Category: Covid-19 Vaccine

One of the former U.S. officials who led the COVID-19 response during the Trump administration said July 22 that COVID-19 vaccines were not expected to protect against infection.

I knew these vaccines were not going to protect against infection. And I think we overplayed the vaccines. And it made people then worry that its not going to protect against severe disease and hospitalization,Deborah Birx, the White House COVID-19 response coordinator under former President Donald Trump, said during an appearance on Fox News.

The Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines were granted emergency use authorization in late 2020 to prevent symptomatic COVID-19, and were promoted by many health officials, including Birx.

This is one of the most highly-effective vaccines we have in our infectious disease arsenal. And so thats why Im very enthusiastic about the vaccine, Birx said on an ABC podcast at the time.

She made no mention of concerns the vaccines might not protect against infection.

Data shows the vaccines did prevent infection from early strains oftheCCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, which causes COVID-19, but that the protection waned over time. The vaccines have proven increasingly unable to shield even shortly after administration, and provide little protection against the Omicron virus variant and its subvariants.

The vaccines continue to protect against severe disease and hospitalization, Birx said on Friday. But lets be very clear50 percent of the people who died from the Omicron surge were older, vaccinated, she said.

So, thats why Im saying, even if youre vaccinated and boosted if youre unvaccinated, right now, the key is testing and Paxlovid, she added.

Paxlovid is a COVID-19 pill produced by Pfizer that has had uneven results in clinical trials and studies, but is recommended by U.S. health authorities for both unvaccinated and vaccinated COVID-19 patients to prevent progression to severe disease.

President Joe Biden, who tested positive this week, was prescribed Paxlovid by his doctor.

There are signs the protection from vaccines against severe illness is also dropping quickly as new strains emerge.

That protection was just 51 percent against emergency department or urgent care visits, and dropped to just 12 percent after five months, according to a recent study. Against hospitalization, protection went from 57 percent to 24 percent. A booster increased protection but the shielding quickly dropped to substandard levels.

Dr. Anthony Fauci also helped lead the U.S. pandemic response along with Birx and once said that vaccinated people would not get infected.

What was true two years ago, a year and a half ago, changes because the original ancestral strain did not at all have the transmission capability that were dealing with with the omicron sublineages, particularly BA. 5. So the vaccine does protect some people, not 95 percent, from getting infected, from getting symptoms, and getting severe disease. It does a much better job at protecting a high percentage of people from progressing from severe disease, Fauci said on Fox.

He said that vaccines with updated compilations, which are expected to debut in the fall, are necessary.

We need vaccines that are better. That are better because of the breadth and the durability, because we know that immunity wanes over several months. And thats the reason why we have boosters, he said. But also, we need vaccines that protect against infection.

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Zachary Stieber covers U.S. and world news. He is based in Maryland.

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Birx Says COVID-19 Vaccines Were Never 'Going to Protect Against Infection' - The Epoch Times

Throughout the pandemic, scientists have discovered that being biologically male or female might impact you when it comes to COVID-19 outcomes, long COVID, and vaccine responses but the reasons for these differences have yet to be fully understood.

While experts investigate this topic (many are calling for more studies that look at outcomes based on sex), its important to know how your sex may affect your risk, particularly if youre immunocompromised. This should be part of the ongoing conversation you have with your doctor to determine your risk level and your strategy for protecting yourself against COVID-19.

Heres what we know about the differences in COVID-19 between males and females so far and what it may mean for you.

While researchers agree that males die of COVID-19 at a higher rate than females, its not entirely clear why. A series of social factors may play a bigger role than biological differences, per a February 2022 Harvard GenderSci Lab study of more than 30 million confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States.

The team found that males were infected and died at higher rates than females in some states, but these rates were about even in other states. And at certain points during the pandemic, females outpaced males in cases and fatalities. Because of this, looking at the aggregate data for the nation could be misleading.

Whats more, the gap between males and females was smaller than what experts originally thought: Early on, it was reported that males were dying of COVID-19 at twice the rate of females. However, the data from the teams tracker showed that males in the United States had a mortality rate that was just 10 to 20 percent higher than that of females between April 2020 and May 2021.

After statistical modeling, the researchers found that 30 percent of this variation was due to state-level factors, such as differences in public health policies, timing and length of mask mandates, and other social factors like gendered health behaviors, occupational exposures, pre-existing health conditions, and demographics including race, age, and education.

The model also showed that 10 percent of the difference was based on when a measurement was taken during the pandemic.

