Wynne Lacey, a mental health professional, has lived in Oak Park since 2005. She is also a member of the Oak Park Board of Health, which advises the village's public health department. She has not been vaccinated against COVID-19 and said she has no intention of doing so. (Chicago Tribune / Chicago Tribune)
It's called the Nocebo Effect.
ATLANTA Its not unusual to experience a mild reactionafter a shot, but some aches and pains may be more about anxiety than the COVID-19 vaccine.
Reactions vary after a COVID shot. Some people feel nothing, others are a little sore, while still others complain of headaches and fatigue.
A new study suggests for some, an uncomfortable reaction may be brought on by negative expectations.
Scientists have dubbed it the Nocebo Effect.
During clinical trials, some patients were given the actual COVID vaccine while others were given a placebo. They didnt know it at the time of the trial, but they were injected with a harmless substance that doesnt include any ingredients of the vaccine.
According to a study by the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center of Boston, about 1/3 of the placebo patients complained of adverse effects. They experienced issues like headache and fatigue after getting a shot, even though they received the placebo and not the actual COVID vaccine.
The Placebo Effect is when patients think theyre getting a beneficial drug instead of a placebo and start feeling better due to their expectations. The Nocebo Effect is a negative reaction due to negative expectations about a drug or vaccine.
Dr. Shanta Dube is with the Department of Public Health at Wingate University. She said patients are warned of potentially uncomfortable immune responses to the COVID-19 vaccine, and that can cause stress.
They were expecting to get pain on their arm, or they're expecting that they're going to have a side effect, said Dube. Why would they say they had pain or headache if they didn't really get the vaccine? Well, that has to do with potentially the anxiety they may have felt.
Dube said making patients aware of the impact of anxiety and helping them relax prior to a vaccine could help.
Open deep breathing, maybe do some relaxation techniques, things to help calm them down so that they're not internalizing all this negative expectation, said Dube.
The phenomenon isnt new. Research shows there have been patients involved in clinical trials for the influenza vaccine who complained of uncomfortable side effects even though they received a placebo instead of the actual vaccine.
Johnson & Johnson has reportedly stopped the production of its single-dose COVID-19 vaccine, signaling that the company may cut back on its overall production of the vaccine.
The news: The New York Times reports that Johnson & Johnson quietly shut down production at a plant in the Netherlands, which was the only location that was creating usable doses of the J&J COVID-19 vaccine.
Yes, but: The facility, in the Dutch city of Leiden, has instead been making an experimental but potentially more profitable vaccine to protect against an unrelated virus, per The New York Times
The other side: J&J did not confirm the planet closure, but told CBS News that we currently have millions of doses of our COVID-19 vaccine in inventory and we continue to fulfill our contractual obligations ... (to) the African Union.
One thing to watch: In October 2021, Johnson & Johnson said it would commit about 50 million vaccines to COVAX, the global initiative to give vaccines throughout the world, according to The Hill.
Diane Pantaleo, USA TODAY NETWORK| St. George Spectrum & Daily News
Some 55% of people living in Washington County were fully vaccinated as of Feb. 8, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.The figure was 49% in neighboring Iron County.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers someone fully vaccinated two weeks after they've been given a single-dose shot (Johnson & Johnson) or a second shot (either Pfizer or Moderna).
More: Mask mandates are lifting. Experts say here's when to consider keeping yours on.
Utah reported 905,112 total cases of coronavirus, an increase of 2% from the week before.
The five counties with the highest percentage of their population fully vaccinated in Utah as of Feb. 8 are Summit County (89%), Salt Lake County (69%), Davis County (67%), Grand County (67%) and Wasatch County (65%).
Here are the latest numbers on COVID-19 vaccinations in Washington County as of Feb. 8:
For a county-by-county look at the vaccination rollout, see our COVID-19 vaccine tracker, which is updated daily.
The percentages in this story reflect the total share of the population that has received vaccines. That now includes people as young as 5 years old, for whom vaccines have been authorized.
