Category: Covid-19 Vaccine

Ottawa (Precision Vaccinations News)

The Honourable Mark Holland, Canada's Minister of Health, issued a statement today marking the fourth National Day of Observance for COVID-19.

'Today's landscape is different than it was during the pandemic. COVID-19 vaccines and treatments are now more accessible to people in Canada, making it easier for everyone to protect themselves and their families from serious illness.'

Also, on March 11, 2024, Canada's National Advisory Committee on Immunization released updated guidance regarding the use of Nuvaxovid XBB.1.5, a subunit COVID-19 vaccine produced by Novavax Inc.

According to the committee's latest recommendations, announced on March 11, 2024, Novavax Inc.'sprotein-based Nuvaxovid XBB.1.5 can be administered to individuals aged 12 and older, regardless of whether they have previously been vaccinated.

This recommendation supports efforts to provide greater access to a non-mRNA protein-based COVID-19 vaccine option and could help achieve improved immunization rates in Canada.

COVID-19 vaccinations began in Canada on December 14, 2020.

As of February 25, 2024, about 17% of Canadians had received an XBB.1.5 vaccine.

The Public Health Agency of Canada has distributed the protein-based vaccine across the regions, and provincial public health programs can advise on specific availabilities.

Two messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA)-based COVID-19 vaccines remain available in Canada.

Data from clinical trials continue to show broad neutralization responses to currently circulating forward-drift variants, including JN.1 and JN.,4 for our protein-based non-mRNA COVID-19 vaccine while maintaining a favorable side effect profile. Novavax says peer-reviewed effectiveness data is being published to show how immune responses in clinicaltrials translate into COVID-19 prevention in the real world.

Excerpt from:

17% of Canadians Vaccinated with Updated COVID-19 Precision Vaccinations News - Precision Vaccinations

A studyby KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH), Singapore General Hospital (SGH) and National University Hospital (NUH) has revealed that COVID-19 transmission from mothers to their newborns is low.

The study involving 371 women who had COVID-19 infection during pregnancy and their newborns found that only four infants or 1.1 per cent of the babies were diagnosed with COVID-19 after birth, of which three (1.1 per cent) were from mothers who were COVID-19 vaccinated and one infant (1.3 per cent) was from a mother who was not vaccinated.

Our study assures expectant parents and healthcare professionals that COVID-19 transmission from mother to baby is extremely low. In comparison to international reports, the incidence of transmission is also at a much lower rate. This is likely attributed to the higher vaccination rate amongst our pregnant population, which also explains the comparatively lower occurrence of moderate to severe symptoms and a lesser need for interventions in vaccinated pregnant women who were infected with COVID-19.

Dr Yeo Kee Thai, Senior Author of the Study,Senior Consultant, Department of Neonatology, KKH

Vaccinated pregnant women infected with COVID-19 were found to have milder disease effects (1.8 per cent moderate/severe disease vs 8 per cent moderate/severe disease) and were less likely to require intensive care as compared to unvaccinated pregnant women who were infected (1.4 per cent vs 8 per cent). Amongst the group, one of the unvaccinated pregnant patient who was infected with COVID-19 had required extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support.

The study also found that pregnant women infected with the Omicron variant had milder symptoms (98.3 per cent vs 92.3 per cent), and were less likely to require intensive care (1.0 per cent vs 9.0 per cent), or need mechanical ventilation (0.3 per cent vs 3.8 per cent) as compared to those infected with non-Omicron variants.

Newborns of pregnant women infected with the Omicron variant were also less likely to require intensive care (3.8 per cent vs 14.1 per cent).

This study is part of KKH's ongoing efforts to build evidence-based perspectives for the limited studies on COVID-19 in Singapore and Asia. The study took place from December 2019 to February 2022, covering the period from when the virus was first identified to the emergence of the Omicron variant in late 2021. Based on timing of the infections and the reported circulating variants, the identified variants were Wild-type (2.2 per cent), Alpha (0.8 per cent), Delta (18.1 per cent) and Omicron (79.9 per cent).

The research participants were categorised into two groups vaccinated and unvaccinated as COVID-19 vaccination was made available to pregnant women in June 2021. Among the 353 pregnant women who provided their COVID-19 vaccination status, 278 (78.8 per cent) had received one or more dose before or during their pregnancy and 75 (21.2 per cent) were unvaccinated.

