(In These Times) Big Pharma has been caught in a lie that implicates not only major Covid-19 vaccine manufacturers, but also heads of state and members of Congress…
The lie relates to an October 2020 proposal from India and South Africa that the World Trade Organization suspend enforcement of key patent rules so that cheaper, generic versions of Covid-19 treatments and vaccines can get to more people more quickly…The pharmaceutical giants Pfizer and Moderna, …emerged as virulent opponents of such a measure, which still has not passed more than a year later, even as just one out of 21 people in poor countries have been fully vaccinated. It is no anomaly that the industry would reject such a proposal—pharmaceutical companies had a big hand in shaping those WTO intellectual property rules in the first place, to protect pharmaceutical monopolies and their profits.
But in order to protect strict intellectual property rules while also protecting its public image, the pharmaceutical industry had to weave a narrative that portrays companies as driven by altruistic motives: the desire to protect innovation and research, and ensure safe and responsible vaccine production. Among talking points about how intellectual property incentivizes creativity, and rewards those who save lives, a key argument has emerged: Sharing vaccine recipes is not the panacea you think it is, because much of the world—i.e. the Global South—lacks the facilities and capacity to produce vaccines in a safe and timely manner. Even if we got rid of all intellectual property rules tomorrow, this would do little to boost immediate global vaccine supply.
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But, it turns out, empirical claims can be empirically disproven. On October 22, the New York Times ran a story titled, "Here's Why Developing Countries Can Make mRNA Covid Vaccines" that identifies 10 different facilities in India, Brazil, Thailand, South Africa, Argentina and Indonesia that are strong candidates for producing mRNA vaccines. "The key criteria include existing facilities, human capital, the regulatory system for medicines and the political and economic climate," writes journalist Stephanie Nolen. Some of the facilities are already producing other vaccines, or testing or making their own mRNA vaccines. In other words, Global South countries could absolutely start producing Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, if the companies would only tell them how.
Arizona has over 3K more COVID-19 cases for 3rd straight day
Source: Associated Press
an hour ago
PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona on Saturday reported over 3,000 additional confirmed COVID-19 cases for the third straight day as virus-related hospitalizations reached their highest level since late September.
The state Department of Health Services’ coronavirus dashboard reported 3,592 additional cases and 60 deaths, increasing the state’s pandemic totals to 1,186,477 cases and 21,408 deaths.
As of Friday, 1,904 COVID-19 patients occupied hospital inpatient beds, the most since 1,933 on Sept. 20.
Pfizer Inc. said Friday that its experimental antiviral pill for COVID-19 cut rates of hospitalization and death by nearly 90% in high-risk adults, as the drugmaker joined the race for an easy-to-use medication to treat the coronavirus.
Currently most COVID-19 treatments require an IV or injection. Competitor Merck's COVID-19 pill is already under review at the Food and Drug Administration after showing strong initial results, and on Thursday the United Kingdom became the first country to OK it.
Court temporarily blocks Biden’s vaccine mandate for large companies.
A federal appeals panel issued a temporary stay on President Biden’s vaccine mandate for large employers. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/06/worl ... 175be38b67
James C. McKinley Jr.Isabella Grullón Paz
Nov. 6, 2021Updated 4:25 p.m. ET
A federal appeals panel in Louisiana has temporarily blocked the Biden administration’s new safety regulations directing businesses with more than 100 workers to require their employees to get vaccinations against the coronavirus by early January.
The three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit granted a temporary stay to a group of businesses, religious groups, advocacy organizations and several states that had filed a joint petition in court, arguing the administration had overstepped its authority.
New York City cuts vaccine mandate deal with four unions
By Andrew Jeong and Adela Suliman
New York City said Thursday that it had reached an agreement with at least four unions representing some 75,000 city employees to establish rules about how workers can apply for medical or religious exemptions to the city’s coronavirus vaccine mandate.
The development eases tensions between some city workers and Mayor Bill de Blasio’s (D) administration over requirements to get vaccinated against the coronavirus or go on unpaid leave. Though about 92 percent of city employees were compliant with vaccine mandates as of Wednesday, there are small pockets of resistance, particularly among some police officers and firefighters.
