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Micro-blogging site 'X' CEO Elon Musk has shared a video stitching screenshots of headlines that appeared to show declining estimates of protection from COVID-19 vaccines.
The clips stitched together are a combination of missing context, headlines presented out of order, using incomparable data, and while the jabs do not completely protect against infection, physicians and epidemiologists say they are effective in reducing the risk of severe illness and death, reported news agency AFP.
Musk wrote X, "Have you heard dis information?". He wrote this in a play on words captioning a video he shared on September 26, 2023.
As per details, the clip was a montage of 111 screenshots of headlines, scientific article titles, and websites that purport to show diminishing levels of protection over time from vaccines against COVID-19.
Apart from this, this also highlights percentages in the text on the screen in red, giving the impression as the video progresses that confidence in the effectiveness of the vaccine has degraded throughout the rollout of the shots, said the report.
Details say, the video was not created by Musk and was already circulated on social media in November 2022. However, interest in the clip following the post of the tech billionaire who bought Twitter in 2022 generated more than 635,800 likes and 197,300 reposts as of October 18.
The video spread in posts in languages including French and German and to other social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.
Recently, the video was also posted to YouTube and the Canadian video-sharing site Rumble, where it was viewed more than 11,700 times.
The claim spread by Musk is a recent example of a long trend of misinformation about Covid-19 vaccines.
Meanwhile, AFP found the succession of images in the video does not follow the chronology of when each article was published. Also, the article uses incomparable data by looking at results for different vaccines and reactions to different variants of the disease.
On 3 October, University of Texas professor of immunology Jeffrey Cirillo referred to this as false. He said, as quoted by AFP, "The argument that the effectiveness or efficiency of vaccines has declined based on the available data is false."
According to AFP, the 111 screenshots in the montage reference articles published mostly between September 2020 and October 2021, that had nothing to do with the Covid-19 pandemic.
Also, the article headlines begin with one touting 100 percent efficacy of the vaccine and then progressively passes to 85 percent, then 50 percent, before shifting to headlines with no statistics, but discussing 'vaccine disasters', added the report.
In the video, posted by Musk, the juxtaposed articles' headlines discuss COVID-19 inoculations' effectiveness at different points during the pandemic, which witnessed the development of variants of the virus that were more resistant to previous formulas of the vaccine.
University of Texas' Cirillo said, as quoted by AFP, "A vaccine against one virus (variant) provides different levels of protection against a different virus (variant)."
With agency inputs.
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A federal judge in Maryland denied several former AstraZeneca employees ADA and religious discrimination claims after they were fired for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine, concluding they werent discriminated against for religious reasons or disabilities.
The court did, however, allow some of the plaintiffs religious discrimination claims against the company to stand.
DURHAM, N.C. (WNCN) A coronavirus vaccine designed to protect against three different deadly strains, developed by researchers at the Duke Human Vaccine Institute, has shown success in recent mouse studies.
We are making important progress toward a broadly protective coronavirus vaccine, said senior authorKevin O. Saunders, Ph.D., associate director of theDuke Human Vaccine Institute. These are pathogens that cause or have the potential to cause significant human infections and loss of life, and a single vaccine that provides protection could slow down or even prevent another pandemic.
Saunders and colleagues built the tri-valent vaccine using a nanoparticle that contains a fragment called a receptor binding domain from different COVID-19 strains. The fragment provides enough information for immune cells to build an effective response against the actual COVID-19 virus when it enters the body.
In early studies with mice and primates, researchers say that the nanoparticle vaccine was effective against multiple variants. Human tests are planned next year for a version that carries immunogens to different strains, including those that have dominated since the original outbreak in 2019.
Researchers also the vaccinated mice did not grow sick when challenged with different strains of the virus.
This study demonstrates proof-of-concept that a single vaccine that protects against both MERS and SARS viruses is an achievable goal, Saunders said. Given that one MERS and two SARS viruses have infected humans in the last two decades, the development of universal coronavirus vaccines is a global health priority.
The study received funding support from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which is part of the National Institutes of Health (U54 CA260543, P01 AI158571).