Dr Yeo added, "As we appreciate these encouraging findings, pregnant women remain a vulnerable group susceptible to severe outcomes from SARS-CoV-2. Hence, it is crucial that our pregnant women keep up to date with their COVID-19 vaccination, to keep their families safe."

While this study was not designed to focus on the effects of maternal COVID-19 vaccination in newborns, other studies including an earlier KKH-led study revealed that COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy was found to be up to 44.4 per centeffective in protecting infants against SARS-CoV-2 infection up to six months after birth.

Source:

Journal reference:

Lim, A. M., et al. (2024). Perinatal outcomes of pregnancies affected by COVID-19 in Singapore: A cohort study.Annals Academy of Medicine Singapore. doi.org/10.47102/annals-acadmedsg.2023278.

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COVID-19 transmission from mothers to newborns is low, study reveals - News-Medical.Net

Medical research

Researchers say jabs substantially reduce for up to a year the chances of serious cardiovascular complications

Covid vaccinations substantially reduce the risk of heart failure and potentially dangerous blood clots linked to the infection for up to a year, according to a large study.

Researchers analysed health records from more than 20 million people across the UK, Spain and Estonia and found consistent evidence that the jabs protected against serious cardiovascular complications of the disease.

Covid vaccines, including those from Oxford-AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Moderna, proved highly effective at preventing severe disease in the pandemic, but medicines regulators also recorded increases in some rare heart and clotting conditions, similar to those found with other vaccines such as flu shots.

The latest study sought to investigate the overall impact of a Covid vaccination, given that infection with the virus itself is known to significantly raise the risk of heart failure and various other serious cardiovascular problems.

What we show in this very large study is that people who are vaccinated are at a very much reduced risk of these complications post-Covid, said Daniel Prieto-Alhambra, a professor of pharmaco- and device epidemiology at the University of Oxford and a senior author on the study.

Writing in the journal Heart, the researchers describe how the adenovirus-based Covid vaccines produced by Oxford-AstraZeneca and Janssen, and the mRNA-based vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, were most protective against Covid-related heart failure and blood clots in the first month after contracting the virus.

In that period, the risk of heart failure was 55% lower, and the risks of blood clots in the veins and arteries were down 78% and 47% respectively, compared with rates in unvaccinated people.

While the protective effects of the vaccines waned over the longer term, those who received Covid shots remained at lower risk of Covid-related heart failure and blood clots than unvaccinated individuals for up to a year, the researchers found.

Three to six months after infection, the risk of heart failure in vaccinated people was 39% lower than in unvaccinated people, with the risk of blood clots in the veins and arteries down 47% and 28% respectively. From six to 12 months post-infection, the risks of the same complications were 48%, 50% and 38% lower, respectively, for vaccinated people.

The protective effect arises from the vaccines reducing the severity of the disease when people experience breakthrough infections, when the virus takes hold despite a person being vaccinated.

The message overall is that if you are vaccinated, your risk of having post-Covid cardiovascular and thromboembolic complications is reduced quite dramatically, Prieto-Alhambra said. Particularly for people who are at high risk, or are scared of having cardiovascular complications or blood clots, this is very reassuring.

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Covid vaccines cut risk of virus-related heart failure and blood clots, study finds - The Guardian

Emergency plans are no good if they are on the shelf and forgotten

The New Jersey Department of Health created a Pandemic Influenza Plan in 2015, which the report stated was extremely accurate in predicting what would eventually happen during the COVID-19 pandemic.

It included specific recommendations about actions that could be taken; organizational structures for emergency management; and detailed factual, legal, and regulatory resources that could be consulted, the report found.

Yet, no one knew the plan existed when the pandemic hit.

Several people in government told us they thought some other agency ought to have an Emergency Preparedness Manager, the report stated. In fact, that position exists (and is staffed) in the other agency, but the people we spoke with were unaware of that fact.

According to the report, communities were polarized over the decision to mask, socially distance or get vaccinated.

The decision[s][were] freighted with political overtones, the report found. Lives were lost to the misinformation both deliberate and unintentional which surrounded the pandemic.

Masking was discouraged in the early days of the pandemic in favor of surface cleaning. Officials did not know that COVID-19 could be transmitted through the air at the time.

Even if state officials were aware of that fact, the report found the states stockpile of facemasks and other personal protective equipment was insufficient and that global supply chain breakdowns prevented quick acquisition of additional supplies.