These weekly stories will be updated as more data on vaccination rates in children, as well as booster vaccination rates, are released.
We pull data on local vaccine distribution on a weekly basis. Check back for our next weekly update mid-week for the latest numbers.
Feb 11, 2022, 11:46amUpdated 21m ago
By: News 12 Staff
The impact could cause some staffing shortages in certain spots, and it will leave some families without a paycheck. While data shows around 95% of the city's workforce is vaccinated, they are still on track to lose thousands of employees. Mayor Eric Adams says workers have to play by the rules.
These terminations will affect all city employees from teachers to sanitation workers to police officers and firefighters. If they don't hand in their vaccination cards showing they have at least one shot, they will be terminated immediately.
Andrew Ansbro, the president of the Uniformed Firefighters Association, says they've been fighting this mandate since October. He says there are about 500 firefighters in the process of trying to get legal accommodations, so they won't have to comply. So far, 12 firefighters have been denied accommodations and face termination Friday.
"It's 12 today and it could be 12 more next week and 20 more the week after that as soon as the legal department of New York City gets through and reads these reasonable accommodations with either accepting them or denying them," says Ansbro. "And the vast majority have been denied. This is just the beginning unfortunately, and people are going to have to make a decision whether or not they're going to want to pay their bills or submit to a medical procedure."
This could be the largest firing event of it's kind due to a mandate that the country has ever seen.
The 2022 Academy Awards are just over a month away, and while the night is sure to be unforgettable with surprises and snubs, one thing will not be in the cards: COVID-19 vaccinations.
Hollywoods biggest night wont require proof of vaccination for anyone attending the event, according to a report.
Nominees, presenters and stars will gather on March 27 at Los Angeles Dolby Theatre to celebrate the best and brightest in film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, according to the Hollywood Reporter, will ask attendees to show a negative PCR test or a negative rapid antigen test on the day of the ceremony.
This years SAG Awards and Critics Choice Awards ceremonies, on the other hand, will both require full vaccination status.
The Screen Actors Guild listed its COVID-19 protocols for its awards ceremony on its website, along with the statement, All ticketed attendees will be required to show proof of vaccination plus booster shot (if eligible), proof of negative lab-based COVID-19 PCR test within 48 hours of event, and negative antigen (rapid) test the day of the event.
The Critics Choice Awards are set to take place on March 13. COO of the Critics Choice Association, Joey Berlin, told THR of the orgs vaccination requirements: We will be 100% vaccinated and require a negative PCR test within 48 hours of the event. I cant invite people to a show where theyre not going to feel safe.
The academy mandates that its own employees be vaccinated. And the Oscars ceremony will comply with LA Countys health department mandates, which order that people attending indoor or outdoor mega events must be either vaccinated or show a negative test result.
The organization has yet to publicly release its coronavirus policy for the Oscars event. A source told THR that the shows organizers should expect backlash from others in the entertainment industry. The insider added that its shocking how the Oscars are willing to oblige anti-vaxxers.
This stance is different from last years ceremony, where face coverings were not mandated during the live ceremony, but all 170 guests were asked to put on masks when the cameras werent rolling.
The nominations for the 2022 awards were announced on Tuesday, with many fan favorites up for the prestigious golden statuettes.
Kristen Stewart snagged a nom for herrole as Princess Diana in Spencer,and will be competing againstNicole Kidman (Being the Ricardos)and Olivia Colman (The Lost Daughter).
The Power of the Dog and Dune scored 12 and 10 nominations, respectively, while actors such as Andrew Garfield, Jesse Plemons and Javier Bardem earned nods.
The teachers union on Wednesday ratified an agreement to allow unvaccinated members to continue working during periods of low virus transmission, provided they submit to COVID-19 testing twice a week. During periods of higher virus transmission deemed the red zone in the agreement unvaccinated union members would not be allowed in school buildings, and could use accrued paid time off. Otherwise, unvaccinated teachers would need to take unpaid leave during high-transmission periods.
