COVID misinformation: FDA warns about ivermectin as COVID treatment
It's just one of the many online rumors floating around about the coronavirus, treatments and the vaccine.
Staff video, USA TODAY
The COVID-19 vaccine has been scientifically proved to save lives,but for a selectgroup of people in the religious realm, a more important matter is at stake eternal salvation.
As the delta variant of the coronavirus spreads, many Americans resist COVID-19 vaccines, some citing the uncertainty of long-termside effects, otherslacking trust in the medical field. Somevaccine resisters have been galvanized by the idea thatthe shot isthe "mark of the beast."
The "mark of the beast" in the New Testament's Book of Revelation signalsanallegiance to Satan or those who reject God's memorial of creatorship.
"Studies show that any conflicts between religion and science are not about facts, they are more about values and morals," said John Evans,a professor of sociology and religious studies at the University of California, San Diego.
Theapocalyptic biblical term comes from Revelation 13: 16-18. According to the Apostle John in the New International Version Bible,a pair of beasts will rule the Earth with cruelty. Their evil reach which can be interpretedas hidden manipulation will require all people who engage in commerce to wear the mark of the beast. The Apostle John did not identify what the mark looks like, although some theologians translate Scripture to associate the number "666" with it.
Pastor Darin Wood of First Baptist Church in the oil townof Midland,Texas, wrote anop-ed in August for the Midland Reporter-Telegram that said, "One of my church family posed an honest question: 'Pastor, is the COVID vaccine the mark of the beast? Ive been told it is.'Their question was an honest and heartfelt one, and clearly, they were anguished about it. In kindness, I answered, 'no' and thought little more about it. Until the question came again. And again. And again.
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"Theres no indication that the vaccine matches the mark described by the Apostle John.…Ive been sent numerous articles and videos ... that (suggest) the vaccine represents a conspiracy of governmental control or that the vaccine contains some sort of marking agent to indelibly identify those foolish enough to receive the vaccine.Its just not reasonable or logical to presume such a wide conspiracy is even possible. The question then arises as to why this wide mistrust in medical treatment has come."
Evans said that lack of trust in the government and medical field is a driving force behind the "mark of the beast" belief.
"(Former President) Donald Trump tapped into American populism, and with that comes the disbelief of experts," Evans told USA TODAY. "There is a small group of people who believe in 'the mark of the beast,' and I think what's driving that thought process is starting with various concerns about receiving the coronavirus vaccine that are not specifically religious."
Evans said he suspects that the"mark of the beast" popularity stems from an adherence to a social or political identity.
Peter Feaman, a top Republican National Committee official in Florida, said last month that vaccines are"the mark of the beast" and comparable to a "false god."In May, Feaman wrote on his blog of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer encouraging vaccines in Michigan:"Diabolical Michigan Governor Whiter wants her citizens to get the Mark of the Beast to participate in society."
According to Evans' studies, the majority of "mark of the beast" believers appear to be politically conservative and from Protestant Christianbackgrounds.
"People with spiritual beliefs that all things are influenced by religion are more likely to believe 'mark of the beast,' which is in every Christian's Bible, but people will focus on particular passages in the Bible to support their belief system," Evans said.
Harvest Christian Fellowship Pastor Greg Laurie said COVID-19vaccines are not "the mark of the beast,"but many Christians may believe they are, thinking the world isin what the Bible calls"the last days."
"The Bible speaks of someone identified as the 'Antichrist'and he will require people have a 'mark'that people will receive to buy and sell," Laurie told USA TODAY in an email."The COVID-19 vaccine or any vaccines have nothing to do with any of this."
Laurie, who has been vaccinated, said the mark will be a pledge of loyalty to the Antichrist, and no one would take the mark unknowingly.
"In Revelation 14,we learn thatthose who take the mark are doomed," he said. "God will not doom people for taking something unwittingly."
Misinterpretations ofRevelation13:16-18 can stem from social media where people can spread unreliable information, according to Laurie.
"People read erroneous comments and believe they are true," he said.