While New Jersey had a small stockpile of old masks left over from a prior health crisis, these were expired, the report stated. As a result, many who should have had access to multiple masks per day were required to improvise and either re-use masks meaning that the masks themselves could be carrying the virus into a new environment or go without.

The report suggests that had mask supplies been adequate, the state could have emerged from lockdowns and closures sooner.

New Jersey could have re-opened many indoor locations sooner with universal masking, it stated. The State could also have allowed public use of outdoor recreation sooner, assuming that there was an adequate supply of masks and people opted to use them.

Despite the findings, New Jersey is credited for implementing measures such as mask mandates and social distancing guidelines that resulted in dramatic improvements over the course of the pandemic.

By the Delta and Omicron Wave, New Jersey became one of the states with the lowest death rates, the report stated.

Regardless, the report also recognized the other negative consequences in addition to the lives lost.

Shutdowns had disastrous effects on business and commerce, it said. School closures not only led to lost learning for students, but huge burdens on families with school-age children whose parents had to figure out how to keep their children happy, healthy, and learning.

Among the recommendations, the report calls on state officials to create emergency plans and train on them, invest in improving health equity in the state, and build partnerships with community organizations, the health care industry, local health departments, and beyond.

The report also recommends improving collaboration and communication during an emergency response and investing in technology to support a response.

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N.J. releases independent review of COVID response - WHYY

Monday marks the 4-year anniversary of the World Health Organization (WHO) declaring the global COVID-19 outbreak to be a pandemic.

Over that period, millions of Americans have been hospitalized and have died from the virus.

Additionally, a high percentage of adults have developed long COVID while the infections of thousands of children have led to an inflammatory condition.

Here's a look at the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. by the numbers:

As of the week ending March 2, there were 15,141 weekly new hospital admissions for COVID-19. according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

While this is on par with the number of weekly hospitalizations at the beginning of April 2024, this is much lower than the peak of 150,650 weekly hospitalizations recorded the week of Jan. 22, 2022, during the omicron wave.

Over the course of the pandemic, more than 6 million Americans have been hospitalized, CDC data shows.

The CDC has said fewer people are hospitalized due to the availability of vaccines and boosters as well as the availability of antirural drugs that decrease the risk of severe illness for those at-high risk, including molnupiravir and Paxlovid.

Since the pandemic began, more than 1.18 million Americans have died from COVID-19, according to CDC data. The U.S. crossed the 1 million mark on May 12, 2022.

During the week of March 2, there were 576 weekly deaths, which is the lowest number recorded since summer 2023 and several times lower than the peak of 25,974 weekly deaths recorded the week ending Jan. 9, 2021.

Experts have previously said the U.S. is in a much better place than it was at the start of the pandemic but some reasons hundreds of people may be dying every week include not enough people accessing treatments or getting vaccinated as well as waning immunity.

In early fall, the federal government recommended an updated vaccine that is targeted against variants that are currently circulating, which are related to XBB, an offshoot of the omicron variant.

There are formulations made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna for those aged 6 months and older, and a formulation made by Novavax for those aged 12 and older.

However, as of Friday, just 22.6% of adults aged 18 and older and 13.5% of children under age 18 have received the vaccine, according to CDC data.

This is lower than the nearly half of adults who said they planned to get the vaccine in a poll conducted by the KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor in September.

In some good news, 42.4% of adults aged 65 and older, which is the group at highest risk of severe illness and death, have gotten vaccinated.

As of Feb. 26, 9,655 children in the U.S. have developed MIS-C, or multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, according to CDC data.

MIS-C is an inflammatory condition that is caused by infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

It typically occurs between two to six weeks after infection and presents a combination of symptoms, including inflammation of various parts of the body along with gastrointestinal symptoms, rash and fever.

Since the start of the new year, just two cases of MIS-C have been reported, much lower than the peak in winter 2021 when more than 200 cases were being reported every week.

Some children with MIS-C end up hospitalized and, if they are sick enough, can spend time in intensive care units. Additionally, at least 79 children have died of MIS-C so far.

Millions of Americans say they've had long COVID, and many are still battling it, federal data shows.

Long COVID is a condition that occurs when patients still have symptoms at least four weeks after they have cleared the infection. In some cases, symptoms can be experienced for months or years. The WHO first posted a clinical case definition of the condition in October 2021.