The remaining 60 percent of the variation was not explained by either time or state. Still, researchers dont believe that interventions centered on sex-related biological factors like the use of testosteron blockers or estrogen would have a significant impact on outcomes.

Without considering [social and contextural] factors, youre missing part of the picture of why people might be getting exposed or getting a more severe case, Tamara Rushovich, a graduate student at the T.H. Chan School of Public Health and part of the GenderSci Lab research team, told The Harvard Gazette. For example, when you see numbers that show different rates of cases or deaths, its not just biology, but what was your exposure risk? And thats influenced by things like your occupation or your income.

Gendered behaviors can also play a role in the different outcomes between males and females.

Thereve been studies that look at things like adherence to mask policies or social-distancing guidelines, added Rushovich. They saw differences in gender adherence to those, so men being less likely to wear masks properly or to adhere to social distancing guidelines.

For instance, an October 2020 study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America looked at the gender differences in COVID-19 attitudes and behavior from eight countries. Researchers found that 59 percent of females considered COVID-19 to be a very serious problem during the first wave of the pandemic (March 16-30, 2020) across all eight countries studied (Australia, Austria, France, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, United Kingdom, and the United States), compared to just 48.7 percent of the males.

In both periods studied (including the second period from April 15-20, 2020), individuals were asked to evaluate how strictly they were following seven recommended rules, including keeping physical distance from others or staying at home. Compliance was markedly higher in females (by 5 to 6 percent), but smaller than the differences in beliefs about the pandemic.

And even after adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics and employment status, females were much more likely than males to believe that the health consequences of the pandemic were very serious and were also more supportive of restraining measures and more compliant with public health and social distancing measures, per the researchers.

The risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes may be further heightened in certain immunocompromised populations. In an April 2021 review in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer, researchers found that individuals who were hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HCT) recipients had a 68 percent rate of 28-day survival after COVID-19 with risk factors for mortality including being male, being older than 50 years, and getting infected within 12 months after HCT.

Likewise, the COVID-19 Global Rheumatology Alliance (GRA) has looked at factors associated with COVID-19 mortality in 3,729 patients with rheumatic diseases. Being male, having an older age, and living with certain comorbidities (hypertension, heart disease, and chronic lung disease) were risk factors for COVID-19-related death. More rheumatic disease activity and certain medications (like rituximab) also raised risk.

On the other hand, some research shows that females might be more likely to encounter long COVID than males but additional studies are needed to confirm this.

A June 2022 review in Current Medical Research and Opinion found that the likelihood of having long-COVID syndrome was 22 percent greater among females. In particular, female patients were significantly more likely to have long-COVID symptoms in the categories of psychiatric and mood (i.e. depression); ear, nose, or throat; musculoskeletal (i.e. myalgia); and respiratory.

That said, male patients were significantly more likely to have long COVID in the category of renal disorders (i.e. acute kidney injury).

Differences in immune system function between females and males could be an important driver of sex differences in long COVID-19 syndrome, note the researchers. Females mount more rapid and robust innate and adaptive immune responses, which can protect them from initial infection and severity. However, this same difference can render females more vulnerable to prolonged autoimmune-related diseases.

As with Lyme disease, the COVID-19 pathogen might remain hidden and generate greater levels of inflammatory cytokines in females than males, per a February 2022 review in the European Respiratory Journal. Some experts believe that fragments of SARS-CoV-2 could hang around areas of the body like the kidneys or brain, sparking a chronic inflammation-associated cascade. This may result in symptoms like pain or brain fog.

In general, 80 percent of all individuals affected by autoimmune disorders are females, due to variation within the sex chromosomes and hormonal changes, per a May 2020 review in Cureus. (An increasing body of research has pointed toward the possibility that COVID-19 causes the development of autoantibodies linked to other autoimmune diseases and may be tied to long-COVID symptoms.)

All of this said, most studies on long COVID do not evaluate or report granular data by sex, so more research in this area will be key for better understanding the risk of long COVID.

The lack of studies reporting sex-disaggregated outcomes for COVID-19 speaks to the need for further, large-scale research that includes sex as an analytical variable and that reports data by sex, note the researchers of the Current Medical Research and Opinion review.

Its important to talk to your doctor about your risk of long COVID as an immunocompromised patient and how your sex might play a role in that risk.

I have not seen data to suggest confirming that immunocompromised patients are more likely to develop long COVID than patients who are not immunocompromised, Samoon Ahmad, MD, clinical professor of psychiatry at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, told us previously. That said, its clear that immunocompromised patients are more likely to develop severe COVID if they get it and research suggests that people who have severe COVID are more likely to develop long COVID.

