'We miss him every minute': How the COVID-19 pandemic worsened the opioid epidemic in Arizona AZCentral.com
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AUSTIN (KXAN) As Austin City Limits kicked off day 2, Austin-Travis County has celebrated a win by dropping down to Stage 3 COVID-19 risk based guidelines.
The progress is based on lower ICU and hospital admissions.
Travis County is offering COVID-19 vaccines at the ACL festival to keep the numbers declining.
The Travis County mobile vaccine team will provide COVID-19 vaccines at Austin City Limits Music Festival during both weekends (Oct. 1-3 and Oct. 8-10.)
University of Texas Freshman Osman Moradel happened to pass by the clinic on Saturday and jumped at the opportunity to get his booster shot.
I saw it and was like might as well get it, Im here and I probably wont feel any side effects until tomorrow, said Moradel.
Travis County is reporting that the majority of people coming to the mobile clinic are coming for their booster shot, but there are some limitations.
Right now, guidelines are only allowed for the Pfizer boosters, said Hector Nieto, of Travis Countys communications team.
The Center for Disease Control does not recommend mixing brands of vaccination, so some people were turned away.
Those receiving their second Pfizer dose or the Pfizer booster shot have to bring their CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card, so it can be updated.
The fact that people are getting their vaccine and people are bringing their vaccine cards, I feel safe, said Moradel.
Festival attendees must show their vaccine card or a negative COVID-19 test in order to get inside. ACL reports that on day one which was Friday 86% of people showed their vaccine card, 14% had a negative test and less than 1% were turned away for not having one.
In Travis County roughly 71% of its 12 and older population has been vaccinated.
Travis Countys online calendar and map show vaccine events taking place around the County.
Anyone whos 12 and older can receive their first or second dose of the Pfizer vaccine. Pfizer booster shots will be available as well to those who qualify. The vaccine team will operate 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. each day of the festival.
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How its going with COVID-19 protocols, vaccinations at ACL festival - KXAN.com
COVID-19 antibody therapies available right now require infusions or subcutaneous injections. However, a more convenient type of therapy could be on the way.In this Motley Fool Live video recorded on Sept. 22, 2021, Motley Fool contributors Keith Speights and Brian Orelli discuss the leaders in the race to develop a COVID-19 pill. (Note: This recording was made prior to Merck's (NYSE:MRK) announcement on Friday of positive results from a late-stage study of its oral antiviral therapy molnupiravir.)
Keith Speights: RedHill Biopharma's (NASDAQ:RDHL) oral COVID-19 candidate recently just flopped in a phase 3 study. But there are several other oral COVID antiviral therapies that are in development. In your view, which companies appear to be the leaders in the race to develop a COVID-19 pill?
Brian Orelli: Yeah, there are really three pills. Merck and Ridgeback have molnupiravir. They're expecting data later this year in outpatients, and then for post-exposure prophylaxis in the first half of next year. Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) has another drug that goes by the code-name PF-07321332.
Speights: What was that again, Brian? [laughs]
Orelli: The data for that in outpatients is also expected later this year. Then Roche (OTC:RHHBY) and Atea (NASDAQ:AVIR) have a drug called AT527 -- a lot easier to say. That data in outpatients is also expected later this year. I think it's a three-horse race.
In theory, maybe all of them work. I think Merck's and Ridgeback's wasn't necessarily designed specifically for the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. I believe Pfizer's was, so maybe it has a slight advantage, but we have to wait and see about the actual data. I think this is a difficult space to invest in somewhat from obviously the three-way competition, but also because of the endpoints.
A lot of companies have had trouble actually proving that their drugs actually help patients. Do you do look at viral levels, or do you look at "does it keep them out of the hospital?" All those different endpoints can affect your actual outcomes of whether you can prove your drug works. Whether it actually works is completely different question. It's just whether you can prove your drug works.
