Health News

A man who boosted his Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine with a shot from Moderna said his side effects were a 'little more severe' the third time roundBy Hilary BrueckPosted by Business Insider 3 hours agoFrom left: Study volunteer and virologist Joseph Hyser, Chanei Henry, senior research coordinator of molecular virology and microbiology, and Dr. Robert Atmar, the principal investigator on the study. Baylor College of Medicine Scientists in the US are starting a booster shot trial, giving fully vaccinated people another jab. Participants are given a booster shot of the Moderna vaccine - whether they previously got 2 shots of an mRNA vaccine (from Pfizer or Moderna) or 1 adenovirus (J&J) shot. One participant told Insider his booster dose of Moderna gave him similar side effects to his second Pfizer shot, but the third was "a little bit more severe." See more stories on Insider's business page . Virus expert Joseph Hyser has been fully vaccinated since the end of January, and he's not really worried that his COVID-19 protection from the Pfizer vaccine has waned much since then . Yet, when he got an email last month asking if he'd be interested in getting a third dose booster shot - this time from Moderna - he did not hesitate to say yes. The virologist at Baylor College of Medicine signed right up, and took the elevator down six floors to Baylor's Vaccine Research Center, where he offered up his arm for a third jab. "Oooh I got boosted!" he remembered bragging to family and friends afterwards, who were nonplussed about his unique booster shot experience. Perhaps they didn't realize that Hyser is one of the first Americans to participate in a groundbreaking COVID-19 mix-and-match study, aimed at assessing whether boosters work, and whether different COVID-19 shots are safe - and possibly more effective - when they're mixed together. Though Hyser says he experienced "similar types of side effects" from both Moderna's and Pfizer's mRNA shots, he said the side effects were "a little bit more obvious with the Moderna." Is it safe to mix shots from Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson? Dr. Robert Atmar is leading the booster dose study at Baylor College of Medicine in Texas. Baylor College of Medicine This is not Hyser's first vaccine trial, he's been in studies of smallpox shots, anthrax vaccines, and annual flu jabs. "I'm a dyed in the wool nerd, so I mean, of course I think that this is interesting," he said of the trial. "I like being involved in being a part of producing science and information for the world." The study that he's now part of, funded by the National Institutes of Health , will evaluate mixing different coronavirus booster shots to assess whether they will be safe and effective for adults of all ages across the US. For now, the study is boosting only with a single dose of Moderna's vaccine, whether participants' first shots were from Moderna, or from Pfizer or Johnson & Johnson - the other two US-authorized vaccines. Other combinations of the vaccines, and which order they're taken in, will be added in to the study later on . Study participants will get routine blood draws (Hyser already had his first), and initial results could be ready within months. A big question this study will explore is whether boosting people who've had J&J's one-shot adenovirus vaccine with Moderna's mRNA shot might make the performance similar. (J&J's vaccine did not protect as well against mild and moderate disease compared to Pfizer and Moderna's two dose mRNA regimens during clinical trials.) "Is it because of the [vaccine] construct, or is it because of the one dose? We don't really have the answer to that," lead study researcher Dr. Robert Atmar, from the Vaccine Research Center at Baylor , told Insider of J&J's lower efficacy. A day of chills, body aches, and ibuprofen after the 3rd dose Chanei Henry, senior research coordinator of molecular virology and microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine, prepares a COVID-19 vaccine. Baylor College of Medicine While Hyser's Moderna side effects were a little more intense, he said they faded with some ibuprofen and a day of rest. "I did, for Pfizer, have a little bit of chills, a little bit of muscle ache, but nothing that prevented me from conducting my normal day to day activities," he said, remembering how the day after his second shot in January he did some work, went grocery shopping, and made a pot of chili. "With the booster, it was a little bit more severe," he said, describing waking up the day afterwards feeling "like I had done a very rigorous gym workout," with chills and arm soreness like he'd gotten a "hard punch in the shoulder." He popped some ibuprofen, which helped ease the aches, and by the following day, he felt like himself again. "Given the dramatic impact that [the coronavirus] has had on the world, as a scientist, it's actually really heartening that these clinical trials are still going on and the secondary and tertiary questions are still being asked," Hyser said, estimating that he'll make about $600 total (compensation for his time) over the course of this study . Read the original article on Business Insider

