Some 75,500 Marines have agreed to be vaccinated as of Thursday, while around 48,000 have declined the inoculation, CNN reported, citing numbers provided by the branch. That puts the rejection rate at 38.9%, slightly higher than the 33% rate for the whole military given by defense officials. Marine spokeswoman Colonel …
Read More »Don’t want a vaccine? Tough luck, says the European Court of Human Rights
In a decision bound to generate controversy, the European Court of Human Rights on Thursday ruled against several Czech families who had refused to give their children compulsory vaccinations. The parents had appealed against fines they had received, as well as the children’s exclusion from preschool. The ruling was not …
Read More »Netherlands, Portugal latest to ditch AstraZeneca Covid vaccine for under-60s after EMA blood-clot review
The Dutch cabinet has been advised by the Health Council, a scientific advisory body, to pause its use of the jab in those under the age of 60 in light of the safety concerns, broadcaster NOS reported on Thursday. The Netherlands’ health minister, Hugo de Jonge, has also said that …
Read More »I’m 39 & I’ll happily take the AstraZeneca vaccine. With only a one in a MILLION chance of a fatal blood clot, I’d be mad not to
“Absolutely.” That would be my answer if asked whether I would take the AstraZeneca vaccine. And it’s actually a decision I might have to make for real shortly. The British government has decided that those under 30 should be offered an alternative, most likely either the Pfizer or Moderna versions. …
Read More »‘Biopolitical surveillance regimes’: Vaccine passports reveal the growing authoritarian tendencies of Western governments
On 12 January, the UK minister for Covid Vaccine Deployment, Nadhim Zahawi, responded on Twitter to an article in the Telegraph, saying: “We have no plans to introduce vaccine passports. We have vaccinated, as of yesterday, 2,431,648 first dose and 412,167 second dose. No one has been given or will be …
Read More »Spain restricting AstraZeneca vaccine against Covid-19 to over-60s after EMA blood clot warning
Health Minister Carolina Darias said on Wednesday evening that going forward, the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine will only be administered to people aged 60 and over. The decision was made after a virtual meeting of regional health ministers, following the announcement by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and an EU ministerial meeting …
Read More »Australian PM Morrison calls on EU to release 3.1mn vaccine doses after Brussels denies blocking shipments
“3.1 million of the contracted vaccines that we had been relying upon in early January when we’d set out a series of targets did not turn up in Australia,” Morrison told reporters early on Wednesday, saying the missing doses, developed by AstraZeneca, “obviously had a very significant impact on the …
Read More »UK pauses AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine study on children as drug regulator investigates blood clot risk among adults
The vaccine, which was developed in partnership with Oxford University, is awaiting approval from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for use among children. It was greenlit by British regulators for use in adults at the end of 2020. “Whilst there are no safety concerns in the paediatric …
Read More »Boris Johnson’s ‘discriminatory’ vaccine passport plan in trouble as Labour and Tory rebels unite in opposition
The UK government is facing mounting opposition from backbench MPs and members of the Labour Party over plans to use Covid vaccine passports to fully reopen the country’s economy. On Monday, Boris Johnson refused to deny reports that the measure was set to be introduced and, a day later, Vaccine …
Read More »Makers of Sputnik V vaccine warn EU delaying approval over fear of competition, as Russia sees ‘dramatic rise’ in domestic demand
Alexander Gintsburg, the director of the Gamaleya Institute where Sputnik V was developed, told RIA Novosti on Monday that the EU “is in no hurry” to sign off on the jab. This, he claimed, is because they “fear its strong attributes, thanks to which it may end up outcompeting the …
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