I think that it's a difficult space for investors to invest in, and then of course, all three of those companies -- Merck, Pfizer, and Roche -- are obviously all really large companies. Adding one additional drug, even if it has a billion-dollars-plus in sales potential isn't going to necessarily move the needle that much on the revenue side.
Speights: Those are really good points, Brian. I did see that Pfizer is projecting that, assuming it's phrase 3 studies go well, Pfizer has projected that it could file for EUA for its COVID-19 pill, perhaps by the end of this year. So this is a story that is probably going to develop more quickly than you might even think because of the EUA path here.
I would think that if any of these pills do get authorization, and again, like you said, there's an uphill climb to prove that they actually work, but if they do win authorization or ultimately approval, they could bring in a big chunk of sales.
Orelli: I think we saw what Regeneron (NASDAQ:REGN) did maybe to $2.2 billion in sales to the US government. That's infused drug and these are oral drugs which are obviously a lot easier to take, and so you can expect that their use might go up, and then their manufacturing is probably easier. I would expect that they can probably make more of it, and that would help them with sales.
Speights: I would even see these pills being taken by people who are fully vaccinated too, because of the vaccines aren't 100% effective, and so if there's a post-exposure prophylaxis that has been proven to be effective, then you could see both unvaccinated and vaccinated people taking these pills -- again, if they make it to market.
Orelli: Yeah. Again, giving people a pill versus having them sit in an infusion center -- if they've been exposed then you're going to have to take a lot of more precautions to keep them isolated, and so that makes things difficult, where if you [can] just give them a pill, they can just go take it at their own house. I think that makes it a lot easier in the prophylaxis category as well, but we'll have to see what the data pans out there.
This article represents the opinion of the writer, who may disagree with the official recommendation position of a Motley Fool premium advisory service. Were motley! Questioning an investing thesis -- even one of our own -- helps us all think critically about investing and make decisions that help us become smarter, happier, and richer.
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Here Are the Leaders in the Race to Develop a COVID-19 Pill - Motley Fool
Jordyn Locks couldnt believe the call she got from a Rider University administrator: The sophomore won a full year of free tuition, valued at more than $46,000, just for being vaccinated against COVID-19.
I was like, What? This has to be a joke, said the exercise science major from Bear, Del. When I submitted my vaccination card, I didnt even know that was a thing.
Locks was one of three students out of a potential pool of about 2,700 to win that honor under an incentive program by the New Jersey university to encourage students to get vaccinated before the school year started.
As universities grapple with how to keep a typically invincible-feeling population safe and in-person, other area schools have dangled carrots, too albeit less exciting. Pennsylvania State University offered drawings with cash prizes, gift cards, and footballs autographed by coach James Franklin. West Chester University offered a chance at scholarships. Nationwide, motivation has included everything from laptops, photo shoots, concert tickets, and free parking to pizza parties and therapy dogs.
READ MORE: A professor got a heart transplant so he wanted to teach online. His university said no.
As the school year continues, universities also are applying the stick: Penn State recently placed more than 100 students at its University Park campus on interim suspension for failing to report for required COVID-19 testing after they had not submitted proof of vaccination.
West Chester on an interim basis suspended housing for 39 students who failed to report for testing. West Chester is one of 14 state universities not requiring the vaccine, but West Chester mandates that unvaccinated students living in residence halls submit to random testing.
They are no longer permitted to reside on campus until they test and submit their results, said Nancy Santos Gainer, a West Chester spokesperson.
Other colleges are threatening similar measures, including preventing students from registering for spring classes and having access to campus buildings. Drexel University has said students who are not exempt and fail to get the vaccine which the university has required and which Philadelphia has mandated for college students and staff by Oct. 15 could face other disciplinary action too, including dismissal, said spokesperson Niki Gianakaris.
Vaccination rates are already very high at Drexel, with about 96% of students and staff vaccinated, and others in process as the school completes its second week of classes. Less than 2% of students and 1% of employees have received exemptions, Gianakaris said.
