CLAIM
COVID-19 vaccines will cause the virus to be more dangerous, will make the SARS-CoV-2 more dangerous due to a mechanism called antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE)
DETAILS
Inadequate support: COVID-19 vaccines havent shown signs of antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) in animal studies or vaccinated people. On the contrary, evidence indicates that vaccination reduces the risk of infection and the severity of the disease.Misrepresents source: Fully vaccinated people who become infected tend to show less virus than unvaccinated people. The video misinterprets an article by NBC News reporting on new data about the Delta variant in particular. When infected with this variant, vaccinated people might have viral levels similar to unvaccinated people, but not higher as the video claimed.
KEY TAKE AWAY
Antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) is a mechanism that occurs when antibodies can't neutralize a virus but instead increase its ability to infect cells, making the disease worse. While ADE was a concern during COVID-19 vaccine development, previous knowledge allowed researchers to minimize this risk from early stages. COVID-19 vaccines haven't shown signs of causing more severe disease in animal studies, clinical trials, nor vaccination roll-out. On the contrary, all FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective in preventing severe disease.
REVIEW On 28 July 2021, the podcast War Room: Pandemic published this video interview between host Steve Bannon and the vaccine and clinical consultant Robert Malone. The video was widely shared on social media platforms, receiving more than 25,000 interactions on Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, and Twitter (see examples here, here, here, and here)
Both Bannon and Malone have previously spread misinformation on COVID-19 vaccines. In November 2020, Twitter permanently suspended Bannon after he suggested that certain U.S. officials like Anthony Fauci should be beheaded, violating the platforms policies against the glorification of violence. YouTube later removed the podcasts channel in January 2021 for violating the platforms policies on misinformation.
Malones interview focused on the primary claim that COVID-19 vaccination will make the SARS-CoV-2 more dangerous due to a mechanism called antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE). ADE occurs when antibodies cant neutralize a virus but instead facilitate its capacity of infecting cells. This phenomenon increases the risk that vaccinated individuals develop more severe disease when exposed to the virus.
Claims that COVID-19 vaccines would cause ADE started circulating on social media platforms early in the pandemic. Such claims are baseless and actually contradict scientific evidence, as we explain below.
ADE is not a characteristic of a particular vaccine but of a disease itself. The first reports of ADE came from patients with dengue virus infections. Researchers observed that previous infection with one of the four variants of the virus often worsened the symptoms of the disease if the person had a second infection with a different variant. This phenomenon caused problems in the development of vaccines for dengue, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), measles, and some coronaviruses, including severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-1) and middle east respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV).
The risk of ADE was a true concern during the development of COVID-19 vaccine candidates[1]. However, previous knowledge helped researchers to minimize this risk from the early stages of COVID-19 vaccine development[2]. This influenced critical decisions during vaccine design, such as targeting the spike protein instead of other viral proteins that had caused ADE in vaccine candidates against past coronaviruses[3]. Researchers also conducted specific animal studies to detect ADE and closely monitored clinical trial participants for any sign of this phenomenon in COVID-19 vaccine candidates[4].
The result of this awareness is that COVID-19 vaccines developed so far showed no signs of ADE in animal studies, clinical trials, or during vaccine roll-out. Real-world studies further demonstrate that all FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective in preventing severe disease and death[5,6]. Furthermore, COVID-19 infections in fully vaccinated individuals are rare and tend to produce milder symptoms than in those who didnt receive the vaccine[6,7]. This is exactly the opposite of what one would expect if ADE was occurring.
During the interview, Malone further claimed that SARS-CoV-2 variants are most likely developing in the people who have been vaccinated, increasing the risk of ADE. As Health Feedback covered in previous reviews, current evidence doesnt support the claim that COVID-19 vaccines lead to more viral variants, and actually contradicts it.
Each time the virus replicates, it can introduce mutations, which are changes in its genetic sequence. These changes are random and a natural process in viral evolution. The more infections the virus causes, the more times it replicates, increasing the likelihood of generating new mutations that might spread as new variants. Studies show that long-lasting infections also favor the development of new mutations.
If COVID-19 vaccines did lead to more variants, those regions with higher vaccination rates would observe more new variants circulating among the population. This isnt the case. In fact, all current variants of concern emerged in 2020, before the vaccination campaigns began. Because COVID-19 vaccines effectively prevent infections, hospitalizations, and deaths, they also make it less likely for the virus to mutate and for new variants to spread. In contrast, unvaccinated individuals are more likely to get infected and develop severe COVID-19, increasing the chances of new variants to emerge.
