Category: Vaccine

Alberta physicians are raising the alarm about a dangerous trend fuelled by misinformation that could cost lives.

Dr. Stephanie Cooper, an obstetrician specializing in high-risk birthsat Foothills Medical Centre, said a patient recently refused to consent to a blood transfusion if it came from a donor who had received the COVID-19 vaccine.

"I see people with severe hemorrhage due to childbirth on a regular basis. And for me, the idea that this is out there is somewhat mind-boggling."

It came up in a routine conversation while she was counselling the patient before a C-section. The patient did not end up needing a blood transfusion.

Shocked by what she'd encountered, Cooper shared her experience on Twitter and was inundated with responses, including from other health-care providers who reached out with similar stories.

"I'm quite concerned about it," she said, noting Canada's blood supply does not register the COVID vaccination status of donors.

"There isn't a choice to receive COVID vaccine-negative blood. So by declining blood, it means you will die."

This is not an isolated incident in Alberta.

"We're seeing it about once or twice a month, at this stage. And the worry is of course that these requests might increase," said Dr. Dave Sidhu,the southern Alberta medical lead fortransfusion and transplant medicine.

That includes parents of sick children.

"We do see a few, certainly in our bone marrow transplant patients in particular. You have to remember these kiddos are immuno-compromisedand there's always more sensitivity around these patients, and some of them can be quite frail," said Sidhu, who isalsoan associate professor in the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary.

"Any caution or questions around that, we encourage our parents to ask."

According to Sidhu,requests for so-called directed blood donations,taken from an unvaccinated parent or legal guardian, come with a number of risksand have not been accommodated.

So far, parents have agreed to proceed after he's talked with them, he said.

And while some adults have ultimately refused blood transfusions, doctors were able to treat them in other ways.

"The real worry is situations where blood is needed and it is life and limb," he said.

"There is currently no medical or scientific evidence to suggest that there are changes in people's genetic composition due to these mRNA vaccines or any other issues with safety around blood from either vaccinated or unvaccinated donors."

According to Timothy Caulfield, a Canada Research Chair in Health Law and Policy at the University of Alberta, these situations are becoming increasingly common.

"It's happening not just in Canada but really all over the world. This is a really good example of a behaviour of a request that is the direct result of the spread ofmisinformation," he said.

"This is based on the idea that either the blood is contaminated, the blood is going to give them COVID, that they believe the risks associated with the COVID vaccines are going to have some adverse impact on them. So basically they've embraced and internalized the misinformation associated with the COVID vaccines and fear the blood as a result of that."

Caulfield said competent adults have the right to refuse treatment even if the decision could harm them.

"This really highlights, I think, how powerful misinformation can be. It can really have an impact in a way that can be dangerous," he said.

"There is no evidence to support these concerns."

Canadian Blood Services, which has an entire page onits websitededicated to this issue, said the health of patients is its top priority.

"Health Canada has not recommended or imposed any restriction on the use of the approved COVID-19 vaccines and blood donation," a spokesperson said in a statement emailed to CBC News.

"This is because the blood of donors who have received non-live vaccines does not pose a risk to patients who receive a blood transfusion."

On its website, Canadian Blood Services explains non-live vaccines "do not contain infectious bacteria or virus or other pathogens that can replicate in the vaccine recipient or cause an infection."

Other such vaccines, including those protecting against tetanus,whooping coughand influenza, do not impact eligibility to donate blood.

It also addressesconcerns vaccine-generated spike proteins, in an immunized donor, could be harmful to those receiving their blood.

"These claims are unproven and not substantiated by the safety studies required for regulatory approval of these vaccines, or from ongoing Canadian and international vaccine and blood safety monitoring," the website states.

Meanwhile, David Evans, a professor in the department of medical microbiology and immunology at the University of Alberta, believes improving scientific literacymay be the best way,in the long run, to combat the wave of misinformationthat is leading to these potentially life-threatening decisions.

"The reality is these vaccines have an incredibly good safety record," he said.

"Maybe we should start looking at our biology curriculum and starting to ask, 'what are we teaching our kids, what do we want them to know by the time they get out of Grade 12 about the way our biology works?'Just enough to help you put into perspective what we're talking about when something like this comes along."