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Flu activity in the United States is low and remains well below baselines, but some parts of the country are experiencing slight rises, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in its latest weekly update.
The percentage of respiratory specimens that tested positive for flu at clinical labs rose last week in region 8, which includes Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming. Levels remained stable in other parts of the country.
Hospitalizations for flu also remain low but increased slightly in four regions that include states in roughly the southeast and west.
Of the few samples that were positive for flu at public health labs last week, 78% were influenza A, and of subtyped samples, nearly 94% were the 2009 H1N1 virus.
No pediatric flu deaths have been reported for the current season, but the CDC reported one more for the 2022-2023 season, which was reported during the week ending September 30 and involved H1N1, putting that total at 179.
Xofluza (baloxavir marboxil) and Tamiflu (oseltamivir) are common prescription treatments for short, noncomplicated influenza (flu).
Both have similar purposes: they can treat an influenza infection or prevent one from occurring if you've been exposed to a sick person. However, they differ in their dosing and uses in different populations.
This article will cover the similarities and differences between Xofluza and Tamiflu, including who can take it, dosage, side effects, interactions, and which is more effective.
Getty Images / Hannah Peters/Stringer
An antiviral medication, Xofluza is used to treat short and noncomplicated influenza or flu in adults and adolescents 12 and older. It can also help prevent the flu in adults and children 5 and older who have been exposed to another sick person.
It's best used when flu-like symptoms of fever, fatigue, or other symptoms are present for no more than 48 hours. This medication and others similar to it are used to treat the flu and should not be used in replacement for annual flu vaccines.
Tamiflu is an older medication than Xofluza. Like Xofluza, it can be used to treat acute flu infections, but unlike Tamiflu, it can be given to children as young as 2 weeks old, making it a better option for young children. Like Xofluza, it's most effective in treating the flu within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms.
Tamiflu can also be used to prevent influenza in children as young as 1 year who have been in contact with someone who is sick.
Xofluza is an influenza virus polymerase acidic endonuclease inhibitor.
Xofluza's active ingredient, baloxavir marboxil, is considered a prodrug, defined as an inactive product that develops into its active form once it is processed in the body to reach a therapeutic effect.
This happens because of the high amount of water in human bodies. The water in your body helps break up this medication into an active drug form. Once the drug becomes active, it begins to attack and break down the virus by blocking the proteins that help the flu multiply in the body. This slows the progression of the illness, reducing your time being sick, and eventually eliminates the virus quicker and more efficiently.
Tamiflu is an influenza neuraminidase inhibitor (NAI). It binds to and blocks neuraminidase enzymes, which are present in influenza viruses. By doing this, Tamiflu reduces the viral load and the length of time infected.
Its active ingredient or generic version (oseltamivir phosphate) is also a prodrug. It works by undergoing a chemical breakdown similar to Xofluza. Once this medication is released into the body, it converts to its active form and blocks the influenza virus from releasing more viral particles into your system.
Research has shown that Xofluza, compared to Tamiflu, can be more effective in reducing household influenza transmission.
More clinical information has shown that Xofluza may be a more effective antiviral than Tamiflu in treating influenza and interfering with the progression of a pandemic or severe flu season. For one, Xofluza is a simple onetime dose, which is easier to complete than Tamiflu's five-day course of treatment or a 10-day course for prevention. Xofluza prevents the virus's spread more efficiently.
Because of Tamiflu's favorable safety profile in pregnant people, it is generally the preferred antiviral to treat flu during pregnancy. There is limited data on Xofluza's use during pregnancy.
Just a single dose of Xofluza is usually needed compared to Tamiflu, which requires 10 or more doses. This makes Xofluza a more appealing option overall.
Below is the recommended dosing for Xofluza and Tamiflu referred to in milligrams (mg), mg per milliliters (mg/mL), and mg per kilograms of body weight (mg/kg).
As with most medications, Xofluza and Tamiflu come with potential side effects. You may or may not experience side effects when taking either of these drugs.
Common side effects associated Xofluza include:
Tamiflus common side effects include:
These are the most commonly reported side effects associated with these medications.However, this list does not include all possible side effects that could occur.