As part of the deal, the unions will withdraw litigation against the mandate. In return, employees will have the right to appeal exemption denials to an outside arbitrator. The city will also extend health benefits to workers who decline vaccination until June 30, 2022, while allowing some exemption applicants to stay at work until final rulings on their requests are made.
The four unions are DC37, Teamsters Local 237, Uniformed Sanitationmen’s Association Local 831 and SEIU Local 300. However, the city’s largest police and firefighters unions have not yet reached deals with the municipal government. New York City’s mayor-elect, Eric Adams, a former police captain, said Wednesday that he would “revisit” the issue of vaccine mandates for municipal workers.
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By Andrew Jeong
Andrew Jeong is a reporter for The Washington Post in its Seoul hub. Twitter https://twitter.com/hj257
Currently available COVID vaccines require cold storage and sophisticated manufacturing capacity, which makes it difficult to produce and distribute them widely, especially in less developed countries. A new type of vaccine would potentially be much easier to produce and would not need refrigeration, report researchers at Boston Children's Hospital in the November 2 issue of PNAS.
The researchers, led by Hidde Ploegh, Ph.D., and first authors Novalia Pishesha, Ph.D., and Thibault Harmand, Ph.D., believe their technology could help fill global vaccination gaps and that the same technology could be applied to vaccines against other diseases.
In mice, the vaccine elicited strong immune responses against SARS-CoV-2 and its variants. It was successfully freeze-dried and later reconstituted without loss of efficacy. In tests, it remained stable and potent for at least seven days at room temperature.
Unlike current COVID-19 vaccines, the new design is completely protein-based, making it easy for many facilities to manufacture. It has two components: antibodies derived from alpacas, known as nanobodies, and the portion of the virus's spike protein that binds to receptors on human cells.
"We could also attach the whole spike protein or other parts of the virus," notes Pishesha. "And we can change the vaccine for SARS-CoV-2 variants quickly and easily."
(Alternet) This past month, the gap in COVID-19 death rates between counties that voted for Donald Trump and President Biden has been higher than ever recorded, according to a New York Times analysis, likely due to lingering Republican hesitancy over the safety of the vaccine.
This month, about "25 out of every 100,000 residents of heavily Trump counties died from Covid, more than three times higher than the rate in heavily Biden counties," the Times found. The analysis – which defines "Trump counties" as any that saw at least 60% of their electorate vote for Trump in the 2020 election – also observed that the gap appears to be climbing.
According to the Times, the difference is most likely explained by the emergence of the COVID-19 vaccine, which has seen much higher rates of hesitancy amongst conservatives. In fact, prior to the vaccine, when the nation saw a marked partisan discrepancy in the use of public health measures, there was a marginal partisan difference in the death rates.
"The true explanation is straightforward," explained the Times' David Leonhardt. "The vaccines are remarkably effective at preventing severe Covid, and almost 40 percent of Republican adults remain unvaccinated, compared with about 10 percent of Democratic adults."
Among those who refuse to get vaccinated, roughly half are "unlikely to change their minds," according to NBC News. It remains unclear whether the gap will continue to widen given the country's entrenched hesitancy around the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine – a sentiment that's been largely fueled by right-wing news sources like Fox News. According to a Media Matters analysis from July, almost 60% of segments about the vaccine "included claims that undermined vaccination efforts."
caltrek wrote: ↑Tue Nov 09, 2021 4:15 pm
Among those who refuse to get vaccinated, roughly half are "unlikely to change their minds," according to NBC News. It remains unclear whether the gap will continue to widen given the country's entrenched hesitancy around the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine – a sentiment that's been largely fueled by right-wing news sources like Fox News. According to a Media Matters analysis from July, almost 60% of segments about the vaccine "included claims that undermined vaccination efforts."
They refuse to admit they were wrong. It's all about this endgame at any cost:
To know is essentially the same as not knowing. The only thing that occurs is the rearrangement of atoms in your brain.
