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vaccine

West Coast States Issuing Joint Vaccine Guidelines As CDC And HHS Make Massive Changes And Cuts 

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California, Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii are releasing their own joining recommendations for who should receive Covid, flu, and RSV vaccines this fall. This decision was made to counteract the new vaccine guidance that will be coming from the Trump administration, which has also removed prominent scientists and health experts from the federal health department. 

The administration has also put individuals who are vaccine skeptics and critics in key roles throughout the department, leading to the four states wanting to take control. The recently terminated director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Susan Monarez, testified to Congress about her fear of health in the US under Robert F Kennedy Jr as the head of the Department of Health and Human Services. 

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“There’s a real risk that recommendations could be made restricting access to vaccines for children and others in need, without rigorous scientific review.”

The four states have formed what they are calling the West Coast Health Alliance. The Alliance is urging Americans to get this year’s Covid-19 vaccine if they are pregnant, aged 65 or older, are immunocompromised/have a range of risk factors, or are just choosing to keep themselves protected. 

They also stated that children from age 23 months to six should receive the vaccine as should older children and teenagers who have not been vaccinated or have risk factors. 

“These recommendations represent a collaborative effort, done with humility and based on science, to meet our responsibilities to our communities and the public at large,” Dr Kenneth Fink, the director of Hawai’i’s department of health, said in a statement.

The states’ recommendations go against the Trump administrations current vaccine guidelines for Covid-19. Kennedy is one of the most prominent vaccine skeptics in the US, and he announced back in May that the federal government no longer recommends pregnant people and children receive the Covid-19 vaccine. 

They announced the West Coast Health Alliance in early September after the White House forced Monarez out. Monarez often went up against Kennedy over the ways he was trying to reshape federal vaccine policies and contradicting long-standing scientific research. 

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The acting head of the CDC under Trump is a former speechwriter and investment executive with no actual medical or scientific background. California governor Gavin Newsom said that the state health officials who developed the new recommendations within the Alliance are “all medical doctors.”

According to reports, the recommendations are also based on official guidance from major health associations like the American Academy of Pediatrics. 

Kennedy got rid of existing members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) in June. Even one Republican senator who’s also a medical doctor called this move concerning. Louisiana’s Bill Cassidy discussed the risk of rescinding the recommendation for an infant hepatitis B vaccine. 

Cassidy issued a statement calling for a “postponement of the ACIP meeting. If the meeting proceeds, any recommendations made should be rejected as lacking legitimacy given the seriousness of the allegations and the current turmoil in CDC leadership.”

In her congressional testimony, Monarez warned that Kennedy had told her that “the childhood vaccine schedule would be changing starting in September, and I needed to be on board with it.” She also discussed how she was fired after not pledging to “commit in advance to approving every ACIP recommendation, regardless of the scientific evidence.” She added that she also was terminated for resisting the removal of career public health officials that were responsible for vaccine policy without a legitimate cause. 

“If vaccine protections are weakened, preventable diseases will return,” Monarez testified.

UK Fighting against Covid-19

UK To Roll Out Additional Covid-19 Vaccines For Vulnerable People And Elderly 

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The UK announced this week that it will be rolling out an additional Covid-19 vaccine for the elderly and clinically vulnerable populations. Adults over the age of 75, nursing home residents, and anyone who’s immunocompromised will be given an extra dose of a Covid vaccine in the spring. 

Britain’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization (JCVI) said the rollout is a part of a “precautionary strategy for 2022,” adding that individuals over the age of 18 will be offered Pfizer/BioNTech or the Modernas vaccine for the spring dose, while 12 to 18-year-olds will be given Pfizer/BioNTech exclusively. 

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“An extra booster shot will be given 6 months after an eligible individual’s most recent dose. For older people in the U.K., this will be the fourth vaccine dose they have been offered. For people with a severely weakened immune system, it will be the fifth vaccine shot they have been offered. The bulk of the population has been offered three shots, two vaccinations and one booster,”  the JCVI said.

“There remains considerable uncertainty with regards to the likelihood, timing and severity of any potential future wave of Covid-19 in the U.K.”

“There may be a transition period of a few years before a stable pattern, such as a regular seasonal wave of infection, is established,” the JCVI said.

A majority of the UK’s oldest, and most vulnerable, adults received their most recent Covid vaccine in September or October. The JCVI noted that “the immunity this group gained through their booster shot may wane substantially before the fall, when we plan to roll out a wider booster program.” 

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Details on the fall program have not been published yet. 85% of those aged 12 and older in the eligible population of UK residents have received their two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine, and two-thirds of that group has received a booster shot.”

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is also preparing to announce and end to all remaining Covid-19 restrictions in England, a move which many medical professionals have criticized. 

Most of England’s Covid restrictions have already been lifted. The legal requirement to self-isolate after testing positive for the virus is one of the few requirements still in place. 

Johnson is also planning to announce that access to free Covid tests will be scaled back, even though the nation recorded 25,696 new cases this Sunday alone. About 508 individuals per 100,000 people are currently infected with Covid-19 in England. 

