This is an interesting study examining whether receiving a CV-19 vaccine was associated with new onset psychosis, or severe mental illness. Billions of doses of the vaccines were given. The researchers identified a total of 24 possible cases of psychosis, with an average age around 33 and with a supposed onset around six days after administration. Given the high rates of mental illness, it seems absurd to suggest that this isn’t just random association of vax timing with people who were headed to a psychotic episode. None of the research included in the review suggests any causative mechanism and none involve any kind of a control comparison group. (FP Article)
This study from the Veterans’ Administration Health System compared overall death rates for those hospitalized with a positive CV-19 or influenza test in the winter of 2023-24, finding that there was a greater death risk for those with CV-19, but there was no examination of actual cause of death, nor was it clear that the reason for hospitalization was the infection. The researchers also ignored the possibility, the likelihood really, that influenza was far less tested for. And as usual, for reasons that I really don’t understand, prior CV-19 infection status was not included in the adjustment factors. (JAMA Article)
Here is another study on booster efficacy, and I am tired of reading these studies that completely fail to account for prior infection status. Almost everyone has been infected, many people multiple times, so I think any vax efficacy study is worthless–how are you going to separate the immune response from vax versus infection? In any event, the study was done in Scandanavian countries and claims to find modest efficacy, but I just consider this to be garbage. (Medrxiv Paper)
Researchers are still trying to sort out the relative benefits of prior infection versus vaccination in regard to risk of subsequent infections. According to this study, for people under 60, prior infection appears to confer greater protection, but for those over 60, vaccination appears to do so. Seems weird. In the case of both prior infection and vaccination, longer time since the immune-response provoking event was associated with greater risk of subsequent infection. (JID Article)
It should be unquestioned that the epidemic response greatly impacted patterns of care. This study from Sweden indicated that early in the epidemic initiation of drug therapy for diabetes dropped dramatically but then recovered. Delays in treatment of potentially serious diseases is not good for longer-term outcomes. (Medrxiv Article)
