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Washington DC, Following a thorough safety review, including two meetings of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have determined that the recommended pause regarding the use of the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) COVID-19 Vaccine in the U.S. should be lifted and use of the vaccine should resume.
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Ridgewood NJ, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla recently said people likely will need to get a third dose of the company’s SARS-CoV-2 vaccine within 12 months of completing their vaccinations. He speculated that annual vaccinations might be required but more research needs to be completed to confirm his predictions. Bourla’s comments were made on April 1 at a CVS Health event but were released April 15. That same day at a US House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis hearing, Chief Science Officer of the White House COVID-19 Response Team Dr. David Kessler noted the emergence of variants of concern will challenge available vaccines’ effectiveness, probably requiring booster shots. However, Dr. Kessler also stated additional research is needed to understand timing and necessity.
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Ridgewood NJ, A lot of media hype has been generated about how much more dangerous some variants of COVID-19 are. But on closer inspection, many of those claims prove to be greatly exaggerated.
Continue reading Media Greatly Exaggerated Dangers of U.K. Covid variant
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West Long Branch NJ, Many U.S. states and cities have a growing surplus of Covid-19 vaccines as a significant percentage of Americans choose not to be inoculated. Overall, U.S. demand remains strong with 37% of people having gotten at least one dose, making the country one of the world’s leaders in vaccinations .According to Monmouth’s national polling about 1 in 5 American adults remain unwilling to get the Covid vaccine, even as more people are getting the shot.
Continue reading Monmouth’s national polling : One in Five Still Shun Vaccines
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Ridgewood NJ, with around 23% of the population fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of April 14, and vaccination being an essential component for full reopening of the economy, WalletHub today released its report on the Safest States During COVID-19, along with accompanying videos and audio files.
Continue reading Study : New Jersey is the 3rd Least Safe State During COVID-19
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New Brunswick NJ, the CDC is recommending a “pause” in the administration of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine to investigate reports of potentially dangerous blood clots.
In a joint statement Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration said they were investigating clots in six women that occurred 6 to 13 days after vaccination. The clots were observed in the sinuses of the brain along with reduced platelet counts — making the usual treatment for blood clots, the blood thinner heparin, potentially “dangerous.”
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Ridgewood NJ, Discourse continues over the potential implementation of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination mandates for various institutions and workplaces before their return to normal operating procedures. Several universities have implemented policies requiring students to be fully vaccinated if they wish to attend in-person classes this fall. The rationale behind these decisions comes from data suggesting college campuses might be a significant contributor to local SARS-CoV-2 transmission due to factors such as congregant living and travel from various geographic regions. Of the at least 8 universities including Rutgers University who have announced this plan, all will allow for religious and medical exemptions. The CDC has offered guidance for SARS-CoV-2 vaccination policies in the workplace, but there are no discussions of a national vaccine mandate.
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Washington DC, The Department of Justice has received reports that fraudsters are creating fraudulent COVID-19 vaccine surveys for consumers to fill out with the promise of a prize or cash at the conclusion of the survey. In reality, the surveys are used to steal money from consumers and unlawfully capture consumers’ personal information.
Continue reading Justice Department Warns About Fake Post-Vaccine Survey Scams
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Ridgewood NJ, now to answer the one COVID questions we have all really been wondering about but were just to afraid to ask . According to the U.S. Geological Survey the risk of human-to-bat transmission of coronavirus is very low.
Continue reading Researchers : Low Risk of Human to Bat Transmission SARS-CoV-2
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Washington DC, When Texas Governor Greg Abbott ended lockdown restrictions on businesses earlier this month it was with a certain swagger. “I just announced Texas is OPEN 100%” he announced. “EVERYTHING.”
Continue reading Texas Ended Lockdown Restrictions, Sees COVID Cases Drop to All Time Low
(photo NJ Gov. Phil Murphy)
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Ridgewood NJ, lots of talk by the media of racial disparity when dealing with COVID, but here are some findings that should seriously disturb every African American family . While it is true and troubling that minorities have been more adversely affected (in terms of death rates and infection rates) by COVID than whites, the story that hasn’t been told is that Democratic governors have done a much worse job keeping blacks safe and healthy than red state governors.
Continue reading African Americans Far Safer from COVID in Red States
Expansion Includes Individuals Ages 55-64, Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Higher Education Workers, and Other Frontline Essential Workers and High-Risk Groups
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Trenton NJ, Governor Murphy today announced the expansion of eligibility for more frontline essential workers and high-risk groups in New Jersey’s COVID-19 vaccination program. Eligible groups include individuals ages 55-64, individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, higher education educators and staff, and communications and utility infrastructure workers among others.
Continue reading New Jersey Expands Eligibility for COVID-19 Vaccination Program
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Albany NY, news broke last night in the Albany Times-Union that while panicked and sick New Yorkers were desperately trying to get scarce COVID tests last March, Cuomo had secretly arranged for his friends and family to skip the line and get tested — in some cases repeatedly — in the comfort of their own homes. It reminds us of the John Lennon line: “How does it feel to be one of the beautiful people?”
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Ridgewood NJ, one thing we all know is there’s been an unrelenting torrent of bad news about the coronavirus. It’s a pandemic responsible for half a million deaths, so you’d expect a lot of negative news.
But a new study by Dartmouth College finds that a stunning 87% of COVID-19 coverage in national U.S. media outlets last year was negative.
Continue reading The Media Has Scared Americans to Death Over COVID
