Category: Covid-19 Vaccine

President Biden said Friday the U.S. will provide Covid-19 vaccines to 550,000 South Korean troops working in close contact with American forces in the region.

Mr. Biden made the announcement during a news conference at the White House with South Korean President Moon Jae-in. Both leaders also said they would forge a partnership on vaccine manufacturing, but stopped short of providing details.

We, with advanced capabilities, have an obligation to do everything we can to provide for protection of the entire world, Mr. Biden said, while adding he saw the potential to produce another billion vaccine doses from the second half of 2021 and into 2022.

Mr. Moon said there would be a comprehensive partnership between the two countries to boost manufacturing of the vaccine and its materials. Covid-19 vaccine supply has been a priority for Mr. Moon during his four-day visit to Washington, with less than 3% of the South Korean population fully vaccinated.

A senior administration official said the vaccines for South Korean service members would be donated and that Mr. Bidens decision was part of an effort to protect U.S. troops working in close quarters with their counterparts on the Korean peninsula.

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U.S. Will Provide Covid-19 Vaccines to 550,000 South Korean Troops Engaged With U.S. Forces - The Wall Street Journal

MISSOULA U.S. Army and Marine veteran Kent Stewart -- who drove from Polson to Missoula to receive his first dose of the Moderna vaccine -- became the 10,000th Montana veteran to receive a COVID-19 vaccine from Montana VA Health Care System (MTVAHCS).

Since COVID-19 vaccines became available, veterans have also received COVID-19 vaccines through their local community providers.

I have been an anti-vaxer since 2003. I got sick from the anthrax vaccine, which almost killed me, said Stewart. My kids were scared. My wife was scared and now since time has passed, I want to set an example for my family to try to get them to quit being such anti-vaxers. It took me a lot of soul-searching myself to do this -- a lot of research. Maybe, I can set an example for my family and for the community and for Veterans in general.

Montanas elected leaders joined MTVAHCS staff in sending a thank you message to vaccinated Montana veterans. Watch the thank you videos here and here.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, veterans have shown Montana what leadership looks like. At first, this was by taking proactive steps to keep themselves and their communities safe, even though taking actions to physically distance and wear masks were not the easiest possible decisions, said MTVAHCS Executive Director Dr. Judy Hayman. Today, we celebrate the leadership of the 10,000 veterans who have done their part to end the pandemic and protect themselves, their loved ones, their healthcare teams, and their communities.

Since late December, MTVAHCS has administered just under 19,000 COVID-19 vaccinations and overcome the logistical challenges of administering vaccines to Montana veterans, including vaccine freezer storage, transporting vaccines, staffing vaccine clinics, winter roads, and finding local sites to host COVID-19 vaccine events.

MTVAHCS has hosted vaccine clinics at 13 sites across Montana. After being selected to lead a Veterans Health Administration national pilot program to bring vaccines to rural veterans, MTVAHCS used fixed-wing aircraft to transport vaccines to veterans and driven vaccines directly to homebound veterans.

Montana veterans (enrolled and unenrolled), their spouses, and caregivers who have not yet received their COVID-19 vaccine are eligible through MTVAHCS. Under the SAVE Lives Act, the VAs legal authority to provide COVID-19 vaccines expanded to include all Veterans, regardless of their VA health care enrollment status, as well as Veteran spouses, caregivers, and some beneficiaries.

To schedule an appointment:

Veterans can follow COVID-19 vaccination updates at MTVAHCSs webpage, via email, Facebook, or Twitter. Veterans who have questions about receiving the vaccine can send a secure message here or call (877) 468-8387 (Option 2) to set up a time to discuss the COVID-19 vaccine.

Any veteran who has received a COVID-19 vaccine from a non-VA provider is encouraged to notify their MTVAHCS healthcare team to have their records updated.

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10,000 MT veterans who received COVID-19 vaccine from MTVAHCS thanked - KPAX-TV

Oregon Governor Kate Brown reacts during a press conference in Roseburg, Oregon on October 2, 2015. Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images

Oregon Governor Kate Brown announced the state's "Take Your Shot, Oregon" lottery campaign during a news conference on Friday.

Residents ages 18 and up will have a chance to win the $1 million cash prize by getting at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and one person from each of the state's 36 counties will win $10,000.

