Digital Medkit

25/01/2025

29/05/2024

https://youtu.be/vj71yGp-8WM?si=ghG_VbDhdV1UeW63

Biomedical scientist Dr. Andrea Love answers your questions about pseudosciences and false health claims from Twitter. What red flags should you look out for...

23/06/2023

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/DrWilsonDebunksI rarely read YouTube comments these days, so if you want me to see your comment, here is how you can contact...

18/02/2023

Bivalent booster vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 were 37% more effective than older booster shots at reducing the risk of severe COVID-19.

05/01/2023

Real conspiracies happen every day. Unfortunately, real conspiracies tend not to be anywhere near as interesting as conspiracy theorists’ beliefs. Instead of alien reptile pedophiles, you end up with pay-for-play schemes, cronyism, and unlawful political donations. Are those conspiracies? Yes. A ....

15/12/2022

As COVID-19 cases rise again this winter, every household is eligible once more to order 4 free at-home COVID-19 tests. You can order yours here: https://special.usps.com/testkits

22/10/2022

01/09/2022

With the news of Omicron-adapted boosters being authorized by the FDA yesterday, many folks have reached out regarding their testing. We have received this specific question more times than we can count: Is it true that the new COVID-19 omicron-adapted boosters were only tested in mice? How can we trust them?

Yes, it is true that human trials were not completed for the updated boosters-- but there is a very good reason why: the vaccine technology isn't changing, the viral strains being targeted are.

This is precisely what happens every year with influenza vaccines. Flu shots are updated annually to try to match the predominant strains each year. The reformulated shots don’t have to undergo new clinical trials unless manufacturers significantly change the way they make the vaccine. The same is true for the updated COVID-19 boosters! The changes to the mRNA are minor and providing updated vaccines as quickly as possible is a priority. In vitro and animal studies were conducted using this adjusted formulation.

There is no reason to think these boosters will be less safe than previous formulations, but safety and real-world efficacy will be monitored.

Unfortunately, many news outlets have focused on the "no humans trials" part without any context-- sowing doubt and fear in the vaccines. The decision to move forward with the boosters was made in the interest of public health; the virus is mutating and it's a race against the clock to get ahead of variants. But, rest assured, there is no reason to think they would be any less safe than previous vaccines or boosters.

Early clinical testing with the BA.1 booster formulation had similar reactogenicity to the original, so there's no reason to expect the BA.4/5 formulation would be any different.

Based on the data supporting authorization, the updated boosters are expected to provide increased protection against the currently circulating omicron variant. *We expect the updated boosters to be much more effective at neutralizing the Omicron subvariants than the previous vaccine formulation.*

Sources:
https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/coronavirus-covid-19-update-fda-authorizes-moderna-pfizer-biontech-bivalent-covid-19-vaccines-use
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/prevent/vaccine-selection.htm
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/why-do-we-need-new-flu-shots-every-year
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/08/31/cdc-director-walensky-why-us-is-fast-tracking-omicron-specific-booster-shots.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/08/25/covid-booster-shot-fda-cdc-disinformation/

31/08/2022

We have some breaking news! The FDA has authorized the new COVID-19 mRNA boosters targeting the original SARS-CoV-2 variant as well as the most prevalent Omicron subvariants BA.4 & BA.5 for both Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech and plans to make them available next week pending CDC review and authorization.

The updated Moderna booster is authorized for those ages 18 years or older and the Pfizer-BioNTech booster is authorized for those ages 12 years and up. In order to qualify for the omicron-specific booster, you must have received the primary vaccine series (or any booster shot) at least two months earlier.

Creating vaccines that are responsive to strain changes is nothing new as this is done for the influenza vaccine every year. (Human trials are not necessary in this instance since the vaccine technology isn’t changing in any significant way—instead, the strains being targeted are changed.)

Authorization of the Omicron-specific booster is a huge step toward containing the potential Fall and Winter infection surges, but as we have emphasized previously, it is a combination of preventive measures that make the biggest difference, and we encourage you to adhere to that.

The CDC is reviewing the data tomorrow and we expect shots to be made available to the public shortly thereafter! It is hoped that these updated vaccines will provide better protection against newer strains of the virus that are currently rampant.

Source:
https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/coronavirus-covid-19-update-fda-authorizes-moderna-pfizer-biontech-bivalent-covid-19-vaccines-use

31/08/2022

There’s a common misconception that receiving multiple vaccines will “overwhelm”, “weaken”, or “use up” the immune system. In reality, alternative vaccine schedules have absolutely NO scientific basis.

Babies begin being exposed to immunological challenges at the time of birth. As babies pass through the birth canal, they are immediately colonized with trillions of bacteria, which means that they carry the bacteria in their bodies but aren’t infected by them. Healthy babies constantly make antibodies against these bacteria and viruses. The microbiome helps prime the immune system so that children can appropriately respond to pathogens (disease-causing microbes).

Eating, drinking, breathing, and playing all expose our kids to more antigens (by many orders of magnitude) than vaccines. Even if given all at once.
Extensive research shows that simultaneous vaccination with multiple vaccines has no adverse effect on the immune system. Recommended vaccines are as effective in combination as they are individually, and such combinations carry no greater risk for adverse side effects.

CDC’s recommended vaccine schedule is based on how the immune system responds to vaccines at various ages, and how likely we are to be exposed to a particular disease. This ensures your little one is protected from over a dozen potentially serious diseases at exactly the right time. The more you delay vaccines, the more time kids are vulnerable to infections from which they could be protected.

Infant immune systems are stronger than you think! Based on the number of antibodies present in the blood, a baby would theoretically have the ability to respond to around 10,000 vaccines at once. Even if all 14 scheduled vaccines were given at once, it would only use up slightly more than 0.1% of a baby's immune capacity (and this capacity is purely theoretical). The immune system could never truly be overwhelmed because the cells in the system are constantly replenished. Babies are exposed to countless bacteria and viruses every day, and immunizations are negligible in comparison. Please do NOT skip, delay, or spread out your child’s vaccines!

You know we discussed this on the pod! Check it out here:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/is-this-the-real-life-or-is-this-just-fallacy-vaccine/id1531526782?i=1000501639840

Sources:
https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/109/1/124 #:~:text=Current%20studies%20do%20not%20support,challenges%20present%20in%20the%20environment
https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/123/1/e164.short
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/parents/schedules/risks-delaying-vaccines.html
https://www.health.ny.gov/prevention/immunization/vaccine_safety/harm.htm
https://www.chop.edu/centers-programs/vaccine-education-center/vaccine-safety/immune-system-and-health
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/concerns/multiple-vaccines-immunity.html
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK220494/
https://immunizebc.ca/ask-us/questions/can-getting-multiple-vaccines-same-time-overwhelm-my-babys-immune-system