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52,000 Breakthrough COVID Cases Recorded in Indiana; 531 Fully Vaccinated Residents Dead

International Business Times reported:

More than 52,000 fully vaccinated residents in Indiana have suffered from a breakthrough infection since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the state data.

A total of 52,484 breakthrough infections were reported in Indiana as of Thursday, Oct. 21. The figures represent 1.568% of the state’s vaccinated population, according to the Indiana Department of Health.

The latest report from the state’s health department also showed that 531 fully vaccinated individuals in Indiana died of COVID-19 since the state confirmed its first case of novel coronavirus on March 6, 2020.

Firing Dr. Fauci Now May Help Joe Biden Manage the Next COVID Wave, and His Poll Numbers

Newsweek reported:

Joe Biden built his presidential campaign around his assertion that he would “shut down the virus, not the economy.” Accordingly, his approval rating has slumped and risen along with U.S. infection and death rates.

The number of COVID cases nationwide is again on the decline — and, some Democratic strategists say, that gives the administration an opportunity to change the tone of the discussion around the virus.

Biden now has a chance to depoliticize the issue with an action that is suddenly less controversial than it would have been just days ago: Fire Anthony Fauci.

Pfizer Vax for Young Kids Passes the Test Among FDA Staff

MedPage Today reported:

Pfizer-BioNTech‘s COVID-19 vaccine produced an immune response and was safe and effective in young children, but its benefits may be largely dependent on severity of the COVID outbreak, according to FDA briefing documents released late Friday.

The FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) will meet on Tuesday for the third time this month to discuss COVID-19 vaccines, this time to see if the benefits outweigh the risks among children ages 5-11 years.

China to Start Vaccinating Children to Age 3 as Cases Spread

Associated Press reported:

Children as young as 3 will start receiving COVID-19 vaccines in China, where 76% of the population has been fully vaccinated and authorities are maintaining a zero-tolerance policy toward outbreaks.

China becomes one of the very few countries in the world to start vaccinating children that young against the virus. Cuba, for one, has begun a vaccine drive for children as young as 2. The U.S. and many European countries allow COVID-19 shots down to age 12, though the U.S. is moving quickly toward opening vaccinations to 5- to 11-year-olds.

Moderna Says Its COVID Vaccine Protective, Safe in Young Children

Reuters reported:

Moderna Inc (MRNA.O) said on Monday its COVID-19 vaccine generated a strong immune response and was generally well-tolerated in children aged six to 11 years, and the company plans to submit the data to regulators soon.

Moderna said its two-dose vaccine generated virus-neutralizing antibodies in children and safety was comparable to what was previously seen in clinical trials of adolescents and adults.

A panel of FDA advisers will vote on Tuesday whether to authorize rival Pfizer (PFE.N) and BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine for use in children aged five to 11 years.

How Should Patients With Autoimmune Diseases Approach COVID Vaccination? — Mixed Messaging and a Lack of Tailored Research Leaves Providers and Patients in the Dark

MedPage Today reported:

Healthcare is a personal and individualized relationship between a provider and patient. Each patient is treated according to their particular symptoms and personal health characteristics. For this reason, the wide variability in patient responses to the same medical treatments must be acknowledged and accounted for in making public health decisions.

Yet, there has been a lack of specific government guidance to help those with autoimmune diseases navigate COVID-19 vaccination.

UK Vaccines Watchdog ‘Approves Second Jabs for 16- and 17-Year-Olds’

The Guardian reported:

The government’s vaccines watchdog is understood to have approved the idea of second COVID vaccinations for teenagers aged 16 and 17, putting in place another element of plans to boost protection from the virus into the winter.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) decided in favour of first jabs for the age group in early August, saying at the time it was likely that second shots would begin 12 weeks after the first dose.

However, it is now nearly 12 weeks since the initial decision, with some parents reporting that GPs were telling teenagers they would need to wait until they were 18 for their second dose.