Side effects can make it difficult to continue taking your full treatment course. Over-the-counter (OTC) therapies can help you manage some of these milder side effects. For example, you can take Advil and Motrin (ibuprofen) or Tylenol (acetaminophen) for headaches.
It's recommended not to use these medications if you are allergic to any of their components.
Xofluza may interact with the following:
It is essential to avoid these interactions as this is a onetime dose medication. Taking any of the above could reduce how well Xofluza works.
One interaction that can affect both Xofluza and Tamiflu is with live vaccines. These may lose effectiveness if given two weeks before or 48 hours after administration of an antiviral.
Talk to your healthcare provider when prescribed an antiviral if you are potentially getting a new vaccine.
Both Xofluza and Tamiflu are effective and commonly prescribed medications for the flu. Which medication you take may depend on different factors, such as age or pregnancy status.
It is important that you notify your primary healthcare provider of the duration of your illness to maximize this medication's effectiveness in reducing your fever, symptoms, and the amount of time you will be ill. You'll need to start treatment within 48 hours of symptom onset for the most optimal results.
Because Xofluza is given as a onetime dose, this medication may work more quickly than Tamiflu. Tamiflu is a 10-pill regimen and can take five to 10 days for treatment and any sign of improvement. Xofluza has shown improvement and flu relief in a little over four days (50 to 54 hours) after the onetime dose.
These medications are approved for use specifically for the influenza virus and should not be used with other COVID-19 antiviral medications, as this may do more harm than good. Some common COVID-19 medications include:
Both of these medications can be taken with or without food.
The author would like to recognize and thank Jaycob Mathew Pea for contributing to this article.
FRANKFORT, Ky. (KT) The Kentucky Department for Public Health (KDPH) has launched a new respiratory virus website, which they are calling a one-stop spot for finding information on COVID-19, influenza and RSV.
KDPH Commissioner Dr. Steven Stack says the move follows the approach the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other states are taking to help families find respiratory virus information at one location.
As we continue into the fall and winter cold and flu season, this site, and a new Respiratory Virus Data Dashboard that is part of this site, will provide awareness of where Kentucky stands with regard to spikes and decreases in these viruses to help inform personal decisions, he stated.
The Respiratory Virus Data Dashboard will include COVID-19 and influenza data, since October marks the official start of flu season. Data will be updated weekly, on Thursdays, and will replace the current flu report and current COVID-19 dashboard. Weekly reports will be archived.
Information on the dashboard includes:
--The number of positive laboratory PCR test results for SARS-CoV-2 and influenza virus reported to KDPH.
--The percentage of outpatient visits attributed to influenza-like illness reported through the sentinel health care provider network.
--The number of emergency department visits and hospitalizations associated with COVID-19, influenza and/or RSV.
--The number of reported deaths associated with COVID-19 and/or influenza.
--Pediatric deaths attributed to COVID/flu.
Anyone can get a respiratory virus infection, but some people are at high risk for serious illness. Therefore, the Department for Public Health recommends Kentuckians follow the tips listed on the site to protect themselves and others this fall and winter.
A summary from the weekly update that was issued Thursday evening, October 19 indicates COVID-19 activity is moderate in Kentucky, while hospitalizationsfor COVID-19, influenza, and RSV remain low.
Find out more by going to CoverYourCough.ky.gov.
The 1918 flu pandemic (which lasted from February 1918 to April 1920) infected an estimated 500 million people and killed 25 to 50 million, representing between 1.3% and 3% of the global population. These numbers make the COVID-19 pandemic seem benign by comparison: As of July 2023, COVID-19 had killed an estimated 6.95 million people, representing roughly 0.09% of the global population.
A frightening and oft-repeated fact about the 1918 flu is that it killed healthy young adults in their twenties just as often as it did the very young and the very old. This is quite out of the ordinary for infectious diseases. As William Paul Glezen, a distinguished emeritus professor in the Baylor College of Medicines Department of Molecular Virology & Microbiology, wrote, [it] was not just the weak and infirm who were taken away but the flower and strength of the land.