Residents ages 12 to 17 will be entered in a separate drawing where five winners will each receive $100,000 college savings scholarships.

"Getting vaccinated not only protects you from COVID-19, it helps protect your loved ones," Brown told reporters Friday. "It takes us one step closer to unlocking the restrictions during the pandemic."

"And in Oregon, it now gives you a chance to win $1 million," the Oregon governor continued. "That sounds pretty good."

Source: The Hill

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Here are all the states offering cash prizes as an incentive to get the COVID-19 vaccine - Business Insider

One-quarter of Larimer County residents age 12-15 have now had at least one dose of Pfizer vaccine, according to the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment.

The countys COVID-19 dashboard reported Friday that 3,694 members of that age group, 25.1% of that population in the county, have had a vaccination with the one vaccine approved for their use.

The seven-day rate of COVID-19 tests coming back positive dropped to 2.4% on Friday, falling from 3.5% the day before and entering the low-risk category.

Also still in the low-risk category, the seven-day case rate per 100,000 residents fell to 74, down by two since Thursday.

The number of COVID-19 patients hospitalized rose slightly to 30, and use of intensive care units for all conditions reached 90% in county hospitals on Friday, putting that measure in the high-risk category.

The ongoing list of COVID-19 cases since March 2020 grew by 32 cases, reaching 26,642.

Fourteen of the new cases were among Loveland residents, 12 from Fort Collins, two from Berthoud and one each in Estes Park, Livermore, Timnath and Wellington.

Ages ranged from a 1-year-old Fort Collins boy to a 91-year-old Loveland woman and a 92-year-old Wellington man.

The cases spanned all age ranges, with seven in children, seven in teens, four in people in their 20s, five in their 30s, four in their 40s, two in their 50s, a 76-year-old and the two nonagenarians.

The number of deaths due to the virus in Larimer County continues to hold at 247, and the countys overall risk rating remains medium.

Overall, 46.1% of all county residents are now fully vaccinated.

The health department reported 338,513 doses of vaccine have been administered to county residents. Among ages 16-plus, 183,294 or 61.8% have had at least one dose.

The county has set a goal of reaching 65% of that age group having had at least one dose by May 25.

Information about COVID-19 can be found at larimer.org/coronavirus.

Information about vaccines is available at larimer.org/covidvaccine.

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COVID-19 vaccination numbers growing in Larimer County - Loveland Reporter-Herald

As more people are getting vaccinated across the commonwealth, some are wondering how long this immunity will last. Some medical experts say another dose maybe necessary within 12 months of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.

Right now, experts are researching natural immunity and vaccine-induced immunity. Some professionals say additional doses of the vaccine may be necessary.

Six month into vaccine distribution, experts are working to learn more about how long the vaccine is effective.

Were going to have to wait for more information and more data, but I think theres an assumption that if it doesnt provide lifelong, that likely within a year or nine to 12 months, a second dose or a booster would be needed. said Emily Shears, Epidemiologist at UPMC Hamot.

Char Barringer, Director of Community Health Services at the Erie County Department of Health, says other viral vaccines require boosters or multiple shots.

Vaccine for measles, mumps, needs a booster. The vaccine for chicken pox, also a viral illness, needs a booster. I wouldnt be at all surprised if COVID needs a booster. Barringer said.

Barringer says researchers are currently learning so much about the COVID-19 virus and the vaccine.

We know with the flu, its every year because there are different variants. We know there are different variants with COVID-19. As a public health person, I wouldnt be surprised if it becomes an annual vaccine. We just dont know yet. Barringer said.

Medical experts say an additional shot may be necessary before we enter when people tend to spend more time indoors.

As immunity wanes, we would be concerned as we go back indoors where we know it seemed to be more effective at spreading. The good news is that our mitigation efforts like masking and distancing, we have shown to be very effective. Shears said.

Shears says we saw how effective masking is as there were little to no flu cases this past flu season.

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Public health and medical experts weigh in on COVID-19 vaccine immunity - YourErie

As more than one year passes since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, Snopes is still fighting an infodemic of rumors and misinformation, and you can help. Find out what weve learned and how to inoculate yourself against COVID-19 misinformation. Read the latest fact checks about the vaccines. Submit any questionable rumors and advice you encounter. Become a Founding Member to help us hire more fact-checkers. And, please, follow the CDC or WHO for guidance on protecting your community from the disease.