Read more about what you should know about long COVID.

Individuals who are biologically male or female also have differences when it comes to the COVID-19 vaccine, whether its in regards to vaccine hesitancy or risk of adverse effects.

Initially, females were more hesitant than males to get the COVID-19 vaccine. In a review of 60 studies published in the Journal of Public Health, researchers found that 58 percent of papers reported males having higher intentions to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Significantly fewer females stated that they would get vaccinated than males during the time period studied (November 2020 to January 2021).

Overall, males were on average 41 percent more likely to report that they intended to receive a vaccine rather than being unwilling or undecided compared with females. The gender effects were even higher among health care workers compared with unspecified population samples. (That said, this result requires cautious interpretation, given that gender proportions in the health care worker samples were highly unbalanced and the number of studies with health care worker samples was comparatively small.)

However, many of the studies included in this review asked individuals about their intentions to get vaccinated before a vaccine was available.

By April 2021, more females than males had gotten vaccinated in many states, per the Kaiser Family Foundation. The vaccine breakdown between males and females was generally close to 60 percent and 40 percent for instance, 58 percent of those vaccinated in Alabama were females and 57 percent were females in Florida.

There may be many reasons for this difference: For instance, females make up three-quarters of the workforce in health care and education, which were sectors prioritized for initial vaccines. Females also tend to have longer life spans, so older individuals initially eligible for vaccines were more likely to be female. However, the gender gap continued even as eligibility expanded to all adults.

When it comes to rare adverse reactions to the vaccines, males and females also appear to be affected differently. In a February 2022 review in the journal Vaccines, researchers found that the risk of adverse events after the Pfizer-BioNTeach COVID-19 vaccine were consistently higher in females of all ages. This included local responses such as pain at the injection site, systemic events such as fever, and sensory events such as paresthesia (a burning, prickling sensation) in the hands and face.

Females may have increased reactogenicity of vaccines and are at higher risk of anaphylaxis, per the review.

The remarkably consistent excess in the rates of adverse events in females following immunization with the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, in all age groups, suggests that gender-specific factors influence the response to the vaccine, note the researchers. These findings indicate that different doses of the vaccine for men and women should be explored.

Females also report more vaccine side effects in general. More than 79 percent of nearly 7,000 reports processed through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System from December 14, 2020 to January 13, 2021 came from females, per the CDCs Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The most frequently reported symptoms were headache, dizziness, and fatigue.

This could be due to females greater immune response. From a biological perspective, women and girls produce sometimes twice as many infection-fighting antibodies from vaccines, said Rosemary Morgan, a research scientist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, told USA TODAY.

Whats more, male sex hormones like testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) have immunosuppressive qualities because of the way they modulate the breakdown of fat, per St. Lukes Health. Some research has shown that males have lesser antibody responses and lesser inflammatory cytokine expression when given the flu shot than females.

However, this doesnt appear to affect COVID-19 vaccine efficacy rates which were actually slightly higher for males than females in clinical trials. For instance, clinical trials showed that the Moderna vaccine was 95.4 percent effective at preventing COVID-19 in males, compared to 93.1 percent for females. For the Pfizer vaccine, efficacy was 96.4 percent in males and 93.7 percent in females.

One study in the journal Molecular Pharmacology looked at whether fat-based nanoparticles could be the cause behind the difference in vaccine efficacy. Researchers found that there were significant differences in the uptake of these nanoparticles between male and female natural killer cells (a type of immune cell that has small particles with enzymes that can kill cells infected with a virus).

The results of this proof-of-concept study show the importance of recipient sex as a critical factor which enables researchers to better consider sex in the development and administration of vaccines for safer and more-efficient sex-specific outcomes, note the researchers.

If youre immunocompromised, youre likely already mindful of mitigation efforts to protect yourself against COVID-19. While being biologically male or female isnt likely to make a major impact on your risk of severe disease (unless you partake in behavior that increases your risk), it might affect your chances of long COVID.

And while its possible you may have a slightly higher risk of an adverse reaction to the vaccine if youre female, such reactions are rare. In most cases, the benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine outweigh the risks.

Of course, as an immunocompromised patient, its important to be aware of every tool you have to protect yourself and to stay aware of your risks. For instance, you should have a conversation with your doctor about your risk level for long COVID should you get infected (and how your sex may play a role in that risk).

Although we still have much to learn about the differences between females and males when it comes to COVID-19, you can use the clues available to create the best-informed strategy to protect yourself in partnership with your doctor.