Given the above evidence that COVID-19 vaccines arent worsening the disease, on what grounds claimed Malone that COVID-19 vaccines cause ADE?
During the interview, Malone mentioned a 27 July 2021 article by NBC news discussing an imminent update on face masks guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This update reversed previous indoor masks policy and recommended that fully vaccinated people wear masks indoors again in places with high transmission rates.
According to Malone, NBC News reported that this change in guidance responded to new data suggesting that people vaccinated against COVID-19 had more virus than unvaccinated individuals. Malone also shared this claim in a tweet, together with a screenshot from a USA Today article echoing that of NBC News. USA Today removed this part of the article in a later update. However, neither NBC nor USA Today stated what Malone claimed:
Federal health officials still believe fully vaccinated individuals represent a very small amount of transmission. Still, some vaccinated people could be carrying higher levels of the virus than previously understood and potentially transmit it to others. NBC News.
NBC News, citing unnamed officials aware of the decision, reported it comes after new data suggests vaccinated individuals could have higher levels of virus and infect others amid the surge of cases driven by the delta variant of the coronavirus. USA Today.
Multiple studies show that the few people who develop COVID-19 after receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine tend to have a lower viral load than unvaccinated people[8,9]. New data suggest that viral levels in vaccinated individuals who get infected with the Delta variant might be as high as in unvaccinated individuals, but not higher as Malone claimed[10]. These data imply that some vaccinated individuals who get infected might still transmit the virus to others and is what informed the CDCs decision to reverse face mask policy, as the article by NBC News reported.
In summary, Malone misrepresented the NBC News article to claim that vaccinated individuals have higher virus levels than unvaccinated individuals, which is inaccurate. Vaccinated people who become infected generally show less virus than unvaccinated people. When infected with the Delta variant in particular, viral levels in vaccinated individuals can be similar to those in unvaccinated, but not higher.
COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective in preventing severe COVID-19 and reducing the risk of infection. Contrary to what Malone claimed, vaccinated individuals who become infected tend to have milder symptoms than unvaccinated individuals. By reducing the risk of infection and severe disease, COVID-19 vaccines also limit the spread of the virus within the population, making it less likely for new variants to emerge.
The medicinal chemist Derek Lowe made in his blog in Science Translational Medicine a detailed analysis of ADE in the context of COVID-19 vaccines. He also discussed previous research on ADE in different diseases and the mechanisms that can lead to it.
(Photo provided by the City of Lubbock)
LUBBOCK, Texas (PRESS RELEASE) The following is a press release from the City of Lubbock Public Health Department:
The City of Lubbock Public Health Department will work with LISD to offerschool vaccinations as well as Pfizer COVID-19 vaccinations to students and parents onAugust 6, at Monterey High School, from9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Walk-ins are welcome. Recipients do not need to be enrolled in LISD to receive a vaccination.
For more information, call the Public Health Department at 806-775-2933.
(Press release from the City of Lubbock Public Health Department)
In a continued effort to support the health and wellness of the entire Northeastern community, the university announced today that faculty and staff based in the United States will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by the fall semester.
Northeastern was among the first universities to require that all students be vaccinated before returning to campus in the fall, and at the time, officials encouraged faculty and staff to get vaccinated as soon as they became eligible as well.
Now, as cases of COVID-19 tick upward across the country and a more contagious strain of SARS-CoV-2the coronavirus that causes COVID-19gains traction, university officials are requiring faculty and staff to submit verification of vaccination by Sept. 8, 2021.
University employees can submit vaccine verification through Northeasterns online wellness portal, under the link that reads Vaccine Verification. Completing the vaccination verification process is required, and the university will take all steps necessary to ensure full compliance with this policy, said Ken Henderson, chancellor and senior vice president for learning at Northeastern, in a message to faculty and staff on Monday.
Faculty and staff will be able to submit requests for exemptions to the vaccine requirement for medical reasons or where someone expresses a sincerely held religious belief.
The universitys management of the pandemic over the last 18 months has consistently been ahead of the curve and has allowed Northeastern to maintain safe, effective operational continuity without interrupting students academic progress or our research growth, Henderson said.
Achieving a 100 percent vaccination rate among our community will allow all of us to continue to achieve these goals and will further safeguard our community, he said.
Christo Wilson, associate professor of computer science, said that vaccination was extremely important for him.
I have small children who wont be eligible for vaccination anytime soon; reaching herd immunity is the only way to protect my family and still regain a semblance of normal, pre-pandemic life, said Wilson, who also directs the bachelor of science in cybersecurity program at Northeastern.
