Category: Covid-19 Vaccine

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) The Erie County Department of Health is holding three COVID-19 vaccine clinics at restaurants on Elmwood Avenue, offering a free mimosa if you get the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

The health department is holding these three clinics between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. at the following locations

Our Shot and Chaser events received national and international recognition in May, with breweries signing on to help us in our vaccination outreach in innovative ways, said Commissioner of Health Dr. Gale Burstein. "With each event, we are adding to the numbers of people in our community who are protected against COVID-19. Now, with Doses and Mimosas, we have another creative way to reach Erie County residents, and capitalize on the foot traffic and visitors to this section of Elmwood Avenue in Buffalo.

The health department says these appointments will accept walk-ins, but it is recommended that you make an appointment in advance.

You can make an appointment by calling (716) 858-2929 or by clicking here.

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ECDOH holding three 'doses and mimosas' COVID-19 vaccine clinics on Elmwood Avenue in Buffalo - WKBW-TV

When Karen Letourneau saw her mother in April for the first time in more than a year, she did not expect it would be the last time.

Three weeks earlier, Letourneaus mother, Patricia Caron of Lewiston, had received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The day they met, Caron felt symptoms of what she thought was a cold. But when Letourneau, who lives in Wales and was partially vaccinated then, found herself experiencing COVID-19 symptoms a few days later, she asked her mother to get tested.

Caron got a rapid coronavirus test. It came back positive. She ended up in the hospital and died of COVID-19 complications a few weeks later, her daughter said, becoming one of eight fully vaccinated Mainers to succumb to the disease.

These so-called breakthrough infections are rare, Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention Director Nirav Shah said last week. The state has identified 426 cases of the virus in fully vaccinated people, accounting for about 1 of every 1,600 vaccinated people in Maine. By comparison, more than 15,000 Mainers, or 1 out of every 88 people, have tested positive for the virus in the past two months alone.

Those numbers fit with scientific studies showing the vaccines used in the U.S. are more than 90 percent effective. But the deaths are tragedies for families who assumed vaccines would eliminate COVID-19 risk and raise concerns among people with compromised immune systems and their loved ones.

Health officials still emphasize that vaccinations are still the best way to stop the spread of the virus and prevent severe disease and are optimistic that Maines high overall vaccination rate will continue to reduce transmission, including breakthrough cases.

The initial data suggest breakthrough cases in Maine are more common in older individuals and people with underlying health conditions, Shah said. Almost all are not serious. About half of vaccinated people who tested positive for COVID-19 were not experiencing symptoms when contacted by a case investigator, according to the Maine CDC. Only 19 have been hospitalized.

Importantly, breakthrough cases have not been associated with one COVID-19 vaccine more than others, Shah said, nor have they been linked to particular variants. He said people who tested positive for the virus after being vaccinated were exposed in a variety of ways.

Because vaccines work by stimulating an immune response, they can be less effective for those with weakened immune systems, such as organ transplant recipients or chemotherapy patients, said Dr. James Jarvis, who leads Northern Light Healths COVID-19 response.

Jarvis emphasized, however, that vaccines are still incredibly helpful for immunocompromised people, who also tend to be at greater risk for severe COVID-19.

If I told you that you had a 90 percent chance if you came down with COVID-19 that you would be severely ill if you were unvaccinated, but you only have a 50 percent chance if you are vaccinated, then vaccines make a huge difference for you, he said. So it is important for people to remember that even if your immune response is less than what it is for the general population, its still better than not being vaccinated at all.

From a public health perspective, Jarvis noted that there is increasingly strong evidence that vaccines limit spread of the virus. A U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study released last week found vaccinated health care workers who contracted COVID-19 carried lower viral loads and shed less virus, making them less likely to transmit it to others.

That suggests widespread vaccine uptake can still reduce breakthrough cases in immunocompromised people by making them less likely to be exposed to the virus in the first place. Maine has started to see the effects of high vaccination rates on transmission in the past month, with cases and hospitalizations declining rapidly. Sixty-four percent of Mainers have now received at least one vaccine dose, according to federal data.