"Sometimes these statements arepackaged to look like Bible Prophecy," he said, "but they arefalse andmisapplied because many people do not understand what the Bible actually says about these things."
Nicole Williams, a traveling intensive care unitnurse, said she has heard the "mark of the beast" as a reason not to get vaccinated many times.
"I get being hesitant because it is new and we don't know the long-term effects, but calling it the'mark of the beast' is crazy," Williams told USA TODAY.
Williams has worked in hospitals inTexas, New York, California and Hawaii in her three years as a nurse.
She said the latest surge of COVID-19 cases has been "hell,"and a lot of younger people have died. She said vaccines are not a magical shot that cures all, but they're one of many tools to fight the virus.
"I understand that people want to get back to how things were, but calling something you don't understand the 'mark of the beast' is extreme and harmful," she said."I'm exhausted and tired of seeing so many people die, but I will do my damnedest to try and keep my patients alive."
Emergency roomphysician Stephen Smith at Hennepin Healthcaretold USA TODAY he hasn't heard the 'mark of the beast' as a reason to not get vaccinated but a few other outlandish reasons.
Smith said one woman brought her child in for a fever and cough, and he explained that the toddler might have COVID-19. When he asked the mother if she had been vaccinated, Smith said her response was"Oh no, that turns you into a zombie."
Other reasons Smith has heard for not getting vaccinated include: not wanting to get microchipped, it's outside their world view, vaccines were developed too fast, they haven't gotten sick, they're not high-risk, they don't trust the government and they readthat people have died from the vaccine.
"Social media plays a 100% role in the misconceptions about the vaccine," Smith said. "They get all their information off Facebook and get all this garbage.
"Anyone who is telling you not to get the vaccine is either lying to you or an idiotor a combination of the two."
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Peer-reviewed data has deemed theModerna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines safe, and they demonstrated 94% to 95% effectiveness against the virus, according to a study published intheNew England Journal of Medicine.
The same journal published that the Johnson &Johnson single dose shotprovided protection against the virus and was effective against hospitalization and death.
On Sept. 20, PfizerBioNTech released data that its vaccine was safe for children ages 5 to 11.The company received its full stamp of approval from theFood and Drug Administration late last month.
Moderna has begun the process of applying to get a full license, and Johnson & Johnson plans to apply this year.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 54.7% of Americans are vaccinated and 63.9% have received at least one dose.
By the end of September, 56% ofpeople in the USAare projected to be fully vaccinated and 59% by Jan. 1, 2022, according to data from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.
Johnson & Johnson has planned four Phase 3 studies in children for its COVID-19 vaccine. The company did not provide a timeline on when the data will be released.
With many kids back in the classroom, the VERIFY team has been getting a lot of questions about the status of COVID-19 vaccines for children.
Some parents say they want their kids vaccinated, but are hesitant to use an mRNA vaccine, like Pfizer or Moderna. Recently, VERIFY viewer Kathleen asked about the status of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine for teens.
THE QUESTION
Is Johnson & Johnson planning to make its COVID-19 vaccine available for teens and young children?
THE SOURCES
THE ANSWER
Yes, Johnson & Johnson is planning to make its COVID-19 vaccine available for teens and young children.
WHAT WE FOUND
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for Johnson & Johnsons single-dose COVID-19 vaccine for individuals over the age of 18 on Feb. 27, 2021. It was authorized a couple of months after Pfizer and Moderna received EUAs for their mRNA vaccines in December 2020.
A Johnson & Johnson spokesperson told VERIFY the company has completed Phase 1 and 2 studies and planned four Phase 3 studies in pediatric populations, however, they did not provide a timeline on when the data will be released to the public or when they would submit the vaccine for FDA authorization for children.
We are committed to facilitating global equitable access to our COVID-19 vaccine and recognize the unmet needs of children. To keep children safe, and ultimately to achieve herd immunity, it is imperative that COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials continue to move forward in this population, and we remain deeply committed to the critical work needed to make our COVID-19 vaccine equitably accessible for all age groups, said Johnson & Johnson.