According to the most recent federal Household Pulse Survey, between Jan. 9, 2024 and Feb. 5, 2024, 6.8% of U.S. adults currently have long COVID and 17.6% have had long COVID.

Using 2020 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, this means 17.5 million adults currently have long COVID and 45.4 million people have ever had long COVID.

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On 4-year anniversary of the WHO declaring COVID a pandemic, a look at the virus by the numbers - ABC News

Lauren Irwin and The Hill

2 days ago

(The Hill) A German man who intentionally received more than 200 COVID-19 vaccinations said he did it for private reasons, according to researchers.

The Lancet, a scientific journal, published a report earlier this week that looked into the 62-year-old man from Magdeburg a town roughly 2 hours from Berlin who deliberately received 217 of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine over a period of 29 months.

Researchers noted that he received the vaccines outside of a clinical study and against national vaccine recommendations.

They also concluded that although the mans hypervaccination did not result in any side effects, it also did not significantly improve his immune response.

A public prosecutor in Magdeburg opened an investigation into the case alleging fraud, but no criminal charges were filed. Researchers filed a request with the man, who was not named in the study, to analyze the immunological response to abnormal vaccine dosage.

He provided medical information and donated blood and saliva. The man did not report any vaccine-related side effects and has not tested positive for COVID since the experts began examining his case in May 2022.

Still, the researchers were unable to determine whether the initial recommended doses prevented him from testing positive, or if the additional vaccines were a direct cause.

The man reported receiving 217 shots between June 2021 and Nov. 2023. Of the reported vaccinations, 134 were confirmed by the prosecutor through vaccination center documentation and 83 were self-reported by the man.

The vaccines, according to the report, were a mixture of mRNA vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. He also received shots from Johnson & Johnson and self-reported a booster from Sanofi.

The researchers noted that while the man did not experience any vaccine-related side effects, they do not endorse hypervaccination as a strategy to enhance adaptive immunity.

According to CNN, the man was arrested by police in early March 2022 after authorities became suspicious that he was receiving vaccination cards and selling them to third parties.

His was arrested during a time when proof of vaccination was required to access public venues and travel throughout Europe, the outlet noted.

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A man got 217 COVID-19 vaccinations. Heres what happened - WATE 6 On Your Side

Youre reading The Checkup With Dr. Wen, a newsletter on how to navigate covid-19 and other public health challenges. Click here to get the full newsletter in your inbox, including answers to reader questions and a summary of new scientific research.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been pretty busy lately. In addition to easing its isolation guidance for people who test positive for covid, it also issued recommendations last week for people 65 and older to receive another coronavirus booster shot this spring.

Many readers reached out with questions about the booster recommendations, so I am dedicating this weeks newsletter to answering them.

Alan from New Jersey wrote that he and his wife are both 87. Their last coronavirus shot was the bivalent vaccine in April last year. Should we get a booster this spring? he asked.

Similarly, Andrew and his wife are American citizens who have retired to Ecuador. We received our first two covid vaccines (Pfizer) in the United States and the first two boosters (AstraZeneca) in Ecuador. We have not received any boosters in two years and neither of us have had covid. We will be returning for one month in May. Should we get the most recent booster?

The answer to both is yes. They have not received any dose of the monovalent vaccine that targets the XBB.1.5 subvariant. This was the vaccine that became available last fall. Alan, Andrew and their wives should get this shot as soon as they can.

The CDC published a compelling analysis that showed why. Vaccine effectiveness against covid-associated hospitalization was 52 percent during the first seven to 59 days after the monovalent shot. This decreased to 43 percent by two to four months following vaccination.

This means that people who get the monovalent vaccine can substantially lower their risk of hospitalization should they catch the virus. A healthy young person who has hybrid immunity from vaccination and prior infection already has a very low likelihood of severe illness. But older individuals and those with chronic medical conditions are still at risk, and if they have not yet received the monovalent vaccine, they should not hesitate to get it.

Just 42 percent of Americans 65 and older have gotten the first monovalent shot. Some in this group have eagerly awaited the CDCs decision and are ready to get their spring shot but with a caveat: They dont want it to jeopardize their ability to get future boosters.

My spouse and I, 76 and 69, have received every covid booster, the last one in September 2023, wrote Terri from Virginia. We will be traveling in Europe, on an airplane and cruise ship, in October, so I planned on a mid-September booster. If we get a booster now, will we risk not being able to get one in September?

