Category: Vaccines
Mpox update from Public Health — Seattle & King County:
WHY A SECOND VACCINATION IS IMPORTANT NOW
How the Mixed Messaging of Vaccine Skeptics Sows Seeds of Doubt
By Darius TahirKaiser Health News It was a late-spring House of Representatives hearing, where members of Congress and attendees hoped to learn lessons from the pandemic. Witness Marty Makary made a plea. “I want to thank you for your attempts…
Pancreatic cancer: a personalised mRNA vaccine may boost effects of treatment
Half of the patients treated with the vaccine and immunotherapy combination saw an increase in a specific type of immune cell (called a T cell, which is known to protect against cancer).
FDA’s approval of the world’s first vaccine against RSV will offer a new tool in an old fight – 4 questions answered
The new vaccine has been shown to be 80% effective at protecting against RSV-related disease and 94% effective at protecting against severe disease.
The Federal COVID-19 public health emergency declaration ends May 11. What does that mean for you?
This Thursday, the Federal Public Health Emergency Declaration will end, which means there will be changes to how some people receive COVID-19-related care, like testing, treatment, and vaccines.
How do you make a universal flu vaccine?
University of Washington School of Medicine microbiologist Deborah Fuller explains the challenges, and how mRNA could offer a promising solution
Rejecting science has a long history – the pandemic showed what happens when you ignore this
Anti-vaccination groups, as well as other anti-science movements, are not new phenomena, nor are the nature of their objections. Most anti-science arguments have been around for centuries.
Turning 50? Here are 4 things you can do to improve your health and well-being
There are four things in particular that take on greater importance when you turn 50 – that go beyond general health advice that’s beneficial at any age, like staying active, eating well and getting enough sleep.
King County and the City of Seattle will no longer require proof of vaccination against COVID-19 as a condition of employment.
With King County’s high level of vaccination booster uptake and lower levels of community spread, hospitalizations due to COVID infection remained at a safe level, making the overall risk forecast low enough to lift the mandate for employees, volunteers, and contractors.
NEW CASE OF MEASLES IN KING COUNTY
The individual was at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and Providence Swedish First Hill while infectious. Anyone who was at these locations within the time span that this person passed through may have been exposed to measles.
Child Vaccination Rates, Already Down Because of COVID, Fall Again
Child vaccination rates dipped into dangerous territory during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, when schools were shuttered, and most doctors were only seeing emergency patients. But instead of recovering after schools reopened in 2021, those historically low rates worsened. Experts fear that the skepticism of science and distrust of government that flared up during the pandemic are contributing to the decrease.
China’s COVID situation is dire – but it shouldn’t pose a big risk to other countries
In contrast to China at the outset of this wave, most countries by now have high immunity and protection against severe disease and death from COVID. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has noted that China’s surge “is not expected to impact the COVID-19 epidemiological situation” in Europe.
COVID in 2023 and beyond – why virus trends are more difficult to predict three years on
So how will the pandemic be felt in 2023? This question is in some ways impossible to answer, given a number of unknowns. In early 2020 the scientific community was focused on determining key parameters that could be used to make projections as to the severity and extent of the spread of the virus. Now, the complex interplay of COVID variants, vaccination and natural immunity makes that process far more difficult and less predictable.
Local health officials and health system leaders in Washington state urge public to wear masks while in indoor spaces, keep up-to-date on vaccines
In addition to RSV and influenza, new COVID-19 variants are taking hold and immunity from past vaccination is waning for many people who have not yet received an updated booster shot.
The longer you can avoid Covid, the better
The “no point delaying infection” argument falls down in a number of places. First, infections aren’t risk free. Second, better treatments and vaccines are on the horizon.