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Doctors seeing resistance to blood transfusions over unfounded COVID vaccine concerns - CBC.ca

It is now well established that Covid-19 has widened the global health equity gaps that existed even before the pandemic, pushing the Sustainable Development Goals wildly off track. But although Covid-19 remains an ongoing concern, we were already off track before the pandemic. In terms of challenges to the SDGs, Covid-19 is more a taste of things to come, and just one of many global trends that now threaten to make it increasingly difficult to achieve global goals including Health For All by 2030. In the face of what will likely be an increasingly uphill struggle, it will now take unprecedented financing, political support and prioritisation to get back on track.

Consider the context. Even as Covid-19 continues to spread, research suggests that the probability of us experiencing another pandemic with the same kind of impact is increasing by 2% each year. Similarly, every year now climate change, migration, conflict and food insecurity continue to leave hundreds of millions more people displaced, vulnerable and at risk. The implications of all this for public health are dire, which is why it is so important now not only to reverse the backslides we have seen, but to also gain ground as quickly as possible. And one way, and perhaps the best way, to do this is to prioritise vaccine equity.

The ultimate vision of Health For All means reaching a point where every country is able to provide access to affordable, quality health care to every person, everywhere, regardless of their social and financial status. In practice, the biggest barrier to achieving universal health coverage by 2030 will be reaching those people who have been left behind, the vast majority of whom live in the most marginalised communities in middle- and low-income countries where resources are often already limited, even more so thanks to Covid-19. That will take domestic and international investment in public health across the board to ensure that everyone, everywhere has at the very least access to stronger and more resilient primary health care. And routine immunisation has by far the greatest potential to make sure this occurs where the impact is the greatest, namely among missed communities.

Thats because the challenge, as we have seen with Covid-19, is that the last to be reached are often the hardest to reach. These are also the communities with the most to gain, and routine immunisation can help because it is an enabler. As the most efficient and cost-effective healthcare intervention, with the greatest reach and secure health outcomes, immunisation is often a gateway to other vital health interventions, helping to strengthen primary health care and bring us closer to universal health coverage in the process.

If a child misses out on routine vaccines, then the chances are that that child, their family and community are also not getting access to other forms of primary health care. But once a community gets access to vaccinations, it brings with it an entire service delivery infrastructure, including supply chains, cold storage, trained healthcare workers, data systems and surveillance, all of which help to improve access to other critical health interventions, from nutritional supplements and deworming to malaria prevention and maternal care.

That is why Gavis mission to halve the number of zero-dose children those who do not receive even a single dose of a basic vaccine by 2030 is so critical to the success of the SDGs. These children are the face of extreme poverty and missed communities, too often with limited access to both health and non-health services such as education, water and sanitation.

By redoubling our efforts to reach more zero-dose children, we help protect the most vulnerable children in the world from infectious disease. Plus it serves as an opportunity to build stronger and more resilient primary health care, arguably where it counts the most. And in the process, it also helps to improve pandemic preparedness. Local communities often have a better understanding of what they need the most, and when empowered with better health, knowledge and support, they are best positioned to design and implement preparedness interventions that address their specific health needs and challenges.

However, given the enormous toll that Covid-19 has placed on immunisation services in low-income countries, increasing immunisation coverage will not be easy. In 2021, the percentage of children receiving routine immunisation in the 57 low-income countries that Gavi supports had fallen to 77%, a drop of five percentage points since before the pandemic. Similarly, the number of zero-dose children in these countries rose for the second consecutive year to 12.5 million. That is a lot of ground to make up, let alone improve upon.

For low-income countries, many of which have even more limited resources than before the pandemic and many competing priorities, the goal of attempting to provide all health services to everyone may simply be too much. However, by focusing resources and efforts on those solutions that are most cost-effective and most beneficial to the poorest and most vulnerable communities, even the most cash-strapped government can start to build on this to make other health services available too.

Routine immunisation is just such a solution. It is already the most widely available health intervention in the world, but through this approach, known as progressive universalism, it can help to improve and accelerate access to stronger, more resilient primary health services to the communities most in need, bringing us closer to universal health coverage and Health For All. And in the process, everyone benefits, because it also helps to build resilient societies.