Barbara from Rhode Island would also like to get a booster now but is worried it would make it difficult to get another one in the fall. What should I do? she asked.

Federal health officials are anticipating a new round of boosters in the fall. The vaccine composition will probably be reformulated so that it best targets variants likely to be in circulation next winter. Vulnerable people should not delay vaccines now; getting a spring shot will not interfere with their ability to get the new formulation in the fall.

In fact, holding off could pose a timing problem. The CDC is asking that people wait at least four months between shots, so people who want a booster in the fall should probably not wait until the summer to get another shot.

The one major reason to hold off is if someone just had covid. Bill from Ohio is 79 and counting and just recovered from covid. Gary from California is 78 and in a similar boat. Do they need the recommended booster now?

The CDC says people who recently had covid can wait at least three months to get their next coronavirus shot. I think they could probably wait longer, as there is strong immunity conferred from infection.

That means Gary and Bill can receive the spring booster in early June. They can do that and then get the newly formulated vaccine in October or November. They can probably also wait to get that vaccine in September and skip the spring booster, as essentially their recent infection was that boost.

Some readers wanted to know what to do if they are not yet 65. I have had two unrelated cancer diagnoses and treatments, wrote Marisol from Oregon. Now I am only being monitored in case of recurrence. Am I still considered at high risk for covid outcomes? Should I be seeking a spring vaccine even though I am still in my fifties?

What about those of us who are immunocompromised? asked Anne from Indiana. I have an autoimmune disease and am high-dose steroids. Why is it that a healthy 65-year-old can get the new booster but I cant?

Actually, Anne is eligible for the spring booster. The CDC is recommending the shot to everyone 65 and older but is allowing younger individuals to receive an additional dose, too. Anne should discuss the specifics of her medical condition with her physician, as should Marisol. If Marisol had cancer in the past and is no longer on treatments, she is probably not high-risk, but there might be other factors in her medical history that make her more vulnerable to covid.

And, of course, anyone considering getting the spring booster because they are concerned about severe illness should also ensure that they can easily access antiviral treatments in case they contract the virus.

Read more:

Opinion | Spring boosters for covid are here. Your questions, answered. - The Washington Post - The Washington Post

Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended that adults 65 years old and up receive an additional COVID-19 booster. This is the same booster that was rolled out in the fall of 2023, with the shot being a way to restore the protection that may have waned since people got the shot the previous year.

Most COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations last year were among people 65 years and older, said CDC director Mandy Cohen, M.D., M.P.H. An additional vaccine dose can provide added protection that may have decreased over time for those at highest risk."

If youre planning on getting a new COVID booster shot this spring, heres everything to know, including what youll need to ease potential symptoms.

The latest booster shot is associated with similar short-term side effects as its predecessors:

If your side effects persist or become severe, contact your doctor immediately.

Experts state that getting a COVID-19 booster is based on several factors including:

Severity of infection: if you are at higher risk of severe infection, you should consider getting a booster shot. Those at increased risk of severe infection include individuals who are 65+ years old, immunocompromised people, pregnant individuals, and health-compromised individuals.

Timing: if you have a major life event you don't want to miss such as a wedding, consider getting a booster shot.

Talk to your doctor or healthcare provider to determine if you're unsure about getting another booster shot.

Icing the vaccination spot may provide immediate relief to any aches you're experiencing. This one from Amazon has over 35,000 rave reviews from people who like that the flexible design allows you to wrap and bend it to fit snugly against any body part (like your upper arm, in this case). They also say it stays ice cold for hours.

FlexiKold Gel Ice Pack

The durable nylon prevents leaking and is easy to wash.

If you notice any discomfort on your arm where you were vaccinated, the CDC recommends laying a clean, cool washcloth on the area. With several glowing reviews, these Amazon Basics washcloths are praised for being very soft and absorbent, and surprisingly high quality for the price. Placing a cool, damp washcloth on your forehead or the back of your neck can also relieve fever-like symptoms.

Amazon Basics Fast Drying Bath Towel

A washcloth can help ease irritation.

Epsom salt baths have long been a solution to muscle aches and soreness. So if you feel tender post-vaccine, you might benefit from a soak. These Epsom salts have over 45,000 five-star ratings on Amazon with people saying they provide quick and effective relief and are more affordable than other brands.

Amazon Basics Epsom Salt Soaking Aid

Pour this into your next bath to soothe your muscles.

