Search Results for covid-19

Italy didn’t change its definition of COVID-19 deaths; the disease killed more than 130,000 Italians

The underlying cause of death is a medical event that triggers a chain of clinical reactions that leads to the death of a patient. Pre-existing medical conditions may weaken a patient’s resistance to diseases, but they aren’t the cause of death. Deaths are attributed to COVID-19 if the patient had a SARS-CoV-2 infection and the clinical circumstances of the death are compatible with the disease. Even though most Italian COVID-19 deceased patients had pre-existing conditions, COVID-19 is responsible for their demise.

There is no evidence that luciferase is an ingredient in the COVID-19 vaccines

Bioluminescence is a process by which chemical reactions generate light. One such chemical reaction is catalyzed by the enzyme luciferase, which transforms luciferin into light. This process is used in lab research to monitor biological processes, and luciferase was used in the development and evaluation of COVID-19 vaccines. However, luciferase is not an ingredient in any of the COVID-19 vaccines approved or authorized in the U.S.

No evidence suggests that Pfizer’s smoking cessation medication Chantix increases the risk of cancer; recall of this product is irrelevant to the safety of COVID-19 vaccines

The recall of Chantix, a smoking cessation aid developed by Pfizer, wasn’t related to the actual ingredients in the product. The company took this precautionary measure after finding nitrosamine impurities that exceeded the recommended limits in certain batches of the drug. Although some nitrosamines compounds may increase cancer risk in humans, there is no evidence that the particular one found in Chantix poses a health risk.

The COVID-19 vaccines provide strong protection against hospitalization and death; number of vaccinated people in hospital does not indicate evidence against this

The vast majority of the adult population in the U.K. have been vaccinated against COVID-19. Clinical trials showed that the COVID-19 vaccines are about 95% effective against hospitalization and death. This means that when cases are high, as they are currently in the U.K., we would expect to see a small number of vaccinated people be admitted to hospital for COVID-19 and die. The numbers of deaths due to COVID-19 are much lower than seen in previous waves before vaccination was widely available. The likelihood of being hospitalized or dying from COVID-19 is higher for unvaccinated people, but as there are relatively few unvaccinated people in the country, they only account for a minority of the numbers.

Claims that a Harvard study showed COVID-19 vaccines are ineffective misrepresent the authors’ conclusions, fail to account for the study’s limitations

Drawing conclusions from population-level data is extremely complex and prone to bias and spurious associations. For this reason, the lack of correlation between the vaccination levels and the rate of SARS-CoV-2 infections in different countries and regions can’t be interpreted as evidence that COVID-19 vaccines are ineffective. Although COVID-19 vaccines aren’t 100% effective, multiple scientific studies show that they reduce the risk of infection and are highly effective against severe COVID-19 and death.

Vaccines are highly effective against COVID-19, but unvaccinated people can still endanger vaccinated people, contrary to Tucker Carlson’s claim on Fox News

Vaccines provide more reliable protection against SARS-CoV-2 and with fewer risks attached compared to infection. But as with any other vaccine, they aren’t 100% effective, therefore vaccinated people remain at risk of infection when there is a high level of virus transmission in the community. The high level of transmission is primarily due to unvaccinated people in the community, who are more likely to be infected and therefore transmit the virus to others. They represent the majority of COVID-19 related hospitalization and deaths. At the same time, by fostering the transmission and replication of the virus, unvaccinated people increase the likelihood that new variants emerge.

No evidence that the fall in COVID-19 cases in Indonesia is linked to the use of ivermectin

Despite the lack of evidence supporting a benefit of ivermectin in COVID-19 patients, many countries have promoted its use to fight the pandemic. So far, no reliable studies have provided evidence showing that ivermectin is effective against COVID-19. Furthermore, ivermectin recommendations are generally accompanied by other measures, including vaccination and restrictions. Studies have shown that such measures are effective at limiting the spread of the virus, making it more difficult to determine whether ivermectin has any beneficial effect.

Vaccination enhances immunity in people who previously had COVID-19; little evidence for claim that the Amish community in Lancaster County, PA, have herd immunity

In the spring of 2020, there were many cases of COVID-19 among the Amish and Mennonites of Lancaster County, PA. Because an estimated 90 percent of households had at least one COVID-19 case, this has led to claims that these communities have achieved herd immunity in the area, and because of this, the Amish don’t need to be vaccinated. However, due to low COVID-19 testing among Lancaster County Amish, it is difficult to confirm the herd immunity claim. Additionally, people who previously had a COVID-19 infection benefit from receiving the vaccines by boosting their protective immunity in a safer and more reliable way.

Vaccines are highly effective at reducing the risk of death from COVID-19; The Exposé misleadingly claims the UK vaccination campaign has failed

The majority of adults in the U.K. are vaccinated against COVID-19. Vaccinated people have a lower risk of dying from COVID-19, but the large number of people in this group means that they account for the majority of COVID-19 deaths. The vaccines are not completely protective against the disease, and without other measures to prevent transmission of COVID-19, cases and deaths will rise. Rare side effects can occur after receiving COVID-19 vaccines, but the benefits outweigh the risks.