Join the Global Healthy Living Foundations free COVID-19 Support Program for chronic illness patients and their families. We will be providing updated information, community support, and other resources tailored specifically to your health and safety.Join now.

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How COVID-19, Long COVID, and COVID Vaccines Differ Between Males and Females - CreakyJoints

Children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years of age finally became eligible for COVID-19 vaccination in the U.S. on June 18, after the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended their use for this population, following emergency use authorization granted by the Food and Drug Administration. We recently wrote about some of the issues to consider in vaccinating young children, ranging from fewer access points and more reticence among their parents, compared to their 5-11 year-old counterparts. Here, we examine the status of vaccine uptake in this group, one month into their eligibility. Our analysis is based on data obtained from CDCs Data Tracker on the number of first COVID-19 doses administered by age as of July 20, 2022 nationally and by jurisdiction (see methods below for more information). Overall, we find that vaccination has already peaked in the youngest age group, and is far below where 5-11 year-olds (who became eligible in November of last year) were at this point in their eligibility:

These data suggest that achieving vaccination coverage of the youngest age group will likely take some time, may require more intensive and ongoing efforts, and may lag behind even their slightly older peers (even among 5-11 year-olds, just 30% have been fully vaccinated, eight months since they became eligible; vaccine coverage jumps to 60% of 12-17 years-olds and 77% of those 18 and older). This slow uptake likely reflects a range of factors. In addition to there being fewer access points for those under the age of 5, our prior COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor Surveys, fielded before children under 5 became eligible for vaccination, found that most parents were cautious about getting their young children vaccinated; soon-to-be released survey data will show that this caution has continued even after the CDC recommended vaccination for those 6 months and older. As a result, many parents may not encounter an offer of a vaccine until they go in for a routine visit to a pediatrician at some point in the year. More broadly, the sense of COVID-19 as an emergency has diminished among the public. Still, the country is in the midst of another COVID wave, due to the latest Omicron variant, and while children generally fare much better than adults if they do get COVID-19, some do get quite sick, suffer longer-term health issues, and even die from the disease. Vaccination against COVID-19 is safe and effective, can protect them from illness, and minimize disruptions to childcare, camp, school, and other needed services.

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COVID-19 Vaccination Rates Among Children Under 5 Have Peaked and Are Decreasing Just Weeks Into Their Eligibility - Kaiser Family Foundation

WASHINGTON The U.S. Army announced COVID-19 vaccination rates and exemption requests for the Total Army as of July 21, 2022.

Maintaining readiness continues to be among the Armys highest priorities, and the COVID 19 vaccine helps ensure Soldiers are ready. Beginning July 1, 2022, as directed by the Secretary of Defense, members of the Army National Guard and U.S. Army Reserve who have refused the lawful DOD COVID-19 vaccination requirements without a temporary or permanent exemption (to include a religious accommodation) may not participate in federally funded drills, training, and other duty nor receive payment or retirement credit.

However, unit commanders may place unvaccinated reserve component Soldiers in an appropriate duty status for limited administrative purposes, such as receiving the vaccine, processing their exemption requests, or conducting separation procedures. Soldiers could receive compensation and retirement credit for these service days.

Army policy allows Soldiers to submit requests for temporary (up to 365 days) or permanent medical exemptions through medical channels. Soldiers may also request an administrative exemption from the vaccine requirement. Administrative exemptions include requests for religious accommodations.

Army officials review each request on an individual basis to determine whether an exemption is appropriate. Medical requests are reviewed primarily by healthcare providers, while religious accommodation requests include interviews with the Soldiers chaplain, recommendations from the chain of command, as well as a public health and a legal review.

All Soldiers who refuse the order to be vaccinated without an approved or pending exemption request are subject to certain adverse administrative actions, including flags, bars to continued service, and official reprimands.Soldiers who continue to refuse the vaccination order without an approved or pending exemption may also be subject to additional adverse administrative action, including separation.

As the Army accesses and discharges Soldiers and continues to refine data tracking processes, the vaccination percentages will vary slightly.

The Army will publish additional details as they become available.

For additional information on Army vaccination rates, contact the U.S. Army Media Relations Division at usarmy.pentagon.hqda-ocpa.mbx.mrd-press-desk@army.mil.

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Department of the Army announces Total Army COVID-19 vaccination statistics - United States Army

Biden tests positive for COVID-19

President Biden is experiencing "very mild" symptoms after testing positive for COVID-19.