Across the region, vaccination rates vary, with many schools that required the vaccine having more than 90% of students and staff vaccinated, and those that did not somewhat less. At West Chester, 66% of students taking classes in-person and 62% of employees have provided proof of vaccination, Gainer said. At Penn State, which does not require it, 81% of staff and 87% of students are vaccinated, but in the residence halls, it is more than 90%.
I think were getting to the same place without using the word mandate, said Damon Sims, Penn States vice president of student affairs.
So far, none of the local campuses have had to revert to remote instruction for the semester, and some campuses where there were worrisome case spurts earlier in September, including Villanova and La Salle, seem to have stabilized.
READ MORE: This time last year, Temple went virtual because of case counts. How do schools compare now?
At Villanova, where 95% of students are vaccinated, active cases had dropped to 13 by Friday after an uptick last month, which caused the university to tighten some measures. Villanova, which requires the vaccine and also mandates twice-weekly surveillance testing for unvaccinated students and employees, and random testing for the vaccinated, has not had to resort to disciplinary measures, said spokesperson Jonathan Gust. If a student or employee misses testing, they receive a reminder and then a warning email, he said.
Temple University sends noncompliant students multiple emails and then takes away their access to campus buildings, said spokesperson Steve Orbanek. If they still fail to get tested, they are referred to the student conduct office, he said.
At Temple, 96% of the 2,584 students who are required to submit to testing have complied, he said. About 86% of students and staff are fully vaccinated.
Penn State announced the interim suspensions of noncompliant students on Sept. 21. By early last week, about half the students had reported for testing or got vaccinated or had already been vaccinated and just needed to upload their information, Sims said. They were removed from suspension.
None of the students lived in the residence halls, but they were excluded from classes, university activities including football games, and campus facilities, he said.
READ MORE: Vaccinated vs. unvaccinated roommates: As college students move in, some parents and students have concerns
The suspensions occurred only after students had missed three weeks of testing and the university called, emailed, and, in residence halls, even knocked on students doors, he said. Ten staff members from student affairs ran a phone bank, Sims said. Those efforts averted suspensions for several hundred students.
We want as many people as possible to be vaccinated, he said. We hope that most are willing to do that. We also want them to upload the data proving that they are vaccinated so we know that.
About 55 students remained on interim suspension as of Wednesday, Sims said. More students, though, could be added each week if they dont comply, he said. While all the suspensions occurred at the 48,000-student University Park campus, Sims said other Penn State campuses are preparing to take similar action if necessary.
The Coalition for a Just University, a group of largely university professors who have been critical of Penn States response to COVID-19, would have rather seen the university mandate the vaccine, said Gary King, a professor of biobehavioral health at University Park and a coalition spokesperson.
Part of the measures they are taking are the result of the measures they didnt take, he said.
At Rider, administrators announced the free tuition incentive July 29. The university had previously said all students without medical or religious exemptions would need to be vaccinated by the fall semester, but only 65% had uploaded their vaccine cards.
By Aug. 5, the percentage jumped to 85, said Drew Aromando, vice president for enrollment management.
Its difficult to gauge whether [the tuition incentive] was exclusively the reason, he said. There were a number of things we were doing to try to move the needle.
But it definitely helped, he said.
All students were eligible except those already receiving full free tuition and those taking all classes online. A winner was randomly chosen from each enrollment category: traditional undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education for non-traditional-age students. Winners received the tuition, less other institutional aid or scholarships they already had, Aromando said.
Locks said for her, the win amounted to about $19,000. Between her campus job as a resident adviser and free tuition, she said college isnt costing her anything this year. Last fall, her first at Rider, vaccines were not yet available and all her classes were on Zoom.
Its so much better this year, she said. I get to finally wake up and walk to class and see other students.
Aromando said 96% of students are fully vaccinated and the remaining 4% have approved exemptions and must submit to weekly testing. Since the semester began, Rider has had 17 COVID-19 cases among students and staff as of Sept. 24, according to its dashboard.
Locks said she was vaccinated before Rider announced the incentive. Even if the vaccine wasnt required, she said she would have gotten it.