Researchers have proposed an explanation for the 1918 flus brutal impact on the young and healthy. They suggest that the generation of young adults during the 1918 flu was exposed to a very different H3N8 flu virus as infants between 1889 and 1892, which shaped their immune systems in a way that made them more vulnerable to the H1N1 1918 flu.
But when Amanda Wissler and Sharon N. DeWitte, anthropologists respectively based out of McMaster University and the University of Colorado, searched for hard evidence to back the notion that the 1918 flu was disproportionately deadly to young adults, they came up mostly empty. The historical literature is filled with anecdotal accounts, but hard data was difficult to find. A 2013 paper claimed to find evidence of increased young adult mortality from the 1918 flu in historical registers from various cities across the U.S. and Canada, but methodological limitations make the findings difficult to accept.
So Wissler and DeWitte sought to plug the evidence gap in the scientific literature by examining the skeletons of people who died during the 1918 flu pandemic and comparing them with skeletons of people who died prior to the pandemic. For this, the duo turned to the Hamann-Todd Human Osteological Collection of 3,000 skeletons housed in the basement at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. The museum graciously allowed the researchers access to 81 skeletons of people who died during the pandemic and 288 who died before the pandemic but after 1910.
Specifically, Wissler and DeWitte examined the bones for specific lesions on the tibia (shinbone), which form due to injury or systemic disease and inflammation. Individuals with these lesions were likely frail and infirm before their death. If skeletons without lesions (healthy people) were just as common among the dead as skeletons with lesions (frail people), that would support the notion that the 1918 flu was just as deadly to healthy and young adults as frail and old adults.
However, this was not what the researchers found. Bunking the conventional narrative about the 1918 flu, Wissler and DeWittes analysis indicated that frail people were 2.7 times more likely to die than healthy people just as one would expect from a typical outbreak of infectious disease.
The researchers sample group was small and limited to one city, so its very possible that their findings might be out of step with what happened nationally or globally. Moreover, the cause of death for the individuals was not documented. All of the skeletons were actually from persons whose bodies were unclaimed.
But lets suppose Wissler and DeWitte are correct and the 1918 flu really wasnt an anomaly in terms of who died. What could explain all of the historical accounts that healthy people were equally likely to be stricken?
The risk of death for everyone increased during the pandemic indicating that more healthy people died during the pandemic than would have in normal, nonpandemic times, the researchers explained. It is possible the perception that healthy adults were equally likely to die of the flu reflects the fact that young adults were certainly at greater risk in the 1918 flu. Unusually high numbers of deaths among young adults would have been memorable and disruptive to both labor force and family life.
The 1918 flu also struck at a time when millions of young, American men were massed together in army camps and barracks during and after World War I. In these crowded conditions, they were likely sickened at higher rates than older individuals. Even if a very small portion of them died relative to other individuals who became infected, their deaths would still have been numerous and memorable.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. At a two-day summit hosted in one of the nations top poultry states, researchers and educators from across the Americas discussed efforts to find ways to manage the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza, a disease that has cost the poultry industry millions of birds across five continents.
The International Avian Influenza Summit was hosted Monday and Tuesday by the Center of Excellence for Poultry Science and the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, part of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. The summit drew 1,842 registrations from 81 countries. The wide-ranging agenda featured presenters from Mexico, Chile, Scotland, the United States and other countries.
Since 2021, a very deadly strain of avian influenza called H5N1, has been circulating and affecting millions of birds and mammals around the world.
We are experiencing one of the most deadly bird flu outbreaks ever, said Deacue Fields, head of the Division of Agriculture. This outbreak has cost U.S. poultry producers nearly 59 million birds across 47 states. There was a tremendous economic impact from this outbreak. We saw extremely high egg prices and also turkey prices.
Its important to come together now and be proactive in discussing the strategies that we can look to, to mitigate further spread of this terrible disease.
We can make a global impact on avian influenza, organizer Guillermo Tellez-Isaias, a research professor at the Center of Excellence for Poultry Science, said on Monday. Your contributions will mean a more resilient future.
Among the first days presenters was Julianna Lenoch, national coordinator wildlife services for National Wildlife Disease Program at APHIS the Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service. Lenoch described efforts to monitor movement of the disease through migratory birds and other means.