Under the agreement, all new hires would have to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Eighty-four percent of the teachers union voted in favor of the agreement, which is subject to the approval of the Boston School Committee.
In practice, the agreement affects very few union members: Just 367 BTU educators remain unvaccinated, according to the union. The vast majority of the citys roughly 19,000 workers have been inoculated, a number that has grown since Wu announced the stricter mandate in December.
Under the agreement negotiated by the teachers union, no educator can be fired for choosing not to get the vaccine. But other unvaccinated city workers could risk termination if their unions do not come to similar understandings. Wu said in December that the vaccine requirement would be a condition of employment for city workers, meaning they could be fired if they did not comply.
Currently, the city is barred from enforcing the mandate amid a legal challenge from several first responder unions. But the city intends to enforce the mandate if and when the stay is lifted, a process that would begin with placing unvaccinated workers on unpaid leave. Municipal workers can also apply for religious or medical exemptions, though less than half of those processed had been approved, WBUR first reported this week.
The agreement with the teachers union comes as the city and public safety unions continue to battle over the same issue.
First responders have also been offered a testing opt-out option during times of lower transmission, but the unions have not yet reached an agreement with the city. John Soares, president of Boston Firefighters Local 718, said the sticking point was over which COVID-19 metrics would be used to define the yellow zone when testing would be allowed in lieu of vaccination.
Under the public health benchmarks in the teachers union agreement, the city remains in the red zone, though the metrics continue to trend downward. The crucial metrics are ICU occupancy, hospitalizations per day, and community positivity rate.
Union battles over the vaccine mandate have become the dominant political dispute of Wus early tenure, a first brawl in a power struggle that shows no signs of receding. Protesters dog her at events across the city and, for the past month, have been showing up most mornings outside her Roslindale home to bang drums and shout their opposition.
Wu said at a news conference Thursday morning she was very grateful that the teachers union had ratified the agreement, which she said would ensure that we are still keeping our classrooms fully safe.
This is the shape of the deal that was also proposed to our public safety unions as well, she added. We did not reach an agreement with them.
Previously, all city workers could opt to be tested regularly instead of being vaccinated. Some unions argue that Wus tightened mandate violates existing labor agreements.
Wu said earlier on Thursday it is deeply disappointing that public safety unions are still fighting her mandate.
What we see here is a small group of unions deferring to, enabling, and empowering a fringe group that is seeking to have an absolute right to remain unvaccinated in the middle of the pandemic, Wu said in a brief interview outside her home. I continue to be surprised and disappointed that so many of our public safety partners continue to refuse responsibility for vaccination.
Even if Wu wins the court fight, her chilly relationship with the public safety unions seems unlikely to warm anytime soon. Contracts for the public safety unions are due to be renegotiated, and Wu has pledged to use the bargaining process as a way to reform the police department, an effort that is sure to meet with resistance. Campaign contributions show that city firefighters and police overwhelmingly preferred Wus opponent in last years mayoral election.
Leaders of four public safety unions Boston Firefighters Local 718, Boston Police Superior Officers Federation, the Boston Police Detectives Benevolent Society, and the Boston Police Patrolmens Association wrote in a public letter to Wu Wednesday evening that they were extremely disappointed with how the administration had handled the negotiations, citing delays and cancellations. They said Wus team has failed to respond to several union proposals and that silence was all the more frustrating when the public safety unions learned that the administration had inked a deal with the teachers at the same time, Soares said.
Wus team spent hours last week negotiating with the teachers union and the public safety unions alike. The mayor herself was present for some talks on Thursday, and a marathon session on Friday ran nine hours. But they did not reach an agreement.
Negotiations continued this week, and the administration has presented many examples of compromise, Wu said.
In December, when she announced the stricter vaccine mandate amid boisterous protests, Wu addressed why she was pushing for a vaccine mandate without a testing option.
We know that as cases go up, it is necessary to protect everyone who interacts with city government, to have full vaccination among the workforce, to avoid any more outbreaks in our schools that could happen from unvaccinated teachers or staff. . . . to avoid any unnecessary transmission from city services, Wu said.