Claire Hardwick, USA TODAY

An increasing number of people, including President Joe Biden, are getting infected with COVID-19 in spite of being vaccinated and boosted.

But that doesn't mean the COVID-19 vaccine isn't working.

Subvariants of the omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus, including the dominant BA.5 subvariant,are both contagious and particularly good at evading immunity, whether it's from the vaccine or a prior infection.

Yet the vaccine is still the best protection against serious illness, even if it doesn't protect against infection, federal,state and countypublic health officials say.

"The (COVID-19) vaccine is remarkable at keeping people out of the hospital even though the variants going around right now are very different than the original strain the vaccine was created for," said Dr. Bob England, interim director of the Arizona Partnership for Immunizationandformer longtime Maricopa County Health Department director.

"Joe Biden is old. I don't know what other chronic conditions he may have, but he's old, and he's at high risk of having serious COVID disease. But he is at way less at that risk because of the vaccines he got. ... Your odds are way better with the vaccine than not."

Biden, following recommendations for people ages 50 and older, is fully vaccinated and has received two boosters. Still, the White House announced Thursday that he had tested positive for COVID-19. So far, he is experiencing mild illness and is getting treated with the antiviral Paxlovid.

"Because the president is fully vaccinated, double-boosted, his risk of serious illness is dramatically lower," White House COVID-19 coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha said during a news briefing Thursday.

Here are five things to know about COVID-19 infection and the effectiveness of vaccines and boosters:

Vaccines and booster doses "have been doing a very good job of preventing a substantial rise in hospitalizations and deaths," Don Herrington, interim director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, wrote Thursday in a blog post.

"In May, adults who were vaccinated and boosted were eight times less likely to be hospitalized and 21 times less likely to die than unvaccinated individuals."

Everyone 5 and older is recommended to get a vaccinebooster dose. Individuals ages 50 and older andthose 12 and older with weakened immune systems are recommended to get a second booster dose.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published research on July 15 that showedthird and fourth COVID-19 vaccine doses offered substantial protection among adults with healthy immune systems who were eligible to receive them early in 2022, when the omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus first emerged.

The findings suggest that currently available vaccines may provide protection against serious illness caused by the currently circulating BA.5 variant, CDC officials said.

COVID-19 vaccines and booster doses can be located at azhealth.gov/FindVaccine.

It's not known whether Bidenwas infected withthe BA.5 subvariant, but BA.5 is dominant both in the U.S. and Arizona.

Clinicians said many BA.5 symptoms are similar to those seen in previous variants, including congestion, headaches, cough and fever, and children tend to have more gastrointestinal symptoms, USA TODAYreported this week.

On Wednesday, state health officials added 18,135 new COVID-19 cases in Arizona and 66new known deaths over the weeklong period ending July 16. June and July have seen relatively similar weekly case additions, with this past week's slightly higher.

Case counts are still far below the winter,state data shows, but case numbers in recent months likely are not showing the full picture of infections as many more people have usedat-home test kits and may not reportpositive resultsto county health departments.

TheCDC's "community level" recommendations, updated on Thursday, for a second consecutive week sayresidents of 10 Arizona counties should be wearingwell-fitting masks indoors in public, regardless of vaccination status or individual risk, including in K-12 schools and other community settings.

The guidance is updated weekly and ranks counties as low, medium and high, or green, yellow and orange. The Arizona counties designated as high, where masks are recommended, are Maricopa, Pinal, Apache, Coconino, Gila, La Paz, Mohave, Navajo, Yavapai and Yuma. Greenlee, Santa Cruz,Pima, Graham and Cochise are medium.

The metrics are based on a countys COVID-19 hospital bed use, COVID-19 hospital admissions and case rates for the virus over the past week. Nearly 42% of counties in the U.S. as of Thursday were designated as "high."

Masks are not explicitlyrecommended forcommunities in the medium level except for certain people, including those who are immunocompromised, at high risk for severe disease, orhave a household or social contactathigh riskfor severe disease.

The CDC also recommends"enhanced prevention measures in high-risk congregate settings" in communities designated at the medium level.

As of July 13, there had been 2,057breakthrough deaths in fully vaccinated individuals (two doses of a two-dose vaccine), according to state health officials preliminary data, which works out to a breakthrough death rate of about 0.04% among fully vaccinated people.

Data from Mayshow that 25.6% of cases, 24.9% of hospitalizations and 19.2% of COVID-19 deaths wereamong fully vaccinated people without a booster, with much of the rest among unvaccinated people. Fully vaccinated people with a booster made up 36.4% of reported cases, 31.5% of hospitalizations and 26% of deaths in May.