As COVID-19 vaccines became widely available to Americans in spring 2021, anti-vaccine groups attempted to frame the shots manufacturers as untrustworthy to try to stop people from getting inoculated.

Below is a sample of such claims all from a single meme that we fact-checked using reputable sources such as court records, resources distributed by the FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the vaccine manufacturers websites.

All in all, the meme stated facts about companies that have developed COVID-19 vaccines but failed to demonstrate how those histories are relevant to the safety or effectiveness of the manufacturers solutions for ending the pandemic.

Firstly, in an attempt to persuade people against the two-dose Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, the meme alleged the New York-based company faced almost $5 billion in penalties for supposedly breaking laws while manufacturing or distributing unidentified products.

Pfizer: $4.7 billion in fines for false claims, drug and medical equipment safety violations, off-label promotion, corrupt practices, kickbacks, and bribery, according to the meme.

The claim was factually accurate. But its implication that, because of prior lawsuits, Pfizers COVID-19 vaccines were potentially unsafe was unsubstantiated, a conclusion on which we elaborate below.

As one of the worlds largest pharmaceutical corporations, Pfizers multiple subsidiaries (which produce a range of drugs, including Advil, the erectile disfunction drug Viagra, and the anti-cholesterol drug Lipitor) indeed faced penalties totaling about $4.7 billion over the years, according to Good Jobs First, a left-leaning watchdog group tracking corporate subsidies.

Those cases, which originated in jurisdictions nationwide, essentially included theabove-listed offensesinvolving all sorts of products between 2000 and 2019, according to Good Jobs Firsts database.

For instance, in 2004, the Warner-Lambert company which Pfizer acquired four years earlier pleaded guilty to illegally marketing the epilepsy drug Neurontin even when scientific studies had shown it was not effective, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a statement.

Pfizer agreed to pay $430 million,said that it cooperated fully with the government to resolve this matter, and stressed the alleged violations occurred before Pfizer acquired Warner-Lambert.

Then, in 2009, the company paid thelargest settlement for health care fraud to date,totaling $2.3 billion, according to the DOJ.

In that case, the companys subsidy Pharmacia & Upjohn Company pleaded guilty to promoting a painkiller Bextra for several uses and dosages that the FDA specifically declined to approve due to safety concerns, and paid a $1.3 billion criminal fine, the DOJ said in a statement. Bextra had been taken off the market four years earlier.

Additionally, Pfizer paid $1 billion to resolve civil claims regarding not only Bextra but also the antipsychotic Geodon, the antibiotic Zyvox, and the anti-epileptic drug Lyrica, per the statement. Pfizer denied all of those accusations, aside from acknowledging the improper promotion of Zyvox, Reuters reported at the time.

Shortly after reaching the historic settlement, the companys general counsel told reportersthatit regretted certain actions in the past, but was proud of the action it had taken to strengthen its internal oversight.

But heres how the meme misled people: It lacked critical evidence to show how those cases against Pfizer were relevant to COVID-19 vaccines, pictured below.

It also failed to acknowledge that clinical trials have shown the vaccines to be safe and effective. In December 2020, the FDA issued whats called an Emergency Use Authorization that deemed a COVID-19 vaccine created by Pfizer and BioNTech, as well as one manufactured by competitor Moderna, safe and effective enough for mass production.

The CDCs advisory committee on immunizations also recommended the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, along with Moderna and Johnson & Johnsons (J&J) formulas. (Heres the CDCs explanation for how vaccines like Pfizers which uses mRNA technology attempt to train peoples immune systems into producing antibodies that can fight the coronavirus, if necessary.)

Early on, clinical trials showed the Pfizer vaccine95% effective in preventing COVID-19. The company confirmed high efficacy and no serious safety concerns after a March 2021 follow-up study.

Because of those results, the FDA expanded Pfizers eligible vaccine population to include adolescents between the ages of 12 to 15 in mid-May.

Also, at that time, Pfizer and Moderna were seeking the FDAs full, regular authorization for their inoculation formulas. That status, which requires at least six months of patient data, would allow the companies to begin marketing the shots.

