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Vaccines have advantages over natural infections. For one, they can be designed to focus the immune system against specific antigens that elicit better responses.

What do we know about the impact of COVID-19 on the physical health of health care personnel? Precious little. And we know even less about the psychological toll. Here are a few insights.

The Pew Research Center released a survey of 12,648 Americans on their current views on COVID-19. The headline was the increasing interest in vaccinations, up now to 60% of those surveyed, since Pfizer and Moderna's announcements. But the headline left a lot of great information "below the fold," if mentioned at all. This special edition of Every Picture Tells A Story shares a few of the salient findings.

More and more states are legalizing recreational marijuana, a drug that remains difficult to detect at a traffic stop. The only data to suggest that marijuana has played a role in motor vehicle accidents is the slight rise in accidents after legalization. But ask a stoner - do a few tokes impair driving? Let's follow the science.

The governor of Washington State has canceled Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's, and about 20% of Seattle's restaurants and bars have closed permanently. The governor's arbitrary policies, such as banning indoor dining while allowing customers to eat inside tents, deserve part of the blame. Photographs put the absurdity on stark display.

Of course, reports on the game-changing COVID-19 vaccines have been dominating the news, and the American Council has been busy responding to requests from media outlets across the country. In addition to providing interviews for print publications and radio talk-show hosts, our work and expertise has been featured in Op-Ed columns, as well as excerpted for science-based articles all over the web. Here are some of the places we've appeared in the month of November.

After Pfizer's COVID vaccine was administered in the UK, two allergic reactions surfaced. Who’s to blame? The drug maker? I argue no. Pfizer could not possibly have known in advance whether these reactions would occur or, if so, how frequently. Why's that? Here's why.

From Stat, "Health care workers in the UK are seven times likelier to fall ill with severe Covid-19 than the rest of the population, according to a large new study." The statement is factual; it's just without a context. It is far scarier than need be.

Toilet paper always flies off the shelves when there's a crisis, whether it's real or perceived. But after nine months of COVID, there's a new "panic item": antacids. Here's why.

Just how effective is the Pfizer vaccine? Turns out that in addition to being very effective, the onset of protection is quick - a therapeutic two-fer.

The war against the "infodemic" ... why are we drawn to conspiracy ... what if we could save ourselves from climate change -- but had to use GMOs ... doodles from a lockdown ... and in the seasonal spirit, the economy that is Christmas Trees.

Being discharged from the hospital after illness or surgery is only the beginning of recovery. As with many infrequently-spoken moments in healthcare, COVID-19 has revealed the long road to recovery for "long-haulers," those whose symptoms linger for months. As a new study reports, this isn’t a new finding specific to the virus. (Of course, any experienced physician might have told you that already.)

Nationally, according to The American Farm Bureau Federation, farm and ranch families comprise less than 2% of the U.S. population, growing and producing the food for what the other 98% need. The rest of us are free to choose other livelihoods. This results in most consumers having limited to no understanding regarding standard agricultural practices, basic plant physiology, and the global food challenge to feed over 7 billion people.

Is President Trump, Rudy Giuliani, or any other individual infected with COVID-19 susceptible to reinfection? While there are a few scattered reports, the real question is how much of our immune response persists. A new study provides updated information.

COVID-19 infections are relentless. In every state, November rates increased over October, more than doubling on average. And these rates are widely dispersed across the nation. Early COVID-19 cases and deaths were associated with local conditions, including residential crowding and household income. More personal factors have since come into play as the pandemic spread and hotspots shifted to the heartland.

Inoculations are a welcome development, but the public should temper its excitement.

Those who favor indefinite lockdowns believe they have the moral high ground. They do not. In reality, they callously turn a blind eye to the economic and social devastation that their policy is causing.

Like Dracula rising again from the grave, there's been another round of articles suggesting that based on death counts COVID-19 is not a problem. It's time to try, once again, to put a stake into this misbelief and misunderstanding.

The latest polling by the Pew Research Center shows that 60% of Americans are willing to get vaccinated to guard against COVID-19. That's based on a representative sample of Americans polled after the announcements by both Pfizer and Moderna. Here's a breakdown of who's willing to line up, based upon some demographics.

The transformation of Hong Kong, less illuminated scientific pioneers, the many social distance circles, can you believe your lying eyes, and a mysterious ether holding the universe together - scientists call it dark matter.

From vaping to cutting-edge biotechnology, UK health regulators do a far better job than their American counterparts. This was proven yet again when the UK beat the U.S. FDA at approving a coronavirus vaccine produced by Pfizer, an American company.

Fear is a strong motivator; it is the basis of ‘Fight or Flight.” Long before the Florida business shutdown was declared, many self-anointed, at-risk individuals voluntarily stayed home. So what role does fear play in COVID-19 era? And specifically, to what degree is fear driving our behavior?

Reports of an H5N8 influenza virus spreading among birds across the globe understandably have generated concern. However, H5 viruses do not pose a direct threat to the health of the vast majority of humans on the planet, at least not yet.

We've finally had some amazing (and badly needed) news about COVID. Vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna are about 95 percent protective against COVID. But perhaps more importantly, according to interim analyses, Moderna's vaccine is 100% protective against severe COVID. This number is not only more impressive but may also be more clinically relevant.

The day before Thanksgiving, "[t]he US reported more than 2,100 deaths in a single day [and] things are projected to get worse," especially with the December holidays plus New Year's coming up. We've got a season of merry-making ahead of us – which used to include family travel, vacations, and partying – all behaviors associated with COVID-19- spread. Things were looking gloomy – until three vaccine manufacturers recently reported promising and exciting vaccine trial results, which should be ready by spring. If we can just hang on till then, we'll be OK …., that is, if we can motivate the vaccine-hesitant.