Tag: vaccines

Some COVID Vaccines Produce ‘Unintended Immune Response’ in Recipients: Study

Researchers in a landmark new study have discovered a sequence within the Pfizer mRNA vaccine that produces an “unintended immune response” in the body, which experts are calling a massive “developmental and regulatory failure.”

Synthetic Messenger Ribonucleic Acid (mRNA), such as that used in Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, enables the body to create a specific spike protein mimicking SARS-CoV-2. The body reacts to the foreign protein and generates protective immunity, which theoretically neutralizes the real virus when it enters the body.

“Researchers from the Medical Research Council (MRC) Toxicology Unit have discovered that the cellular machinery that ‘reads’ mRNAs ‘slips’ when confronted with repeats of a chemical modification commonly found in mRNA therapeutics. In addition to the target protein, these slips lead to the production of ‘off-target’ proteins triggering an unintended immune response,” said a press release for the study published in Nature on Dec. 6.

The MRC team redesigned the mRNA vaccine to prevent further harmful immune responses from the spike proteins.

“The researchers identified that bases with a chemical modification called N1-methylpseudouridine—which are currently contained in mRNA therapies—are responsible for the ‘slips’ along the mRNA sequence.”

When the MRC team collaborated with researchers from the Universities of Kent, Oxford, and Liverpool, they found an unintended immune response occurred in one-third of the 21 patients in the study who were inoculated with the Pfizer mRNA vaccine.

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New CDC Director Defends Vaccine Mandates, School Closures

The new director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Nov. 30 defended COVID-era policies like vaccine mandates in her first appearance before Congress.

“I’m very proud of the work we did in North Carolina,” Dr. Mandy Cohen, the new director, told Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.) after he asked if she regretted any of the policies put into place in North Carolina, such as school closures, when she was the state’s health secretary.

“I feel like we did that in a way that was very inclusive,” she added.

When Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-Ariz.) noted that Dr. Cohen supported harsh measures as health secretary, including vaccine mandates, Dr. Cohen said it was time to “look forward” and start a “new chapter.”

“You have to remember, at different moments in time, we needed different solutions,” she said in response to how Americans would know whether the new director will support the same measures at the federal level.

“The good news is that we’re in a different place than we were before. We both have different tools and have different mechanisms to respond,” she said to another question, about whether she’d shut down schools if a pandemic happened again. “I can’t really address a hypothetical but I think we’ve learned a lot about how to approach things.”

Did closing schools harm students?

“We always knew in-person instruction was incredibly beneficial,” Dr. Cohen said.

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DNA Contamination In COVID-19 Vaccines May Explain Rise In Cancers, Clots, Autoimmune Diseases: Pathologist

Clinical pathologist Dr. Ryan Cole has said that DNA contamination in some COVID-19 vaccines may be related to an increase in cancers, micro-clotting, and autoimmune diseases.

“My big concern is the fact that billions of people across the earth have received a product that was overtly contaminated with something that should not have been in the product,” Dr. Cole, an anatomic clinical pathologist with postgraduate Ph.D. training in immunology, recently told the “American Thought Leaders” program.

“If I went and bought some meat at the grocery store and they had heavy metal or pesticide toxins, they would pull those from the shelves immediately,” he added.

Recently, researchers found that vaccine vials containing Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccines had billions of residual DNA fragments, including molecules derived from Simian Virus 40 (SV40) used as “promoters” or “enhancers” that help produce the mRNA molecules that help human cells make proteins that trigger an immune response inside the body.

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Natural Immunity Better Than Protection From COVID-19 Vaccination: Study

People with protection against COVID-19 following recovery from the illness were better protected than those who received a COVID-19 vaccine, according to a new study.

People who received a vaccine were nearly five times as likely as the naturally immune to test positive for COVID-19 during the Delta era and 1.1 times as likely to test positive for COVID-19 during the Omicron era, researchers in Estonia found.

The vaccinated were also seven times as likely to be admitted to a hospital for COVID-19 amid the spread of the Delta variant and two times as likely to be admitted to a hospital during the Omicron period, when compared with the naturally immune, the researchers found.

“Our study showed that natural immunity offers stronger and longer-lasting protection against infection, symptoms, and hospitalization compared to vaccine-induced immunity,” Dr. Anneli Uusküla, with the Department of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of Tartu, and her co-authors wrote.

Previous studies have also found that post-infection immunity is superior to or similar to the protection bestowed by vaccines.

Dr. Uusküla and her colleagues said they felt there were gaps in the literature on the subject, prompting them to work on the study.

They drew from a pool of 329,496 adults and matched many of the adults in three cohorts. One compared people with natural immunity to those who received a vaccine; one compared the naturally immune to people who did not have documented prior infection or vaccination; and one compared the naturally immune to people with hybrid immunity, or both prior infection and vaccination.

People were defined as vaccinated if they had received a full primary series of a COVID-19 vaccine and did not have a documented infection.

