TWiV 1216: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin
This Week in Virology
The Role of Placebos in Vaccine Trials
This chapter addresses a listener's inquiry about the use of saline as a placebo in vaccine trials, contrasting it with modern vaccines that often include adjuvants. The discussion also covers the significance of serology testing in determining the necessity of vaccinations, particularly in light of the listener's medical history and current treatment.
In his weekly clinical update, Dr. Griffin with Vincent Racaniello bemoan the attack on science within the US, salt water controls for vaccines, return to 1938 technology for flu vaccines, mRNA vaccines as “bioweapons”, rise in pertussis, benefits of the shingles vaccine and reduced dementia occurrence, and growing measles outbreak globally before Dr. Griffin reviews recent statistics on RSV, influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infections, the WasterwaterScan dashboard, the May 22 VRBPAC COVID-19 vaccine, meeting, where to find PEMGARDA, return to antibiotic treatment for respiratory viral diseases, provides information for Columbia University Irving Medical Center’s long COVID treatment center, where to go for answers to your long COVID questions and contacting your federal government representative to stop the assault on science and biomedical research.
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Links for this episode- Saline placebo control testing for new vaccines….not good chemistry! (Washington Post)
- 1940s innovation: HHS, NIH Launch Next-Generation Universal Vaccine Platform for Pandemic-Prone Viruses(US Department of Health and Human Services)
- WHAT! Minnesota Bill Against Vaccines Promotes Disinformation (Medscape Medical News) )
- Guns= fine….mRNA =mRNA Bioweapons Prohibition Act; mRNA injections and products designated as weapons of mass destruction, and mRNA injections and products prohibited. (Minnesota Legislature)
- Bioweapons of massive destruction mNRA not bombs or drones….but mRNA! (Minnesota Legislature)
- 2024 Provisional pertussis surveillance report (CDC)
- Pertussis cases by year 1922-2023 (CDC: Whooping cough (pertussis))
- Deaths by pertussis: 6 children under a year old (CDC)
- Pertussis (WHO)
- Symptoms of pertussis (CDC Whooping Cough (Pertussis)
- With whooping cough cases on the rise, a doctor explains how to protect yourself and others (CNN)
- Live zoster vaccination and cardiovascular outcomes (European Heath Journal)
- Shingles vaccine recipients see lower cardiac event risk (CIDRAP)
- H5 Bird Flu: Current Situation (CDC: Avian Influenza Bird flu)
- Measles cases and outbreaks (CDC Rubeola)
- Measles 800 in Texas…. (Texas Health and Human Services)
- 2025 Measles outbreak guidance (New Mexico Health)
- Measles and rubella weekly monitoring report: (Government of Canada)
- Measles vaccine recommendations from NYP (jpg)
- Get the FACTS about measles (NY State Department of Health)
- Measles (CDC Measles (Rubeola))
- Measles vaccine (CDC Measles (Rubeola))
- Presumptive evidence of measles immunity (CDC)
- Contraindications and precautions to measles vaccination (CDC)
- Measles (CDC Measles (Rubeola))
- Measles (CDC: Measles Rubeola)
- Adverse events associated with childhood vaccines: evidence bearing on causality (NLM)
- Measles Vaccination: Know the Facts (ISDA: Infectious Diseases Society of America)
- Deaths following vaccination: what does the evidence show (Vaccine)
- Influenza: Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan)
- US respiratory virus activity (CDC Respiratory Illnesses)
- Weekly surveillance report: clift notes (CDC FluView)
- Respiratory virus activity levels (CDC Respiratory Illnesses)
- CDC reports 216 child deaths this flu season (AP News)
- Weekly surveillance report: clift notes (CDC FluView)
- FDA-CDC-DOD: 2025-2046 influenza vaccine composition (FDA)
- RSV: Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan)
- US respiratory virus activity (CDC Respiratory Illnesses)
- RSV-Network (CDC Respiratory Syncytial virus Infection)
- Impact of Nirsevimab on RSV and Non-RSV Severe Respiratory Infections in Hospitalized Infants (Influenza and other respiratory viruses)
- Hospital admissions of respiratory infections in infants plunge with nirsevimab RSV antibody(CIDRAP)
- Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan)
- COVID-19 deaths (CDC)
- COVID-19 national and regional trends (CDC)
- COVID-19 variant tracker (CDC)
- SARS-CoV-2 genomes galore (Nextstrain)
- Early effectiveness of the BNT162b2 KP.2 vaccine against COVID-19 in the US Veterans Affairs Healthcare System (Nature Commications)
- Interim Clinical Considerations for Use of COVID-19 Vaccines in the United States (CDC: COVID-19)
- COVID-19 vaccine VRBPAC May 22 (FDA)
- Where to get pemgarda (Pemgarda)
- EUA for the pre-exposure prophylaxis of COVID-19 (INVIYD)
- Infusion center (Prime Fusions)
- CDC Quarantine guidelines (CDC)
- NIH COVID-19 treatment guidelines (NIH)
- Drug interaction checker (University of Liverpool)
- Infectious Disease Society guidelines for treatment and management (ID Society)
- Time to antiviral treatment in mild–moderate COVID-19 in the emergency department(Internal and Emergency Medicine)
- Delays in COVID antiviral receipt raised risk of poor outcomes after ED visits by 18%, data suggest(CIDRAP)
- Molnupiravir safety and efficacy (JMV)
- Convalescent plasma recommendation for immunocompromised (ID Society)
- What to do when sick with a respiratory virus (CDC)
- When your healthcare provider is infected/exposed with SARS-CoV-2 (CDC)
- Managing healthcare staffing shortages (CDC)
- Virus = Bacteria ? National Trends in Antibiotic Prescribing for Adults Hospitalized With Coronavirus Disease 2019 and Other Viral Respiratory Infections (OFID)
- Steroids, dexamethasone at the right time (OFD)
- Anticoagulation guidelines (hematology.org)
- Daniel Griffin’s evidence based medical practices for long COVID (OFID)
- Long COVID hotline (Columbia : Columbia University Irving Medical Center)
- The answers: Long COVID
- Short and long-term trajectories of the post COVID-19 condition (BMJ Infectious Diseases)
- Prevalence of Persistent Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Abnormalities on PET/MRI and DECT Imaging in Long COVID Patients (Journal of Nuclear Medicine)
- Long-COVID patients show signs of inflammation on PET/ MRI scans(CIDRAP)
- Reaching out to US house representative
- Letters read on TWiV 1216
- Dr. Griffin’s COVID treatment summary (pdf)
- Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks!
Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees
Send your questions for Dr. Griffin to daniel@microbe.tv
Content in this podcast should not be construed as medical advice.
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