immunologist and professor at the University of Lisbon, took to X/Twitter to explain why DNA in COVID-19 mRNA vaccines doesnt trigger concerns about health.

He highlighted the fact that there are already a number of vaccines in use that contain DNA, such as the COVID-19 adenovirus vector vaccines, as well as the chickenpox vaccine (the virus for chickenpox is a DNA virus). Theres no evidence that these vaccines are associated with a greater risk of developing cancer.

He added:

Like DNA or RNA vaccines, vaccines using attenuated or killed pathogens work from a similar principle. The DNA/RNA gets into your cells, and protein from the pathogen is made. Important(sic), DNA/RNA vaccines cannot amplify nor do they generate infectious material.

In all these cases, DNA would make it into our cells. However, our cells have multiple ways to detect foreign DNA and destroy it, since our immune system sees foreign DNA as a sign of infection[7-9]. This would eventually lead the affected cells to die by programmed cell death (apoptosis) and the removal of the cell, proteins, DNA, and RNA left behind.

So no, even with scare stories about SV40 enhancers, the DNA or RNA does not get into the nuclei, it certainly does not integrate, the cell dies. It detects DNA or RNA, and it dies. It makes foreign protein, and it dies. i.e.; no matter what, the cell dies, Veldhoen concluded.

It is also worth keeping in mind that if exposure to DNA alone were sufficient to produce DNA changes, then gene therapy (altering peoples genes to cure a disease) would be a lot easier to accomplish than it actually is.

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There are no genetically modified organisms in the COVID-19 ... - Health Feedback

NEWARK N.J. A Sussex County, New Jersey, man was sentenced to 36 months in prison for defrauding several financial institutions and illegally obtaining more than $2 million in COVID-19 funding meant to help small businesses impacted by the pandemic, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today.

John Jhong, 54, of Sparta, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton to an information charging him with one count each of bank fraud, money laundering, and misuse of a Social Security number. Judge Wigenton imposed the sentence on Nov. 15, 2023, in Newark federal court.

The defendant took money from government programs that were established to provide financial assistance to Americans who were struggling to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. The sentence handed down today is his reward for attempting to turn these vital relief programs into his personal ATM. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to find and punish those who have tried to take advantage of the federal government.

The theft of taxpayer funds is inexcusable, Tammy Tomlins, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation, Newark Field Office, said. IRS Criminal investigation will hold accountable anyone who steals from government programs intended to help those in need. We remain committed to working with our law enforcement partners to ensure fraudsters are brought to justice. Todays sentence punishes the defendants criminal conduct and should serve as a significant deterrent to others who would selfishly steal from their fellow citizens to unlawfully enrich themselves.

Ensuring the Postal Service is not being used to perpetuate frauds against the U.S. Government, or its citizens, is one of our top priorities, Christoper A. Nielsen, Inspector in Charge, Philadelphia Division, said. The Postal Inspection Service will continue to investigate CAREs Act fraud schemes through our participation in the NJ COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Strike Force.

Today the defendant in this case was brought to justice for fraudulently obtaining more than $2 million in COVID-19 relief funding that was designed to assist struggling businesses during the pandemic, Special Agent in Charge Patricia Tarasca of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General (FDIC OIG) saod. The FDIC OIG will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate and hold accountable those who took advantage of pandemic relief programs and threatened to undermine the integrity of our Nations financial institutions.

As the nation was struggling with the damaging effects of the pandemic, Mr. Jhong callously attempted to deceive lenders and fraudulently secure Paycheck Protection Program loans by knowingly misusing several Social Security numbers, Gail S. Ennis, Inspector General for the Social Security Administration, said. I thank the investigating agencies and the U.S. Attorneys Office for their efforts in holding Mr. Jhong accountable for these crimes.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

Jhong submitted numerous fraudulent loan applications in which he sought over $15 million in federal pandemic aid and illegally obtained $2 million of that money. Jhong used false and fraudulent tax returns, government forms, and other peoples names and documents, including Social Security numbers of individuals who were deceased for over a decade. He spent his ill-gotten gains on personal expenses.

In addition to his prison sentence, Judge Wigenton ordered three years of supervised release and restitution of $2.13 million.