One of the CDC's top tips for anyone getting vaccinated is to drink plenty of fluids. An easy way to make sure you're getting enough H2O? A reusable water bottle. Of all the ones we've tested at Reviewed, we found the Owala FreeSip to be the best. It keeps your water refreshingly cold for up to 24 hours and features a leak-proof lid.

Owala FreeSip Insulated Stainless Steel Water Bottle

Prioritizing hydration is easier with this Owala water bottle.

You can use this ice roller the same way you would an ice pack (i.e., over the sore spot on your arm or on your forehead if you feel a headache coming on). Thousands of reviewers love that it's easy to usesimply chill it and then rolland that it feels so soothing against your skin.

ESARORA Ice Roller

An ice roller feels soothing on your skin.

A gel eye mask like this one provides two things that are known to help with headaches: coolness and darkness. The gel can be iced down to mitigate pain or tension and the solid design will block out any irritating light. Reviewers like that it maintains its cold temperature well and that it fits comfortably and snugly over your eyes.

NEWGO Cooling Gel Eye Mask Reusable Cold Eye Mask

This gel mask will keep you cool.

If a gel eye mask isnt your thing, our favorite sleep mask, the Mzoo Sleep Mask, should do the trick for some restful shuteye while you sleep off lingering any discomfort.

MZOO Sleep Eye Mask

Our favorite sleep mask will help you get some shut-eye.

When your arm is sore, the last thing you may feel like doing is using it. But that's exactly what the CDC recommends, saying that exercising your arm and getting it moving can help relieve some of that pain. With these highly-rated resistance bandswhich have over 86,000 five-star ratingsyou can do some light stretching and mobility to prevent your arm from getting stiff.

Fit Simplify Resistance Loop Exercise Bands

These bands come in varying degrees of resistance.

The CDC notes that running a slight fever after receiving the vaccine is totally normal (although if it persists for a few days, reach out to your healthcare provider). To monitor your temperature, use a digital thermometer like the one offered by Femometer. Its speedy, accurate, and the results are color-coded for convenience.

Forehead Thermometer

Find out if you're running a fever in seconds.

To prevent COVID-19 and other illnesses, you should make sure to always have a supply of hand sanitizer at the ready. Hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol can help keep you and those around you safe by killing harmful germs. These travel-sized Purell are easy to toss in your bag or pocket on your way out the door.

Purell Advanced Hand Sanitizer Refreshing Gel

Travel-sized hand sanitizer is a convenient way to keep germs at bay.

While mask mandates have ended, you may still want one if youre looking for peace of mind, particularly if youre in an area of high transmission or are at higher risk for health issues. An N95 or a KN95 mask is the gold standard when it comes to protection, filtering out much more particles than a cloth mask.

SupplyAID RRS-KN95-5PK KN95 Face Mask

Nothing beats an N95 and KN95 mask when it comes to protection.

The best way to combat any post-shot fatigue is to sleep it off. The key is to have sleep thats restful, meaning youll want to make sure your bedding is as comfortable as possible. While its a tall order to upgrade your bed on short notice, its much easier to upgrade your pillow which can still transform your sleep quality. We recommend the original Coop Home Goods pillow after testing several pillows. We love that its extremely comfortable and customizable.

Coop Home Goods Original Pillow

With this pillow, you'll be sleeping comfortably in no time.

Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.

The product experts at Reviewed have all your shopping needs covered. Follow Reviewed on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, or Flipboard for the latest deals, product reviews, and more.

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The CDC recommends another booster shot for adults 65+ this springhere's what to know - Reviewed

General Hospital actor fired over Covid vaccine mandate returns to TV show

Steve Burton is back on General Hospital, three years after being fired from the TV show for refusing to comply with its Covid-19 vaccination requirement. USA Today reports the 53-year-old actor is reprising his role as Jason Morgan, a criminal with mob ties, on the ABC soap opera. Burton said he was denied medical and religious exemptions for refusing to get the vaccine in 2021, but doesnt appear to harbor any bad blood. Today is the day! Are you ready? he said in an Instagram post on Monday, announcing his first show back.

Burton appeared on General Hospital off and on for 30 years, and still kept busy acting over the past two years. He appeared on Days of Our Lives and the spinoff miniseries Beyond Salem as Navy SEAL Harris Michaels. A spokesperson said Burtons character is expected to remain in the Days of Our Lives universe in the coming months.