Key parts of Northeasterns successful reopening for the Spring 2021 term were an adherence to public health guidelines and robust surveillance testingboth of which the university will continue into the fall. Students, faculty, and staff will undergo COVID-19 testing once a week starting in the first week of September.
Its a comfort to know that Northeastern is a safe place to come to work every dayboth for my own peace of mind and because Im aware of protecting the other people I see outside of Northeastern, said Tim Kenneally, vice president of operations and planning for University Advancement.
The university recently conducted a survey of vaccine status among employees in which 80 percent of faculty and staff participated. Ninety-seven percent of the people who responded reported that they were already fully vaccinated or would be by September 2021.
While this level of reported vaccine adherence is strong, we are still left with a significant number of individuals whose status is unknown, said Henderson, a concern compounded by the emergence of the Delta variant and the recent rise in COVID-19 cases.
The Delta variant is much more contagious than other known versions of the virus, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Vaccination and, in some circumstances, continued mask-wearing, are important measures to protect against such a transmissible variant, officials say.
The vaccines provide our best defense against this virus, said Neil Maniar, professor of the practice and director of the Master of Public Health in Urban Health program at Northeastern.
Having as close to 100 percent of our Northeastern community vaccinated will help ensure that we have a safe and successful school year by creating an environment where the virus has very few opportunities to enter our community, he said.
For media inquiries, please contact media@northeastern.edu.
LUBBOCK, Texas (PRESS RELEASE) The following is a press release from the City of Lubbock Public Health Department:
When: Saturday, August 7th (Tax-Free Weekend), 10 a.m. 3 p.m.
Where: South Plains Mall at 6002 Slide Road
The clinic will be located inside the mall, near the main entrance by Barnes & Noble Bookstore.First 200 vaccine recipients will receive a gift card.*Walk-ins are welcome.*
For more information visit mylubbock.us/covid19vaccine, or call the Public Health Department at 806-775-2933.
(Press release from the City of Lubbock Public Health Department)
Misinformation is spreading on the Internet regarding the COVID-19 vaccines and how they may affect womens health. We asked Clara Paik, clinic medical director of obstetrics and gynecology and the co-division director of University Womens Health, some frequently asked questions about womens health and the COVID shots (Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson) currently available.
Clara Paik
While many women have noted changes in their menstrual cycle after receiving the COVID vaccine, there is no evidence that the COVID-19 vaccine has any direct effect on menstruation. However, a womans ovulation and menstrual cycle can be affected by stress.Stress may be the reason for any effect on menstruation. We do not believe there is any physiologic reason why the vaccine itself would affect a womans menstrual cycle.
This is what the CDC recommends: If you are due for a mammogram and have been recently vaccinated for COVID-19, ask your doctor how long you should wait after vaccination to get your mammogram. People who have received a COVID-19 vaccine can have swelling in the lymph nodes (lymphadenopathy) in the underarm near where they got the shot. This swelling is a normal sign that your body is building protection against COVID-19. However, it is possible that this swelling could cause a false reading on a mammogram. Some experts recommend getting your mammogram before being vaccinated or waiting four to six weeks after getting your vaccine.
There is no evidence that the COVID-19 vaccines affect anyones fertility or cause infertility.
There is no evidence that the COVID-19 vaccines affect anyones fertility or cause infertility. Furthermore, there is no scientific theory for how the COVID-19 vaccines could cause fertility problems.
Many pregnant women have received COVID vaccination without any problems. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has started a study on COVID-19 vaccines during pregnancy and postpartum. Pregnant women are at an increased risk for COVID complications. We believe that the risks of COVID infection far outweigh the risks of receiving the vaccine. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) agree that the COVID-19 vaccines should be offered to pregnant women who are eligible for vaccination.
Yes, the COVID vaccines are safe for breastfeeding women. Research so far suggests that there may be some immunity provided to babies through breast milk, but this is not proven as of yet.
For more information about how the COVID-19 vaccine works and other frequently asked questions, visit our coronavirus website.
With a few weeks remaining before the fall semester begins, five of 14 Charlotte-area colleges and universities have announced a COVID-19 vaccine requirement for student enrollment.
Livingstone College, Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte, and Johnson C. Smith decided in April and May to require vaccination. In June, Queens University of Charlotte and Lenoir-Rhyne University also decided to require a vaccine.
Although most universities are not requiring the vaccine, many encourage it among students. Unvaccinated students will be required to wear masks and practice social distancing on campus.
Schools will also conduct weekly or biweekly testing of the unvaccinated population. Davidson College will not require the vaccine; however, those who are unvaccinated must be tested weekly and pay $1,275 in testing fees per semester.
