Second COVID-19 Vaccine Study Paused: Should You Worry?

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Last week Johnson & Johnson announced that they were temporarily pausing their COVID-19 vaccine clinical studies in order to review and evaluate an unexpected illness in an individual participating in their study, less than 3 weeks after their Phase 3 study had started. Another COVID-19 vaccine, developed by the University of Oxford, also had its clinical studies paused in July and September for similar reasons. Read on for my thoughts on what this may mean for potential COVID-19 vaccines and their safety.

Rare COVID-19 Complication Can Happen in Children and Adults

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This past June, the New England Journal of Medicine published two articles describing a then-newly identified complication of COVID-19 infection in children, which the CDC had named Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children, or MIS-C. At the time, it was unclear whether this complication was unique to children. However, the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) recently published a case series summarizing 27 cases of a similar condition in adults.

This October, Don’t Throw Away Your Flu Shot!

My Shot (Vaccine Version) educational parody by Science Rap Academy, located at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEX80FNMOfE

October is here, and that means it’s the perfect time to get your flu shot if you haven’t gotten one already!

You may have some questions about flu shots during the COVID-19 pandemic. This week, I’ll address frequently asked questions about the flu shot but if I miss your question, let me know in the comments!

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