In other words, if or when the FDA grants the Pfizer vaccine full approval, the company can advertise on TV and promote their products under the watchful eye of the FDA, former FDA commissioner Dr. Robert Califf told CNBC.

To conclude our research, we reached out to Pfizers communications department with the following questions:

No one has answered our inquiry, but we will update this report when, or if, that changes.

In sum, we rate the claim regarding Pfizer a Mixture of true and misleading information. It was an accurate depiction of the companys alleged violations involving a handful of its numerous drugs over years. However, no evidence connected those offenses with COVID-19 vaccines nor showed Pfizer had made false claims about, or illegally promoted, its vaccine.

Next, in attempt to deny the legitimacy of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, the meme claimed the Massachusetts-based company had tried numerous times to develop vaccines for mass production prior to the pandemic with no success.

Moderna: Has never brought a vaccine to market since its founding, despite fielding 9+ vaccine candidates, none of which made it through phase 3 clinical trials, the meme alleged.

Similarly to the Pfizer allegation, the claim was rooted in truth. But the statement failed to explain how it was relevant to Modernas COVID-19 vaccine, as well as erroneously implied the companys other vaccines did not reach mass distribution solely because of shortcomings in the products themselves, such as their effect on patients or alleged lack of success preventing viral outbreaks.

Rather, other barriers such as a lack of funding for research also played a role in thepharmaceutical companys vaccine history.

In addition to the COVID-19 vaccine, Moderna has developed nine prophylactic immunizationsusing mRNA technologysince its founding in 2010, according to the companys website. The company describes mRNA like software for the cell with the potential to fighting many diseases.

In April 2020, before the FDA granted emergency authorization of Modernas COVID-19 vaccine, BioSpace reported:

So far, Moderna has conducted early trials with success on nine vaccine candidates, including respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), human metapneumovirus (hMPV) and parainfluenza virus (PIV3), influenza H7N9, cytomegalovirus (CMV), Zika, Epstein-Barr, chikungunya. []

However, the meme was accurate in claiming none of those experimental immunizations (aside from the COVID-19 vaccine) progressed past Phase II clinical trails. Thats the stage after researchers test a product on an initial group of people and want to see how it affects a larger sample. (See the FDAs website for more differences between phases of clinical research, and see here for Modernas process fordeveloping and testing its mRNA vaccines.)

Heres Modernas visualization of its various vaccines and their development:

But, as you can see, Modernas Influenza H7N9 vaccine was only advancing subject to funding, negating the memes implication that the company halted development solely due to safety concerns or ineffectiveness.

Furthermore, Modernas Cytomegalovirus (CMV) vaccine was the first of its kind to enter a Phase II clinical trial, showed promising results so far, and was scheduled to progress in 2021, The Medicine Maker reported. Studies on the companys other immunizations remained ongoing, too.

Similar to the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, the Moderna shot was 94% effective in preventing recipients from catching the virus.

Lastly, Snopes contacted representatives of Moderna with the following questions:

Pending answers to those questions, we will update this report.

In short, the meme factually stated that the COVID-19 vaccine was Modernas first inoculation to reach mass production. However, it simultaneously implied, without evidence to substantiate the claim, that the companys other vaccines stalled due to their effects on test patients. For those reasons, we rate the claim a Mixture of true and misleading information.

Much like the memes claim about Pfizer, its allegation that Johnson & Johnson was named in hundreds of thousands of lawsuits for toxic and/or dangerous products, including drugs, shampoos, medical equipment, and asbestos-contaminated baby powder was at least partially accurate at face value.

But the post failed to provide substantial evidence to prove how, or to what extent, that fact was relevant to the safety of the companys COVID-19 vaccine.

Let us explain. In fall 2020, Johnson & Johnson indeed paid over $100 million to resolve more than 1,000 lawsuits claiming that the pharmaceutical giants banned powder and talc products caused cancer due to asbestos contamination, Bloomberg reported. Some 20,000 pending cases made similar accusations.

Additionally, unrelated lawsuits alleged the company violated medical equipment or drug safety guidelines, among other offenses, according to Good Jobs First, the corporate accountability watchdog. For instance, one investigation concluded the company did not fully disclose the risks of devices to support womens prolapsed pelvic organs, according to The Gaurdian.