Multiple Charlotte-area colleges are also offering incentives or bonuses for employees to get vaccinated. Additionally, many universities have announced that they would require the vaccine when it becomes approved by the FDA.
Grace Wesoly of Greensboro, N.C., is a student in the James L. Knight School of Communication at Queens University of Charlotte, which provides the news service in support of local community news.
CNN
Hospitals are surging with unvaccinated patients infected with the Delta variant which could affect car accident victims and other non-Covid-19 patients who need hospital care, doctors say.
None of these patients thought they would get the virus, but the Delta variant has proven to be so highly contagious that even the young and the healthy, including pregnant patients, are now starting to fill up our hospitals, said Dr. Neil Finkler, chief clinical officer for AdventHealth Central Florida.
More than 90% of the hospitalized Covid-19 patients are unvaccinated, he said.
In Austin, Texas, Our ICU capacity is reaching a critical point where the level of risk to the entire community has significantly increased, and not just to those who are needing treatment for COVID, Austin-Travis County Health Authority Dr. Desmar Walkes said in a statement.
If we fail to come together as a community now, we jeopardize the lives of loved ones who might need critical care.
In Mississippi, Covid-19 hospitalizations have increased significantly including among younger patients, State Health Officer Thomas Dobbs said. All 88 beds in the University of Mississippi Medical Centers intensive care unit had filled up by Friday, according to data from the states health department.
And in Louisiana, Were becoming victims of the unvaccinated, said Dr. Christopher Thomas, critical care physician at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge.
We currently are overwhelming our bed capacity. Were creating burnout for our teams. And honestly, were beginning to impact the rest of the health care for the community.
At the Louisiana hospital, 97% of Covid-19 patients in the ICU were unvaccinated, Thomas said. As of Friday, the average age of Covid-19 patients in the ICU was 48.
That means there are children with parents who are now in the hospital, he said.
With only 49.6% of Americans fully vaccinated as of Sunday, more businesses and cities such as Birmingham, New Orleans and Louisville are issuing mask mandates to fight the Delta variant.
The Delta strain is several times more contagious than the original strain of novel coronavirus and appears to cause more severe disease, according to an internal presentation from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Given higher transmissibility and current vaccine coverage, universal masking is essential to reduce transmission of the Delta variant, the internal CDC documents said.
Many of those who dont want to wear masks or get vaccinated are prolonging the pandemic, doctors say.
We know that the vast majority of the spread is still by unvaccinated people. And I think that that is the part thats been lost in the messaging from the CDC, said Dr. Leana Wen, visiting professor at George Washington Universitys Milken Institute School of Public Health.
The problem is not with the vaccinated. The problem remains with the unvaccinated. And the way that we can get out of this pandemic is to increase vaccination rates, she said.
So the CDC should actually be saying, Look, the reason were doing indoor mandates is because the unvaccinated cannot be trusted to put on masks. Thats why the vaccinated also have to be putting on masks.
Many Americans were surprised to hear the CDCs updated guidance saying everyone even fully vaccinated people should wear face masks indoors in areas of high or substantial transmission.
To be clear: Its mostly about protecting the unvaccinated. Thats where the real serious risks of illness are, said Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health.
Those who are vaccinated are less likely to get infected, Collins said. When breakthrough infections do happen in vaccinated people, they usually lead to mild or no symptoms at all.
But vaccinated people who get breakthrough infections might be able to spread Covid-19 as easily as unvaccinated people, according to the CDC.
High viral loads suggest an increased risk of transmission and raised concern that, unlike with other variants, vaccinated people infected with Delta can transmit the virus, CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Friday.
That finding was a pivotal discovery leading to CDCs updated mask recommendation, Walensky said.
But Collins said its critical to emphasize how much more danger unvaccinated people are in, compared to vaccinated people. He said those who are not vaccinated:
Are three times more likely to get infected.
Are eight times more likely to get symptoms when infected.
Are 25 times more likely to be hospitalized with Covid-19.
If anybodys listening whos been on the fence, its a tipping point now, Collins said. Lets try to get everybody out there and start to be a part of the winning team.
As more Americans become educated about the Delta variant, vaccinations are increasing.
According to CDC data, 816,023 doses were administered Saturday the fifth straight day the agency recorded more than 700,000 shots in arms. The 7-day average of administered doses is 662,529 per day, the highest average since July 7.
Overall, 49.6% of the US population 168.4 million people are fully vaccinated. Of those 12 and older, 58.1% are fully vaccinated.
