anti-vax

Saturday July 3, 2021

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday July 3, 2021

‘The virus will infect them’: Vaccine hesitant Americans think variant risk exaggerated, poll shows

There are few things more normal than the sight of a crowded beach on the 4th of July weekend. However, even as Americans celebrate Independence Day with renewed verve this year, freedom from the virus may still be far off with a highly transmissible delta variant infecting unvaccinated communities.

April 27, 2021

“They are going to be fodder for the virus,” said Dr. Richard Novak, head of infectious diseases at UI Health. “The virus will infect them, it will mutate in them and the new variants will come from them and we’ll all be at risk.”

According to the latest ABC News/Washington Post Poll, three in 10 adults said they have not gotten a coronavirus vaccine, and definitely or probably will not get one.

Of this group, 73% believe U.S. officials are exaggerating the risk of the delta variant and 79% think they have little or no risk of getting sick.

“It’s almost heartbreaking that now the two populations that need this, the most are urban minority patients and rural white patients, are the ones that are saying no in the loudest numbers,” said Dr. Mark Loafman, with the Cook County Health Department. “That group of patients that were able to hear facts and be reassured, we got to them. It’s this group that the facts aren’t going to fix it for them.”

March 17, 2021

“It’s been long enough,” said Christina Brown, who got her first shot Monday. :I started seeing results. Everybody was doing it. I wasn’t hearing nobody having that bad of side effects. I said alright I’ll go get it, and see what happens.”

However, there are still others who feel their freedom to choose was taken away.

“I felt like I was forced into it. I had to have surgery and my doctor basically told me that in order for me to get the surgery I literally had to get the shot. So this is my only reason to get the shot,” said 23-year-old Tamarianna Tate. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t. I’m was a strong believer in not getting the shot. ”

The Delta variant now accounts for 25% of all cases in the United States. It’s estimated by the end of August that number will surpass 90%. (ABC) 

 

Wednesday December 9, 2020

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday December 9, 2020

Fauci Calls Coronavirus Vaccine a Game Changer, Decries Misinformation

Anthony Fauci said a vaccine could diminish coronavirus as successfully as the polio vaccine did for polio, enabling workers to return to offices and restaurants in the second half of 2021.

December 1, 2020

But hurdles exist, the U.S. government’s top infectious-disease expert said. They include people’s hesitancy to get vaccinated, a successful and swift vaccination program, and getting through a rise in Covid-19 cases that is now being fueled in part by misinformation about the virus, Dr. Fauci said at The Wall Street Journal’s CEO Council Summit on Tuesday.

“There are a substantial proportion of people who do think this is not real, that it’s fake news, or it’s a hoax. This is extraordinary. I’ve never seen this before,” he said. Dr. Fauci added that he will convey the following to President-elect Joe Biden’s administration: “We have all got to be on the same page telling the American public we have to pull together. That, to me, is the most important thing.”

Dr. Fauci and Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus-response coordinator, who also spoke Tuesday at the summit, both reiterated their calls for people to adopt public-health measures to combat the spread of the virus.

August 7, 2020

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently said the virus infected people in the U.S. in mid-December 2019, a few weeks before it was officially identified in China and about a month earlier than public-health authorities found the first U.S. case. It has since caused almost 15 million diagnosed cases and more than 283,000 deaths. Cases have surged since the fall, with more than 2,000 daily deaths being reported. It is too early to know whether the Thanksgiving holiday will add an additional spurt of cases.

The death toll could surpass 430,000 by March 1, according to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. The Trump administration is aiming to have enough coronavirus vaccine for everyone in the U.S. who wants to take it by the second quarter of 2021.

“We have to go head-to-head with the misunderstandings people have with this virus,” said Dr. Birx, who added that she doesn’t know what role she will have in the president-elect’s administration but will remain in federal government.

Dr. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was upbeat about the promise of a vaccine to bring coronavirus to heel.