So, while it remains imperative that we continue to work towards achieving equity with Covid-19 vaccines, we also urgently need to restore and expand routine immunisation. That does not mean it should be our only focus. There is also an urgent need for investment in the healthcare workforce in many of the worst affected countries, without which immunisation programmes cannot operate, not to mention disease surveillance and many other areas that need political support and funding. But with an increasingly challenging global health landscape, taking a progressive universalism approach, by prioritising zero-dose children, offers the fastest and most effective way to simultaneously make up lost ground and have the biggest impact, by making sure that no one is left behind.

This article was originally published in Health: A Political Choice Investing in Health For All

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The gateway to all vital health interventions - Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance

SCIENTISTS are working on a cancer vaccine which will be personalised for individual patients.

The new jab will be used to treat treat patients with high-risk melanoma - the deadliest form of skin cancer.

1

The game-changing vaccine, which could prevent thousands of deaths each year, is in the second of three trials.

Manufacturers Moderna and Merck have said results of the trial, which will determine whether it stops cancer coming back, are expected by the end of the year.

The experimental vaccine is based of of the same messenger RNA (mRNA) technology that was used to create the revolutionary Covid vaccines.

The cancer shot is tailored for each patient to generate T-cells - a key part of the body's immune response - based on the specific mutational signature of each tumour.

mRNA vaccines are usually cheaper to produce than traditional vaccines.

However, personalised vaccines are very expensive.

There are various forms ofskin cancerthat generally fall under non-melanoma and melanoma.

How to spot melanoma

The most common sign of melanoma is the appearance of a new mole or a change in an existing mole. Most experts recommend using the simple ABCDE rule to look for symptoms of melanoma skin cancer, which can appear anywhere on the body.

Most experts recommend using the simpleABCDE ruleto look for symptoms of melanoma skin cancer, which can appear anywhere on the body.

In women, the most common specific location for melanoma skin cancers in the UKis the legs.

Men are more likely to see melanomas in theirtrunk - the back or torso.

Non-melanoma skin cancers, diagnosed a combined 147,000 times a year in the UK, kill around 720 people a year in the UK.

Melanoma, meanwhile, is diagnosed 16,000 times a year, but is the most serious type that has a tendency to spread around the body.

The deadly cancer takes the lives of 2,340 people per year.

Conventional vaccines are produced using weakened forms of the virus, but mRNAs use only the virus's genetic code.

An mRNA vaccine is injected into the body where it enters cells and tells them to create antigens.

These antigens are recognised by the immune system and prepare it to fight the virus.

No virus is needed to create an mRNA vaccine.

This means the rate at which the vaccine can be produced is accelerated.

As a result, mRNA vaccines have been hailed as potentially offering a rapid solution to new outbreaks of infectious diseases.

They can also be modified reasonably quickly if, for example, a virus develops mutations and begins to change.

Continued here:

First-ever cancer vaccine could be ready in months, scientists say... - The US Sun

Ohio's 6-week abortion ban has forced women with cancer to seek out-of-state abortions so they can receive cancer treatment. In at least two cases, women were refused cancer treatment until they had abortions. (The 19th)

CT and MRI may miss some pancreatic tumors, reducing the potential for early detection and a chance at life-saving surgery, according to a study presented at United European Gastroenterology (UEG) Week 2022 in Vienna.

An oncologist reflects on being on "the other side" of grief. (JCO Art of Oncology)

Merck and Moderna announced a collaboration to develop a personalized cancer vaccine. The mRNA vaccine is currently being tested in combination with pembrolizumab (Keytruda) among patients with high-risk melanoma in a phase II trial.

