AstraZeneca refutes reports linking its COVID-19 vaccine with recent deaths in Europe from blood clots; Anthony Fauci, MD, cautions against lifting US restrictions too soon amid case spikes in Europe; the White House is set to reveal a $1.5 billion public relations campaign to boost vaccine confidence and uptake nationwide.
Yesterday, AstraZeneca (AZ) refuted reports linking its COVID-19 vaccine with recent deaths in Europe from blood clots, as the company said in a statement that there is no scientific evidence on the association, although more countries continue to temporarily halt use of the vaccine. Reported by The Washington Post, the Dutch government had announced yesterday that it was suspending use of the AZ shot for the next 2 weeks as it investigates its safety, joining Ireland and Italy’s northern Piedmont region. So far, the AZ vaccine has been administered to 17 million people, with 15 cases of deep vein thrombosis and 22 pulmonary embolisms, which were noted by the company to be lower than expected.
Amid recent spikes in cases of COVID-19 throughout Europe that coincided with the relaxation of safety measures, America’s top infectious disease expert, Anthony Fauci, MD, cautioned against lifting US restrictions too soon. CNBC reports that as case trends in the United States continue to decline, those in Italy, Germany, Poland, and Hungary have spiked significantly, with the Czech Republic and Slovakia exhibiting the highest death rates worldwide. Notably, European countries are said to be struggling with their vaccine rollout, whereas the United States has administered 107 million vaccines and recorded a decline of 11% in new virus infections in the last week.
According to STAT, the White House is set to reveal an expansive $1.5 billion public relations campaign that will serve to boost vaccine confidence and uptake nationwide. Relayed through television, radio, and digital advertising, the campaign will focus on addressing skepticism of vaccines’ safety or effectiveness, as well as educating eager Americans who want the vaccine on where, when, and how they can receive it. Specifically, the campaign is said to target 3 groups in which access, apathy, or outright skepticism may pose a barrier to vaccinations, including young people, people of color, and conservatives.
Overcoming Employment Barriers for Lasting Social Impact: Freedom House 2.0 and Pathways to Work
April 16th 2024To help celebrate and recognize National Minority Health Month, we are bringing you a special month-long podcast series with our Strategic Alliance Partner, UPMC Health Plan. Welcome to our second episode, in which we learn all about Freedom House 2.0 and the Pathways to Work program.
Listen
Government agencies have created an online portal for the public to report potential anticompetitive practices in health care; there are changes coming to the “boxed warning” section for chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapies (CAR T) to highlight T-cell blood cancer risk; questions about the safety of obesity medications during pregnancy have arisen in women on them who previously struggled with fertility issues.
Read More
Making Giant Strides in Maternity Health Through Baby Steps
April 9th 2024To help celebrate and recognize National Minority Health Month, we are kicking off a special month-long podcast series with our strategic alliance partner, UPMC Health Plan. Welcome to our first episode, which is all about the Baby Steps Maternity Program and its mission to support women throughout every step of their pregnancy journey.
Listen
Gene, Light Therapy Combo Shows Promise Against Prostate Cancer Cells in Proof-of-Concept Study
April 18th 2024In their preclinical model, the researchers found efficacy both in vitro and in vivo by using CRISPR-Cas9 to mimic porphyria and combining the technology with light therapy.
Read More