Dr. Maureen Ferran, an associate professor of science at the Rochester Institute of Technology, said the companys EUA delay, along with numerous rollout issues, put Johnson & Johnson at a slight disadvantage in comparison to the mRNA vaccine manufacturers.
Right now, we really do not have approval for use of the J&J vaccine for children under the age of 18. They have yet to complete their studies, and at this point, it's really looking like that approval wouldn't be until sometime in 2022, said Ferran.
Meanwhile, in May, the FDA expanded the EUA for the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to include children between the ages of 12 and 15. A few months later on Sept. 26, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said during an interview that the company plans to ask for authorization for a COVID-19 vaccine for children between the ages of 5 and 11 very soon.
Moderna announced that its COVID-19 vaccine was highly effective at preventing COVID-19 in adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 in May. The company submitted its results to the FDA in early June and requested emergency use authorization at that time.
Dr. James Campbell, a pediatric infectious diseases expert who has worked on the Moderna and Novavax COVID-19 vaccine trials for children, told VERIFY Moderna is currently in clinical trials separated into three age groups for children under the age of 12 6 to 11 years old, 2 to 5 years old, and 6 months to 23 months.
According to Campbell, half of the adult dose has been chosen for the 6 to 11-year-old group, which includes around 4,000 children in the U.S. and Canada. At this point in the study, Campbell said the children were set to get their second dose of Modernas vaccine sometime within the last week.
By the end of this week, or maybe into next week, all of those children will have gotten their second dose, and then we're going to need at least a month after that, maybe two months after that, to look at their immune responses and their safety, said Campbell.
On Sept. 21, Johnson & Johnson announced new data that reinforced the strong and long-lasting protection of its COVID-19 vaccine in adults over the age of 18. The company said its new data also showed protection against COVID-19 increases after a person receives a booster shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The company did not release childrens clinical trial data with their announcement.
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Media day for the Brooklyn Nets was billed as a potentially explosive spectacle in which leading scorer Kyrie Irving might set out his reasons for not being vaccinated against Covid-19 and signal whether he was willing to miss every Nets practice, home game and potential playoffs this season in order to maintain that position.
In the end, Irving spoke from an undisclosed location on Zoom because the 29-year-old guard wasnt allowed to enter the Barclays Center. Then he declined to address how or whether he would comply with New York Citys requirement to prove vaccination in order to be in an indoor sports arena.
SOUTH BEND Five South Bend high schools will offer free COVID-19 vaccines next month.
The South Bend Community School Corp. is partnering with HealthLinc to provide the two-dose Pfizer vaccine to students, staff and families beginning in October.
The Pfizer vaccine is approved for use in anyone age 12 and older. Students under the age of 18 must bring a signed consent form to be vaccinated. Forms are available at students' schools.
Who can get vaccinated?: Pfizer shot approved forU.S. children as young as 12
Clinics will run from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4-6 p.m. on each of the follow dates:
Rise Up Academy will also offer a clinic from 10 a.m. to noon on Oct. 27 for the first dose of Pfizer and Nov. 17 for the second dose.
Email South Bend Tribune education reporter Carley Lanich at clanich@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter: @carleylanich.
With Pfizer releasing data last week showing that its COVID-19 vaccine is safe for younger kids, some parents may be wondering if it'll be safe for children to travel by Thanksgiving.
Pfizer plans to send its data to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) by the end of this month. The FDAs approval would allow kids between ages 5 and 11 to get the shot.
Health experts remind us that submitting an emergency use application is a long process, but it is possible for kids to have access to the shot before November.
I estimate that maybe during the last 10 days of October that the vaccines will be available to be administered actually in pharmacies, or in pediatrician offices for children, said Dr. Mavel Gutierrez, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at the Rocky Mountain Children's Hospital.
However, there may not be enough time to get the second dose before the holidays. Add in the two-week wait period for the shot to be completely effective. Just one dose has an efficacy rate of 33%.
And if we're traveling, constant contact with others puts children as well as adults at higher risk of becoming infected.
The main concern is the connections or the type of transportation and exposures in between connections.