If I can do my part and slightly change the world with my little impact, she said, it will make me feel better.
Excerpt from:
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Students wearing masks, working in Elizabeth Kunz's second grade class at Neil Armstrong Academy in West Valley City on Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2021.
| Oct. 1, 2021, 7:22 p.m.
Editors note: The Salt Lake Tribune is providing free access to critical stories about the coronavirus. Sign up for our Top Stories newsletter, sent to your inbox every morning. To support journalism like this, please donate or become a subscriber.
Eleven more Utahns have died of COVID-19 in the past day, the Utah Department of Health announced Wednesday. Four of those who died were between the ages of 25 and 44, and two were between 45 and 64.
UDOH reported 1,715 new cases on Friday, which brought the total number of cases recorded statewide to 510,209 since the pandemic began.
Intensive care units in Utah hospitals are at 91.2% capacity, and 45% of patients in ICU beds are hospitalized with COVID-19.
School-age children accounted for 21% of new coronavirus cases, UDOH announced a total of 362. There were 172 cases in children aged 5 to 10; 94 cases in children 11 to 13; and 96 cases in children 14 to 18.
The rolling seven-day average for positive tests stands at 1,360 per day.
In the past four weeks, unvaccinated Utahns were 5.9 times more likely to die of COVID-19 than vaccinated people, according to a UDOH analysis. The unvaccinated also were 7.3 times more likely to be hospitalized and 6.5 times more likely to test positive for the coronavirus.
An additional 2,044 Utahns were fully vaccinated in the past day, bringing the total to 1,685,709 51.5% of Utahs total population.
Vaccine doses administered in past day / total doses administered 6,924 / 3,478,625.
Utahns fully vaccinated 1,685,709.
Cases reported in past day 1,715.
Deaths reported in past day 11.
Three Salt Lake County residents died: A man and a woman between the ages of 25-44, and a man 45-64. Utah County also reported three deaths: A woman 25-44, a man 65-84, and a man 85-plus.
Other deaths were a Davis County man 45-64, an Iron County woman 65-84, a Millard County woman 85-plus, a Uintah County man 25-44, and a Weber County man 65-84.
Tests reported in past day 10,525 people were tested for the first time. A total of 19,152 people were tested.
Hospitalizations reported in the past day 580. Thats 14 more than reported on Thursday. Of those currently hospitalized, 214 are in intensive care three more than reported on Thursday.
Percentage of positive tests Under the states original method, the rate was 16.3% over the past day. Thats higher than the seven-day average of 14.3%.
The states new method counts all test results, including repeated tests of the same individual. The rate reported Tuesday was 9% lower than the seven-day average of 9.8%.
[Read more: Utah is changing how it measures the rate of positive COVID-19 tests. Heres what that means.]
Totals to date 510,209 cases; 2,943 deaths; 22,222 hospitalizations; 3,453,791 people tested.
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11 more Utahns die of COVID-19, and six of them were under the age of 65 - Salt Lake Tribune
Oct 1 (Reuters) - Positive clinical trial results for Merck & Co's (MRK.N) experimental antiviral COVID-19 pill reverberated through the healthcare sector on Friday, sending the drugmaker's stock price soaring while denting high-flying shares of vaccine companies and makers of other coronavirus therapies.
Merck shares jumped as much as 12.3% and hit their highest level since February 2020 after data showed the company's pill molnupiravir could halve the chances of dying or being hospitalized for those most at risk of contracting severe COVID-19. Experts hailed the news as potentially a huge advance in the fight against COVID-19.
At the same time, shares of vaccine makers such as Moderna Inc (MRNA.O), Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) and partner BioNTech SE were hit, with some analysts saying the promise of an oral drug that can be taken at home could change the public perception of risks associated with COVID-19.
"We see modest perceived headwind to vaccine stocks such as MRNA (Moderna) if the market thinks people will be less afraid of COVID-19 and less inclined to get vaccines, if there is a simple pill that can treat COVID-19," Jefferies analyst Michael Yee said in a client note.