Letourneau, whose mother died from the virus despite being vaccinated, said she wishes there was more information available about breakthrough cases. If she had known more, she said, she would have taken more precautions despite her mothers vaccination status and been more insistent that she seek testing and treatment when she first had symptoms.

Caron was previously undergoing pulmonary testing due to shortness of breath and took an immune-suppressing medication to treat rheumatoid arthritis, Letourneau said. She wonders if that could have led the vaccine to work less effectively. But she is also frustrated by discourse about breakthrough cases, saying people were too often dismissive of potential risks for older people and those with pre-existing conditions.

It almost gets mentioned as an aside, like the people who this happens to are the elderly and the immunocompromised, so its like they dont matter as much, she said. But they do matter.

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8 fully vaccinated Mainers have died from COVID-19. Vaccines still prevent more deaths. - Bangor Daily News

Woodmere will offer COVID-19 vaccinations through a clinic from 3 to 5 p.m. June 22 at Village Hall, 27899 Chagrin Blvd.

Made possible through a combined effort of the village of Woodmere, the Cuyahoga County Board of Health and the Ohio National Guard, the clinic will provide Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines for walk-in and scheduled inoculations.

Anyone age 12 and older can receive the first dose of the vaccine.

To register, visit bit.ly/3gbDqTv and search Woodmere Village Hall or the villages ZIP code, 44122. Appointments can also by calling 2-1-1 and registering with a United Way operator.

For questions, call 216-201-2000 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays.

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Woodmere to host COVID-19 vaccination clinic - Cleveland Jewish News

Mining companies are throwing their weight behind vaccination efforts as Covid-19 continues to ravage much of the developing world.

Miners are offering vaccines and bolstering healthcare services to employees and surrounding communities. The effort is focused on poorer nations, where healthcare systems are weak, vaccines are scarce and inoculation campaigns lag far behind those in the West. Anglo American PLC has said it is spending as much as $30 million to support the global rollout of Covid-19 vaccines across its footprint. Other miners, from Glencore PLC to Rio Tinto PLC, have been offering support to local governments during the pandemic, from conducting screening and mobile testing to donating extra beds for hospitals and clinics.

Miners, often cast as villains by locals who say their activities destroy landscapes and cause harmful pollution, are welcoming vaccine programs as a chance to soften their image. The strategy is particularly potent in commodity-rich markets in Africa, where just 0.5% of the 1.5 billion population has received a vaccine, compared with 63% of Americans.

By helping governments administer the shots, many companies hope they can rapidly rescale production depressed by the pandemic at a time when the prices of many commodities are surging as U.S. and Chinese demand rebounds.

Production of most commodities is still subdued or lower this year than in the same period in 2019, before the pandemic. While production of lithium is up by a third compared with 2019, platinum is 11% lower and copper and nickel are only 1% higher, according to the investment bank Liberum. Prices for many commodities are soaring, thanks in large part to the supply imbalance.

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Miners Try to Get Covid-19 Vaccines Into Areas Where Shots Are Scarce - The Wall Street Journal

President Biden is joining other world democratic leaders on the first day of the Group of 7 summit in Britain, hoping to restore U.S. relations with the world's democracies and urging them to unite to confront COVID-19 and other global challenges.

Leaders of the G-7 and guest countries will provide more than 1 billion additional COVID-19 vaccine doses for the world, 500 million of which will come from the United States, the White House said Friday. The U.S. will lead the G-7 and other countries in a global COVID-19 vaccination campaign. On Thursday, Mr. Biden announced the $3.5 billion U.S. donation of Pfizer doses.

The message from the president is that the world's biggest democracies are working together, and democracy is still the most effective form of government.

The first day of the G-7 summit comes after what Mr. Biden described as a "very productive" meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday. "Everybody's absolutely thrilled to see you," Johnson said when he met with Mr. Biden Thursday, and he referred to the president as a "breath of fresh air."

Some are already looking beyond the summit to the president's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin next Wednesday. Ahead of the first G-7 session, a reporter asked the president what his message to Putin will be when Mr. Biden meets with him.

"I'll tell you after I deliver it," the president responded. First lady Jill Biden said Thursday that her husband is "over-prepared," after she was asked if he was ready for the meeting.