The APHIS surveillance team restarted its efforts in May after a pause during the breeding period of the sampled birds.
Were about four months into the surveillance right now. Our team, as of last week, had already collected about 13,000 samples, she said. Our target this year will be to get to almost 42,000 samples.
She said that in the birds sampled in spring of 2022, around 7 percent of them were coming positive. We were running just shy of 1.9 percent in the winter of 2023 so a pretty dramatic drop in the apparent prevalence.
She said that samples collected from May-August of 2022 showed a 3 percent prevalence of avian influenza. During the same period in 2023, she said there was a much lower prevalence despite getting more than 7,000 samples.
We only found H5N1 in a total of 10 birds during that period, Lenoch said. So, either we were sampling in different regions, or theres simply not as much avian influenza circulating, or we may be looking at a little bit of a tipping point where some of our wild bird species at least the dabbling ducks may be developing some immunity.
Unfortunately, we are starting to see pickup both in our surveillance samples and our domestic side, Lenoch said. So avian influenza is starting to trickle in again here in the United States.
Highly pathogenic avian influenza has been confirmed this year in commercial and/or small flocks inOklahoma, Colorado, Montana, Utah, Idaho, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Minnesota.
The sampling has found avian influenza in mammals as well, despite the U.S. lacking a national surveillance system for mammals. Currently, mammalian samples are opportunistic, coming from wildlife rehabilitation centers or state wildlife and natural resource agencies.
Many of these animals have been neurologically affected, and a good portion of them are juveniles or young of the year, Lenoch. In the US were approaching almost 200 individual detections and mammals we have had a wide breadth of species affected.
These include coyotes, foxes, skunks, and raccoons. Avian influenza has also appeared in marine mammals such as seals and a bottlenose dolphin.
The leading theory is that likely many of these terrestrial mammals are likely eating sick or dead birds in the environment, she said.
Some countries, such as France, have begun vaccinating poultry against HPAI. On Sept. 29, APHIS placed restrictions on importation of poultry from France including ducks, duck eggs and other duck products.
The restrictions are based on the World Organisation for Animal Healthsdefinition of poultryand are the result of Frances decision to vaccinate commercial meat ducks against HPAI, APHIS said. Frances decision to vaccinate presents a risk of introducing HPAI into the United States.
However, Brian Umberson of the microbial security company Ancera, said attitudes about HPAI vaccination may be changing.
Were starting to see the development of a positive view of using vaccinations because of the size of these outbreaks and the shock to the food supply, he said.
On Day 2, Alice Green, veterinary epidemiology officer for USDA, discussed a study that identified factors that increased the risk of infection on turkey farms.
Other factors associated with increased odds of H5N1 HPI infection included having both brooder and grower turkey production on the farm, Green said. Having tom turkeys on the farm and seeing wild waterfowl or shorebirds in the closest field was also associated with increased odds
Proximity to water and wild bird habitat, as well as the presence of high densities of migratory wild waterfowl, have been identified as risk factors in previous outbreaks concentrations of domestic poultry in combination with high densities of wild birds provides a potential interface for viral transmission and spillover events, Green said.
There are human factors as well. The study found that having a restroom even a portable one and having access to a shower were found to be protective factors.
Pedro Jimenez-Bluhm, assistant professor, Pontificia Universidad Catlica de Chile, discussed wild bird sampling efforts in Chile, at the southern end of the Pacific Flyway.
Starting in August 2022, we discovered some low-pathogenic viruses, but then we had this huge peak at the end of the year, he said. Thats where we started seeing H5N1-positive samples.
Through this environmental sampling, in this case, we were actually able to get the positive (confirmation) one week before people were announcing mortalities, Jimenez-Bluhm said, adding that this makes a lot of sense because there needs to be a certain viral load in the environment for animals to actually efficiently transmit this virus. So, this is a very sensitive way to actually detect the pathogen in the environment.
Closing out the second day were presentations on strategies for developing vaccines for this virus strain, genome editing to examine avian influenza resistance in chickens and a presentation from Tellez-Isaias on CRISPR and Quorum Sensing as strategic control measurements for Avian Influenza Virus.