Moderna shares tumbled 13% in midday trading, while Pfizer, which is developing a COVID-19 pill of its own, fell 1.3%. U.S. shares of BioNTech dropped 11%.
For Moderna investors, the Merck news presented an opportunity to lock in gains after an already stunning run. Shares of Moderna, which were added to the S&P 500 in mid July, remain up some 220% in 2021 despite Friday's declines. BioNTech's shares were also still up about 200% for the year, even with Friday's fall.
The Merck news is a "great reason for folks to be taking profits off the table in Moderna and BioNTech shares, said Sahak Manuelian, head of equity trading at Wedbush Securities. "These moves can get exacerbated to the downside given the momentum they have had to the upside."
FILE PHOTO: Vials of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccines of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna are seen in the town of Ricany near Prague, Czech Republic, February 25, 2021. REUTERS/David W Cerny
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Shares of other companies with COVID-19 vaccines also fell, with AstraZeneca (AZN.L) down 2% and Novavax (NVAX.O) falling 16%.
Companies with other COVID-19 therapies that are administered intravenously or through injection also traded lower, with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals In (REGN.O) down nearly 5% and Gilead Sciences Inc (GILD.O) off about 2%.
Healthcare (.SPXHC) was the only one of the 11 S&P 500 sectors in negative territory in mid-day trading, falling 0.5%.
"We see molnupiravir, with its oral format as a clear game changer that is likely to meaningfully impact not just the treatment paradigm for COVID-19 but also has potential utility in the prevention setting," Piper Sandler analyst Christopher Raymond said in a research note.
Merck is conducting a late-stage trial to see if its antiviral pill can prevent COVID-19 infection, in addition to the study that showed it can significantly cut hospitalization and death in those already infected.
Merck, whose shares were last up about 9%, leads the race in developing the first oral antiviral medication for COVID-19. Rivals such as Pfizer and Swiss drugmaker Roche Holding AG (ROG.S) with partner Atea Pharmaceuticals Inc (AVIR.O) are running late-stage trials of their pills. Atea shares were up 19%. read more
Merck, which discontinued its own COVID-19 vaccineprogram, had seen its shares fall about 4% for the year through Thursday, before they moved into positive territory for 2021 on Friday.
"Merck has kind of been dead in the water to investors for the past couple of quarters," said Kevin Gade, portfolio manager with Bahl & Gaynor, which owns Merck shares. "This shows their R&D engine is not dead and they were first ... in what could be a multi-billion dollar opportunity."
Reporting by Lewis Krauskopf in New York and Manojna Maddipatla in Bengaluru; Editing by Ira Iosebashvili and Bill Berkrot
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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Merck COVID-19 pill success slams Moderna shares, shakes up healthcare sector - Reuters
WASHINGTON, Oct 1 (Reuters) - U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky on Friday said that weekly COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in the United States were down 15% from the previous week.
The United States had a daily average of 106,400 COVID-19 cases, 8,300 hospitalizations and more than 1,476 deaths in its most recent seven-day period, Walensky told reporters at a White House briefing.
The U.S. is on track to double the number of COVID-19 rapid-scale tests on the market over the next 60 says, said White House coronavirus response coordinator Jeff Zients.
Health officials welcomed news that a pill developed by U.S. drugmaker Merck (MRK.N) could halve the chances of dying or being hospitalized for those most at risk of contracting severe COVID-19, but would not provide a timeline for when it could be approved by regulators.
"The news of the efficacy of this particular antiviral is obviously very good news. The company when they briefed us last night, had mentioned that they will be submitting their data to the FDA imminently. The data are impressive," said Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Reporting by Lisa Lambert, Ahmed Aboulenein, and Jeff Mason
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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U.S. weekly average of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations down 15% - Reuters
HAVANA, Oct 1 (Reuters) - Cuba is speeding up its COVID-19 vaccination program as it aims to fully inoculate 90% of its population against the coronavirus by December, an ambitious goal that has yet to be reached by even wealthier nations.