U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of IRS Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Tammy Tomlins; special agents of U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Inspector in Charge Nielsen, Philadelphia Division; special agents of the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Sharon MacDermott; special agents of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of the Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Patricia Tarasca in New York; and special agents of the U.S. Secret Service, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jose Riera. He also thanked the Sparta Township Police for their assistance.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Fatime Meka Cano of the U.S. Attorneys Economic Crimes Unit in Newark and Trial Attorney Chad M. Davis of the U.S. Department of Justices Criminal Division, Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section.

The District of New Jersey COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Strike Force is one of five strike forces established throughout the United States by the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute COVID-19 fraud. The strike forces focus on large-scale, multi-state pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and transnational actors. The strike forces are interagency law enforcement efforts, using prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams designed to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds.

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justices National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

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Sussex County Man Sentenced to Three Years in Prison for $2 ... - Department of Justice

The live vaccine, Bovilis Nasalgen, can be used for the active immunisation of calves from the day of birth to reduce clinical signs of upper respiratory tract disease and nasal viral shedding from infection with BCoV.

Speaking at a vaccine launch briefing, Dr. Paul Burr, vet, and director of Biobest Laboratories commented: "BCoV is well-established as a cause of neonatal calf diarrhoea. However when present in the respiratory tract, BCoV increases the risk for BRD in calves, resulting in respiratory infections with histopathological lesions and clinical signs.

Dr Paul Burr from Biobest Laboratories

"BCoV is frequently isolated, research has shown that BCoV infection disturbs the protective mucus lining of the thoracic tract3," he added.

Respiratory disease in UK calves is widespread and comes at a high cost from an emotional and business productivity perspective. Its a classic iceberg disease and one that is continually highlighted as a critical area for the overuse of antibiotics. Despite this background, there is an underuse of vaccination in the UK cattle sector.

"Recent UK studies show bovine coronavirus being the most prevalent virus found in routine disease screening and nasal swab samples taken during a bovine respiratory disease outbreak. BCoV was found in 39% of more than 400 nasal swab samples taken between 2020 and 2022 from BRD-affected cattle on UK farms," quoted Dr. Paul Burr.

Also speaking at the webinar was the veterinary adviser with MSD Animal Health, Dr Kat Baxter-Smith: "Research on 59 UK farms known to have had a history of BRD issues conducted by MSD Animal Health reported 91.5% of farms being positive for BCoV.

Dr Kat Baxter-Smith from MSD Animal Health

"Whilst the pathogenicity of BCoV within the BRD complex remains an unknown quantity, its ubiquitous presence in the UK cattle population and the recent human experience of coronavirus as a significant respiratory pathogen suggests a need for a re-evaluation of BRD control by vets and farmers," she added.

"Just as coronavirus is a pathogen associated with the common cold and COVID-19, BCoV is a proven pathogen that directly impacts the calf respiratory tract. Consequently, the availability of this new BRD vaccine presents veterinary professionals with another tool in their armoury to improve control of this costly disease.

If diagnostics suggest BCoV is implicated in any BRD problem, the availability of Bovilis Nasalgen allows UK cattle farmers to effectively administer protection for young calves via a single 2ml intranasal dose that can quickly reach the site of action. This will support the development of immunity against BCoV early in life, the onset of which starts five days after administration and has a 12-week duration.

Dr Baxter-Smith concluded: "Bovilis Nasalgen comes with valuable administration flexibility in that it can be used on the same day with Bovilis INtranasal RSP Live, which offers protection against both Bovine Respiratory Syncytial Virus (BRSV) and Parainfluenza-3 Virus (Pi3)."

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New bovine coronavirus vaccine reduces respiratory diseases - The Scottish Farmer

For patients with immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN), gross hematuria was more likely to develop in females and after the second or subsequent COVID-19 vaccinations, according to a recent study.1

Previous studies found gross hematuria developed after an upper respiratory tract infection in 30% 40% of patients with IgAN, except the cause remains unknown. Another study back in June reported 4 cases of IgAN patients developed gross hematuria after a CoV-2 infection. The gross hematuria developed 2 days after experiencing COVID-19 related symptoms.2

It is noteworthy that gross hematuria developed in each case after SARS-CoV-2 infection with different clinical characteristics, with differing treatment status for IgAN, vaccination history, and timing of SARS-CoV-2 infection, the investigators of the earlier study wrote. Although 3 patients (cases 1, 3, and 5) had been vaccinated for COVID-19, no patient presented with gross hematuria in relation to vaccination.