The plane arrives to the airport, so there's a lot of people in the gate area, then they have to be transported to another gate in these little buses or they go in trains or on ferries, said Gutierrez.
If you must travel for the holidays, Gutierrez says to take all the precautions as if your child isn't vaccinated at all. That includes wearing a face mask and social distancing.
Pfizer announced COVID-19 vaccine is safe for kids: Here's how long it could take for approval
A smaller dose of Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine is safe to use on children ages 5-11 years old. Heres why it could take weeks for approval.
Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
Like all vaccinations, COVID-19 vaccines carry the potential for side effects. These side effects are most often minor and go away in a matter of days.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, "no long-term side effects have been detected"for COVID-19 vaccines and monitoring of potential side effects from the vaccine continues.
Allergic reactions are also possible.
Here are the most common side effects from COVID-19 vaccination, according to the CDC:
In the arm where the shot is receivedpain, redness and swelling are common. One could also experience headaches, tiredness, muscle pain, chills, fever and nausea.
These particularly fever and body aches can be signs that your body is building up its protections against COVID-19.
The use of over-the-counter medication to address these side effects can be used after vaccination. It is not recommended that medication to address side effectsbe taken beforehand.
To reduce pain or discomfort from the shot, exercising the arm or using a cool, damp cloth can be effective. For a fever, drink fluids.
Side effects from the second shot can be more severe than the first, but this is not always the case.
Serious side effects with the COVID-19 vaccine are rare, and the CDC has determined that the benefits outweigh the risks.
Rare adverse events after the Moderna vaccine have included Guillain-Barr syndrome, a rare autoimmune neurologic disorder that includes weakness and paralysis in the limbs and muscles,and thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS), which causes blood clots and low platelet levels.
The Moderna vaccine has been given to more than 12 million people. There have been 100 reports of Guillain-Barr, and one resulting death. Symptoms typically begin with weakness and tingling in the extremities that quickly spread.
According to the CDC, there have been 38 cases of TTS within 15 days of vaccination, and four resulting deaths.Symptoms typically appear four to 30 days after vaccination and can include persistent headaches, visual changes, abdominal pain, chest pain, leg pain, coldness in limbs and acute bruising or bleeding.
Get vaccinated: Where to get a COVID-19 vaccine in Marion, Polk counties
The CDC estimates that per million doses of Moderna given to men age 50-64, 1,800 hospitalizations and 140 deaths attributable to COVID-19 could be prevented by getting vaccinated, compared with 14-17 Guilian Barr cases and 1-2 TTS cases prevented by not getting vaccinated.
Myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart,hasbeen reported after the Pfizer vaccine, particularly after the second dose and more often for men or young adults several days after vaccination.
About 141 million Americans have received both doses of the two vaccines. According to the CDC, there have been 497 cases of myocarditis, and no resulting deaths. Symptoms can include chest pain, shortness of breath and feelings of having a fast-beating, fluttering or pounding heart.
The CDC has said it is safe to get a flu shot at the same time you get one of the COVID-19 vaccine shots.
The CDC says a vaccine recipient should call their doctor if redness or tenderness around the shot location gets worse after 24 hours, or if side effects do not seem to be going away after a few days.
Reporter Connor Radnovich covers the Oregon Legislature and state government. Contact him at cradnovich@statesmanjournal.com or 503-399-6864, or follow him on Twitter at @CDRadnovich.
Support local journalism by subscribing to the Statesman Journal.
But that doesn't necessarily mean people will need to keep getting boosters. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told CBS's "Face the Nation."
"Our goal right now is to stay ahead of the virus. We want to boost now so we don't end up in a vulnerable place," Walensky said.
"We will see if we can get the amount of transmission down in this country, and truly around the world, which we are also working to do, and then we are anticipating and hoping we will not have more mutations that will require more boosting in the future."
'Our hospitals are filled with unvaccinated people'
"We are working nonstop. We're exhausted. We're frustrated," Ada County Coroner Dotti Owens said. "Funeral homes are out of storage. Our hospitals are out of storage."