A man who spent 4 months in hospital with COVID-19 and ended up with a double-lung transplant said he regrets not getting the vaccineBy Sinéad BakerPosted by Business Insider 2 hours agoJosh Garza in hospital with coronavirus. CNN Josh Garza spent four months in hospital with coronavirus, and needed a double lung transplant. He told CNN that he regretted not getting a vaccine for the virus. "If could do it all over again, I'd get it. No doubt. What I went through is probably the worst I've ever seen." See more stories on Insider's business page . A man who spent four months battling coronavirus in hospital and almost died from the virus said he regretted not getting a coronavirus vaccine. Josh Garza, 43, told CNN that he didn't get a vaccine because he thought he could avoid getting infected by following health measures, and because he was worried about its safety. "I didn't want to be the guinea pig," he told CNN. "I was just opposed to it." But he was infected, and spent four months at the Houston Methodist Hospital in Texas this year before getting a double-lung transplant, CNN reported. He said he wishes he had been vaccinated: "If could do it all over again, I'd get it. No doubt. What I went through is probably the worst I've ever seen." Garza told CNN that he ended up days away from dying, but got the transplant in April. Garza urged other people to get the vaccine. "Think about your family. Because what I went through, I had to put my family through, also," he said. "I wish people would at least reconsider, or at least listen to what we went through, and hopefully you never have to go through that - ever." CNN noted that Garza has diabetes and high blood pressure, conditions that make him particularly vulnerable to the virus and that gave him earlier access to the vaccine. Read the original article on Business Insider

The Bold And The Beautiful Spoilers: Liam’s Depression Takes Toll, Attempts Suicide In Jail?By Taylor Hancen Rioscelebratingthesoaps.com 9 hours agoThe Bold and the Beautiful spoilers for the week of June 21 reveal that Steffy Forrester (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood) and Hope Logan Spencer (Annika Noelle) join forces. Their goal is to keep Liam Spencer (Scott Clifton) from getting depressed behind bars. Steffy mentioned how awful Liam looked. So, we have to wonder if he could attempt suicide while he’s in jail.celebratingthesoaps.com

Biden says delta Covid variant is 'particularly dangerous' for young peopleBy Berkeley Lovelace Jr., @BerkeleyJrCNBC 6 hours agoPresident Joe Biden doubled down Friday on his administration's plea to Americans to get vaccinated against Covid-19 as quickly as possible. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said earlier Friday she expects delta to become the dominant variant in the United States. Studies suggest delta is around 60% more transmissible than...www.cnbc.com

9 more states are ending pandemic unemployment aid on Saturday, cutting off 440,000 workersBy Aimee Picchi, Irina IvanovaPosted by CBS News 4 hours agoNine states will be ending their enhanced unemployment benefits on Saturday, cutting off aid to more than 440,000 out-of-work adults, according to an estimate from the left-leaning Century Foundation. The Republican governors of the states argue that the benefits aren't necessary as the economy recovers, but workers and advocates say the loss of benefits will harm them.www.cbsnews.com

“For All Those Years, No One Told Me Anything”By As told to Christina Frangoubesthealthmag.ca 5 hours ago“I got my period when I was 11 years old. From the get-go, I got it every 14 days. My family doctor put me on birth control—he said my hormones were out of whack. I stayed on birth control until I was 23. I wanted to try life without it. About a year and a half later, I started getting a sharp, shooting pain in my abdomen, even when it wasn’t my period time. It scared me. My family doctor knew right away that it was endometriosis. I was really lucky in that sense. But the options were the pill or surgery. I didn’t want surgery, so I went back on the pill.www.besthealthmag.ca

Batches of common blood pressure pills recalled by MHRA as precaution amid possible contaminationBy Ruchira Sharmainews.co.uk 21 hours agoDozens of batches of blood pressure pills have been recalled by medical bosses because they were found to contain azido-tetrazole, a substance that can potentially increase the risk of cancer over time. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said the measure was a precautionary one to prevent further...inews.co.uk

Johns Hopkins Doctor Marty Makary Accuses CDC of 'Sitting on Data' to Suit Their NarrativeBy Jon JacksonPosted by Newsweek 6 hours agoDuring a television appearance on Sunday night, Dr. Marty Makary of Johns Hopkins Hospital claimed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) "sits on a lot of data." He also suggested the reason why the health organization holds back information is to better support their agenda. Along with being...www.newsweek.com

States with low vaccine rates see drop in COVID cases, but it might not lastBy Ivana SaricPosted by Axios 18 hours agoAlthough COVID-19 cases are dropping across the country, even in areas that haven't vigorously vaccinated their populations, experts warn the good times may not last, the Associated Press reported Sunday. The state of play: The declining case numbers could be due to a combination of vaccination, natural immunity in communities...www.axios.com

Pain and the ElderlyBy Beth Witrogenhealthday.com 20 hours agoIf you're a senior with a chronic condition such as arthritis, most days start with an ache. Your joints hurt as you crawl out of bed. Even a relaxing walk may be out of the question, because your feet are too sore. You may, in fact, feel like Marilyn P.,...consumer.healthday.com