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Mom Says Teen Son Got COVID Vaccine at CVS Without Her Consent

WSFA News 12 reported:

A California mother is warning parents after her 16-year-old son received the COVID-19 vaccine at a CVS Pharmacy without her consent.

Amanda Arroyo claims the pharmacist later told her she was just trying to vaccinate as many people in the community as possible to keep people safe.

In California, parents or guardians must provide consent for a minor to get vaccinated. It can be given in one of three ways: going with the child in person, signing a written consent form or providing verbal consent to a staff member over the phone or through video.

Babies Among Those in COVID Vaccine Trials in Madison

WISN 12 reported:

Four-year-old twins Sam and Theo Rodriguez are part of the new trial of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine trial for kids ages 6 months to 4 years old.

University of Wisconsin Health in Madison (UW) Health is one of 80 centers across the country conducting the Moderna trial.  More than 2,500 young children are taking part.

Michigan Township Closes Schools Due to Staff Having ‘Negative Reaction’ to COVID Booster Shot

Washington Examiner reported:

A Michigan township said schools would be closed on Monday after several staff members had a “negative reaction” to the COVID-19 booster shot.

Saginaw Township Community Schools posted an announcement on the homepage of its website, noting that, due to being understaffed, schools in its district would be closed on Monday, affecting after-school programs and child care.

“A large number of our staff had a negative reaction to the COVID booster shot given at a voluntary clinic over the weekend,” the notice said. “There is a substitute teacher/staff shortage throughout the state, further complicating the availability to cover those absences.”

About 26,000 Tons of Plastic COVID Waste Pollutes World’s Oceans — Study

The Guardian reported:

Plastic waste from the COVID-19 pandemic weighing 25,900 tons, equivalent to more than 2,000 double-decker buses, has leaked into the ocean, research has revealed.

The mismanaged plastic waste, consisting of personal protective equipment such as masks and gloves, vastly exceeded the capability of countries to process it properly, researchers said.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, an estimated 8.4m tons of plastic waste has been generated from 193 countries, according to the report, published on Monday.

Moderna Seeks EU Authorization for COVID Vaccine in Young Children

Reuters reported:

Moderna Inc (MRNA.O) on Tuesday applied for European authorization of its COVID-19 vaccine in children aged 6-11 years, weeks after it delayed a similar filing with U.S. regulators.

The European Union had in July authorised the vaccine for use in teens aged 12 to 17 years, but several countries including Sweden paused its use for people aged 30 and younger due to rare heart-related side-effects. read more

The drugmaker delayed the U.S. application for children aged 6 to 11, while the FDA completes its review for the vaccine’s use in the 12 to 17 age group.

French Health Authority Advises Against Moderna COVID Vaccine for Under 30s

Reuters reported:

France’s public health authority has recommended people under 30 be given Pfizer‘s (PFE.N) Comirnaty COVID-19 vaccine when available instead of Moderna Inc’s (MRNA.O) Spikevax jab, which carried comparatively higher risks of heart-related problems.

The Haute Autorite de Sante (HAS), which does not have legal power to ban or licence drugs but acts as an advisor to the French health sector, cited “very rare” risks linked to Myocarditis, a heart disease, that had shown up in recent data on the Moderna vaccine and in a French study published on Monday.

Louisiana Has a Hotline to Track Adverse COVID Vaccine Reactions. Critics Say It Isn’t Reliable.

The Advocate reported:

Back in December 2020, when COVID vaccines first became available to the public, the Louisiana Department of Health sent an urgent directive to healthcare providers across the state: immediately tell us about any serious side effects.

At a hearing Monday before the House Health & Welfare Committee, state Rep. Michael Echols, a Monroe Republican, said he asked to hold the hearing because “nobody knows this 800 number,” after a string of nurses testified Monday that they had no knowledge of the hotline.

“It’s crazy that medical professionals across this state do not have this phone number. It’s an embarrassment for patient safety,” Echols said.

Nearly Half of New COVID Cases in 2 Weeks Were Breakthrough Infections

The Korea Herald reported:

Nearly half of new COVID-19 cases in South Korea over the past two weeks were breakthrough infections, health authorities said Tuesday.

There were 8,336 breakthrough cases out of 17,325 new COVID-19 patients, or 48.1%, between Oct. 17 and Oct. 30, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Breakthrough infections are those who test positive even after receiving the full-dose vaccine regimen.

The Bewildering Ordeal of Getting Billed for a Coronavirus Vaccine

The Washington Post reported:

Heather Christena Schmidt’s 13-year-old daughter, Ava, got her second dose of the Moderna coronavirus vaccine on Jun. 22. After her first dose, administered in May at a CVS, Ava fainted. The reason remains elusive. So her primary care doctor recommended she get the second dose at an emergency room, where she could be treated immediately if anything went wrong.

Schmidt has received three separate bills for her daughter’s shot that day — one from the hospital system, one from insurance and one from the doctor who administered the shot — totaling $262.50.

We were told from the beginning that they would be free, these vaccines. The official webpage for the government’s vaccine rollout reads, in large bold print, “COVID-19 vaccines are free to all people living in the United States, regardless of their immigration or health insurance status,” paid for via federal funding and partnerships with insurance companies.

Johnson & Johnson Breakthrough Cases Had a Higher Hospitalization Rate Compared With Other COVID Vaccines, Redmond Startup Finds

The Seattle Times reported:

A study of nearly 2 million people vaccinated against the coronavirus has found that those receiving the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines had less of a chance of being hospitalized after a breakthrough infection than people who got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Truveta, a Redmond startup that has pooled data from 20 American health systems from 42 states, released the new findings Tuesday morning. They are based on an analysis of 1.7 million vaccinated people living in the United States.

U.S. Government to Buy $1 Billion More Worth of Merck’s COVID Pill

Reuters reported:

The U.S. government will buy another $1 billion worth of the COVID-19 pill made by Merck & Co Inc (MRK.N) and partner Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, the companies said on Tuesday.

The government in June agreed to buy 1.7 million courses of molnupiravir for $1.2 billion and is now exercising options to buy 1.4 million more.

That brings the total secured courses to 3.1 million and worth $2.2 billion. Merck said the government has the right to buy 2 million more courses as part of the contract. read more