Vaccine Integrity Project Reaffirms Safety and Effectiveness of Vaccines
The Vaccine Integrity Project, an initiative of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota, published a thorough review of vaccine safety and effectiveness data for 3 type of vaccines: flu, RSV, and COVID-19. The new report showed that these vaccines are safe and effective at preventing illness. The analysis was conducted by a team of 24 experts on infectious disease and epidemiology who reviewed 1,406 journal articles released in the past couple of cold and flu seasons.
“What you heard clearly today is that new data do not indicate the emergence of a safety signal or a sudden drop in effectiveness of these immunizations,” said Dr. Osterholm, CIDRAP Director. “There is no scientific evidence to support the changes HHS [the Department of Health and Human Services] made to COVID recommendations for pregnant women or for children.”
Full Story: CIDRAP
COVID Infections Linked to Increased Heart Disease Risk
COVID-19 infections can cause women’s blood vessels age prematurely, a new study showed. As a result, women who develop COVID infections may face a heightened risk of heart disease. Women who experience a COVID-19 infection, even a mild one, can have five extra years of blood vessel aging, the researchers found. Severe COVID illness can rapidly age blood vessels by as many as 10 years.
“We know that COVID can directly affect blood vessels. We believe that this may result in what we call early vascular aging, meaning that your blood vessels are older than your chronological age and you are more susceptible to heart disease,” said the study’s lead researcher Dr. Rosa Maria Bruno.“ If that is happening, we need to identify who is at risk at an early stage to prevent heart attacks and strokes”.
Although male study participants also demonstrated premature blood vessel aging from COVID, this effect was not statistically significant.
Full Story: HealthDay
