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March 15, 2021 Coronavirus-Alternate2

Andrew I. Fillat and Henry I. Miller "Science, at its core, is a social phenomenon." This observation, from Alondra Nelson, the newly appointed deputy director of President Biden's Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), certainly qualifies for a prominent place in the Pantheon of Inane Statements. The core of science, in fact, is the scientific method—posing and testing hypotheses; carefully gathering, examining, and generating experimental evidence; and finally, synthesizing all the available information into logical conclusions. Dr. Nelson's assertion is inauspicious, but perhaps...

March 4, 2021 Coronavirus-Alternate2

A just-announced policy change from the newly reinvigorated CDC specifies that persons who may have been exposed to COVID-19 no longer need to quarantine if they've been fully vaccinated within the previous 90 days. (People who aren't vaccinated are still supposed to quarantine for 14 days after they have been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19.) The new policy states: At this time, vaccinated persons should continue to follow current guidance to protect themselves and others, including wearing a mask, staying at least 6 feet away...

February 22, 2021 Coronavirus-Alternate2

By Henry Miller and Regina George We’ve all had that one doctor we really didn’t like, the one who didn’t listen, was brusque, and gave you what turned out to be bad advice, right? You know, the one whose bedside manner was somewhere between Don Rickles and Bill Maher. Well, there’s a dirty little secret that most doctors hide: They’re people, too. They have that cringe-worthy patient whose name on the schedule ruins their day, the one whose presence requires a...

February 18, 2021 Coronavirus-Alternate2

What happened to coronavirus, flu 'twin-demic'? Experts weigh in By Alexandria Hein With coronavirus cases soaring in late summer, experts warned about the potential for a so-called "twin-demic," which they said would've seen hospital systems overwhelmed by both COVID-19 and the influx of flu patients, but the surge never came. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is reporting that flu activity in the U.S. "remains lower than usual for this time of year," which is typically the peak of illnesses. Since Oct. 1, 2020,...

February 1, 2021 Coronavirus-Alternate2

By Henry I. Miller and Shiv Sharma Even as the amazingly fast development of new high-tech COVID-19 vaccines enthralls the world, a simple piece of fabric has become the surprise emblem of the fight against one of the worst health crises in the nation’s history. The ordinary facemask has brought home a basic truth about public and personal health: simple and smart works. The lost jobs and monumental personal costs of widespread lockdowns have made simple, inexpensive means of deterring the virus’...

January 19, 2021 Coronavirus-Alternate2

Miller talks about which of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are better for younger and older Americans based on the available data. Batchelor and Miller also discuss the new COVID-19 coronavirus mutation found in the UK and what it means for vaccines and shutdown orders. Miller also explains the long history of other coronavirus vaccines mainly used in the livestock industry and why the new "human" vaccine is different through the use of the messenger RNA technique. ...

January 13, 2021 Coronavirus-Alternate2

Henry Miller, M.S., M.D., joins the nationally-syndicated Lars Larson Show based in Portland, Oregon, to discuss little known facts about the rollout and use of the current COVID-19 coronavirus vaccines. One of the main points Dr. Miller makes is the difference in how the two vaccines have performed in various age groups. With the Moderna vaccine, data shows that it is more effective with older Americans. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, the Pfizer vaccine had better efficacy with...

December 7, 2020 Coronavirus-Alternate2

By John J. Cohrssen and Henry I. Miller, M.S., M.D. Relief from the scourge of COVID-19 in the United States may be in sight. Government and private sector initiatives should be able within months to provide enough safe, effective vaccines to begin to make a dent in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. But for society to approach normalcy, people will need to be able to document that they are immune to COVID-19. Although vaccination is intended primarily to protect individuals against COVID-19...

November 25, 2020 Coronavirus - Alternate, Coronavirus-Alternate2, Issues, Multimedia

Dr. Henry Miller, PRI senior fellow in health care studies and former founding director of the FDA’s Office of Biotechnology, joins PRI's "Next Round" podcast with an update on efforts to develop vaccines and therapeutics to fight Covid-19.  He discusses how a transition between two presidential administrations will affect the work of the federal government in fighting Covid-19, whether a national mask mandate is a good idea, whether Governors like Gavin Newsom should initiate state-level reviews of potential vaccines, and...