“Thanks to our COVID-19 vaccination rollout, we are already the freest country in Europe. It has saved countless lives, reduced pressure on the National Health Service, and is allowing us to learn to live with the virus,”  U.K. Health Secretary Sajid Javid said in a statement on Monday.

US Officials Worried About An Increase In Covid-19 Infections Pre-Holiday Weekend

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Local officials throughout the US are warning residents to remain diligent when it comes to Covid-19 safety protocols, as an increase in infections throughout the nation’s less vaccinated areas has health experts worried about an increase in infections following the fourth of July weekend. 

Arkansas currently has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the nation, and is enduring a major increase in infections. Los Angeles County has been vaccinating people at the same rate as the rest of the nation, but is warning residents about a potential new wave of the Delta variant of the Covid virus. 

“We are now going in the wrong direction yet again with Covid-19 infections here in the state of Arkansas,” said Dr. Cam Patterson, chancellor at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

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“With July 4th holiday coming up and eventually kids going back to school, we have to be concerned that this would be a trend that could continue. And if it does, it would appear that we may be in the beginning of the third surge of Covid-19 here in the state of Arkansas,” he said.

More than 90% of the active Covid-19 cases in Arkansas are among people who have not been vaccinated, and that trend is the same throughout the rest of the nation as well. California’s Health Director Barbra Ferrer claimed that 59% of Los Angeles County residents are vaccinated, but the county recently reported 506 new cases, the largest single day increase since mid-April. 

“We have enough risk and enough unvaccinated people for Delta to pose a threat to our recovery and masking up now, could help prevent a resurgence in transmission.”

Overall the US has seen a 10% increase in its seven-day average of new Covid-19 cases, according to Dr. Rochelle Walenskym who heads the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

“Looking state by state and county by county, it is clear that communities where people remain unvaccinated are communities that remain vulnerable. This is all true as we monitor the continued spread of the hyper-transmissible Delta variant.”

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“Two-thirds of adults in the US have received at least one dose of the vaccine as of Thursday. Over the past week, an average of 661,795 people became fully vaccinated daily,” according to the CDC. 

Dr. Anthony Fauci claimed that vaccinated Americans should still be able to celebrate the fourth of July weekend. 

“That is, if you were vaccinated, you have a high degree of protection. If you are not, you should wear a mask, and you should think very seriously about getting vaccinated,” said Fauci.

The other piece of good news is that the vaccines being distributed throughout the US are proving to protect against the Delta variant of the Covid-19 virus. Johnson & Johnson just released data that showed their vaccine is effective against the Delta variant and individuals who receive the one-shot won’t need a booster. 

“Current data for the eight months studied so far show that the single-shot Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine generates a strong neutralizing antibody response that does not wane; rather, we observe an improvement over time,” Dr. Mathai Mammen, head of research and development at J&J’s Janssen vaccine arm, said in a statement.

UK Covid-19 Restrictions To Be Extended Due To Spreading Of Delta Strain 

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Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to announce a delay of the next phase of England’s Covid-19 recovery and reopening efforts this week. According to reports from the British media, England will likely delay entering into the next phase of their reopening by four weeks amid a surge of the Delta variant of the Covid-19 virus which was initially discovered in India. 

Originally, restrictions were due to be lifted on June 21st. These restrictions included the use of face masks, limiting the number of individuals who can meet indoors and outdoors, and what time establishments like nightclubs and bars can close. Reports suggest that the UK could be waiting until July 19th for any of these restrictions to be lifted or modified. 

Currently indoor gatherings are to be limited to six people indoors at a time and 30 people outdoors. People are being advised to continue to work from home whenever possible. 

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Public Health England, a group that has been compiling pandemic data for the UK, has reported this week that 42,323 new cases of the Delta variant have been recorded throughout the country, this is a 240% increase when compared to the amount of cases reported in the previous week. 

So far more than 70 million vaccine doses have been administered throughout the UK, and around 80% of the nation has received at least one dose. However, Public Health England reported that the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines were only 33% effective against the delta variant after a single show. 

Johnson told the media that he was prepared to continue lockdown and remain cautious when it comes to future reopenings. When it is eventually implemented, the fourth (and final) stage of the UK government’s “roadmap” of lockdown will allow for greater social gatherings to occur with less restrictions in terms of facial coverings and social distancing. 

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So far, all three of the government’s previous reopening stages have worked out to plan, so this delay in reopening as an extra precaution is being relatively well received, especially now that more England residents are receiving their vaccines. 

Investors and economic leaders aren’t too worried about the delays in reopenings either, especially considering it’s only set to last another month. 

“Leisure companies could be worst affected by any delay to lockdown easing in England as it will require a continuation of the social distancing rules, meaning pubs and restaurants can’t operate at full capacity,” said Russ Mould, investment director at British stockbroker AJ Bell.

“However, investors don’t seem too bothered by the risk, perhaps because speculation points to a mere four-week delay, albeit during a seasonally busy time.”

Only time will tell how long these delays will last, but the government is remaining positive that the UK will return to a greater sense of normalcy this summer.

Johnson & Johnson Vaccine

CDC Expected To Meet About J&J Vaccine Pause

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The CDC and FDA are meeting to discuss the six blood clotting cases among people who received the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine.