Let us note here: The exact number of lawsuits that named the company for allegedly selling toxic and/or dangerous products since its founding was unknown, which meant the memes reference to hundreds of thousands of cases was unsubstantiated.

No violation listed in the Good Jobs First database was related to Johnson & Johnsons single-dose COVID-19 vaccine, which the FDA approved months after Pfizers and Modernas, in early 2021.

Instead of using mRNA technology, the J&J shot takes the form of whats called a viral vector to attack one specific part of SARS-CoV-2. AstraZenecas COVID-19 immunization (which the FDA has not approved, as of this writing, and discuss below) uses that same process. The J&J shot was about 66% effective in preventing COVID-19 from infecting recipients during clinical trials, according to the CDC.

That said, J&Js immunization was not without controversy. In mid-April,mass vaccination sites in states including Georgia, Colorado, and North Carolina temporarily halted the shots distribution after a few recipients felt dizzy, light-headed, and faint. The CDC monitored the reports and continued to recommend the shots use.

Then, shortly later, the CDC recommendedall vaccine providers nationwide totemporarily halt giving out the J&J shot while health officials investigated a potential blood clotting issue that occurred in seven cases out of 6.8 million shots administered.

That pause ended on April 23, when the CDC said in a statement:

We reached out to J&J with the following questions:

We will update this report when, or if, the company responds.

In conclusion, we also rated the memes statements about J&J a Mixture of true and misleading information. While it was a mostly factual representation of the companys alleged lawsuits over the years, nothing linked those cases with the companys COVID-19 immunization nor showed that the product included toxic or dangerous ingredients, like the meme implied.

Of all of the memes claims, the assertion about AstraZeneca was the least misleading. It was adirect reference to the manufacturers COVID-19 vaccine (which is not currently in use in the U.S. and was developed in partnership with Oxford University) instead of an out-of-context fact pertaining to other pharmaceutical products.

AstraZeneca: Suspended by two dozen European countries due to severe, lethal adverse reactions, like blood clots, the post alleged.

Yes, in spring 2021, a number of European countries (Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Bulgaria, etc.) temporarily suspended rollouts of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine after reports of patients developing blood clots. Less than 40 cases of blood clots were reported out of the 17 million vaccine recipients, according to AstraZeneca.

Reputable sources, including Snopes, said more than a dozen European countries issued the suspension not two dozen, like the meme claimed.

Additionally, the memes use of the phrase due to discredited its message. Rather, AstraZeneca, health officials, the World Health Organization (WHO) and government regulatory bodies all said there was no causal link between the vaccine formula and the patients blood clots.

In fact, nearly every country that issued a suspension acknowledged that it had no evidence the vaccine had caused the blood clots, NBC reported at the time. Health experts have pointed out that the people most likely to currently be receiving COVID-19 vaccinations are also more likely to have other health problems, which could put them at higher risk for blood clots.

See our fact check into the matter here.

Since then, many European countries restarted their programs after the European Medicine Agency dubbed the AstraZeneca vaccine safe and effective despite the blood-clot reports. EMA said in a statement:

In other words, we rate the memes claim regarding AstraZeneca a Mixture of false and factual information. It was true that a number of European countries temporarily suspended the use of the manufacturers COVID-19 vaccine after a handful of recipients reported blood clots.

But no evidence proved those thromboembolic issues were a direct, adverse affect of the vaccine (rather than unrelated medical issues), and several countries restarted their AstraZeneca vaccination programs since the brief halt.

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What the 'Choosing Your COVID-19 Vaccine' Meme Gets Wrong - Snopes.com

Talking about vaccination status can be a touchy subject for some, but experts say that conversation could keep you safe and help end the pandemic faster

ST. LOUIS Are you fully vaccinated?

It's a question that's being asked more and more often to figure out what's safe to do next, especially now that the CDC has said masking and social distancing is no longer necessary for people who have gotten the shot.

With friends, out to eat, when traveling: Saint Louis University public health law professor Rob Gatter said it is legal to ask someone if they're vaccinated and ask them to mask up if they're not.

You might say, 'Well, that's private medical information, and so aren't there laws that make that somehow unspeakable?' And the answer's no, he said, adding that HIPAA has nothing to do with this question. Most confidentiality laws are aimed at specific people, mainly doctors and hospitals and other health care providers.

