PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Deep-seated mistrust, health concerns and political ideologies are just three of the reasons experts say some people refuse a coronavirus vaccine dose. KDKA’s Meghan Schiller checked in with UPMC Chief Medical Officer Donald Yealy and asked him what is the ideal vaccination rate, and what are the reasons he’s hearing as to why people are hesitant? READ MORE: West Virginia Lifts Social Gathering Limit, Allows Maskless Exercising Yealy said experts were throwing around a number in the 70s for an ideal vaccination rate across the state. He also broke down the most common hesitances, including people fearful about how well the vaccines are studied; people scared about the possible side effects; and people fearful because of health concerns like pregnancy. “These vaccines have been exceptionally well-studied. You may think we just had a pause. I would say the pause is exactly the reason you should be comforted. In other words, the federal government, the state and even us as individual vaccinators are looking very carefully to make sure you’re well-protected and you’re safe,” Yealy said. READ MORE: New Jersey Man Dies In Pennsylvania Skydiving Accident “These side effects are incredibly rare,” Dr. Yealy added. “It’s not clear if they’re even more than what we would expect in the background, and the effects from unprotected COVID-19 infection are far worse.” “If you’re pregnant, which is safer for you and your baby: Getting the infection or getting the vaccine? I can tell you as a physician, the vaccine is far safer,” Dr. Yealy said. According to the latest Monmouth poll, about one in five American adults remain unwilling to get the vaccine. Currently, 21 percent of Americans surveyed claim they will never get the vaccine if they can avoid it. That number was 24 percent in January and March. MORE NEWS: Bipartisan Compromise On Infrastructure Bill Seems More Elusive Than Ever Dr. Yealy said UPMC has teams working at every ...
Biogen coronavirus
India Resumes Lockdowns as Homegrown Vaccines Fail to Stop Coronavirus Surge
States across India re-imposed lockdowns Monday to contain a surge in new Chinese coronavirus cases nationwide. “The national weekly positivity rate [for the Chinese coronavirus] has increased from 3 percent to 13.5 percent in the last one month,” the Times of India reported April 19. In New Delhi, the Indian national capital, “the daily positivity rate in the last 12 days doubled from 8 percent to 16.7 percent. A consistent rise was seen since April 12 even as tests increased only marginally.” Delhi’s government imposed a six-day lockdown on its residents starting April 19 in an effort to curb transmission of the Chinese coronavirus. Delhi is both a city and an Indian federal territory. Officially known as the National Capital Territory, Delhi contains the city of New Delhi. “Delhi’s health system is now unable to take in more patients. It is now necessary to impose a lockdown in Delhi from 10:00 pm today (April 19) to 5:00 am on Monday (April 26). Essential services will remain open, food and medicine shops will be allowed to operate, weddings will be limited to 50 guests,” Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said Monday. Delhi has ordered all government and private business offices, except for those facilitating essential services, to shut down for the next week. Essential workers, medical patients, and top government employees are among the limited number of people allowed to travel into and out of Delhi during the lockdown. “Central government and judicial officials, diplomats, journalists, and doctors will be allowed to travel during the lockdown on production of a valid identity card,” the Hindustan Times reported on April 19. “People coming from or going to airports, railway stations, or interstate bus terminals will be allowed on production of a valid ticket.” “But all other workers – grocery shop staff, internet workers, bank staff, delivery personnel, petrol pump workers, private security staff, among others – and the staff ...