Over the weekend, G-7 leaders will be spending much of their time discussing how their nations can contribute to the global economic recovery, since many countries are still financially wrecked by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The leaders will also discuss climate change, education and how it is democracies, not autocracies, that set the best standards. The Group of Seven leaders are also expected to make an announcement on their commitment to ending the pandemic and donating vaccines to less wealthy nations.

In 2018 when the G-7 leaders gathered, former President Donald Trump did not sign onto the communique, and attacked Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as "weak."

On Friday night, members of the G-7 and their spouses will join Queen Elizabeth II for dinner. Most of the meetings will take place Saturday.

On Friday morning, first lady Jill Biden and Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, visited a school in Cornwall and met bunnies cared for by children at the school. The first lady also took part in a roundtable with Middleton and childhood development experts on the importance of parental involvement and education in children's early years.

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Biden and G-7 leaders to commit to donating 1 billion COVID-19 vaccines - CBS News

A healthcare worker stands during the first stage of COVID-19 vaccination plan, which aims to inoculate teachers, military personnel, firefighters and police officers, among other non medical essential workers, at a vaccination center in Antel Arena, Montevideo, Uruguay March 1, 2021. REUTERS/Mariana Greif

Uruguay on Tuesday released real-world data on the impact of Sinovac Biotech's (SVA.O) COVID-19 vaccine among its population that showed it was over 90% effective in preventing intensive care admissions and deaths.

The shot reduced deaths by 95% and intensive care admissions by 92%, and also showed 61% efficacy in cutting coronavirus infections, the government said.

A total of 795,684 people - health workers and members of the general population between the ages of 18 and 69 - at least 14 days after receiving their second dose of Sinovac's CoronaVac were compared to unvaccinated people to determine the real-world vaccine effectiveness, the government said in a report.

The government also studied the effectiveness of the Pfizer/BioNTech (PFE.N), vaccine among 162,047 health workers and people over 80 years old. The shot was 94% effective at preventing intensive care unit admissions and deaths, and reduced infections by 78%, the report said.

Overall, intensive care hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 dropped by more than 90% among Uruguayans who were fully-inoculated, the data showed.

The tiny Latin nation with a population of 3.5 million managed to largely hold COVID-19 at bay with a strict lockdown last year. This year, it has seen a spike in cases that in recent weeks propelled it to the ranks of countries with the highest COVID-19 death rates per million, according to Our World in Data figures.

So far, it has vaccinated almost 52% of its population with at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine from Sinovac, Pfizer/BioNTech or AstraZeneca (AZN.L), received through the COVAX vaccine alliance, while 29% had been fully vaccinated, between the end of February and June 1, according to Ministry of Health data.

Uruguay has registered 318,783 cases of COVID-19 since March 2020 and 4,692 associated deaths.

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Sinovac, Pfizer/BioNtech COVID-19 vaccines prove highly effective in Uruguay -government - Reuters

COVID-19 vaccinations being offered at Motorcycle Week

Updated: 7:21 PM EDT Jun 12, 2021

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RESTRICTIONS. BUT THIS YEAR, LACONIA MOTORCYCLE WEEK IS BACK TO FULL CAPACITY. THE SIGNATURE ENNEGI SOUNDS ARE BACK IN THE LAKES REGION. ALONG WITH THE CROWDS, VENDORS, AND A PERFECT TURDSAAY FOR THE OFFICIAL KICKOFF OF LACONIA'S MOTORCYCLE WEEK. THE RETURN OF VENDORS IS A HUGE BOOST FOR THE REGION, AS BUSINESSES TRY TO REBOUND FROM LAST YEAR. WEIRS BEACH MOTEL AND TTCOAGES IS FULLY BOOKED THROUGH WEDNESDAY. Y. SAFETY CONTINUES TO BE A CONCERN - HAND SANITIZERS ARE AVAILABLE AT VENDORS. EVEN THE NATIONAL GUARSET D UP AT A TENT TO OFFER FREE COVID VACCINES TO BIKE WEEK VISITORS. IN ADDITION TO THE N EW SAFETY MEASURES, ORGANIZERS ARE ALSO REMINDING FOLKS TO RIDE SAFELY AND RIDE RESPONSIBLY SO