Data from worldwide cancer registries suggest the emergence of a global epidemic of cancers in younger adults. (CNN)

Patients with inflammatory breast cancer, and particularly triple-negative breast cancer, face an increased risk for developing central nervous system metastases. (Cancer)

A phase II study of neoadjuvant atezolizumab (Tecentriq) for resectable non-small cell lung cancer showed a 20% rate of major pathologic response. (Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery)

Data on 33,000 patients with breast cancer provided new insights into the distinct clinical features of invasive lobular cancer versus invasive ductal cancer, further emphasizing the need for different types of management. (Journal of the National Cancer Institute)

Disparities in cancer mortality stratified by education level widened during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. (American Journal of Preventive Medicine)

Using electronic health records to glean information about patient-reported outcomes was associated with significant improvement in clinical outcomes. (Journal of Clinical Oncology)

Charles Bankhead is senior editor for oncology and also covers urology, dermatology, and ophthalmology. He joined MedPage Today in 2007. Follow

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Abortion Bans and Cancer Care; Melanoma Vaccine in the Works; New Cancer Epidemic? - Medpage Today

COVID-19 vaccination, booster shots and prior infection all were associated with a significant reduction in the risk of infection, hospitalization and death from SARS-CoV-2, including the Omicron variant, but the protection waned over time, a recent study confirmed.

The cohort study, published in JAMA, included 10.6 million residents in North Carolina from March 2, 2020, through June 3, 2022. During that time, 2,771,364 SARS-CoV-2 infections were reported to the North Carolina COVID-19 surveillance system, with a hospitalization rate of 6.3% and a 1.4% mortality rate.

Receipt of primary COVID-19 vaccine series compared with being unvaccinated, receipt of boosters compared with primary vaccination, and prior infection compared with no prior infection were all significantly associated with lower risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection (including Omicron) and resulting hospitalization and death, the study authors, led by Danyu Lin, PhD, of the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina, wrote. The associated protection waned over time, especially against infection.

About two-thirds of the study participants had been vaccinated by June 3. The average age was 39, 51.3% were female, 71.5% were White, 9.9% were Hispanic.

Primary vaccination with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was associated with a 54.3% estimated effectiveness against infection, 85.8% against hospitalization and 89.6% against death at seven months after the first dose. At 12 months, estimated effectiveness against infection, hospitalization and death dropped to 37.5%, 58.8% and 75.2% respectively.

For the Moderna vaccine, the estimated effectiveness at seven months after the first dose was 69.2% against infection, 89.8% against hospitalization and 93% against death, dropping to 47.2%, 64.7% and 69.6% respectively at 12 months.

For the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the estimated effectiveness at seven months was 60.2% against infection, 69.7% against hospitalization and 76.7% against death, dropping to 50.7%, 56.3% and 73.6% respectively at 12 months.

The immunity conferred by boosters against infection waned rapidly after 4-6 months, Lin told Contagion. The immunity conferred by infection with the Omicron variant against reinfection with omicron also waned faster than expected.

After boosters, estimated effectiveness peaked at around two to four weeks before declining.

For Pfizer/BioNTech boosters taken in December 2021, estimated effectiveness was 61.2% after one month, dropping 16.2% after three months. For Moderna boosters following Pfizer primary series, estimated effectiveness was 68.4% at one month, dropping to 40.5% at three months. For Moderna boosters following Moderna primary series, those numbers were 62.1% and 14.7%. For Pfizer boosters following Moderna primary series, they were 66.1% and 27%

Vaccination and boosting are beneficial, especially against hospitalization and death, Lin said.

Prior infection was associated with an 86.5% estimated effectiveness against reinfection, 96.2% against hospitalization and 94.5% agasint death after four months, dropping to 75.8%, 95.2% and 94.4% after eight months and 62.2%, 91% and 89.5% after 12 months.

This study reinforced the growing complexities of COVID-19 and the strengths and limitations of routine surveillance systems, Mark Tenforde, MD, PhD; Ruth Link-Gelles, PhD; and Manish Patel, MD, with the CDC COVID-19 Response Team, wrote in an editorial comment. State-based surveillance systems have large sample sizes that allow detection of uncommon events and multiple subgroup analyses. However, they often lack granular details on underlying medical conditions or other factors that allow for better control of confounding or effect modification.

They noted that emerging variants, including Omicron were associated with lower effectiveness against infection, but pointed out that even modest protection may reduce surges and the consequences of them.

Next steps include research to determine the effectiveness of second boosters, effectiveness of bivalent boosters and effectiveness of vaccines in children younger than 5 years.