The health ministry reported on Thursday that more than 80% of Cuba's 11.3 million people had received at least a first shot of a three-dose immunization regimen with Cuban-made vaccines Abdala, Soberana-2 or Soberana-plus.
Close to 50% were fully vaccinated, it said - well ahead of the global average of 34%, according to the Our World In Data website.
The government has said Cuba is on track to become the first country to inoculate so much of its population with its own vaccines. It is administering them to those as young as two years old after clinical trials testing them on children. The United States by comparison has yet to authorize COVID-19 vaccines for anyone younger than 12.
Currently Cuba is lagging China, which has fully inoculated an estimated 79% of its population with its own vaccines. But Cuban authorities are vaccinating at a faster clip per capita.
"We will be the first in the world to reach everyone with our own vaccines, Ileana Morales, director of science and innovation at the health ministry, said on state television.
State developer BioCubaFarma said its vaccines reduce serious illness and death by 90%, even if breakthrough infections are possible.
It has not yet published data supporting that claim for the scientific community to review.
The World Health Organization recently launched the process to evaluate all three Cuban vaccines.
"It will be a unique case in the world," said Jose Moya Medina, the Pan American Health Organization's representative in Cuba. "I hope and think Cuba will be an example for all countries in the world as only full vaccination can stop the pandemic and possible emergence of more dangerous variants."
Cuba missed its early vaccination targets - partly due to U.S. sanctions hampering production, the government said - and suffered one of the world's worst COVID-19 outbreaks in July and August, fueled by the highly contagious Delta variant of the virus.
But the government said this month that BioCubaFarma had produced enough shots to fully vaccinate the entire population.
GETTING READY FOR TOURISM
The cash-strapped country, which boasts pristine beaches and towns with colonial-era architecture, is banking on success to fully open its borders by mid-November for the tourism high-season.
Its vaccination campaign could give it an advantage over other countries in the region - one of the world's most reliant on tourism - which is struggling with surging cases in part due to vaccine scepticism and low uptake.
Cuba is already lifting domestic restrictions in heavily vaccinated provinces, including Havana, as it tries to revitalize an economy severely battered by the pandemic, U.S. sanctions and domestic inefficiencies.
Shortages of food, medicine and just about every consumer good have led to severe hardship for many, on top of pandemic lockdowns, layoffs and inflation.
Cases and deaths per 100,000 residents in Havana, where around 80% of adults are vaccinated, are less than 20% of what they were two months ago, according to official data, and far below the rest of the country.
In 2020, Cubas pandemic response outperformed most countries. This year, however, the Delta variant swept through the populace and, in some provinces, overwhelmed its much acclaimed health services. At one point, Cuba had the highest per capita infection rate in the world, as daily cases peaked at nearly 10,000 in July and 98 deaths.
The health ministry reported a pandemic total of 11,863 cases and 146 deaths as of Dec. 31, 2020. Those tallies skyrocketed this year and stood at 877,428 cases and 7,436 deaths as of Wednesday.
Reporting by Marc Frank and Nelson Acosta in Havana; Additonal Reporting by Brenda Goh in Beijing and Sarah Marsh in Havana; Editing by Grant McCool and Bill Berkrot
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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Cuba aims to fully inoculate 90% of residents against COVID-19 by December - Reuters
The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) reports 40 new individuals in the Juneau community 38 residents and two nonresidents identified with COVID-19 for October 1. There arecurrentlyseven people with COVID-19 hospitalized at Bartlett Regional Hospital.
The Juneau School District reports 12 new individuals whove tested positive for COVID-19 and were infectious while in school:
COVID-19 cases related to schools are posted on juneauschools.org(click on the green COVID-19 Cases block).