The City Council is set to hold a hearing Friday on the vaccine mandate and agreements between the city and unions. Officials from the mayors office, the executive director of the of the public health commission, and representatives from the various municipal bargaining units are invited to testify.
Before the administration reached its agreement with educators, the teachers union had warned that the mandate could pull dozens of educators of color from the Boston Public Schools, a system already struggling to build a workforce that reflects the diversity of its students. Educators of color were overrepresented among those who faced termination for being unvaccinated, with Black and Latino educators making up the majority, the Boston Teachers Union has previously said. The union argued their departures could relationships between educators and students, three-quarters of whom are Black or Latino.
Danny McDonald and Naomi Martin of the Globe staff contributed to this report.
Emma Platoff can be reached at emma.platoff@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @emmaplatoff.
Due to current decreased demand for COVID-19 testing, West Virginia University and the Monongalia County Health Department are reducing the community testing schedule at the WVU Student Recreation Center to three days a week beginning next week.
Effective Monday, Feb. 14, the testing schedule for the remainder of February will be:
Mondays (7 a.m. to noon) Feb. 14 and 28
Tuesdays (11 a.m. to 3 p.m.) Feb. 15 and 22
Thursdays (8 a.m. to noon) Feb. 17 and 24
No appointment or pre-registration is required for the testing clinics. Free parking is available in Area 49.
Additionally, the federal government has a website (covidtests.gov) for people to sign up for a maximum of four free COVID-19 tests, which will be shipped directly to the individuals household.
COVID-19 Vaccination Opportunities
COVID-19 vaccine clinics will take place at the Student Recreation Center each Wednesday for the rest of the month. WVU and the Monongalia Health Department will host Pfizer clinics from 9-11 a.m. and Moderna clinics from 1-3 p.m. on Feb. 16 and 23.
All upcoming vaccination clinics will be posted at book.novelhealth.ai/MCHDC.
Students, faculty and staff should monitor the site for the latest information and follow these instructions to schedule a vaccination appointment. Free parking is available in Area 49 and lot ST-4.
WVU Medicine Student Health has the Pfizer vaccine available for WVU students at its clinic in the Health and Education Building. Walk-in appointments are offered during regular business hours (Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.).
The Monongalia County Health Department is offering free vaccinations by appointment on most days at its facility at 453 Van Voorhis Rd. Anyone who wishes to be vaccinated can call 304-598-5119 to schedule an appointment. Other vaccination opportunities can be found at vaccines.gov.
WVU strongly encourages, but does not require, everyone to stay optimally protected against COVID-19 by getting their primary vaccine series and staying up to date with a booster dose if they are eligible to receive one.
As a reminder, students, faculty and staff should take one of the following actions (if they havent done so yet) to verify their vaccine status with the University:
Students, faculty and staff who already have verified their vaccination status for their primary vaccine series and have received a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine should visit the Vaccine Verification System and enter details on their booster via StarRez (WVUs housing portal) at myhousing.wvu.edu by following these instructions.
For personal safety and the safety of others, students and employees should not ignore symptoms of COVID-19. Those with any COVID-19 symptoms should not report to campus for work or class.
All WVU community members are required to report if they test positive for COVID-19 or are quarantining due to suspected or known exposure to COVID-19. In Morgantown, students and employees should report their positive results to CareServices@mail.wvu.edu.
Testing and vaccination information for WVU Tech students and employees is available on the Beckley Return to Campus website. Similarly, testing information for students and employees at WVU Potomac State College can be found on the WVU Keyser Return to Campus site.
Visit the Return to Campus website for more information and to view current COVID-19 dashboards. COVID-19 and related questions can be submitted or sent via email to returntocampus@mail.wvu.edu.