See the article here:

COVID-19 Vaccines, Boosters and Prior Infection Significantly Reduce Risks - Contagionlive.com

Did a recent study show that women are harming their babies by breastfeeding after getting mRNA COVID-19 vaccines?

Thats what a claim circulating on Instagram and Facebook feeds suggested.

"7 out of 11 women had mRNA in their breast milk," read an image of a tweet shared on Instagram. "This isnt just a disaster for infants, its more proof that mRNA/LNP in the shots hits practically every cell in the body."

The tweet was written by Alex Berenson, a former New York Times reporter who has shared misleading claims about COVID-19 vaccines. It included a retweet from the Twitter account for the medical journal JAMA promoting the Sept. 22 publication of a study that examined the presence of trace amounts of mRNA vaccines in lactating womens breast milk.

Contrary to Berensons assertion, however, the study did not suggest this amounts to disastrous news for infants. It said results suggested breastfeeding post-vaccination is safe and that more research is needed.

The post was flagged as part of Instagrams efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)

The study, conducted by researchers from New York Universitys Long Island School of Medicine, involved the collection of breast milk samples from 11 women whod received Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines within 6 months after childbirth. The participants were asked to collect samples before being vaccinated and for five days after being vaccinated.

"Of 11 lactating individuals enrolled, trace amounts of BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273 COVID-19 mRNA vaccines were detected in seven samples from five different participants at various times up to 45 hours post-vaccination," part of the studys results read.

This discovery did not raise alarms for the researchers.

"The sporadic presence and trace quantities of COVID-19 vaccine mRNA detected in EBM (evidence-based medicine) suggest that breastfeeding after COVID-19 mRNA vaccination is safe, particularly beyond 48 hours after vaccination," they said.

The researchers did not test the cumulative effects of that exposure to trace mRNA on the infants and wrote that more research is needed. They also wrote that "caution is warranted about breastfeeding children younger than 6 months in the first 48 hours after maternal vaccination until more safety studies are conducted."

COVID-19 vaccines are not currently recommended for infants younger than 6 months old. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine recommend that "everyone should receive the COVID-19 vaccine, including those who are pregnant or breastfeeding."

Dr. Nazeeh Hanna, the studys lead author and chief of NYU Langone Hospital-Long Islands neonatology unit told PolitiFact that although much of the data is still lacking, theres no evidence to suggest that any amount of either vaccine is harmful to infants who are breastfeeding.

BeyondmRNA vaccines, the FDA has authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccines that do not rely on mRNA technology. These include the Janssen/Johnson & Johnson vaccine and the Novavax vaccine.

Our ruling

An Instagram post suggested that a new study from JAMA showed that traces of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines found in breast milk for seven of 11 mothers are harmful for nursing newborns.

A study involving 11 lactating mothers who had been vaccinated found that samples from five of them contained trace amounts of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines up to 48 hours after vaccination. But researchers said the findings suggested vaccination was safe. They said that until further study is done, women should use caution when breastfeeding infants younger than 6 months in the 48 hours after getting vaccinated.

We rate this claim Mostly False.

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A small study of breastmilk and mRNA vaccines did not show babies are being harmed - PolitiFact

October 12, 2022

Media Contact:

Chase Cook, Acting Director of Communications, 410-767-8649

Maryland Primary Care Vaccine Program surpasses 500,000 COVID shots administered

COVID-19 primary vaccines and booster shots now available at more than 500 adult and family primary care practices across Maryland

Baltimore, MD More than 500,000 Marylanders have received their COVID-19 primary vaccines and booster shots from their family doctors via the Maryland Department of Healths (MDH) Maryland Primary Care Programs (MDPCP) Vaccine Program. The MDPCP, which was launched in March, 2019, is engaged with more than 500 primary care practices across the state to encourage the more than four million Marylanders they serve to be COVIDReady by staying up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines and boosters.

The MDPCP is ensuring Marylanders have easy access to COVID-19 vaccines when at their trusted doctors office during visits for other health services, like their annual flu shot.