In the new study focusing on the association between gross hematuria and COVID-19 vaccinations, the investigators, led by Ryousuke Aoki from Juntendo University in Tokyo, Japan, wanted to better understand the mechanisms of gross hematuria in patients with immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN). The prospective cohort contained 82 patients who developed gross hematuria after the COVID-19 vaccination. The investigators collected their participant sample from both patients of Juntendo University Hospital or Juntendo University Urayasu Hospital between May 11, 2023, and July 31, 2022.

Since serum and urinary galactose deficient IgA1 levels are associated with the development of IgAN in patients with gross hematuria after the COVID-19 vaccination, the investigators collected both serum and urinary samples from baseline to six months. The investigators collected serum and urine sample from the baseline to six months. They measured IgA1 by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays.1

Most (71%) of the patients who developed gross hematuria after a COVID-19 vaccination were females (n = 58), and 92% of the patients developed gross hematuria after the second or subsequent vaccinations.

The data suggests galactose-deficient IgA1 levels in the glomeruli was boosted by a COVID-19 vaccination more than just increased serum levels. Serum levels had been similar from month 0 to month 6 (gross hematuria 0: 5135.7 ng/mL, gross hematuria 6: 5354.8 ng/mL; P=.319). Meanwhile urinary levels were increased at the time of the vaccination (gross hematuria 0: 42.7ng/mL, gross hematuria 6 31.7ng/mL; P = .030).

Our cohort study suggests that [gross hematuria] in IgAN is triggered by some alternations in glomerulus itself that facilitate the deposition of [galactose-deficient]-IgA1, investigators wrote. Increased incidence of [gross hematuria] after COVID-19 vaccination in females and after the second or subsequent vaccinations may help to clarify the mechanism of [gross hematuria] in detail.

References

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Gross Hematuria Observed in Patients with IgA Nephropathy After ... - MD Magazine

In a joint report today, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said amid ongoing declines in measles vaccination, cases in 2022 rose by 18%, and deaths were up 43% globally compared to 2021.

The groups detailed their findings in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Last year, 37 countries reported large or disruptive outbreaks, up from 22 in 2021. The African region was hit hardest, with 28 outbreaks, followed by the Eastern Mediterranean (6), South East Asia (2), and European regions (1).

The researchers also saw coverage gaps of the vaccine, which is given as a two-dose series. Though global vaccine coverage was up modestly between 2021 and 2022, 33 million kids missed a measles vaccine dose, including 22 million who didn't get their first dose and 11 million who never received their second shot. Global coverage rates are still below the 95% two-dose goal needed to protect communities from outbreaks.

Measles deaths were highest in low-income countries, where coverage rates were lower, with no sign of recovery after the pandemic. Of 22 million who missed their second measles vaccine dose last year, more than half were from just 10 countries: Angola, Brazil, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Madagascar, Nigeria, Pakistan, and the Philippines.

In a CDC press release, Kate O'Brien, MD, the WHO's director for immunization, vaccines, and biologicals, said the report's findings are an alarm bell for action. "Measles is called the inequity virus for good reason. It is the disease that will find and attack those who arent protected," she said.

In a statement, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, said the findings reiterate the ongoing need to speed and support recovery following the pandemic. Aurelia Nguyen, Gavi's chief program officer, said filling coverage gaps was a challenge even before the pandemic. "And with cases, outbreaks and preventable deaths rising so sharply due to increased immunity gaps related to the pandemic, it shows how even more important it is that our Alliance provides an unprecedented level of support to countries in 2024," she said.

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Nearly half of US veterans had long-COVID symptoms up to 6 ... - University of Minnesota Twin Cities

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] A study by researchers at the Brown University School of Public Health on ways to mitigate the impacts of misleading COVID-19 information found that variations in the designs of prior studies have complicated efforts at drawing strong conclusions about what worked and what did not.