The COVID-19 virus' disproportionate impact on older adults, who are also more likely to have a booster dose, could help explain why a higher percentage of people who were fully vaccinated and boosted died of COVID-19 in April than those who were fully vaccinated and not boosted. Theeffectiveness of boosters also appears to waneafter severalmonths.But the precise explanation for those percentages of deaths is unclear.

Looking at the proportions of deaths by vaccination status does not tell the risk, though.State health officials recommend considering therates of deathamong boosted individuals versus unvaccinated individuals, which show significantly lower death rates in vaccinated and boosted individuals compared with unvaccinated individuals.

Unvaccinated people 12 and older in Arizona had a 1.8times greater risk of testing positive for COVID-19, 8times greater risk of hospitalization from COVID-19 and 21 times greater risk of dying from COVID-19 in May compared withfully vaccinated people with a booster,according to a state analysis.

Arizona's rate of fully vaccinated people out of the total population was 62.5%, which was behindthe national rate of 67.1%,according to the CDCas of July 13.

A higher level of vaccinated people in acommunity will provide more protection for the community as a whole, particularly those who are more vulnerable. The point where a large portion of a communitybecomes immune to a disease is often referred to as "herd immunity."

"If more people are vaxxed and boosted, fewer people will get infected," said England, of the Arizona Partnership for Immunization. "The whole impact will be less. It's that simple."

Out ofpeople ages5 and older, 66.5% of those in Arizona were fully vaccinated, compared with 71.3% at the national level, CDC data shows.

Health experts stronglyrecommend booster shotsfor those eligible, especially with the omicron variant spreading. About 47.3% of fully vaccinated Arizonans over the age of 18 had received a first booster shot as of July 6, below the national rate of 51.3% for that same age group.

"COVID-19 has been especially dangerous for older people throughout the pandemic, but data on the current increase in cases provides even more reason for those in this age group to make sure their vaccines are up to date," Herrington wrote in his blog post.

"Compared to the winter surge driven by the Omicron variant, Arizona has since February seen a greater share of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths among those 65 and older."

"COVID-19 vaccines remain our single most important tool to protect people against serious illness, hospitalization, and death," the CDC said July 15.

"Getting vaccinated now will not prevent you from getting an authorized variant-specific vaccine in the fall or winter when they are recommended for you."

Given recent increases in deaths and hospitalizations associated with the BA.5 variant, everyone should stay up to date with recommended COVID-19 vaccinations, including additional booster doses for those who are moderately to severely immunocompromised and adults over 50, officials with the federal agency say.

'It is spreading everywhere':What to know about latest COVID-19 wave in Arizona

Generally, public health experts and health providers say stayingup to date on vaccines and boosters will provide the best protection right now, when the virus that causes COVID-19 is still spreading.

"If you haven't already had COVID, you don't want to have COVID. ... In my view, first is worst," Dr. Joe Gerald,an associate professor of public health policyat the University of Arizona's Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, told The Arizona Republic earlier this month.

"The greatest risk from COVID occurs in that first infection, whether it's severe illness, death, long COVID. It's avoiding that first one that provides the greatest benefit to you individually."

Republic reporter Alison Steinbach contributed to this article

Reach the reporter at Stephanie.Innes@gannett.com or at 602-444-8369. Follow her on Twitter @stephanieinnes.

Support local journalism.Subscribe to azcentral.com today.

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Vaccinated people are getting COVID-19. But the vaccine still works - The Arizona Republic

Last week, Health Canada authorized the Moderna Spikevax COVID-19 vaccine for children six months to five years of age.

This is the first COVID-19 vaccine authorized for use for this age group in Canada.

Provinces across the country have started to unveil their plans for administering the Moderna Spikevax COVID-19 vaccine in the coming weeks.

Here is how to book a COVID-19 vaccine in Canada for children between the ages of six months and five years old:

Beginning Thursday, July 28 at 8:00 a.m., parents and caregivers of children age six months to under five will be able to book appointments for the COVID-19 vaccine in Ontario.

Appointments will be available through the COVID-19 vaccination portal and the Provincial Vaccine Contact Centre, directly through public health units, participating primary care providers and paediatricians, as well as at participating pharmacies and Indigenous-led vaccination clinics.

Regional health authorities in B.C. will begin offering a COVID-19 vaccine for children six months to under years of age beginning Aug. 2.

These vaccines will be available through child-friendly clinics.

