There is much excitement about the 90 percent effectiveness reported for the Pfizer vaccine—which is far better than expected. Only three vaccines in 10 years have been more than 50 percent effective. What this means is that out of 44,000 people who got two doses, 94 have gotten at least one symptom and a positive […]
A COVID-19 vaccine is said to be close, and the Administration is detailing plans to distribute it “free” (no out-of-pocket cost). Do you want to be first in line? The first question to ask about a vaccine—or any medical intervention—is this: Is it necessary? Vaccines exist for smallpox, rabies, anthrax, typhoid, and yellow fever. But […]
If you are waiting for “a vaccine” so you can go back to normal living, what does the pause in testing the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine mean to you? If you own stock in AstraZeneca, the value of your shares dropped 8 percent on the news that one of the test subjects became paralyzed, while the […]
I hope that you and yours are weathering the storm in a crashing economy, but recovery depends on ending the pandemic. Hopes are riding on a “warp-speed” vaccine. During this week’s coronavirus briefing, President Trump said his administration had reached an “historic agreement” with Pfizer to manufacture and deliver 100 million doses of its vaccine […]
By Jane M. Orient, M.D. The idea of moving at “warp speed” probably resonates with Star Wars fans. A galactic empire is impossible if it takes 100 years for a signal, much less a warship, to move from one system to another at the universal speed limit, 186,000 miles per second, the speed of light […]
On Jan 15, 2020, the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, along with Katarina Verrelli, on behalf of herself and others who seek access to vaccine information, filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Plaintiffs allege that Defendant Adam Schiff has abused government power and infringed on their free-speech rights. […]
According to an order signed today by Oxiris Barbot, M.D., New York City Commissioner of Health, all persons, adults or children, who live, work, or reside in 11205, 11206, 11221, and/or 11249 ZIP codes, and who have not received the MMR vaccine, “shall be vaccinated against measles” unless able to “demonstrate immunity to the disease […]
Volume 75, no. 3 March 2019 Our Founders put the First Amendment first because without free speech there is no liberty. Without apparently unanimous support, tyranny is threatened. Dissent must be silenced. In medicine, informed consent is a bedrock ethical principle, reinforced by the Nuremberg Code (AAPS News, November 2012). But how can there be […]
By Jane M. Orient, M.D. According to the Oath of Hippocrates, physicians have the duty to advise their patients according to the best of their ability and judgment. In In most cases, most physicians recommend vaccination, believing that for a particular patient, the benefit exceeds the risk. Patients or their parents, however, have the right […]
Many hospitals are requiring physicians to take the annual flu vaccine. This not because it helps patients, but because hospitals get a tiny increase in reimbursements if the entire staff is vaccinated. Lobbyists for Big Pharma probably put this reimbursement boost into law to sell more of their product. AAPS does not take a position […]