The study, published in Health Affairs on Wednesday, Nov. 15, shows where existing research is lacking and how it can be improved. For example, when studies tested the impact of COVID-19 misinformation interventions, they used significantly different examples of misinformation, assessed 47 outcomes yet rarely measured public health outcomes such as intent to vaccinate.

The authors recommend that the research community makes evidence comparable and actionable, and includes public health experts in the design and delivery of health misinformation interventions.

Public health practitioners, journalists, community organizations and other trusted messengers are tasked with responding to health misinformation every day, said co-author Stefanie Friedhoff, an associate professor of the practice at Browns School of Public Health and co-director of the Information Futures Lab. While this is a complex area of study, we have a responsibility toward those on the frontlines to generate evidence that is meaningful and as actionable as possible. Our review can move the needle by identifying what is missing and where the research community needs to go next.

Misinformation is information that is false, inaccurate or misleading according to the best available evidence at the time, according to the Office of the U.S. Surgeon General. Government agencies, public health authorities and social media platforms have employed various measures to counter misinformation that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The researchers evidence review covered 50 papers published between Jan. 1, 2020, and Feb. 24, 2023, that in total investigated the efficacy of 119 misinformation interventions.

The research team categorized and explored different types of COVID-19 misinformation examples used in the studies, such as vaccines are not safe or garlic water can cure COVID-19. The team also analyzed the ways in which study participants were exposed to such content whether through video, text, images, audio or combinations of these.

While they found some evidence supporting interventions such as accuracy prompts, debunks and media literacy tips in mitigating either the spread of or belief in COVID-19 misinformation, the review revealed major challenges with the current approach to studying health misinformation more broadly.

Examining misinformation and its impact with greater granularity allowed us to more clearly discern if an intervention worked on a specific kind of misinformation, and in what context, said co-author Rory Smith, research and investigation manager at the Information Futures Lab. That is important because not all misinformation is the same, and details such as the delivery mechanisms and messengers matter, as other studies have also shown.

The researchers found that most studies measured outcomes such as likelihood to share misinformation or perceived accuracy of misinformation, while only 18% of studies measured any public health-related outcomes, such as intent to vaccinate or self-reported mask wearing.

To more clearly discern the impact of various interventions and make evidence actionable for public health, the field urgently needs to include more public health experts in intervention design and implementation, the authors concluded.

An increased focus on misinformation research emerged after concerns about the role of misinformation in elections, so many of the key researchers come from political science, explained co-author Claire Wardle, a professor of the practice at Browns School of Public Health and co-director of the Information Futures Lab.

As we have seen misinformation impact a number of different topics and issues, it is time researchers from different disciplines investigating misinformation, including public health, to come together to connect the dots, Wardle said.

The research was supported by Brown Universitys Peter G. Peterson Foundation Pandemic Response Policy Research Fund.

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Study identifies urgent need for improved research on how to ... - Brown University

Yoshiko Iwai, MS, MFA, class of 2024 UNC School of Medicine student writes opinion piece on Online Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Scientific American.

I woke up an hour late Wednesday morning, and by the time I had thrown on a sweatshirt, prepared my glass of Emergen-C, and logged ontoZoom, my class had been going on for 15 minutes. The night before I had taken cough syrup for my seasonal cold, and this was the first day my school switched to virtual instruction. Over the course of the three-hour workshop, I noticed my puffy eyes on the panel of faces and became self-conscious. I turned off my video. I became distracted with the noise of sirens outside and muted my speaker, only to then realize: by the time youre done muting-and-unmuting, the right moment to join the conversation has already passed. I found myself texting on my computer, stepping away to make coffee, running to the bathroom, writing a couple e-mails, and staring at my classmates dog in one of the video panels. I dont think my experience is unique; I imagined similar situations playing out in virtual offices and classrooms across the world.

To read more, click here.

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Iwai Writes Opinion Piece on Online Learning During the COVID-19 ... - UNC Health and UNC School of Medicine

The NHS is to expand the use of a research platform behind the roll-out of new Covid-19 treatments to help drive life-saving advances for other major diseases.