Nationwide, the rate of vaccinations this past week is up more than 25% compared to three weeks ago.
In Alabama and Arkansas, which both have about 35% of residents fully vaccinated, the rates of new doses given have doubled compared to three weeks ago.
Ohio has had a significant increase in vaccination rates, particularly in rural areas, Republican Gov. Mike DeWine said Sunday.
I think the fear of the Delta variant is certainly one of the causes, DeWine said.
He said the state is now focusing on outreach efforts to the under-vaccinated Medicaid population through incentives like $100 cash awards for getting the vaccinated.
DeWine also credited the states Vax-a-Million program for boosting vaccinations.
We think well over 100,000 extra people were vaccinated, at a minimum, because of that, DeWine said. It was very, very successful.
But the game is still with getting people vaccinated, he said. We have room to grow.
CNNs Dakin Andone, Nadia Kounang, Deidre McPhillips, Lauren Mascarenhas, Jen Christensen, Melissa Alonso, and Raja Razek contributed to this report.
London CNN
An analysis by British academics, published by the UK Governments official scientific advisory group, says that they believe it is almost certain that a SARS-Cov-2 variant will emerge that leads to current vaccine failure. SARS-CoV-2 is the virus that causes Covid-19.
The analysis has not been peer-reviewed, the early research is theoretical, and does not provide any proof that such a variant is in circulation now. Documents like it are released as pre-print publications that have provided the government with rapid evidence during an emergency.
The paper is dated July 26, and was published by the British government on Friday.
The scientists write that because eradication of the virus is unlikely, they have high confidence that variants will continue to emerge. They say it is almost certain that there will be a gradual or punctuated accumulation of antigenic variation that eventually leads to current vaccine failure.
They recommend that authorities continue to reduce virus transmission as much as possible to reduce the chance of a new, vaccine-resistant variant.
They also recommend that research focus on new vaccines that not only prevent hospital admission and disease, but also induce high and durable levels of mucosal immunity.
The goal, they say, should be to reduce infection of and transmission from vaccinated individuals, and to reduce the possibility of variant selection in vaccinated individuals. Research is already underway at several companies that make the Covid-19 vaccines to address new variants.
The views were expressed in a paper by group of academics on scenarios for the longer term evolution of SARS-CoV-2, and discussed and published by the UKs Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE).
They write that some variants that have emerged over the past few months show a reduced susceptibility to vaccine-acquired immunity, though none appears to escape entirely.
But they caution that these variants emerged before vaccination was widespread, and that as vaccines become more widespread, the transmission advantage gained by a virus that can evade vaccine-acquired immunity will increase.
This is an issue that SAGE has warned about before.
In minutes from its July 7 meeting, SAGE scientists wrote that the combination of high prevalence and high levels of vaccination creates the conditions in which an immune escape variant is most likely to emerge. It said at the time that the likelihood of this happening is unknown, but such a variant would present a significant risk both in the UK and internationally.
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Dr. Anthony Fauci on Sunday warned that the countrys latest COVID-19 surge is "going to get worse" but insisted he doesnt expect the climbing case numbers to trigger any new lockdown orders.
The White House chief medical adviser acknowledged that the US has yet to turn the corner in the recent outbreak driven by the spread of the highly contagious delta variant.
NYT WRITER HITS FAUCI IN SCATHING OP-ED
"Things are going to get worse," Faucitold ABC co-anchor Jonathan Karlon "This Week."
But Fauci said he still doesnt expect the nation to shut down again.
"I dont think were gonna see lockdowns. I think we have enough of the percentage of people in the country not enough to crush the outbreak but I believe enough to not allow us to get into the situation we were in last winter," Fauci said referring to when municipalities across the countryinstituted strict rulesinvolving mask-wearing and business and school shutdowns.
CORONAVIRUS: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
The average number of daily new coronavirus cases in the U.S. has nearly doubled in the past 10 days, according to a Reuters analysis.
Fauci said unvaccinated Americans are largely behind the latest outbreak of infections and blamed them for preventing the country from returning to "normal.
"You know what we really need to do. We say it over and over again, and its the truth: We have 100 million people in this country who are eligible to be vaccinated who are not getting vaccinated. We are seeing an outbreak of the unvaccinated," Fauci said.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE
"From the standpoint of illness, hospitalization, suffering and death, the unvaccinated are much more vulnerable because the vaccinated are protected from severe illness, for the most part," he said. "And getting us back to normal, the unvaccinated, by not being vaccinated, are allowing the propagation and the spread of the outbreak which ultimately impacts everybody."
To read more from the New York Post, click here.