June 17, 2020

Health-care workers and people in nursing homes and extended-care facilities will get the vaccine first, he said, followed by various prioritization levels that are likely to include seniors, people with underlying health conditions and workers with critical jobs, such as teachers.

Dr. Birx also said vaccines need to be prioritized for communities of color that have been hit hard by Covid-19.

Younger people and people with no underlying conditions will likely be able to get the vaccine by the end of March or beginning of April if the vaccination program runs efficiently and the majority of people take the vaccine, Dr. Fauci said. With about 75% of the public inoculated, there should be low levels of circulating virus and a return to workplaces.

The stringency of public-health measures will gradually diminish, he said, and chief executives should use surveillance testing once workers return to quickly identify any potential outbreaks.

“I don’t think we’re going to eradicate [Covid-19] the way we did with smallpox, but I think we can do what we did with polio,” Dr. Fauci said. (Wall Street Journal) 

 

Thursday December 22, 2016

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator - Thursday December 22, 2016 Conscientious objection to vaccines has doubled in 20 years The number of parents opting out of measles vaccines for their kids because of conscientious or religious beliefs has doubled in 20 years, leaving Ontario's public health system struggling to stop a trend of "increasing concern." "It's a massive challenge because the numbers are going up," said Paul Bramadat, an editor and writer of a book coming out in 2017 on vaccine hesitancy in Canada. "There has always been this kind of faith that if I just give you the right study or if I just give you the right pamphlet, you'llÊsee the jury is in and the case is closed and vaccines are actually safe and effective and the best way for us to prevent really terrible pandemics É It turns out all those anxieties can be addressed by science, but even when they are addressed that is not sufficient.ÓÊ Facts and evidence are battling a formidable foe, a "hip and cool" campaign that uses social media to spread its message, taps into a desire to live more naturally and takes advantage of a growing distrust of science and public institutions. "The anti-vaccine movement is very sophisticated," said Ellen Amster, chair in the history of medicine at McMaster University who studies vaccine hesitancy. "It's definitely a movement. There are people who are co-ordinated, who raise money, who buy billboards and publish children'sÊbooks. They are very smart. They have celebrities. They have all these strategies to make it approachable, understandable and to make you feel you're being empowered with this information." Public health has had to turn its messaging on its head to combat hesitancy.Ê "Immunization is now a topic we all discuss," said Dr. Julie Emili, a Hamilton associate medical officer of health. "I'd say 10 years ago we didn't do many interviews about immunizations. It was assumed people just get their shots. There wasn't this whole

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday December 22, 2016

Conscientious objection to vaccines has doubled in 20 years

The number of parents opting out of measles vaccines for their kids because of conscientious or religious beliefs has doubled in 20 years, leaving Ontario’s public health system struggling to stop a trend of “increasing concern.”

February 6, 2015

February 6, 2015

“It’s a massive challenge because the numbers are going up,” said Paul Bramadat, an editor and writer of a book coming out in 2017 on vaccine hesitancy in Canada. “There has always been this kind of faith that if I just give you the right study or if I just give you the right pamphlet, you’ll see the jury is in and the case is closed and vaccines are actually safe and effective and the best way for us to prevent really terrible pandemics … It turns out all those anxieties can be addressed by science, but even when they are addressed that is not sufficient.”

Friday, December 6, 2013

December 6, 2013

Facts and evidence are battling a formidable foe, a “hip and cool” campaign that uses social media to spread its message, taps into a desire to live more naturally and takes advantage of a growing distrust of science and public institutions.

“The anti-vaccine movement is very sophisticated,” said Ellen Amster, chair in the history of medicine at McMaster University who studies vaccine hesitancy. “It’s definitely a movement. There are people who are co-ordinated, who raise money, who buy billboards and publish children’s books. They are very smart. They have celebrities. They have all these strategies to make it approachable, understandable and to make you feel you’re being empowered with this information.”