Fauci Says Vaccines for Kids Between 5-11 Likely Available in November

Reuters reported:

Vaccines for kids between the ages of 5 and 11 will likely be available in the first half of November, top U.S. infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said on Sunday, predicting a timetable that could see many kids getting fully vaccinated before the end of the year.

“If all goes well, and we get the regulatory approval and the recommendation from the CDC, it’s entirely possible if not very likely that vaccines will be available for children from 5 to 11 within the first week or two of November,” Fauci said in an interview with ABC’s This Week.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration officials are reviewing the Pfizer/BioNTech application seeking authorization of its 2-dose vaccine for younger children, with its panel of outside advisers scheduled to weigh in on Oct. 26.

In Major Shift, NIH Admits Funding Risky Virus Research in Wuhan

Vanity Fair reported:

“I totally resent the lie you are now propagating.” Dr. Anthony Fauci appeared to be channeling the frustration of millions of Americans when he spoke those words during an invective-laden, made-for-Twitter Senate hearing on July 20.

The immediate target of Dr. Fauci’s wrath was Senator Rand Paul, who was pressing the nation’s top doctor to say whether the National Institutes of Health had ever funded risky coronavirus research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Based on new information disclosed by the National Institutes of Health, however, Paul might have been onto something.

Emergency Department Sees Increase of Mental Health Issues Among Children

WWLP 22 News reported:

According to data released from The White House, emergency department visits for mental health have increased in 2020, with children experiencing moderate to severe anxiety and depression. An increase of 24% for children ages 5 through 11, and a more than a 30% increase in visits for those between 12 and 17 years old.

Anhdao Zabarsky, assistant program director of the Children’s Behavioral Health Initiative at the Center for Human Development (CHD) in Springfield, said she has seen a dramatic increase of mental health issues among children and youth even before COVID-19 hit.

“Prior to the pandemic, the prevalence of mental illness among children and young adults was increasing,” she said. “But COVID-19 dramatically exacerbated the problem. More and more children and adolescents have needed our In Home Therapy and Therapeutic Mentoring services. Still, the pandemic has taken a serious toll on top of existing challenges.”

Bipartisan Legislators Demand Answers From Fauci on ‘Cruel’ Puppy Experiments

The Hill reported:

A bipartisan letter demands answers from the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and President Biden’s chief medical adviser.

The White Coat Waste Project, the nonprofit organization that first pointed out that U.S. taxpayers were being used to fund the controversial Wuhan Institute of Virology, have now turned its sights on Anthony Fauci on another animal-testing-related matter — infecting dozens of beagles with disease-causing parasites to test an experimental drug on them.

Europe Drug Regulator Backs Use of Moderna’s COVID Booster Vaccine

Reuters reported:

The European Union’s drug regulator on Monday said it has concluded in its review that Moderna‘s (MRNA.O) COVID-19 booster vaccine may be given to people aged 18 years and above, at least six months after the second dose.

It is the second COVID-19 booster vaccine to be approved in the EU.

U.S. Gun Violence Increased 30% During COVID Pandemic

PennState Health News reported:

Gun violence increased by more than 30% in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study by Penn State College of Medicine researchers. The researchers said that stress, domestic violence, lack of social interactions and greater access to firearms might have contributed to the increase.

The researchers obtained data on shooting deaths, suicides and gun-related injuries from the Gun Violence Archive. They analyzed daily incidents in each state, as well as the District of Columbia, from February 2019 through March 2021. They compared incidents reported before the pandemic (February 2019 through February 2020) to gun violence reported during the first year of the pandemic (March 2020 through March 2021).

According to the findings, 28 states, including Pennsylvania, experienced a significantly higher number of shootings during the first year of the pandemic. In some states such as Minnesota, Michigan and New York, the rate of gun violence rose by more than 100%. Meanwhile, Alaska was the only state to see significantly lower rates of gun violence during the pandemic.