Mitigation of the observed risks of myocarditis/pericarditis and associated uncertainties will be accomplished through labeling (including warning statements about the risks of vaccine-associated myocarditis/pericarditis) and through continued safety surveillance and postmarketing studies to be conducted by the Applicant, US government agencies (including FDA and CDC), and other healthcare stakeholders. [Emphasis added]
Myocarditis and pericarditishave historically been rare. They are defined as inflammation of the heart muscle or layers of the pericardial sac, respectively.Both conditions cause recognizable ECG changes and have ambiguous symptoms that include shortness of breath and chest pain. Myocarditis and pericarditiscan easily be diagnosed clinically with echocardiograms and can be treated by inexpensive pharmacology and bedrest, but for that to happen, people need to know to seek medical diagnosis and care.
The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), jointly run by FDA and CDC, lists a long and impersonal number of cardiovascular-related events in young, healthy people, but without reading the underlying narratives submitted with the reports, its hard to establish the precise causal links regarding these adverse events. Studies acknowledged by FDA officials show that the FDA's various safety databases only collect somewhere between 1 to 13% of all adverse events that actually occur. During official FDA presentations, multiple FDA drug safety epidemiologists have stated that it only takes a single, well-documented adverse event to justify a safety signal investigation and, in turn, warn the American public of the risk.
Historically, the FDA has sought safety warnings on labels, up to and including a black boxed warning and a prescribing restriction known as a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS). For instance, in 2008, after less than 200 spontaneous F/AERS reports of tendon rupture following administration of the class of antibiotics known as fluoroquinolones, FDA added a black boxed warning and the REMS prescribing restrictions. Yet serious, debilitating, and deadly safety VAERS reports following COVID vaccines/boosters are not being held to the same regulatory standards. If only 1-13% of adverse events are reported, extrapolating those numbers means the actual number of adverse health events could easily be underreported.
In addition to VAERS, the CDCs Vaccine Safety Datalink shows an excess risk of myocarditis and pericarditis in recipients following the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.The cardiovascular risk after any mRNA vaccine is high, but with Moderna, its approximately four times higher than Pfizers. For context, The CDC Vaccine Safety Datalink placed the excess cases of myocarditis and pericarditis at 13.1 cases/million doses administered to those age 18-39. (Roughly 300 excess cases overall).
Other public health agencies with much tinier budgets and staff compared to our FDAs, took action on this in October. Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden suspended the use of the Moderna vaccine for young people, but its still full speed ahead here in the USA.
Since then, more data has been released affirming the same: A recent CDC and FDA study published in JAMA shows the risk of myocarditis following any kind of mRNA COVID vaccination is greater than the background risk in the population, with the largest proportions of cases of myocarditis occurring among white males
A comprehensive study from Britain from December 2021 examined data from over 42 million people who have taken a COVID-19 shot found a noteworthy increase in myocarditis with mRNA vaccines which persisted and increased with every dose and booster.
These findings have important implications for public health and vaccination policy.
Indeed they do -- especially in light of the highly questionable manner in which the FDA approved vaccines in kids from 5 to 13 years old, and the currently pending FDA applications to approve vaccination in babies from 6 months and up.
Knowing that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines can cause myocarditis, vaccine safety scientists need to look at other cardiovascular-related adverse effects. The FDA, CDC, and manufacturers have access to VAERS and other high-quality denominator-based vaccine safety systems, including the Biologics Effectiveness and Safety Initiative (BEST), Defense Medical Epidemiology Database (DMED), and the Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD), respectively.
Have manufacturers and our health agencies used these tools and others to thoroughly investigate the cardiovascular health risks of the vaccine?
Therein is the problem:providers and patients are not being adequately warned to monitor for cardiovascular symptoms despite the increased incidence. Pfizer and Moderna should use their considerable resources to research, publish and inform young people about the risk of myocarditis and pericarditis after taking their vaccines. Additionally, pharmacists should educate patients about adverse reactions such as myocarditis and pericarditis.
