The vaccines for COVID-19 produced by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna were the first mRNA vaccines authorized for use in the general public. mRNA vaccines were a long-standing ambition for scientists, as it was hoped that they would offer many advantages over traditional vaccines[1]. However, there were significant technical challenges that took decades to overcome. How do … Continued
Models that predicted COVID-19 would cause 2.2 million deaths in the U.S. were based on the assumption that no measures were taken to prevent the spread of the disease. The reason why the projected figure differed significantly from real-world outcomes is because the assumption in the model didn’t hold true in real life, as measures were taken to reduce the spread of COVID-19. COVID-19 PCR tests are highly specific and sensitive for the virus’ genetic material, and evidence indicates that, by and large, most positive results are true positives. Neither budesonide nor hydroxychloroquine have been approved for treating the disease, as their usefulness has not been proven.
COVID-19 caused millions of infections and over 3.5 million deaths worldwide. Most children and young adults who get infected only experience mild symptoms of the disease. However, a small proportion of people younger than 24 can still develop severe COVID-19 and die. Even those that survive the disease can suffer from persistent health problems after recovery. Despite the high survival rate among young people, COVID-19 vaccines can help protect them from risks associated with the disease. In parallel, COVID-19 vaccination can help reduce the spread of the virus, especially among vulnerable people who aren’t able to take the vaccine for medical reasons.
The CDC’s mask guidelines changed throughout the pandemic as researchers collected more information about both the virus SARS-CoV-2 and the effectiveness of vaccines. The CDC’s recent guidelines, which stated that vaccinated individuals can forgo masks in any setting, were informed by newly discovered scientific evidence related to vaccine effectiveness and as the number of fully vaccinated individuals in the U.S. increased.
Clinical trials in tens of thousands of people, as well as data from ongoing vaccination campaigns, demonstrated that COVID-19 vaccines are effective at preventing severe disease and death. COVID-19 is a reportable condition, meaning that by law, every positive test must be reported, regardless of a person’s vaccination status. COVID-19 PCR tests are also performed using the same criteria and methodology regardless of a person’s vaccination status. However, only samples with sufficient genetic material, which can be identified at lower Ct values, are sent on for further testing by genomic sequencing. Genomic sequencing is used to determine the virus’ lineage and identify variants.
India experienced a decrease in the number of COVID-19 cases in May 2021. However, no data is available to support the claim that this is causally associated with the recommendation to use ivermectin. The slow down of the disease spreading began before India released official recommendations to use that drug. In spite of several clinical studies, no reliable evidence is available to suggest that hydroxychloroquine or ivermectin are effective against COVID-19. At the moment, international health agencies and scientific societies discourage using these drugs to treat COVID-19, except in clinical trials designed to assess their efficacy.
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director Rochelle Walensky declared in May 2021 that hospitals are reporting cases of COVID-19 infections in people who have been fully vaccinated, which are known as breakthrough cases. Some of these cases resulted in deaths, which may have been due to COVID-19 or other causes, like heart attack. Only cases in which COVID-19 was the immediate cause of death or did initiate the chain of events leading to the death are counted as deaths by COVID-19, according to CDC guidelines.
Lists of the ingredients in all COVID-19 vaccines authorized for emergency use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are publicly available. None of the COVID-19 vaccines contain metals or any other ingredient that could cause magnetism in vaccinated people, contrary to claims on social media posts. The ingredients in the COVID-19 vaccines are mainly lipids, salts, and sugars, and the active ingredient (mRNA or adenovirus) that allows the spike protein of the virus that causes COVID-19 to be produced in the body for generating immunity.
COVID-19 vaccines underwent preclinical testing in animals and clinical trials in tens of thousands of people, which established their safety and efficacy. Such testing is also a prerequisite for receiving emergency use authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. While deaths have occurred among vaccinated people, it is important to remember that more than 157 million people in the U.S. have been vaccinated, and that the rate of deaths among vaccinated people isn’t higher than that of unvaccinated people. This indicates that COVID-19 vaccines aren’t the cause of these deaths.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) investigated the deaths that occurred among people who received a COVID-19 vaccine and found that the vaccines didn’t cause these deaths. The VAERS database helps health authorities to monitor the safety of vaccines. However, it is important to remember that the database contains unverified information and can’t be used on its own to suggest a causal link between vaccination and death. It is mandatory for healthcare providers to report any death occurring among COVID-19 vaccine recipients, which may be why more deaths are being reported among those who received a COVID-19 vaccine as compared to other vaccines.
