Tuesday, August 24, 2021

Covid roundup: Facebook groups, ads fight misinformation; vax mandates don't violate Nuremberg Code, as claimed

Here's a roundup of recent news about the pandemic and immunization efforts:

Because of worldwide emergency use of the Pfizer vaccine, the Food and Drug Administration has never before had so much evidence to confirm a vaccine's safety. Read more here.

Rural health clinician shortage threatens care access as hospital admissions soar. Read more here.

Pfizer's permanent FDA approval is triggering a flood of vaccine mandates from schools and businesses. Some pandemic misinformation sources claim that such mandates violate the Nuremberg Code, a set of ethical guidelines on human subjects in scientific research. One such tenet prohibits forcing people to participate in trials for an experimental drug. However, coronavirus mandates do not violate the Nuremberg Code because the vaccines are not experimental: All have received at least emergency FDA approval, which requires substantial proof of safety and efficacy. Read more here.

Smaller rural hospitals are as overwhelmed with Covid-19 patients as urban hospitals are, but the rural hospitals have to face it with fewer resources. Read more here.

Rural Georgia hospitals say they're flooded with Covid patients, most of whom are unvaccinated. Read more here.

As more employers and schools require vaccination, more people are trying to use phony vaccine cards (some imported from China). It will be difficult to crack down on the practice. Read more here.

A Pennsylvania farmer refused the coronavirus vaccine at first, but later caught the virus and was admitted to the hospital. Now he's created a video imploring other skeptics to get vaccinated. Read more here.

A group of moms on Facebook is waging a grass-roots war on pandemic misinformation, seeking to inform skeptics and convince them to get vaccinated. Read more here.

Groups are buying targeted Facebook ads meant to counteract pandemic misinformation. Read more here.

Mississippi residents can now face jail time or fines if they refuse to self-isolate after getting a positive coronavirus test. Read more here.

A new study projects how pandemic surges could hurt rural residents and hospitals. It also highlights key vulnerabilities in rural populations and health-care systems, discusses their implications, and suggests In short: rural areas' generally lower vaccination rates, coupled with rural hospitals' unique organizational, clinical and financial vulnerabilities could mean bad news. Read more here.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention decided in May to only track breakthrough infections that lead to hospitalization or death. That has made it harder for public-health authorities and researchers to understand the coronavirus's impact on the vaccinated. Read more here.

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