COVID-19 vaccinations being offered at Motorcycle Week

Updated: 7:21 PM EDT Jun 12, 2021

The 98th Annual Laconia Motorcycle Week kicked off on Saturday with big crowds, nice weather and COVID-19 vaccinations. A National Guard Tent was set up at the rally headquarters to distribute the vaccine. We're just appreciative of the opportunity to serve the state of New Hampshire. This is the highest level that we can do as Guardsmen for our state is to serve us in a public need, said Staff Sgt. Dante Davis Jr. of the Army National Guard. It's just the sincere appreciation of not only our state but just Americans all around the world.Event organizers also set up hand sanitizer stations to make hand sanitizer readily available.COVID-19 guidelines werent the only safety guidelines event organizers emphasized this year. Organizers have asked Granite Staters to be cautious of traffic and speed, and ask that people try to maintain a safe distance from bikes when driving.

The 98th Annual Laconia Motorcycle Week kicked off on Saturday with big crowds, nice weather and COVID-19 vaccinations.

A National Guard Tent was set up at the rally headquarters to distribute the vaccine.

We're just appreciative of the opportunity to serve the state of New Hampshire. This is the highest level that we can do as Guardsmen for our state is to serve us in a public need, said Staff Sgt. Dante Davis Jr. of the Army National Guard. It's just the sincere appreciation of not only our state but just Americans all around the world.

Event organizers also set up hand sanitizer stations to make hand sanitizer readily available.

COVID-19 guidelines werent the only safety guidelines event organizers emphasized this year. Organizers have asked Granite Staters to be cautious of traffic and speed, and ask that people try to maintain a safe distance from bikes when driving.

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COVID-19 vaccinations being offered at Motorcycle Week - WMUR Manchester

CARBIS BAY, England, June 13 (Reuters) - France will send 60 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to developing countries by the end of the year, President Emmanuel Macron said at the conclusion of a G7 leaders summit in Britain.

Macron said that, as a result of the summit, more doses would be shared with developing nations and at a faster rate. (Reporting by Michel Rose Editing by Richard Lough and David Goodman )

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Macron says France will double its COVID-19 vaccine sharing - Reuters

Researchers in the United States have conducted a study demonstrating the real-world effectiveness of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines at preventing infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

Importantly, Mark Thompson from the CDC COVID-19 Response Team and colleagues also showed that the vaccines were highly effective at reducing viral load, febrile symptoms, and the duration of illness among individuals who developed breakthrough infections despite having been vaccinated.

The large prospective study of almost 4,000 people found that full vaccination (with two doses) was 91% effective at preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection, while partial vaccination (with one dose) was 81% effective.

Among those who became infected, partially or fully vaccinated individuals had a lower level of viral RNA, a lower risk of developing febrile symptoms and a reduced duration of illness compared with unvaccinated individuals.

The researchers say that if further data confirm that these vaccines reduce the viral load and, in turn, blunt the infectivity of SARS-CoV-2, this would suggest that the vaccines are not only highly effective at preventing infection, but could also reduce the impact of breakthrough infections.

This has significant implications for essential and frontline workers, given their potential to spread the virus through frequent close contact with patients, co-workers, and the public, says Thompson and colleagues.

A pre-print version of the research paper is available on the medRxiv* server, while the article undergoes peer review.

The messenger RNA- (mRNA) based vaccines developed by Pfizer-BioNTech (BNT162b2) and Moderna (mRNA-1273) have been shown to be highly effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 in Phase III clinical trials.

Thompson and colleagues also recently reported interim estimates of effectiveness that showed similar benefits following the administration of mRNA-based vaccines in real-world conditions.

However, less is known about the potentially important secondary benefits of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, including reductions in severity of disease, viral RNA load, and duration of viral RNA detection, says the team.

Now, Thompson and colleagues have analyzed prospective cohorts of 3,975 healthcare personnel, first responders, and other essential and frontline workers across eight locations in the United States who completed weekly SARS-CoV-2 testing between December 14th, 2020, and April 10th, 2021.