Statewide, the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services reports1,044 new people identified with COVID-19 1,011 are residents and 33 are nonresidents. The state also reports one recent death a male Anchorage resident in his 50s bringing the total number of resident deaths to 557. Alaska has had 110,850 cumulative resident cases of COVID-19 and a total of 4,853 nonresidents.
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40 new COVID-19 cases reported for Juneau City and Borough of Juneau - City and Borough of Juneau
A 52-page report from a pair of anti-vaccine advocates claims to present the truth about COVID-19 vaccines. However, it does just the opposite.
The website Stop World Control published the so-called Vaccine Death Report in September 2021,and it was shared across Facebook, including in this Sept. 26 post. It is written by David Sorenson and Dr. Vladimir Zelenko, a New York doctor who made headlines for prescribing hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 even though health authorities cautioned against it.
The report claims that "millions have died from COVID injections" around the world, and includes narratives from the United States, the United Kingdom, Israel and Brazil to back up this claim.
On top of that, it claims that half a million people within the United States have suffered severe side effects such as strokes, heart failure, brain disorders, convulsions and more.
"The data shows that we are currently witnessing the greatest organized mass murder in the history of our world," the report states.
The alarming findings cite databases like the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System and others. But the report misinterpreted the data to draw unfounded conclusions about the vaccines.
The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, also called VAERS, is an official public government database where anyone can submit any potential adverse health effect following a vaccine. However, the reports are not verified, and the system itself warns that reports can contain information that is incomplete, inaccurate, coincidental or unverifiable. When used improperly, VAERS can be a source for misinformation.
Reports of death after COVID-19 vaccination are rare. And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not verified any deaths as a result of the vaccines approved in the United States. Researchers are still evaluating whether there is a connection between the Johnson and Johnson vaccine and rare types of blood clots, but such cases are few.
More than 390 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in the U.S., with 55.6% of Americans fully vaccinated. CDC spokesperson Martha Sharan said the FDA requires health care providers to report any death after COVID-19 vaccination to VAERS, even if its unclear if the vaccine was the cause. The CDC states that VAERS has received 8,164 reports of deaths following a vaccine, or 0.0021%. Thats far lower than the claims from the vaccine death report. However, thats still unsubstantiated given that VAERS reports do not conclude if a vaccine caused an adverse event. More evidence is needed.
Sharan said that serious side effects that could cause a long-term health problem are "extremely unlikely following any vaccination, including COVID-19 vaccination(s)."
"COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective," she said. "COVID-19 vaccines were evaluated in tens of thousands of participants in clinical trials. The vaccines met the (FDAs) rigorous scientific standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality needed to support approval or authorization of a vaccine."
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration told Reuters that under reporting is a limitation in VAERS in regards to COVID-19 vaccines, but "there currently is not evidence to suggest it would underestimate the amount of COVID-19 vaccine-related deaths to such a large degree."
Outside of the U.S. the report on Stop World Control cites other sources like EudraVigilance, the European database counterpart to VAERS. The report states that according to EudraVigilance, 22,000 people died from vaccines and 2 million suffered adverse events but the database itself warns that its information contains "suspected side effects" that may not have been caused by the medicine. "Only a detailed evaluation and scientific assessment of all available data allows for robust conclusions to be drawn on the benefits and risks of a medicine," the system states.
The death report includes narratives from Facebook users and people from around the world who claim that they or someone they knew died or suffered serious adverse events from the COVID-19 vaccines. These narratives do not provide context or substantial evidence to back up these claims.
Our ruling
A report written by anti-vaccine advocates on a website called Stop World Control made claims that the COVID-19 vaccine has killed millions of people.
This report cites sources such as the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, an official database to which anyone can report any kind of adverse health event following a vaccine. VAERS reports are not analyzed for accuracy, and may contain information that is incomplete, inaccurate or coincidental. Europes EudraVigilance is a similar system to VAERS and issues the same warning about its own reports. No credible source suggests that millions of people have died from vaccines.
We rate this claim Pants on Fire!
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Report shares wildly unfounded claims on COVID-19 vaccine - PolitiFact