White House launches media effort to promote coronavirus vaccines
The White House on Monday launched a targeted media campaign to raise awareness about vaccine eligibility and encourage Americans to get vaccinated as states open up doses to all Americans over the age of 16. Top Biden administration health officials are participating in roughly 30 local news interviews across the country, according to a White House official, focusing on markets that have lower vaccination rates in order to boost confidence in vaccines. Some health officials will also participate in national interviews. The officials include the top infectious diseases expert Anthony Fauci Anthony Fauci Waters: Fauci 'was being bullied' by Jordan during hearing Whitmer: State won't close down again following GOP lawsuits Sunday shows - Fauci dominates with remarks on vaccines, boosters, masks and Jordan MORE , White House senior adviser on coronavirus response Andy Slavitt, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra Xavier Becerra Trump looms over Senate's anti-Asian hate crimes battle NIH reverses Trump administration's ban on fetal tissue research Overnight Health Care: Johnson & Johnson delay prompts criticism of CDC panel | Pfizer CEO says third dose of COVID-19 vaccine 'likely' needed within one year | CDC finds less than 1 percent of fully vaccinated people got COVID-19 MORE , Assistant Secretary for Health Rachel Levine Rachel Levine Alarm grows over impact of states banning trans youth treatment Overnight Health Care: Senate confirms Levine for HHS, first openly transgender official | Progressives up pressure on Biden to back COVID vaccine patent waiver | Former Operation Warp Speed chief fired over sexual harassment allegations Senate confirms first openly transgender official, approving Levine for HHS MORE , Surgeon General Vivek Murthy Vivek Murthy Surgeon General's son interrupts morning TV interview Biden administration unveils network of community leaders ...
Coronavirus antiviral drug shows promise in hamsters, enters human testing
close Video Fox News Flash top headlines for April 19 Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. An experimental antiviral treatment against the virus causing COVID-19 showed promise in animal studies and has entered human clinical trials, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The drug, MK-4482, was said to drop viral levels and reduce damage from the disease in the lungs of hamsters treated for infection, per an NIH release . The treatment works by preventing the virus from replicating, with benefits seen when the drug was given 12 hours before or 12 hours after infection. Researchers from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases published findings in the Nature Communications journal. PFIZER STUDYING CORONAVIRUS ORAL ANTIVIRAL THERAPEUTIC "We show that MK-4482, when administered either starting at 12 h prior to SARS-CoV-2 infection, or even 12 h post-infection, significantly decreases viral lung loads and pathology, but does not affect shedding from the upper respiratory tract," the study reads. "These findings support the potential of MK-4482 as an orally administered drug for high-risk exposure and possibly therapeutic use in humans." The study involved three groups of hamsters; a "pre-infection treatment group; a post-infection treatment group" and a control group. For the treatment groups, scientists gave the drug every 12 hours for three days. By the end, the treated animals in both groups revealed "significantly fewer lesions in the lungs" and a 100-fold drop in infectious virus in the lungs compared to the untreated control group. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The team noted that a separate antiviral, remdesivir , has been granted FDA emergency approval, but this treatment can only be administered intravenously, "which makes its application to the control of high-risk exposure challenging," study authors ...
Oxford challenge trial assessing coronavirus reinfection, immune responses
close Video CDC to meet to discuss J&J vaccine safety Harvard Global Health Institute director Dr. Ashish Jha provides insight on ‘Fox News Live.’ The University of Oxford announced Monday it launched a challenge trial intentionally re-infecting participants with the novel coronavirus to better understand how the immune system mounts a response the second time around, and potentially pave the way for improved vaccines and treatments. Britain marked the first country worldwide to greenlight "challenge trials" in February, Reuters reports , which generally involves "a carefully controlled study that involves purposefully infecting a subject with a pathogen or bug, in order to study the effects of that infection," per a related university release posted Monday. "The information from this work will allow us to design better vaccines and treatments, and also to understand if people are protected after having COVID, and for how long," Helen McShane, professor of vaccinology at the Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford and chief investigator on the study, said in part in the release. GETTING CORONAVIRUS COULD PROTECT AGAINST REINFECTION FOR AT LEAST 5 MONTHS: STUDY The study was divided into two phases; the first establishing the lowest dose of virus to initiate virus replication, but only result in "little or no symptoms" in up to 64 healthy adults aged 18 to 30 who have fully recovered from a previous coronavirus infection. The second phase, planned to launch this summer, will see all participants infected with the established dose from the prior phase. The study is assessing the original strain, and people partaking in the study will go undergo quarantine in a "specially designed hospital suite" for at least 17 days. Researchers will monitor participants and run tests like CT scans on the lungs and MRI scans on the heart, per the release. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP ...