The researchers estimated the efficacy of partial and full vaccination in preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection and compared the viral RNA load of vaccinees who had breakthrough infection with that of unvaccinated infected participants. The team also compared the frequency of febrile symptoms and the duration of COVID-19 between the vaccinated and unvaccinated groups.

Participants self-collected a mid-turbinate nasal swab on a weekly basis, irrespective of whether they had COVID-19-like symptoms. Individuals who developed COVID-19 like illness also collected a further nasal swab and saliva specimen at symptom onset.

Samples were tested for SARS-CoV-2 infection using qualitative and quantitative reverse-transcriptionpolymerase-chain-reaction (RT-PCR). Vaccine efficacy was estimated for full vaccination (14 days or more following a second dose) and partial vaccination (14 days or more following one dose or up to 13 days following a second dose).

Vaccinated individuals had received either Pfizer-BioNTechs BNT162b2 vaccine or Modernas mRNA-1273 vaccine and efficacy was calculated following adjustment for location, occupation and local virus circulation.

The number of participants who had RT-PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection was 204 (5.1%), 16 of whom were partially or fully vaccinated and 156 of whom were unvaccinated.

Vaccination status was indeterminate (less than 14 days since the first dose) for 32 individuals who were therefore excluded from the study.

The estimated effectiveness of vaccination at protecting against SARS-CoV-2 infection was 91% for full vaccination and 81% for partial vaccination.

Of the participants who became infected, the mean viral RNA load (Log10 copies/mL) detected was 2.3 among partially or fully vaccinated participants, compared with 3.8 among unvaccinated participants.

An adjusted analysis represented a 40.2% lower viral RNA load following at least partial vaccination.

Only 25% of at least partially vaccinated individuals reported febrile COVID-19like illness, compared with 63.1% of unvaccinated individuals.

This represented a 58% reduction in the relative risk of febrile COVID19like symptoms after at least partial vaccination.

Vaccinated participants also reported 6.4 fewer days of feeling ill than unvaccinated participants.

The researchers say the estimates of vaccine effectiveness reported here in the real-world setting are consistent with findings from clinical trials.

They also say the combination of virologic and clinical effects is consistent with previous reports of a lower quantity and duration of viral RNA detection and milder COVID-19 following mRNA-based vaccination.

If further data confirm that mRNA vaccination reduces the number of viral RNA particles and the duration of detection and this in turn blunts the infectivity of SARS-CoV-2, then mRNA vaccines are not only highly effective in preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection, but they may also mitigate the impact of breakthrough infections, says the team.

This is especially important to essential and frontline workers given their potential to transmit the virus through frequent close contacts with patients, co-workers, and the public, concludes Thompson and colleagues.

medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information.

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New data from CDC on effectiveness of Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines - News-Medical.Net

Taco Bell wants Californians to get their COVID-19 vaccines.

On Friday, the fast-food chain announced that it would be joining California Gov. Gavin Newsoms Vax for the Win incentive program.

The company said it will give away a Nacho Cheese Doritos Locos taco to customers who show their COVID-19 vaccination cards at participating California Taco Bells on June 15.

KRISPY KREME HAS GIVEN 1.5M FREE DOUGHNUTS TO VACCINATED AMERICANS

The Southern California-based brand said it joined the incentive program to thank fans for "doing their part to make California safe as the state fully reopens."

"Its been a tough year, and we are all ready to put COVID-19 behind us," Mark King, Taco Bell Corp.s CEO said in a statement. "We are thrilled to do our part and give back to our home state with something everyone knows and loves to celebrate those who have made the decision to get vaccinated."

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Taco Bell is giving away a free Nacho Cheese Doritos Locos Tacos to Californians who can show proof of vaccination on Tuesday, June 15. (Taco Bell)

According to Newsoms office, Chipotle is giving away free queso to vaccinated Californians, while the Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors are offering merchandise discounts next week.

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There are plenty of other discounts and freebies for vaccinated Americans, even those who don't live in California.

Krispy Kreme, for example, is giving a free doughnut to every person who can show proof of vaccination every day for the rest of the year. By June 1, the company had already given away more than 1.5 million doughnuts.

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Taco Bell offering free tacos for COVID-19 vaccines but only in this state - Fox News