With the support of GPs and academic researchers, the NHS is widening the use of the service to allow scientists to securely analyse data in GP systems without seeing patient-identifiable information in a plan which could lead to the discovery of new treatments for other major conditions such as cancer, diabetes and asthma.

Access to this data will help researchers understand more about medicines, treatments and patient outcomes, which could support better clinical practice and provide crucial evidence on the most effective prescribing.

During the pandemic, academic researchers used anonymised NHS data to help identify new treatments for Covid-19 and understand how best to keep communities safe. Data analysis also helped the NHS to prioritise care to the most vulnerable people, and to develop vaccines against the virus.

One of the key systems used to deliver these insights was NHS Englands OpenSAFELY service, developed in collaboration with the Bennett Institute for Applied Data Science at the University of Oxford.

OpenSAFELY which has so far enabled over 150 research projects from 22 different organisations played a crucial role during the pandemic, helping researchers to understand which patients were most at risk from the virus, evaluate the effectiveness of vaccines, monitor which patients were receiving new Covid-19 treatments, and understand changes in patient care during and after the pandemic.

The NHS will now carefully test which types of research the service could support beyond Covid-19, following feedback from academic researchers, patients, and medical professionals.

OpenSAFELY is designed to keep patient data confidential and secure, and the de-identified data does not leave the platform at any stage.

Researchers write the code for their analyses without directly accessing patient data, and their queries are then submitted for automatic analysis against patient records inside a secure setting that no researcher ever needs to access. Only anonymised results are released from the platform, following output checks.

OpenSAFELY will be open to new research applicants as soon as possible in 2024.

The expansion of OpenSAFELY builds on a wider programme already outlined in the governments Data Saves Lives strategy to improve health and care using data, involving several platforms through which data for research is accessed. NHS England will continue to explore a range of solutions to support safe access to data for life-saving research.

The public will have an opportunity to find out more about these programmes and have their say at a series of engagement events starting next year to gather views on digital and data transformation in the NHS.

It will also allow the health and care system to meet its commitments in the Data Strategy to develop products with the involvement of the public.

NHS National Medical Director for Transformation Dr Vin Diwakar said: The data held by the NHS is globally unique and as we saw during the pandemic, this approach enables researchers to benefit from that valuable resource, whilst keeping the data secure, safe and private.

Expanding this service will unlock the power of patient data to help drive life-saving treatment breakthroughs to help people with a range of conditions and illnesses.

Health and Social Care Secretary Victoria Atkins said: Our NHS is at the forefront of life-saving medical research, and services like this will help drive future breakthroughs that deliver the best outcomes for patients. It played a vital role during the pandemic, helping us to identify which people were most at risk of the virus and determine the effectiveness of vaccines.

I am determined that we now build on this progress. By using patient data while protecting their privacy, we will be able to support people with a range of conditions including cancer, diabetes and asthma encouraging innovation and life-saving research.

Professor Ben Goldacre, Director of the Bennett Institute for Applied Data Science, said: OpenSAFELY has shown that its possible to address privacy concerns, and also deliver research outputs at scale, in collaboration with our diverse community of analyst users across the country. We are excited to be working ever more closely with NHS England on this important service.

Drs Mark Coley, Paul Atkinson and Imran Khan, co-chairs and vice-chair of the BMA and RCGPs Joint GP IT Committee, said: The Committee has witnessed how the OpenSAFELY platform, and the services run by the OpenSAFELY team, have matured to become a valuable component of NHS analysis infrastructure, with associated benefits for patients and the NHS, whilst supporting patient privacy and transparency of research . The Committee therefore supports the use of the OpenSAFELY service to extend to approved research analyses beyond Covid-19.

Professor Laurie Tomlinson, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: As a clinician who has worked with Electronic Health Record data for many years, it has been frustrating to see that the potential of NHS patient data to improve care and health service delivery has been largely untapped. OpenSAFELY is a transformative approach to patient data, enabling rapid, large-scale research to provide answers to critically important research questions, while protecting patient privacy. I am absolutely delighted that it has become part of the national infrastructure for the secure use of patient records to improve healthcare.