The county bought a mass fatality trailer late last year to accommodate a larger number of bodies, but even that is filling up, Owens said.
"Now we're packing them in there," she said. "Our internal cooler is full."
What's happening in Idaho is tragic, but perhaps not surprising.
Idaho has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the US, with 41.3% of residents fully vaccinated as of Saturday, according CDC data.
Only two states had lower vaccinations rates: West Virginia (40.3%) and Wyoming (41%).
He said part of the problem is many victims' family members are also sick with Covid-19 -- meaning bodies have to be stored until they recover and can attend a funeral service.
Alaska is calling for additional medical staff to help with Covid-19 cases.
The state is seeking 297 registered nurses, 114 nursing assistants and a variety of other technicians and therapists to help hospitals that are struggling with staffing and near capacity. The endeavor will likely cost the state about $1 million per day, which will be reimbursed by the federal government, officials said.
The new resources come as the state has authorized hospitals to enact crisis standards of care, allowing the facilities to ration resources when overwhelmed by patients.
The CDC director said she's worried about hospitals in some states running out of beds.
"And when you see that, you worry that people may not be able to come in and get the proper care if they have a motor vehicle accident or if they're having a heart attack," Walensky told CBS on Sunday.
"People who are not vaccinated are 10 times more likely to be in the hospital. Our hospitals are filled with unvaccinated people."
Some schools have to pause in-person learning
The Filer School District in Idaho closed Friday due to "excessive staff absences and the shortage of substitute teachers," district officials said in a Facebook post.
Students will not learn remotely during the break, which ends October 4.
The district's Covid-19 dashboard showed 11 school staff and 56 students have tested positive for Covid-19 since school began September 7.
A combination of absences among teachers, kitchen staff, custodians and other workers as well as a lack of substitute teachers is making it difficult for the district to operate, Schroeder explained.
"It's hard to say if the absences and shortages have been caused by Covid-19," FSD Superintendent Kelli Schroeder told CNN in an email. "There are several other staff members who are out for illness and other reasons."
Children typically don't get infected in schools where proper precautions are taken, the CDC director said.
"Our science has demonstrated that the disease generally comes in from the community, and when schools are practicing the proper mitigation and prevention strategies, it is not where the transmission is actually happening," Walensky told CBS.
"We know how to keep them safe," Walensky said. "When we don't use the proper mitigation, they're more likely to have outbreaks."
The good news for kids: the CDC chief said she think it might be OK to go trick-or-treating this year.
"Oh, gosh, I certainly hope so. If you're able to be outdoors, absolutely. Limit crowds. I wouldn't necessarily go to a crowded Halloween party," Walensky told CBS.
"I think we should be able to let our kids go trick-or-treating in small groups, and I hope that we can do that this year."
GOP governor: 'Vaccinations remain our ticket out of this pandemic'
Ohio, Gov. Mike DeWine recently announced the "Vax to School" program, which residents ages 12 and 25 may enter with proof of vaccination.
The program will give five scholarships worth $100,000 and 50 scholarships worth $10,000. All scholarship money can be used toward any type of education or job training the winner chooses.
DeWine noted an "alarming trend" of Covid-19 cases in young Ohioans, including 42,000 cases in children between the ages 5 and 17 since school started August 15.
"Vaccinations remain our ticket out of this pandemic," DeWine said. "Vaccinations are the way that we stop our hospitals from being overcrowded."
Correction: An earlier version of this story understated the value of Ohio's "Vax to School" program. Prizes will include 50 scholarships worth $10,000 each and five $100,000 scholarships.
CNN's Maggie Fox, Melissa Alonso, Deidre McPhillips, Jenn Selva, Andy Rose and Carma Hassan contributed to this report.
The U.S was a leader in the development for the COVID-19 vaccines and seemed poised to be the first in the world for vaccination rates. But now months later, the U.S. is by one count the 36th in the world for national vaccination rates.
The Atlantic's Derek Thompson explored what happened and tells us more.
Warriors Andrew Wiggins explains COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy: Its none of your business The Mercury News