Parents or guardians of children in this age group can currently register them in the provincial Get Vaccinated system and will then will be invited to book a vaccination at a clinic in their local community in August.

For children who are not yet six months of age, the provincial government is advising parents and guardians to still register their child to get an invitation to book a vaccination appointment once the child is six months old.

Quebec parents can book an appointment for their children to receive the Moderna Spikevax COVID-19 vaccine online, with vaccines being administered starting Monday. Parents can also call Service Qubec at 1 877 644-4545 (toll-free) for phone assistance with booking an appointment.

Manitoba's initial shipment of 14,900 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for children ages six months to four years old will be prioritized for kids who fall into the following categories:

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Have certain medical conditions including

Chronic lung disease

Airway abnormalities

Congenital or chronic heart or circulatory diseases

Moderately to severely immunocompromised due to a medical condition or treatment

Neurologic disorders (including developmental delay)

Diabetes, chronic kidney disease, or any chronic disease related to premature birth

Are First Nations, Inuit or Mtis, regardless of where they live

Parents and caregivers of eligible children can book appointments beginning on Monday, July 25 at 8:00 a.m., using the online vaccine finder or through the vaccine call centre at (toll-free) 1-844-626-8222 (1-844-MAN-VACC).

Eligibility is expected to expand in late July or early August.

Saskatchewan's first delivery of the COVID-19 vaccine for children under the age of five, starting at six months old, is about 13,000 doses, with initial appointments open to children who are moderate or severely immunocompromised.

Appointment bookings became available on Thursday. Eligible immunocompromised children can only book appointments by calling 1-833-Sask-VAX (1-833-727-5829). If there are other children between the ages of six months and five years old in the same household, appointments for all those children can be booked at the time as well.

Beginning Friday, July 22, all other children in that age group can book an appointment online at saskatchewan.ca/COVID19-vaccine, starting at 8:00 a.m., or by calling 1-833-Sask-VAX (1-833-727-5829) at 8:45am.

Children aged six months to four years old in Nova Scotia are expected to be able to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in early August.

Appointment will be able to be booked online at https://novascotia.ca/vaccination or by calling 1-833-797-7772. Vaccine scheduling by phone is available Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and on Saturdays and Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

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How to book a COVID-19 vaccine appointment for children 6 months to 5 years of age in Canada - Yahoo Sports

Characterising reasons for reversals of COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy among Japanese people: One-year follow-up survey  The Lancet

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Characterising reasons for reversals of COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy among Japanese people: One-year follow-up survey - The Lancet

The Marine Corps on Sept. 21, 2021, ordered its active-duty troops to get vaccinated within 90 days or risk prosecution for disobeying an order. (Anna Nolte/U.S. Air Force)

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MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan A Marine in Japan is awaiting court-martial in August on charges she said arose from her refusal to accept the COVID-19 vaccine.

Lance Cpl. Catherine Arnett, 24, declined the vaccines on the basis they are produced using stem cell lines that descend from aborted fetuses, she told Stars and Stripes on July 1. Her request for a religious exemption, she said, was denied by the Marine Corps and again on appeal.

I believe that Im protected from not having to get a vaccine if it contradicts my moral conscience or has components of it that now goes against my religious tenets, she said.

Her trial is scheduled Aug. 3-4 at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni about 25 miles from Hiroshima, according to the court docket.

The Marine Corps charged Arnett with violating articles 92 and 87 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Article 92 alleges failure to obey an order; article 87 alleges missing a movement.

Arnett said shes being prosecuted for refusing to exit the Marine Corps based on her unwillingness to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

Neither the Staff Judge Advocates office at MCAS Iwakuni nor a base spokesman had responded by Friday to requests for information Wednesday about Arnetts case.

Lance Cpl. Catherine Arnett, 24, declined the vaccines on the basis they are produced using stem cell lines that descend from aborted fetuses. Her request for a religious exemption, she said, was denied by the Marine Corps and again on appeal. (Catherine Arnett)

Arnett said she was born in St. Louis but moved to Forth Worth, Texas, at age 4 and enlisted in the Corps at age 20 in 2018. She said the Marines formally charged her on May 23.

I was raised Catholic and then I strayed from the faith for a little while, didnt really practice, wasnt really interested, she said. And then this whole COVID thing, I kind of had a reawakening to the faith, I suppose, because the faith stands for, you know, obliging your conscience.

Arnett said shes been at Iwakuni since May 2019, first with Marine Air Logistics Squadron 12, then with Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 152 for 2 years. Shes now back with the logistics squadron while she awaits her court-martial.

