The common cold can protect people against coronavirus, study finds

Researchers from Yale University found that exposure to rhinovirus, the most common virus that causes the cold, can jump-start the immune system and protect people against the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19).

The presence of the virus that causes the common cold can begin the activity of interferon-stimulated genes. These are some of the early-response molecules in the immune system. If a person with the cold inhales SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, there is a chance that it cannot replicate if it lands in the same airway tissues that are infected with the cold. (Related: If you’ve ever had a cold, your immune system may already know how to fight COVID-19.)

The new study, published on Tuesday, June 15 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, examined rhinoviruses. These researchers had previously found that the immune system’s response to the common cold can protect people against the flu. They wanted to see if this kind of response could be replicated and offer similar protection against COVID-19.

Keep reading

California Introduces COVID-19 Vaccine Verification System

California on Friday rolled out a new system that enables people to obtain proof of COVID-19 vaccination from the state’s health system and present it as proof of having gotten a jab.

“We’re better enabling California to verify their vaccination status to ensure our state is in a better position to encourage the best practices for reducing the spread of COVID-19,” California State Epidemiologist Dr. Erica Pan told reporters on a call.

The vaccine verification system, dubbed a “digital vaccine record,” will require people to enter several details like their name and date of birth to get a digital copy of their vaccination record. If their record is found, they will get a link that they can use to access their vaccination information, including the date or dates they received doses and a QR code confirming their record is authentic.

It’s the same information that people see on the paper card that many receive when they get a vaccine, but authorities are recommending the vaccinated keep their paper cards in a safe and secure location and use the digital pass instead.

Keep reading

Million-dollar lotteries fail to cut through vaccine apathy

State efforts to juice Covid-19 vaccination rates through million-dollar lotteries haven’t reversed the steep decline in adults seeking out shots when many pockets of the country remain vulnerable to the coronavirus.

While Ohio did see a two-week bump in adult vaccination rates last month after becoming the first state to offer sizable cash prizes, the pace of vaccinations there has already fallen off. And states that followed its headline-grabbing example made some small gains without showing evidence of any comparable surge, a POLITICO analysis of federal and state data shows.

“It’s just not working,” said Irwin Redlener, who directs the Pandemic Resource and Response Initiative at Columbia University. “People aren’t buying it. The incentives don’t seem to be working — whether it’s a doughnut, a car or a million dollars.”

Keep reading

Barring fans with AstraZeneca jab from Springsteen NY concert is treating them as second-class citizens – it’s a dangerous path

Banning the recipients of vaccines that are not approved by the US from Bruce Springsteen’s concert in New York may spark global tit-for-tat responses and lead to people being cast as undesirable due to their vaccine status.

Trust America’s egotistical and imperial authorities to spark another “US vs. Them” battle. The decision not to recognise the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine is not only unnecessary, but xenophobic.

It’s been highlighted after a Canadian gentleman booked tickets to see Bruce Springsteen concert in New York next week, but then noticed that entry was on condition of being vaccinated – and his AstraZeneca-Oxford jabs do not qualify him to attend. 

The reason is because the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has only approved jabs from Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson. It’s no surprise that US firms manufacture all of these. 

One explanation could be they are looking to boost the income of domestic companies and hoping as a consequence to benefit American workers. Even if that is the case, it’s still ridiculous. AstraZeneca have worked alongside the world-renowned Oxford University to develop their vaccine and it’s why Britain is the country furthest forward in Europe with respect to vaccination rates

For much of the pandemic, the UK was in a panic and that was only tamed when the vaccine rollout began, powered by AstraZeneca. Notably, the vaccine is being sold at a cost price of around $3 per dose, while the American vaccines cost approx $10-25 per jab.

It’s not only AstraZeneca-receivers who are being discriminated against. There are also all those who’ve taken Russia-developed Sputnik V, which has been recognised by the worldwide scientific community as both safe and effective. The World Health Organization also judged China’s Sinovac as a valid vaccine and supports its use. 

Keep reading

“Giant Mistake” – CDC Delays Emergency Meeting On Post-Vax Heart Inflammation Due To Juneteenth

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has pushed back an emergency meeting on post-vaccination heart inflammation seen in Americans, primarily young people, because of a new federal holiday.

President Joe Biden signed a bill on Thursday making June 19 a new holiday, Juneteenth. Shortly afterwards, the CDC said its June 18 meeting “is being rescheduled due to the observation of the Juneteenth National Independence Day holiday.”

A federal office said Thursday that because June 19 falls on a Saturday this year, the observation will take place on Friday.

The meeting, which was deemed an emergency when announced last week, will now be folded into a June 23 to June 25 virtual meeting, the CDC said.

The agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

CDC officials planned to present to the agency’s vaccine advisory panel updated information on myocarditis and pericarditis in people who have received a COVID-19 vaccine.

A CDC official told members of the Food and Drug Administration’s vaccine advisory committee on June 10 that more than 800 reports of post-vaccination heart inflammation have been submitted to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, a passive reporting system run jointly by the administration and the CDC.

That included 475 among those 30 or younger, of which 226 have been verified as meeting the CDC’s working case definition.

Keep reading

Racist Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot Declares Racism a “Public Health Emergency” – Diverts $10 Million in Covid Funds to Address Problem

Racist Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Thursday declared racism a public health emergency and diverted $10 million in Covid funds to address the problem.

Recall, Lightfoot recently was sued last month by Judicial Watch on behalf of The Daily Caller after she denied reporter Thomas Catenacci an interview because he was white.

Lightfoot announced her racist policy last month. She proudly declared she will openly discriminate against white reporters to only allow “black and brown” reporters interviews.

She later defended her policy.

Keep reading

Amazon Deletes America’s Frontline Doctor’s Website from the Internet – Doctors Scramble to Salvage Site

Amerca’s Frontline Doctors, the courageous group of doctors who spoke out against the government’s irresponsible and damaging COVID responses, had their website taken down by Amazon.

The AFLDS reported:

America’s Frontline Doctors website was deleted from the Internet by Amazon.

If you didn’t know, many top websites and services, such as Netflix, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, and thousands of others, are hosted on Amazon’s Internet servers.

So it came as a surprise when AFLDS received notice from Amazon that they were deleting our website–and that they were giving us less than 4 days to get it off of their server before deleting it from the Internet forever.

Keep reading