Going forward, Americans need safety warnings and transparency.from someone
On February 4th, 2022, aCDC advisory committeeproposed extending the gap between COVID-19 shots to mitigate the cardiovascular damage of the vaccine.This details the fact that the federal government is aware of the serious risk, but rather than actually addressing the risk head-on and loudly communicating the risk to the public; they are taking the "half-measure" of just changing the interval and hoping to mitigate risk without evidence that it will have any effect on the outcome.
Since manufacturers and the FDA fail to address this and other untoward effects of mRNA utility and mandates, additional drug safety experts need to publicly address mRNA COVID vaccine safety.
Vaccines are one of the most important inventions in human history, saving millions of lives. That does not mean that every person should get every vaccine, and like every drug out there, it is critically important to detect and report safety problems quickly.
The failure to adequately monitor and warn for COVID vaccine adverse events has not only served to harden COVID vaccine hesitancy but has shredded the credibility of Americas public health authorities. The failure to encourage open conversation about known adverse reactions erodes trust. We are long past the day when hiding information from the public is considered suitable for public health. It never is.
It is not only unethical and disrespectful to patients; its dangerous.
[1] Clinical Review Memorandum of Pfizer vaccine
Dr. David Gortler is a pharmacologist, pharmacist, and an FDA and health care policy fellow at theEthics and Public Policy Centerin Washington, DC. He was a professor of pharmacology and biotechnology at the Yale University School of Medicine, where he served at Yales Bioethicist Center and was anFDA Medical Officerwho was later appointed by the White House to serve on the FDAs Senior Executive LeadershipTeam assenior advisor to the FDA Commissionerfordrug safety, FDA science policy, and FDA regulatory affairs. He is a regular columnist at Forbes, where he writes on drug safety, healthcare, and FDA policy.
2022-02-10
It has now been 60 weeks since the first shipments of the COVID-19 vaccine were sent out to states, kicking off the largest vaccination campaign in human history. As of February 8, the U.S. has sent 671,790,965 doses of the vaccine across the country equivalent to 204.7% of the U.S. population.
While the initial distribution of the vaccine took longer than federal projections had indicated, in recent months the U.S. has made great leaps in the worldwide race to administer vaccinations and some states are faring far better than others. Under the current system, led by the White House COVID-19 Response Team, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sends states limited shipments of the vaccine as well as funding and tasks them with distributing the vaccine in accordance with relatively loose federal guidelines. The distribution of the vaccine is based on the size of the adult population in every state, which according to some experts can create inequities in states where the spread of COVID-19 is worse and a larger share of the population is at risk.
Wisconsin has received a total of 10,815,985 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine as of February 8. Adjusted for population, Wisconsin has received 185,764.0 vaccines per 100,000 residents less than the national average of 204,664.9 vaccines per 100,000 Americans and the 16th fewest of any state.
While Wisconsin has so far received fewer vaccines per capita than the nation as a whole, the state has a greater need for vaccines than the rest of the country. As of February 8, there were 26,370.5 confirmed cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 residents in Wisconsin greater than the national rate of 23,120.3 cases per 100,000 Americans and the ninth highest of all 50 states.
While the federal government distributes vaccines to states, it is up to state governments to administer the vaccine creating variations in both the percentage of vaccines that have been administered and the percentage of the population that has been vaccinated. In Wisconsin, 90.0% of allocated vaccines have been administered to residents, greater than the national average of 81.0% and the largest share of all states.
The administered vaccines amount to 167.2% of the state population, in line with the 165.8% national figure and the 21st largest share of all states.
While a majority of Americans remain unvaccinated due to a lack of supply, there are some who have no plans to receive a vaccine at all. According to a survey from the U.S. Census Bureau, 64.4% of U.S. adults 18 and over who have not yet received the vaccine will either probably not or definitely not get a COVID-19 vaccine in the future. In Wisconsin, 74.8% of adults who have not yet received the vaccine report that they will probably not or definitely not get a vaccine in the future, the 10th largest share of any state. The most common reason cited for not wanting a vaccine was being concerned about possible side effects. Other commonly cited reasons include not trusting COVID-19 vaccines, believing they don't need a vaccine, and not trusting the government.