Clinical providers statewide continue to play a critical role in helping keep Marylanders COVIDReady by protecting them against severe illness and hospitalization with COVID-19 vaccines, including the new bivalent booster shots, said Dr. Howard Haft, Senior Medical Advisor of the MDPCP. MDH has worked closely with our invaluable health care providers statewide to facilitate convenient and equitable access to life-saving COVID shots. Talk with your provider today to make sure you and your family are up to date with your COVID-19 vaccines.

COVID-19 bivalent boosters are available to Marylanders age 12 and above who have received their last primary COVID vaccine or booster at least two months ago. The bivalent booster has been modified to help protect against both original COVID-19 and its Omicron variants.

The Are You Up-To-Date? portal allows you to check your vaccination status within seconds. Find a vaccination clinic near you.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the MDPCP has supported primary care practices in their response efforts by providing access to essential resources, such as free personal protective equipment and point-of-care rapid tests. The MDPCP was established in 2019 to support advanced primary care delivery, improve health outcomes and control total healthcare spending growth, and includes more than 500 practices statewide serving more than four million Marylanders.

For more information about COVID-19 in Maryland, visit covidLINK.maryland.gov. For the most recent Maryland COVID-19 data, visit coronavirus.maryland.gov.

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The Maryland Department of Health is dedicated to protecting and improving the health and safety of all Marylanders through disease prevention, access to care, quality management and community engagement.

Follow us at http://www.twitter.com/MDHealthDept and at Facebook.com/MDHealthDept

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Pages - Maryland Department of Health

Flu season is officially upon us, and County Executive George Latimer and Health Commissioner Dr. Sherlita Amler are encouraging residents to get vaccinated to remain healthy and safe.

The Westchester County Health Department will offer both the flu vaccine and COVID-19 bivalent booster by appointment. every Monday and Friday in October from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at 134 Court Street in White Plains.

Latimer said: As we have seen since over the past two years, COVID-19 infection rates tend to rise during the fall and winter months, and the same goes for transmission of the flu. We should all be taking careful precautions to prevent the spread of COVID and the flu, and getting your vaccines will help us do that. It is strongly recommended to get both the bivalent COVID booster and the flu shot at the same time, to better protect yourself from both illnesses.

Health Commissioner Sherlita Amler, MD, said: Combining vaccines is safe, and it is much more convenient to schedule both at the same time. Children often receive multiple shots at once, and you are much less likely to skip a vaccine if both are given together. Vaccines for flu and COVID-19 offer the best protection we have to fight these diseases, so the sooner you get vaccinated, the better.

Go to the Westchester County Health website to book your vaccine visit. Flu shots are available for anyone age three and older, and high-dose flu vaccine is available for people ages 65 and older. Children may receive a COVID-19 vaccine at the same time as they get a flu shot on Friday mornings this month. Bivalent COVID-19 boosters are available for adults and children ages 12 and up who received their most recent COVID-19 vaccine at least two months ago.

Additional Health Department Flu and COVID Bivalent Booster vaccine clinics are as follows:

Thursday, Oct. 20, 20222 to 6:30 p.m.Yonkers Riverfront LibraryMain Entrance Atrium and Childrens Library on Second Floor1 Larkin Center, Yonkers, NY 10701

Friday, Oct. 28, 20229 a.m. to 1 p.m.Don Bosco Community Center22 Don Bosco Place, Port Chester, NY 10573

Thursday, Nov. 3, 20222 to 6:30 p.m.Yonkers Riverfront LibraryMain Entrance Atrium and Childrens Library on Second Floor1 Larkin Center, Yonkers, NY 10701

For more information, visit the Health Department Website.

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Westchester County Promotes Flu Vaccine and COVID Bivalent Booster with upcoming Health Department Clinics - Westchester County Government

A study in Japan finds antibody response to the Moderna COVID-19 mRNA vaccine does not vary depending on the time of day when the dose was received.

Many physiological and behavioral functions including the immune system exhibit circadian rhythms. Several studies have investigated if the immune response to COVID-19 vaccines varies depending on the time of day when the dose was received, but results were dependent on type of vaccine, participants' age and sex. Now, a study conducted by scientists at Hokkaido University and colleagues in Japan has found no association between antibody response to COVID-19 vaccine and time of day of vaccination. They do add to the body of literature that could ultimately guide vaccination optimization. The findings were published in the Journal of Biological Rhythms.

