Articles related to VACCINES/IMMUNIZATION

An efficacy number that’s been widely and unquestioningly quoted by various media organizations — “85% effective” or “at least 85% effective” — is based entirely on a small study done in Africa in the 1980s that has major limitations and with “pretty weak” findings.

JAMA Network Open | Original Investigation

In this Journal Club discussion, among participants in the vaccine-CD20-vaccine cohort, 100% of participants experienced a measurable response to a third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine compared with 18% in the CD20-vaccine cohort.

In addition to other discoveries, the authors found that reported rates of myocarditis or pericarditis were higher after vaccination with mRNA-1273 (Moderna Spikevax) compared with BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty).

The story of David Ho, MD, who contracted the COVID-19 virus after attending a conference on the virus(!), but who lived COVID-free for two years beforehand. The Paxlovid he took eliminated the symptoms and he was free from the virus after testing. However, a few days later, he felt sick again and tested himself. Lo and behold, COVID returned. Is it the drug or is it the virus causing this phenomenon?

People who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 have a shorter duration of viable viral shedding and a lower secondary attack rate than partially vaccinated or unvaccinated people. Data from this study provides important evidence that despite the possibility of breakthrough infections, COVID-19 vaccinations remain critically useful for controlling the spread of SARS-CoV-2.