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July 29, 2021 Coronavirus

During the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic, the most vocal proponents of aggressive lockdowns often framed the issue as a trade-off between personal freedom on the one hand and public health on the other. Stay-at-home orders may have prevented some people at the margin from congregating and spreading the virus. But they also convinced lots of people to forgo routine medical care, including screening for diseases like cancer. That care forgone may have dire public health consequences of its own. Two-thirds of...

July 19, 2021 Coronavirus

Two months, one week, and five days. That's how much time has passed since Pfizer and BioNTech filed for approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for their Covid-19 vaccine. The agency has not hinted when that decision might be coming. Moderna formally asked the FDA for approval of its vaccine seven weeks ago. There's been no word on when the agency will complete its review. Experts say the FDA will likely grant the applications "priority review." Translating from the bureaucrat-ese, that's within six months of...

July 5, 2021 Blog, Coronavirus, Policy Proposals

America’s vaccination campaign is stalling. In late June, pharmacists and other providers were administering roughly 800,000 shots a day — down 80 percent from a peak of more than 4.6 million in mid April. Because of this precipitous decline, the Biden administration recently admitted it would miss its self-imposed goal of vaccinating at least 70 percent of American adults by Independence Day. So far, only 66 percent have gotten the jab. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) deserve much of...

June 21, 2021 Coronavirus

It all sounds so simple: to hasten the end of the pandemic globally, suspend intellectual property protections on Covid-19 vaccines to allow swift production of low-cost copies the world over. The Biden administration has bought into exactly that strategy at the World Trade Organization. But some simple ideas are also simplistic, and this one is dangerously so. Waiving patent rights for Covid-19 vaccines will actually slow their availability in the developing world, thereby prolonging the pandemic. The production of these breakthrough Covid-19...

May 19, 2021 Coronavirus

Dr. Henry Miller, M.S., M.D. joined the nationally-syndicated Lars Larson Show to talk about funding at the National Science Foundation and National Institute of Health. Dr. Miller and Larson go over some of the questionable funding sources that NIH and NSC have committed to research and science. Lars Larson National Podcast · Lars Larson National Podcast 05-18-21...

May 10, 2021 Coronavirus

Don't throw those masks away just yet. Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) relaxed mask-wearing guidance for those who have been fully vaccinated. But only outside. And only in settings that aren't crowded. However, the CDC could've issued much of this new guidance months ago. Epidemiologists have known since last summer that it's nearly impossible to contract the virus outdoors, even for an unvaccinated person. Waiting to ease mask restrictions is part and parcel of a doomsday mentality...

April 26, 2021 Coronavirus

Several European countries just instituted another round of lockdowns amid a new wave of Covid-19 cases. This turn of events is sobering but puzzling. Europe seemed to have Covid-19 under control a few months ago, at least compared to the United States. What happened? The countries' vaccination rates offer an explanation. Europe has inoculated far fewer people than the United States. So while Americans may enjoy some semblance of normalcy by summer, Europeans may face dark days ahead. Unfortunately, European countries can only blame themselves for their...

April 7, 2021 Coronavirus

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, recently expressed a sense of "impending doom" regarding the pandemic. Her fear is that, unless Americans keep abiding by strict Covid-19 protocols like mask-wearing, social distancing, and forgoing travel, a new surge in cases and deaths could be on the horizon. "I so badly want to be done," Walensky said. "So I'm asking you to just hold on a little longer." Dr. Scott Gottlieb, the former commissioner of the Food and...

March 22, 2021 Coronavirus

President Joe Biden recently toured a Pfizer plant in Kalamazoo, Mich., where workers are churning out millions of lifesaving COVID-19 vaccine doses. During his remarks, he mentioned that in mid-February he had “toured the Vaccine Research Center at the National Institutes of Health . . . [where] I met world-class doctors, scientists, and researchers who were critical for discovering the vaccines in record time.” Frankly, the president is giving the government too much credit. While federal grants and purchase agreements certainly helped...

March 10, 2021 Coronavirus

Dr. Henry Miller, PRI's senior fellow, joins the nationally-syndicated Lars Larson Show to talk about the difference in COVID-19 vaccine efficacy or intended result between the Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, with the vaccines ranging from 60 to 90 percent. Miller explains that there is more context to the vaccine efficacy explanation, which depends on when they were tested, approved for emergency use, and available testing at the time of the clinical trials. Miller also talks about the roles...

March 4, 2021 Coronavirus

By Henry Miller, M.S., M.D. and John Cohrssen Over the weekend, the FDA issued an emergency-use authorization for Johnson & Johnson's Covid-19 vaccine, clearing the path to market for the third coronavirus vaccine. The FDA had previously approved the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna Covid vaccines in record time—mere weeks after their makers submitted results of the clinical studies demonstrating safety and efficacy. When the FDA wants to, it can get desperately needed products expeditiously to those who need them. But for some other...

March 4, 2021 Coronavirus

Dr. Henry Miller joins the Dan Proft Show to discuss the latest re-openings of states like Texas and how they may pose challenges to stopping the spread of COVID-19. Miller and Proft discuss the different lockdown measures in other states and how that impacts lockdown policies throughout the United States. ...

March 1, 2021 Coronavirus

Why AstraZeneca and J&J’s Vaccines, In Use Elsewhere, Are Still on Hold in America By Sarah Jane Tribble The World Health Organization greenlighted emergency use of AstraZeneca and Oxford’s covid-19 vaccine this month, following in the steps of the United Kingdom, the European Union and others, who are already injecting it as quickly as possible into the masses. But the United States is still waiting. . . . . . This moment — as Americans question why more tested vaccines like AstraZeneca and J&J’s vaccines...

February 11, 2021 Coronavirus

By Henry Miller, M.S., M.D. and Kathleen Hefferon There is ongoing disagreement between the popularly elected European Parliament and the executives in the European Commission over approvals of “genetically modified” (GM) crops, which are made with modern molecular genetic engineering techniques. In December, members of the European Parliament objected to authorizations of no fewer than five new GM crops — one soybean and four corn (maize) varieties — developed for food and animal feedstock. These objections follow dozens of others that have been...

February 5, 2021 Coronavirus

This week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released alarming data on COVID-19 vaccine uptake among some healthcare workers. Fewer than 40% of staffers across 11,400 skilled nursing facilities chose to get the vaccine in December and January. That's a big problem. Front-line workers are among those at highest risk of contracting the coronavirus. By holding off on getting the vaccine, they're risking the health of the people they serve. And because they're often first in line, their hesitancy could sow unwarranted doubt about...

January 26, 2021 Coronavirus

By Sarah Downey, Northern California Record With California now predicting it could take months longer than anticipated to vaccinate people ages 65 and older, a health policy expert said a wider distribution network could improve efficacy and help the state advance further in its economic recovery. California has received nearly 5 million COVID-19 vaccine doses but only 2.2 million have been administered, according to the latest data from the CDC. . . . . . “They need to get with the program and get the vaccines out there...

January 19, 2021 Coronavirus

Last week, former FDA commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb suggested that we "hit the reset" button on Covid-19 vaccine distribution. That reset should include taking the government out of the equation. The government has largely failed to get life-saving vaccines into the arms of Americans. And the consequences are deadly. The government's botched rollout of the coronavirus vaccine stands out as Exhibit A in the argument against more government control over our health care. Amazingly, inventing a safe and effective Covid-19 vaccine may turn out to...