Watch the extended interview with SLU public health law professor Rob Gatter in the YouTube video below:

Just like many businesses, friends and family are often under the vaccine "honor system." If you're planning a mask-free event, it's better safe than sorry, said vaccine expert Dr. Michael Kinch.

If you're concerned, just don't invite them. It's best for them. It's best for the people that you will be around, he said. You would never think that party was worth it if something happened to that individual.

What about talking to someone who doesn't want the shot?

Don't make them feel defensive, said Dr. Kinch.

He said every new vaccine comes with some degree of hesitation, but with this particularly contagious, dangerous virus, it's important to talk to loved ones about their reasoning and encourage them to get the shot.

Don't roll your eyes and give up on it," he said. "Have the conversation, engage the individual, find out what's really behind it. The odds are if you now look at facts, many of the concerns that are raised are probably very addressable.

Medical experts say we'll all be better off when more people can say "yes" to the question Are you fully vaccinated?

We all have to think about not just ourselves, but we really need to think about our community, said Dr. Kinch.

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COVID-19 vaccine and the law: Why you can ask for proof of vaccination - KSDK.com

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) The United States has to get to 70 percent vaccinated by the 4th of July to avoid another COVID-19 surge says Dr. Anthony Fauci.

I think to stay ahead of the risk of a new surge in cases it makes sense that having as many people vaccinated as possible will be helpful, says Dr. Oneyma Ogbuagu, Yale medicine infectious disease specialist.

Doctor Ogbuagu points out that since we just started to vaccinate children there will be a heavy reliance on adults to get vaccinated to get there and it will require a lot of work.

Information is coming out daily on whether vaccinated people will need vaccine booster shots.Dr. Ashish Jha is Dean of Brown Universitys School of Public Health.

My mental model, at some point next year many will need them. I think its very, very unlikely well need it this year, says Dr. Jha.

The CEO of vaccine maker Moderna saying the first groups who got vaccinated back in December might need booster shots as early as September.

And Pfizer saying boosters for their shots might be needed 8 to 12 months after being fully vaccinated.

And now Dr. Ogbuagu says there is evidence that animals including dogs and cats can carry the virus.

Theres evidence that household pets, dogs and cats can carry the virus. Ive heard we should treat our pets as family members try to keep them indoors, try to keep them away from people who could be infected so that they dont return the disease back to the household setting.

He says as the virus travels from animals to humans theres a chance it can mutate and new strains can emerge. Animals can have vague symptoms, like humans.

Definitely you can tell from fatigued animal, maybe with gastrointestinal symptoms you know that animals do get sick, says Dr. Ogbuagu. He has not heard of any cases of animals dying from the virus.

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Yale doctor weighs in on COVID-19 vaccine booster shots and pets getting the virus - WTNH.com

COVID-19 Vaccines May Not Work As Well for Immunocompromised People | Health.com Skip to content Top Navigation Close this dialog window Explore Health.com Close this dialog window Share options Close this dialog window View image

COVID-19 Vaccines May Not Work As Well for Immunocompromised PeopleHeres What We Know So Far

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COVID-19 Vaccines May Not Work As Well for Immunocompromised People-Here's What We Know So Far - Health.com

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) An Amherst doctor allegedly took a COVID-19 vaccine dose home to his wife and faces a petit larceny charge that is expected to be dropped according to the Erie County District Attorney's Office.

Officials say the 74-year-old doctor from Amherst was volunteering at a COVID-19 vaccine distribution site at Erie Community College South Campus in Hamburg on February 10, 2021 when he allegedly took a single dose of the vaccine from the site without authorization. The doctor allegedly provided the dose to his wife, who qualified to receive the vaccine under New York State guidelines at the time due to her age.

The Erie County District Attorney's Office consented to an adjournment in contemplation of dismissal at the doctor's arraignment Friday and a return court date will not be scheduled.

7 Eyewitness News is not naming the suspect because the charge against him is expected to be dismissed.

Erie County District Attorney John Flynn released the following statement regarding his decision:

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Amherst doctor allegedly takes COVID-19 vaccine dose home to wife, charge expected to be dismissed - WKBW-TV