Seb Bacon, Chief Technical Officer of the Bennett Institute for Applied Data Science, said: The OpenSAFELY platform is a groundbreaking framework for reproducible, safe, open science. NHS Englands commitment to the software and service will support its continued growth, and expand its relevance for the wider open science community.

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NHS England NHS expands use of secure COVID-19 research ... - NHS England

In a joint report today, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said amid ongoing declines in measles vaccination, cases in 2022 rose by 18%, and deaths were up 43% globally compared to 2021.

The groups detailed their findings in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Last year, 37 countries reported large or disruptive outbreaks, up from 22 in 2021. The African region was hit hardest, with 28 outbreaks, followed by the Eastern Mediterranean (6), South East Asia (2), and European regions (1).

The researchers also saw coverage gaps of the vaccine, which is given as a two-dose series. Though global vaccine coverage was up modestly between 2021 and 2022, 33 million kids missed a measles vaccine dose, including 22 million who didn't get their first dose and 11 million who never received their second shot. Global coverage rates are still below the 95% two-dose goal needed to protect communities from outbreaks.

Measles deaths were highest in low-income countries, where coverage rates were lower, with no sign of recovery after the pandemic. Of 22 million who missed their second measles vaccine dose last year, more than half were from just 10 countries: Angola, Brazil, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Madagascar, Nigeria, Pakistan, and the Philippines.

In a CDC press release, Kate O'Brien, MD, the WHO's director for immunization, vaccines, and biologicals, said the report's findings are an alarm bell for action. "Measles is called the inequity virus for good reason. It is the disease that will find and attack those who arent protected," she said.

In a statement, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, said the findings reiterate the ongoing need to speed and support recovery following the pandemic. Aurelia Nguyen, Gavi's chief program officer, said filling coverage gaps was a challenge even before the pandemic. "And with cases, outbreaks and preventable deaths rising so sharply due to increased immunity gaps related to the pandemic, it shows how even more important it is that our Alliance provides an unprecedented level of support to countries in 2024," she said.

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By The ASCO Post Staff Posted: 11/16/2023 9:27:00 AM Last Updated: 11/16/2023 9:52:57 AM

Investigators have uncovered that fewer surgical, chemotherapy, and radiation treatments may have been performed in patients with cancer during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a recent study published by Nogueira et al in JAMA Oncology. The new findings may be attributable to the significant deficits in the number of cancer diagnoses made during the early pandemic rather than to changes in cancer treatment strategies.

Study Methods and Results

In this recent retrospective cross-sectional study, the investigators used the National Cancer Database to examine the data of 3.5 million patients1.2 million from 2018, 1.2 million from 2019, and 1 million from 2020aged 18 and older who were diagnosed with solid tumors between January 2018 and December 2020. The expected number of procedures for each treatment modality (surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and hormonal therapy) in 2020 was calculated using historical data from January 2018 to December 2019. The reported deficits in treatment reflected the difference between expected and observed numbers.

Compared with the number of expected treatments from previous years trends, physicians initiated approximately 98,000 fewer curative-intent surgeries, 38,800 fewer chemotherapy regimens, 55,500 fewer radiation therapy regimens, 6,800 fewer immunotherapy regimens, and 32,000 fewer hormonal therapies in 2020. For the majority of cancer sites and stages evaluated, the investigators found no statistically significant changes in the type of cancer treatment provided during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemicthe exception being a statistically significant decrease in the proportion of patients receiving breast-conserving surgery and radiation therapy with a simultaneous statistically significant increase in the proportion of patients undergoing mastectomy for the treatment of stage I breast cancer during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Conclusions

These findings are very concerning. We knew the COVID-19 pandemic led to disruptions in access to health care, including cancer care, but were now beginning to see the full extent of the damage, underscored lead study author Leticia Nogueira, PhD, MPH, Scientific Director of Health Services Research at the American Cancer Society. More studies still need to be done concerning cancer care and disruptions during the pandemic, mainly if these treatment deficits resulted in changes in cancer survival and mortality. Future studies should also evaluate whether clinical, socioeconomic, and facility characteristics are associated with changes in cancer treatments during the pandemic, she concluded.

Disclosure: For full disclosures of the study authors, visit jamanetwork.com.

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