The primary outcome was laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 occurring at any time for people without any immunity, after 60 days of recovery from a prior infection for the naturally immune, at least 14 days after completion of a vaccine for the vaccinated group, and at least 14 days after vaccination or 60 days after recovery for people with hybrid immunity

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CDC: Last Year’s Flu Shot Was Less Than 50% Effective For Children And Adolescents

During the 2022–2023 flu season, the influenza vaccine was less than 50 percent effective at preventing emergency department/urgent care visits and hospitalizations among children and adolescents, according to a study funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The analysis, published Nov. 16, 2023, in Clinical Infectious Diseases, found the seasonal influenza vaccine was only 48 percent effective overall at reducing the risk of influenza-A-associated emergency department (ED) or urgent care (UC) visits, and only 40 percent effective at preventing hospitalizations.

Researchers analyzed acute respiratory illness-associated ED and UC visits or hospitalizations at 55 hospitals and 107 ED or UC sites within the VISION vaccine effectiveness network—a multistate collaboration with the CDC. Children and adolescents 6 months to 17 years were tested for influenza between October 2022 and March 2023.

Researchers estimated influenza A vaccine effectiveness using a test-negative design—a popular method for determining vaccine efficacy that uses the same clinical case definition for both cases and controls and distinguishes which patients are in each group with subsequent laboratory testing. In other words, the effectiveness of the influenza vaccine was estimated by comparing influenza vaccination status in patients testing positive for influenza with those testing negative for influenza.

According to the study, 13,547 of 44,787 qualified ED/UC visits and 263 of 1,862 hospitalizations were positive for influenza A. Among ED/UC patients, 15.2 percent of influenza-positive cases and 27.1 percent of influenza-negative cases were vaccinated.

The vaccine was 44 to 52 percent effective—or 48 percent effective “overall,” 47 to 58 percent effective among children aged 6 months to 4 years, and 30 to 45 percent effective among those aged 9 to 17 years old.

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Moderna Engaged in Covert Operations to Control Online Criticism of Vaccines

Moderna, known for its mRNA coronavirus vaccine, reportedly engaged in extensive surveillance and influence operations, attempting to remove criticism or pushback against its vaccine from online discourse.

UnHerd reports that Moderna, the biotech firm raised to prominence by its mRNA coronavirus vaccine, is now at the center of a complex and controversial situation. While it achieved a staggering $100 billion valuation during the pandemic, recent reports suggest the company ventured beyond pharmaceutical innovation into the world of surveillance and public influence.

According to the report from UnHerd, Moderna developed an intricate network of monitoring that it aimed to use to influence the public discourse on vaccines. Central to this operation is a collaboration with Public Good Projects (PGP), a drug industry-funded NGO, and former law enforcement officials, aimed at combating what the company considers to be vaccine misinformation. However, this initiative’s scope and methods have sparked significant concerns about the blurring lines between public health advocacy and corporate surveillance.

During the  pandemic, Moderna transformed almost overnight from a fledgling biotech firm to a household name, thanks to the widespread use of its mRNA vaccine. However, as the demand for vaccinations waned, so did Moderna’s earnings. In response, Moderna not only increased vaccine prices but also embarked on a marketing campaign to maintain its relevance in the public health sphere.

The company’s surveillance arm, led by Nikki Rutman, a former FBI analyst, monitors a vast array of mainstream and alternative media outlets. Utilizing advanced technology like Talkwalker’s “BlueSilk” AI, the team tracks vaccine-related conversations across millions of websites globally. High-risk alerts are raised for narratives that could potentially harm Moderna’s interests or bolster anti-vaccine sentiments.

This proactive approach to monitoring and influencing vaccine discourse extends to scrutinizing public figures like Elon Musk and Russell Brand. Moderna’s reporting on public figures’ comments on vaccines does not necessarily dispute their claims but flags them as misinformation if they are perceived to encourage vaccine hesitancy.

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Army Sends Letter to Troops Dismissed for Refusing COVID Vaccine

The U.S. Army sent a letter to former service members dismissed for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine, informing them they can request corrections of their discharge records, as the military branch reportedly struggles with recruitment three years after the onset of the pandemic.

The letter, which gained traction on social media, was addressed to former service members and notified of “new Army guidance regarding the correction of military records for former members of the Army following the rescission of the COVID-19 vaccination requirement.”

It states, “as a result of the rescission of all current COVID-19 vaccination requirements, former Soldiers who were involuntarily separated for refusal to receive the COVID-19 vaccination may request a correction of their military records from either or both the Army Discharge Review Board (ADRB) or the Army Board for Correction of Military Records (ABCMR).”

The letter, signed by Brigadier General Hope C. Rampy, of the U.S. Army Director of the Military Personnel Management Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, goes on to link to three forms where “individuals can request a correction to military personnel records, including regarding the characterization of discharge.”

“Individuals who desire to apply to return to service should contact their local Army, US Army Reserve (USAR) or Army National Guard (ARNG) recruiter for more information,” it concludes.

