Search Results for coronavirus

Evidence suggests that political partisanship is associated with higher COVID-19 mortality rates among Republicans compared to Democrats

COVID-19 prevention strategies, such as physical distancing, mask-wearing and the COVID vaccines, have become heavily partisan in the U.S. Compared to Democrats, Republican voters are less compliant with COVID-19 prevention measures and are less likely to have received the COVID-19 vaccine. Two studies from 2022 provide evidence that these partisan differences in compliance impact COVID-19 health outcomes, with higher COVID-19 death rates among Republicans and in Republican counties compared to Democrats and Democratic counties.

COVID-19 and influenza are different diseases caused by different viruses

Influenza and COVID-19 are both respiratory diseases. However, they are caused by two entirely different viruses. The combination of specific diagnostic tests able to distinguish between the two viruses and mortality data indicate that COVID-19 is not caused by the influenza virus. Instead, it’s a new disease, responsible for millions of additional deaths.

COVID-19 vaccines have enhanced reporting requirements for vaccine safety database, so death reports cannot be simply compared to other vaccines

Manufacturers and healthcare providers must report all serious adverse events that occur after COVID-19 vaccination, regardless of whether they think the vaccine was the cause. This is mandatory under the Emergency Use Authorization that the FDA issued for the COVID-19 vaccines. In 2021 and 2022, clinicians administered over 600 million vaccines, an unprecedented number under such authorization, leading to a spike in deaths reported to VAERS. Taken together, this indicates that the spike is due to an increased reporting rate and not a genuine increase in deaths.

Japan preprint on myocarditis used inadequate methods to suggest COVID-19 vaccines cause more myocarditis deaths

Myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart muscle, which can be caused by viral infections, such as COVID-19 and the flu. The COVID-19 mRNA vaccines have also been associated with a higher risk of myocarditis, particularly in young men. However, the risk of myocarditis is significantly higher after COVID-19 than after vaccination. Reliable scientific evidence shows that the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination outweigh their risks.

Photos of blood clots removed during embalming don’t show any link with COVID-19 vaccines; blood clotting risk is much higher after COVID-19 than vaccination

mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are the ones primarily used in many countries, including in the U.S. These vaccines haven’t been associated with a higher risk of blood clotting. While some COVID-19 vaccines have been associated with a serious form of blood clotting with low platelets, such cases are very rare. COVID-19 increases the risk of blood clots and other cardiovascular complications much more than vaccination.

Complete vaccine coverage in the U.S. could have prevented almost a quarter of COVID-19 deaths

The COVID-19 vaccines have been shown in clinical trials and real-world data to be highly effective at preventing deaths. Even after all adults became eligible for vaccines, about 40% of Americans remained unvaccinated, falling to 22% by February 2022. These unvaccinated people accounted for the vast majority of deaths in the months that followed. If all these adults had been vaccinated, an estimated 234,000 lives could have been saved by March 2022, representing about a quarter of all COVID-19 deaths up to that point.

Study by German researchers didn’t find significant safety concerns with Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, contrary to claim by Alex Berenson

The American Academy of Pediatricians recommends that all eligible infants, children, and adolescents six months and older be vaccinated against COVID-19. Although the U.S. Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted to add the COVID-19 vaccine to the childhood immunization schedule, this addition doesn’t make the vaccine mandatory for attending schools. Whether a vaccine is mandatory to attend school is up to states.

COVID-19 vaccine boosters reduce the risk of infection and hospitalization; they don’t increase the risk, contrary to claims of vaccines’ “negative efficacy”

Multiple studies show that COVID-19 vaccines protect against severe illness and death. The vaccines also reduce a person’s likelihood of infection, although they are less effective against infection with the more transmissible Omicron subvariants than with previous variants, and this protection wanes over time. Booster doses increase vaccine protection against both infection and severe COVID-19. Yet, Omicron-specific vaccine formulations may be needed to prevent emerging variants from spreading within the population.

Scientific studies show that the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine reduces transmission; claim by Rob Roos is misleading

COVID-19 vaccines remain highly effective at reducing the risk of severe disease and death. Studies showed that the vaccines are also effective at reducing virus transmission, although this ability has waned in the face of virus variants that emerged later. Most vaccines predating the COVID-19 vaccines—like the pertussis and rotavirus vaccines—don’t prevent transmission but nevertheless produce significant public health benefits, by reducing infection and severe disease in the community. Scientific evidence supports getting vaccinated to protect oneself as well as others.

Analysis by Florida Department of Health about COVID-19 mRNA vaccines contains multiple methodological problems

Much larger studies have found that the benefits of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines continue to outweigh the risks, even in people at the highest risk of post-vaccine myocarditis. The analysis by the Florida Department of Health, used to support the guidance recommending against men aged 18 to 39 getting the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, is limited in ways that make it unreliable as evidence. The recommendation is based on a comparatively small number of deaths that could produce a statistical fluke and the study design used isn’t suitable for studying death as an adverse event in the first place.