The researchers recruited their study participants from Hokkaido University employees and students who received their first dose of the mRNA-1273 (Moderna) vaccine two to four weeks earlier. Those who had been previously infected with COVID-19 were excluded. The study group did not include shift workers, a crucial difference between this and some previous studies on healthcare workers.

The team collected demographic data on the final group of 332 Japanese participants and took blood samples to measure antibody titers against SARS-CoV-2. They then conducted statistical analyses to find out if there were associations between the time of day when the participants received their vaccine dose, any of the demographic characteristics, and the immune response.

"Our analyses revealed no significant association between the time of day of vaccination and the SARS-CoV-2 antibody concentration, but we did find that antibody titers decreased in participants aged 50 to 64, which is consistent with previous studies," says Hokkaido University physiologist Dr. Yujiro Yamanaka, who specializes in studying chronobiology.

Conflicting results between studies could be explained by various factors, including differences in sex, age, physical activity, and natural immune system, the type of vaccine received, number of days after vaccination, and differences in vaccine dose. Scientists also need to more fully understand whether other factors like race play a role.

The limitations reduce our ability to conclusively rule out the possibility that circadian rhythms influence antibody response to vaccination. Larger randomized studies are needed to more conclusively guide vaccination strategies regarding a time-of-day variable."

Dr. Yujiro Yamanaka, Physiologist, Hokkaido University

Source:

Journal reference:

Yamanaka, Y.,et al.(2022) Time of Day of Vaccination Does Not Associate With SARSCoV2 Antibody Titer Following First Dose of mRNA COVID19 Vaccine. Journal of Biological Rhythms.doi.org/10.1177/07487304221124661.

Link:

Antibody response to COVID-19 vaccine not associated with time of day of vaccination - News-Medical.Net

BRUSSELSDuring a hearing today on the European Unions COVID-19 response, Pfizers president of international developed markets, Janine Small, admitted that its vaccine had never been tested before its release to the general public on its ability to prevent the transmission of COVID when asked by Dutch politician and a currentMember of the European Parliament(MEP) Robert Rob Roos.

Regarding the question around did we know about stopping immunization before it entered the marketNo., Small replied with a smirk when asked by Roos if the Pfizer COVID vaccine was ever tested to stop the transmission of the virus before it entered the market.

She continued, We have to really move at the speed of science to really understand what is taking place in the market.

It was not clear from the questioning of Ms. Small if she were referring to the Pfizer BioNTech (BNT162b2) vaccine which is authorized under Emergency Use Authorization or Comirnaty which is the FDA-approved vaccine. Under an Emergency Use Authorization, vaccines cannot be mandated.

According to the August 2022 article, The Pfizer BioNTech (BNT162b2) COVID-19 vaccine: What you need to know, it states that there is modest vaccine impact on transmission to prevent COVID infection.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the EU implemented a wide range of health policies with its EU Vaccines Strategy and initiatives, one being EU Digital COVID Certificates which exempted persons from free movement restrictions. The EU implemented free movement restrictions to slow down the spread of coronavirus and protect the health and well-being of all Europeans.

EU Parliamentarian Roos, exposed an alleged misinformation campaign by Pfizer with the release of his video tweet today. In it he called the actions criminal, scandalous and a cheap lie.

Below is a transcript of Roos Twitter post:

If you dont get vaccinated, youre antisocial. This is what the Dutch prime minister and health minister told us. You dont get vaccinated just for yourself, but also for others. You do it for all of society, thats what they said. Today, this turned out to be complete nonsense.

In a COVID hearing in the European Parliament, one of the Pfizer directors just admitted to me at the time of introduction, the vaccine had never been tested on stopping the transmission of the virus.

This removes the entire legal basis for the COVID Passport. The COVID passport that led to massive institutional discrimination as people lost access to essential parts of society. I find this to be shocking, even criminal.

This is scandalous. Millions of people worldwide felt forced to get vaccinated because of the myth that you do it for others. Now this turned out to be a cheap lie.

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Bombshell: Pfizer Exec admits COVID vaccine never tested on preventing transmissions - Lynnwood Times