November 25, 2020 Blog, Coronavirus-Alternate2, Innovation

By Henry I. Miller, M.S., M.D. and John J. Cohrssen The United States is one of the most seriously COVID-19-impacted countries, faring the worst among the ten most-affected countries worldwide, as measured by new cases. The pandemic threatens both American lives and the economy. Even more worrisome, as shown below in this figure, the situation is deteriorating. Two things about those trends are especially problematic: first, deaths are a lagging indicator, following chronologically behind cases and hospitalizations, so the death curve will continue upwards; and...

November 18, 2020 Coronavirus-Alternate2

By Henry Miller, M.S., M.D. and John J. Cohrssen Presumptive President-Elect Joe Biden’s transition organization has published an initial plan to “beat” the rapidly worsening Covid-19 pandemic. Though it is essential and not wholly unreasonable, some parts seem to have been highjacked by a political agenda that contains tangentially related issues. The plan’s sole focus should be on the difficult and complex problem of interrupting the runaway pandemic while maintaining a viable economy. It needs a sensible organizational structure to use the available...

November 17, 2020 Coronavirus-Alternate2

Dr. Henry Miller breaks down the latest announcement from Pfizer about a potential COVID-19 vaccine and look at the numbers around placebo and side-effects. Larson and Miller also talk about the impact of mild symptoms and what those could mean for at-risk Americans and those with co-morbidities and if the vaccine has "sterilizing immunity." Moderna has also announced a potential vaccine. Lars Larson National Podcast · Lars Larson National Podcast 11-10-20...

November 9, 2020 Coronavirus-Alternate2

Henry Miller, M.S., M.D., joins the John Batchelor Show to discuss an alleged mutation of COVID-19 in Europe. Miller explains the difference between flu or cold mutations and how these mutations to mink farms could jeopardize current novel coronavirus vaccines. Several of the mutations in Denmark and the Netherlands have moved directly from animal to human, according to the Wall Street Journal. ...

October 26, 2020 Coronavirus-Alternate2

By Henry Miller, M.S., M.D. and Andrew Fillat Americans -- so desperate to end the need for masks, social distancing, and limited access to restaurants, salons, concerts, and schools -- will surely be clamoring for a vaccine as soon as it’s available. Or will they?  Recent polls suggest that only about 40% of Americans would take the vaccine. It is vital that this number be increased. But how? Let's explore this issue. There is widespread anticipation of vaccines to prevent COVID-19 infections so that...

October 7, 2020 Coronavirus-Alternate2

“Don’t Fight the Fed” is an old saying that advises business investors to align their choices with the actions of the Federal Reserve System, the U.S. central banking system which has several potent tools at its disposal to influence stock prices. When it comes to understanding and preventing the spread of infectious diseases, an analogous maxim might be, “don’t fight science,” or, more specifically, epidemiology. A pertinent example is the outbreak of COVID-19 among President Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, senior presidential advisor Hope...

September 28, 2020 Blog, Coronavirus-Alternate2

Politicians continue perpetuating the myth that drug price controls are the necessary cure for the country’s healthcare affordability problems. Whether it is Speaker Pelosi’s “The Lower Drug Costs Now Act”, or President Trump’s Most Favored Nation (MFN) and Drug Importation Executive Orders, these policies are destined to fail. Undoubtedly, there are problems with the drug pricing system that harms patients, and reforms that fix these problems are urgently needed. But, adopting the ill-fated price controls that are implemented in other industrialized countries will create new...

September 21, 2020 Coronavirus-Alternate2

PRI Senor Fellow Dr. Henry Miller joins the John Batchelor Show for a two-part discussion on what can go wrong with a November vaccine for the coronavirus. Miller talks about how safe a vaccine would be this fall and discrepancies between comments from Dr. Anthony Fauci and other federal experts, noting that more data is needed from the testing and clinical trials. Miller also talks about the consistency needed to produce and distribute the vaccine and how the vaccine should...

July 28, 2020 Coronavirus-Alternate2, Innovation, Issues

It's hard to find a silver lining in a pandemic. But one of the few may be the rapid rise of telemedicine. With people stuck at home, doctors retooled their practices to see patients via videoconference. Insurance companies and regulators expanded the number of services available via telemedicine—and made reimbursement for telehealth consultations on par with conventional in-person visits. The Federal Trade Commission has now called on officials at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)  to permanently extend the emergency...