Fellow General Hospital actor Ingo Rademacher, who had played Jasper Jax Jacks on the daytime soap from 1996 to 2021, sued over the vaccine mandate, but a Los Angeles judge reportedly sided with ABC in a June 2023 decision. Rademacher has not appeared in any television roles since, and said in November hes had some mental health struggles since being ousted from the show for my political views.

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Buzz is a daily roundup of entertainment news about movies, TV, music and celebrities.

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General Hospital actor fired over Covid vaccine mandate returns to TV show: Buzz - syracuse.com

President Joe Biden's State of the Union Speech on Thursday attempted to set out achievements in office from the economy to foreign policy, amid booing echoes from Republican detractors, particlarly over immigration.

After Biden's speech, a CNN poll found that 62 percent of people who watched it said the policies proposed by the president would move the country in the right direction. The poll of 529 people was conducted by researchers SSRS.

Former President Donald Trump called the address "angry" and "polarizing" as the two men prepare for their likely matchup in November's presidential election.

One statement, however, that invited disbelief outside of Congress was one claim that vaccines used to treat COVID were now being used in the fight against cancer.

The Claim

During his State of The Union Address on March 7, 2024, President Joe Biden said: "The pandemic no longer controls our lives. The vaccines that saved us from COVID are now being used to help beat cancer, turning setback into comeback. That's what America does."

The Facts

The president's comments were met, by some, with incredulity.

Right-wing commentator @EndWokeness, posted on X, formerly Twitter, on March 7, 2024, viewed 1.5 million times, with an upload of the SOTU speech, writing "Biden announces that the COVID vaccine is being used to cure cancer."

Entrepreneur and conservative conspiracist Mario Nawfal also wrote, in a post viewed 162,000 times: "BIDEN: COVID VACCINES FIX CANCER."

Whether it was disbelief, or a very literal interpretation of Biden's comments, that the patented COVID vaccines were being used for other treatments, the remark picked up attention.

However, research since the pandemic has found that the technology used in the COVID vaccines may be useful in the treatment of other life-threatening illnesses and conditions.

In August 2023, Biden announced the launch of a new program to develop messenger RNA (mRNA) technology, the same technology used in COVID-19 vaccines, to train immune systems to "fight cancer, autoimmune disorders, and infectious diseases more effectively."

The $24 million "Curing the Uncurable via RNA-Encoded Immunogene Tuning" or CUREIT will investigate how "mRNA and related technologies" can trigger immune responses, such as prompting immune cells to target and attack tumors.

Interest in mRNA research has exploded since the pandemic with global trials underway that will examine whether an mRNA treatment can be used to treat melanoma, lung cancer, and other cancers. mRNA is a molecule that essentially teaches human cells how to trigger an immune response to the disease.

In traditional vaccines, a piece of a virus, known as an "antigen," would be injected into the body to force the immune system to make antibodies to fight off future infection. But mRNA-based methods do not use a live virus.

In the case of COVID, mRNA vaccines give cells the instructions to make a "spike" protein also found on the surface of the virus that causes COVID. The body kickstarts its immune response by creating the antibodies needed to combat those specific virus proteins.

Once the spike protein is created, the cell breaks down the instructions provided by the mRNA molecule, leaving the human immune system prepared to combat infection. The mRNA vaccines are not a medicine, nor a cure, but a preventative measure.

Studies have already found that personalized mRNA vaccines may help trigger anti-tumor responses. A 2023 study funded by the National Institutes of Health found a strong anti-tumor immune response among half of a group of pancreatic cancer patients who were given an mRNA vaccine.

While some researchers have looked at tumor regressive responses to COVID-19 vaccines in animal or small-scale human observation, it seems that only a bad faith or narrow interpretation of Biden's comments could have driven the idea that he was literally referring to the treatments developed by Pfizer, Moderna and others, and not new technologies.

The Ruling

True.

mRNA technology used to develop the COVID vaccines is being used in new trials to treat a potentially wide range of cancers. The White House announced $24 million in funding last August which would, in part, explore the use of mRNA vaccination technology in the treatment of cancer.

The comments about Biden appear to be a literal interpretation of his words i.e. that the exact same vaccines used to treat COVID-19 will be used to treat cancer too.

FACT CHECK BY Newsweek's Fact Check team

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

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Fact Check: Are COVID Vaccines Being Used To Beat Cancer? - Newsweek