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COVID-19 Economy

New Covid-19 Variants Could Pose Major Threat To Global Economy In 2021

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According to the International Monetary Fund, the pandemic could potentially hinder a global economic turnaround this year despite the slew of mass vaccination programs being implemented throughout the world and various levels of stimulus packages helping assist some countries. 

The IMF does believe that the global economy will grow by 5% this year, which is .3% faster than they previously forecasted in the fall of 2020. The Fund claimed that this increase “reflects expectations of a vaccine-powered strengthening of activity later in the year and additional policy support in a few large economies.” 

The IMF also estimates that the world economy shrank by 3.5% in 2020; the biggest decline since the Great Depression. Surging infections that began appearing at the end of 2020, renewed lockdowns, logistical issues with vaccine distribution, and a slew of new Covid-19 variants could make it extremely difficult for the global economy to recover. 

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Gita Gopinath is a chief economist of the IMF who recently uploaded a blog post regarding the IMF’s predictions for 2021 and beyond; the fund expects global growth to slow to 4.2% in 2022. 

“Much now depends on the outcome of this race between a mutating virus and vaccines to end the pandemic, and on the ability of policies to provide effective support until that happens.” 

Some countries are expected to recover much more quickly than others. China, for example, was one of the only global economies that actually grew in 2020. The country is currently projected to achieve an 8.1% economic growth this year as well. Even the United States is expected to emerge from their deep economic slump to see a 5.1% increase in growth. 

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“The 19 countries that use the euro are expected to see growth of 4.2% in 2021. The United Kingdom, which endured a 10% contraction last year as it left the European Union and is now battling a new coronavirus variant, would rebound with relatively modest growth of 4.5%,” according to the IMF.

The IMF continued to explain that “the wide divergence reflects an important extent differences across countries in behavioral and public health responses to infections, flexibility and adaptability of economic activity to low mobility, pre-existing trends, and structural rigidities entering the crisis.”

The pandemic overall is causing “exceptional uncertainty” in regards to economic recovery, and “although new restrictions following the surge in infections suggest growth could be weaker than projected in early 2021, other factors pull the distribution of risks in the opposite direction.” 

IMF claims that if the vaccine distribution and efficacy goes as smoothly as it’s currently projected to go, economic outputs could exceed these expectations by as much as 1% globally, which would be amazing for job markets everywhere.

Coronavirus Vaccination

4.2 Million Americans Have Been Vaccinated For Covid-19

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Although more than 4 million Americans have now been vaccinated with their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, health experts are saying the country needs to start moving a lot quicker. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, spoke to the media this past Sunday regarding the current rate that America is getting its citizens vaccinated. 

“No excuses, we’re not where we want to be, but hopefully we’ll pick up some momentum and get back to where we want to be in terms of getting people vaccinated.” 

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention more than 13 million doses have already been distributed throughout the nation, however, the federal government had repeatedly promised that 20 million individuals would have received their initial dose by the end of 2020. While they may be behind with their original predictions, the rate of distribution is still increasing.

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According to Fauci 1.5 million doses were administered within 72 hours this past week, which means the rate is continuously increasing as well. Moncef Slaoui is the chief adviser for Operation Warp Speed, who recently told the media that 17.5 million doses have now been shipped and the government is confident that this will help that rate increase even further. 

Currently vaccines are only being administered to healthcare workers and long-term care patients who are much more susceptible to getting infected with Covid-19. While America continues to wait for vaccinations to be distributed, our current administration is still battling the results of the 2020 election, meaning no further health and safety guidelines are being enforced throughout the nation, and hundreds of thousands of Americans are still being infected. 

The US has reported over 100,000 new Covid-19-related hospitalizations every day for 33 consecutive days, and a majority of the states are still relatively open in terms of businesses and public settings. With holiday travel restrictions being practically non-existent this past month, even more Americans are expected to become infected in the coming weeks. 

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“There’s no running away from the numbers. It’s something that we have absolutely got to grasp and get our arms around and turn that inflection down by very intensive adherence to the public health measures, uniformly throughout the country, with no exceptions.”

Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s technical lead for coronavirus response, recently claimed, however, that there is still hope for the US and other countries currently enduring massive surges in new cases and deaths, but only if these countries adopt federally enforced measures such as mass-testing, isolation, contact tracing, and quarantining. President-elect Joe Biden has made multiple claims in the past that it’s likely he would be placing America under another lockdown once he’s inaugurated to alleviate all the pressure currently being placed on the nation’s hospitals. 

US Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams urged Americans, especially those who gathered over the holidays, to “self-quarantine, get tested, wear a mask, wash their hands and watch their distance. The projections are pretty scary, but they’re projections, and what we do now matters. I want people to understand that if we get over this current surge, then things will start to get better, but it depends on the actions that we all take right now.”

Covid-19 vaccines are expected to continue to be distributed throughout the nation to all vulnerable parties first. Fauci has claimed that it is likely most Americans will be vaccinated by the summer, however, that will also be dependent on what happens with this pandemic in the meantime in terms of new infections.