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð Friday April 29, 2016 Naturopath who treated boy who died of meningitis should be held accountable, physicians say The naturopath who treated Ezekiel Stephan, an Alberta boy who died of bacterial meningitis in 2012, Òdid not meet the standard of careÓ and should be held accountable for her actions, according to a critical letter sent to the College of Naturopathic Doctors of Alberta by nearly four dozen physicians across Canada. The situation raises broader questions about the growing trend toward the regulation of naturopaths in Canada and whether the colleges are doing proper oversight, said Michelle Cohen, a family physician in Brighton, Ont., who wrote the letter. The college has opened an investigation based on the letter and did not respond to an interview request. David and Collet Stephan were found guilty in a Lethbridge court on Tuesday of failing to provide the necessaries of life for their son Ezekiel, who was 19 months old. The Stephans went to a naturopath, Tracey Tannis, because they suspected that the boy had meningitis. The naturopath testified that she did not physically examine Ezekiel and that she had advised the Stephans to take him to a hospital. But she gave Ms. Stephan an echinacea treatment for the child. Others testified that Dr. Tannis discussed EzekielÕs case with his mother. Naturopaths are governed by a self-regulatory college in Alberta, in a manner similar to doctors and nurses. Dr. Tannis is still listed as a member in good standing of the College of Naturopathic Doctors of Alberta and there are no notes attached to her registration to suggest that there have been any concerns about her actions. The physiciansÕ letter criticizes the naturopath for recommending a treatment for a sick child without having examined him and for failing to provide vital information about the grave risks of meningitis and the urgent need for a lumbar puncture and treatment to prevent death

April 29, 2016

Public health has had to turn its messaging on its head to combat hesitancy.

“Immunization is now a topic we all discuss,” said Dr. Julie Emili, a Hamilton associate medical officer of health. “I’d say 10 years ago we didn’t do many interviews about immunizations. It was assumed people just get their shots. There wasn’t this whole discussion about, ‘Should I get my shots or shouldn’t I?’” (Continued: Hamilton Spectator)

Thursday October 29, 2009

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday October 29, 2009

Health officials scramble to counter H1N1 myths

Does the H1N1 vaccine give you the flu? Will it cause autism or Gulf War syndrome? Is it a cover for a sinister government plan to kill people? Is a plot by big pharma to sell drugs, make money and rule the world?

The conspiracy theories around medicine and science range from ridiculous to downright scary. And as the second wave of the H1N1 pandemic influenza virus entrenches itself in Canada and vaccination clinics swing their doors open next week, public health officials are rushing to debunk the myths about a virus that has sickened hundreds of thousands and a drug that will protect others from getting unnecessarily ill.

Canada’s chief public health officer, David Butler-Jones, came out swinging Friday against the claims of those opposed to the vaccine. The federal regulator approved the drug this week, saying it is safe and effective. Canadians have a choice: Immunize themselves or face a real risk of disease, Dr. Butler-Jones said.

“We risk losing ground if we start doubting … or taking the myths as fact,” he said. “Immunization is the only thing which will stop the pandemic and prevent however many people from needlessly becoming ill.”

Canada, which has ordered 50 million doses of the swine-flu vaccine from GlaxoSmithKline, embarks on its largest ever immunization campaign next week. But on websites and in online comments, some have raised questions about the vaccine. The hope among public health officials is that common sense will prevail.

They stressed that the vaccine doesn’t contain a live virus so you cannot contract influenza from it. (Source: Globe & Mail) 

Letters: 

Todays cartoon seems to portray the Spectator as thinking that Vaccinating against H1N1 is comparable to putting tin foil hats on.  Well if the Paper we trust thinks its just as likely that Aliens are beaming things into our heads as getting H1N1 you,ve convinced me NOT to get the shot . Thanks I was on the fence but youre right.

M.Doyle — Hamilton

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Graeme MacKay should be congratulated on this brilliant cartoon.
I suspect those who shun the vital H1N1 flu shot are the same people who believe in the Yeti, flying saucers and the continued existence of Elvis.

H. Painter — Hamilton