I like helping Marines but whenever it comes to these, what I consider unlawful and baseless proceedings that followed after the religious accommodation request, Im just a little bit jaded, she said.

Pharmaceutical companies Pfizer BioNTech and Moderna used fetal cell lines to test their vaccines; Johnson & Johnson used fetal cell lines to develop its vaccine, according to UCLAHealth.org. None of the vaccines contain aborted fetal cells.

Fetal cell lines are grown in laboratories and started with cells from abortions in the 1970s and 80s, according to the website. Todays lines are thousands of generations removed from the original fetal tissue.

The Vatican in a statement in September 2020 said getting vaccinated does not constitute formal cooperation with the abortion. The document accepts that some people may nonetheless refuse the vaccines out of conscience, but they should do their utmost to avoid becoming vehicles for the transmission of the infectious agent.

Arnett said she believes the Vatican declaration is Pope Francis own opinion and does not stand as church doctrine; therefore I have every right to object to it and reject Pope Francis erroneous and invalid opinions.

Several cases are making their way through federal courts that challenge the militarys stand on religious objections to COVID-19 vaccines. Federal judges have paused efforts by the Air Force and Navy to discharge or discipline service members while two cases brought by those service members make their way through the courts.

The Marine Corps on Sept. 21 ordered its active-duty troops to get vaccinated within 90 days or risk prosecution for disobeying an order. By July 6, the Corps had discharged 3,069 Marines for refusing the vaccine, the most of any service, according to a monthly update.

The Marines had approved only seven Of 3,733 requests it received for religious exceptions, according to the Corps update in July. Another 602 administrative or medical exemptions were approved.

By comparison, the Air Force by July 12 had approved 104 religious exemptions and rejected 6,803 with another 2,847 pending. It had administratively separated 834 airmen for refusing the vaccines.

The Army had discharged 1,037 soldiers for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine, according to an Army statement June 21. Another 3,464 troops were reprimanded for refusing the vaccination order.

The Navy has discharged 1,229 sailors for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine, according to the Navys June 22 update, its most recent.

The Navy has approved none of the 3,368 active duty and 867 Reserve requests for a religious accommodation it has received, according to Holland & Knight, a Tampa, Fla., law firm, that tracks federal cases online.

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Japan-based Marine takes her religious objection to COVID-19 vaccine to trial - Stars and Stripes

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President Biden's chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci said there is a "need" for COVID-19 vaccines that "protect against infection" Friday on "Special Report."

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DR. FAUCI: [COVID-19 vaccines continue] to do well in preventing severe disease, hospitalization, intensive care and death. And the reason we know that, Bret, [is that] the data is overwhelming. When you look at the difference between vaccinated people - particularly those who are boosted - and unvaccinated people, the hospitalization, morbidity and mortality weighs extremely heavily multifold among the unvaccinated. That's not necessarily the case because of the way the virus has evolved when you're dealing with the acquisition of infections. So what we need is I think what you're hinting at - we need vaccines that are better. That are better because of the breadth and the durability, because we know that immunity wanes over several months. And that's the reason why we have boosters. But also, we need vaccines that protect against infection.

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HONOLULU (KHON2) With school starting in just a few weeks its still not too late to get your keiki vaccinated against COVID-19.

The CDC has conducted clinical trials surrounding the safety of COVID-19 vaccines. After their trials the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration determined COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective for everyone 6 months and older.

Check out whats going on around the nation on our National News page

Keiki can get really sick with COVID-19. Although most cases are mild, some can get sick enough to be hospitalized. COVID-19 vaccines can prevent children from getting seriously sick if they do come down with the virus.

If you choose to get your keiki vaccinated, they may suffer from some mild side-effects. Most common side effects one might feel are chills, tiredness, muscle pain, pain at injection site, nausea, fever and headaches.

The CDC report COVID-19 vaccine dosage is based on your childs age the day they get vaccinated. Its not based on the childs size, weight or height.

Even if your child has had COVID-19 the CDC still recommends getting vaccinated. After battling COVID-19 and choosing to get vaccinated, your body will be given added protection.

Its also important to note that children can receive other vaccines the same day they get their COVID-19 shot. An example is getting both the flu and COVID vaccine on the same day.

Get more coronavirus news: COVID vaccines, boosters and Safe Travels information

For more information about keiki getting the COVID-19 vaccine head to the CDCs website.

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6 things to know about COVID-19 vaccines for keiki - KHON2