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Elevated risk of stroke in elderly patients who receive Covid and high dose flu shot at same time

On Jan. 13 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Centers for U.S. Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)) issued a public statement regarding the identification of a preliminary safety signal for ischemic stroke among adults over the age of 65 that occurs between one to 21 days after receiving Pfizer/BioNTech’s monovalent Comirnaty messenger RNA (mRNA) Covid-19 shot and the WT/OMI BA.4/BA.5 bivalent version of it.

The safety signal was detected in the CDC’s Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD), however, a primary analysis conducted by federal public health officials did not find elevated stroke risk following Covid bivalent shots.

The first CDC analysis evaluated the risk of the stroke following a Covid bivalent shot. The study’s sample population included 5,397,278 adults over 65 years old, who were given either the monovalent Comirnaty bivalent WT/OMI BA.4/BA.5 shot or Moderna/NIAID’s bivalent Spikevax shot.

There were 2,886 cases of NHS; 2,641 cases of transient ischemic attack (TIA); 4,788 cases of NHS/TIA, and 808 cases of hemorrhagic stroke (HS) across both manufacturers of the Covid shots.

Approximately 10-15 percent of the sample cases claimed they had Covid disease between 31 to 365 days prior to suffering a stroke, and 34-45 percent had been given a high-dose or adjuvanted influenza vaccination at the same time.

The findings from the primary analysis showed that there were no statistically significant associations of an increased risk of stroke following administration of the Covid bivalent shots.

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Top FDA Officials Accepted Jobs With Moderna After Playing Key Roles In The Licensure Of COVID-19 Vaccines

A new BMJ investigation reveals a “revolving door” between FDA officials tasked with regulating COVID-19 vaccines and the companies who manufacture them.

Two high-level regulatory officials with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) involved in vaccine oversight accepted jobs at Moderna just months after signing off on the licensure of the company’s COVID-19 vaccine, according to a British Medical Journal (BMJ) investigation.

The report by Peter Doshi, associate professor at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy and senior editor at The BMJ, reveals a long-standing revolving door between the FDA and pharmaceutical companies whose products it regulates and raises questions about the impartiality and independence of top FDA regulators.

Dr. Doran Fink is a “physician/scientist experienced in regulation and clinical development/licensure of vaccines and related biological products” and was deeply involved with vaccine regulation at the FDA for more than 12 years, according to his LinkedIn profile.

According to the BMJ report, Dr. Fink started his FDA career as a clinical reviewer in 2010 and “worked his way up” to Deputy Director of the Division of Vaccines and Related Product Applications within the FDA’s Office of Vaccines Research and Review, where he led a team of medical officers focused on infectious diseases and related biological projects.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Fink was a prominent voice on COVID-19 vaccines and which population groups should receive them. He spoke on behalf of the FDA at numerous meetings held by the agency’s vaccine advisors who met to discuss whether to approve COVID-19 vaccines, change their composition, or authorize boosters.

Dr. Fink also presented at meetings held by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices—a group of health experts that develop recommendations on how to use vaccines—as the FDA’s “principal FDA ex officio representative.”

According to the BMJ report and Dr. Fink’s LinkedIn profile, Fink also served on the senior leadership team for COVID-19 vaccine review and policy activities in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency.

As part of his role, he advised vaccine manufacturers on vaccine development throughout the pandemic and coordinated “expedited review of regulatory submissions,” advised U.S. government stakeholders outside the FDA on COVID-19 vaccine science and development, and contributed to FDA guidance on the development, licensure, and emergency use authorization of COVID-19 vaccines.

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Orange County 15-month-old dies 2 days after ‘well-visit’ vaccinations

Melody Rain Palombi-Malmgren was a happy toddler with an infectious smile and laugh. She loved to dance, cuddle, and sit in her swing. 

In July, the little girl celebrated her first birthday, but no one could have imagined it’d also be her last. 

“Everything about her was just pure joy,” says Melody’s mother, Katherine Palombi. “I’m in complete shock. This is a child that was perfectly healthy.”  

Palombi says she brought Melody to her pediatrician’s office, the Herbert Kania Pediatric Group in Warwick, on Oct. 17 for her 15-month well-visit where she received three vaccines. Two days later, without showing any signs that anything was wrong, Palombi says her daughter stopped breathing and went into cardiac arrest.  

“It was the most horrible day of my life. I got to work. She waved goodbye to me that morning and then my mother called saying she was having trouble breathing. I just kept saying, she just had vaccines, she just had vaccines,” says Palombi. 

Melody was brought to St. Anthony’s Hospital by ambulance. She says the child’s grandmother, who was caring for her that day, was instructed by 911 to perform CPR until paramedics could arrive. She says emergency medical personnel and hospital staff attempted lifesaving measures for several hours to no avail. 

“They brought me in the room, and I saw her laying there,” recalls Palombi. “They said time of death 11:13. I just completely hit the floor. I completely passed out.” 

Hospital records obtained by News 12 show the baby suffered liver and kidney failure, as well as cardiac arrest. 

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