�������ýҕ�l

Three new conditions reported by a small number of people after vaccination with COVID-19 shots from Pfizer (PFE.N) and Moderna (MRNA.O) are being studied to assess if they may be possible side-effects, Europe's drugs regulator said on Wednesday. Erythema multiforme, a form of allergic skin reaction; glomerulonephritis or kidney inflammation; and nephrotic syndrome, a renal disorder characterised by heavy urinary protein losses, are being studied by the safety committee of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), according to the regulator. (Aripaka, 8/11)

Compared to the problems encountered by makers of adenovirus COVID-19 vaccines, it’s been a relative cakewalk for the overwhelmingly successful mRNA vaccines produced by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. But on Wednesday, Europe’s drug regulator revealed that it is investigating a possible link between mRNA vaccines and new conditions reported by a few recipients of the shots.  The European Medicines Agency is trying to determine if the mRNA shots can trigger an allergic skin reaction called erythema multiforme or two kidney disorders. It has requested additional data from Pfizer, BioNTech and Moderna. (Dunleavy, 8/11)

McDonald’s Corp. is requiring all of its corporate employees in the U.S. to be vaccinated before they return to the office, joining the growing ranks of major companies imposing strict requirements to combat the spread of Covid-19. The fast-food chain also postponed the reopening date for its offices by about a month to Oct. 11, according to an internal note obtained by Bloomberg News. Staffers must be fully vaccinated by Sept. 27 to ensure they have built up immunity for the recommended 14 days before returning, the company said. Masks are required in offices regardless of vaccination status. (Clough, 8/11)

“I Am Legend,” Francis Lawrence’s post-apocalyptic thriller in which a virus genetically re-engineered to cure cancer instead destroys mankind, is famously not a documentary. You’d be hard-pressed to find people who believe its lead actor, Will Smith, to be an actual virologist for the U.S. Army. And yet as recently as earlier this week, it behooved one of the “I Am Legend” screenwriters to clarify that the 2007 film is, in fact, a work of fiction: “Oh. My. God,” tweeted Akiva Goldsman, who co-wrote the adapted screenplay with Mark Protosevich. “It’s a movie. I made that up. It’s. Not. Real.” (Rao, 8/11)

The number of employers requiring workers to get vaccinated is growing across the nation. Add to that at least one Georgia church. The 107-year-old Greater Piney Grove Baptist Church in DeKalb now requires worshippers to show proof of full vaccination, take a temperature check and sign a waiver before they are allowed to attend in-person services. They also must register in advance to attend. The Glenwood Avenue church, which has about 3,000 members started asking for proof of vaccination several weeks ago, even before the rise of the delta variant, said the Rev. William E. Flippin Sr., senior pastor. He’s worried about people who are unvaccinated getting sick and also spreading the virus to others. (Poole, 8/11)

At the core of most religious systems is the duty to respect human life, so where do vaccine mandates fit into that? Since the start of the pandemic, there has been a standoff between personal freedoms and bodily integrity on one side and the obligation to protect the health and lives of others on the other. Added to that, there has been a heap of misinformation about the coronavirus and vaccines. (Boorstein, 8/10)