COVID-19: Vaccine and testing procedures Megathread Part 2 [Mod Warning - Post #1]

ixoy

Would approving AZ earlier have made any difference to production issues ? I can't see how with the EU order always coming from the same plant but given the outcry maybe I'm missing something.

Wolf359f

namloc1980 wrote: »

In fairness people are just sick of it now. Truly sick of it. I'm finding it very hard going this time around and the media aren't helping with the constant doom. It's depressing at this stage.

Well at least the timetable for vaccine roll out in Ireland was a little more realistic. Obviously the AZ will impact that. But rather than the government coming out and promising the moon and the stars like some other countries, it kinda lowered expectations.

Micky 32

NeuralNetwork wrote: »

The theory that was being discussed was that if the mutation was significant enough to make the spike proteins undetectable to the vaccinated person's immune system, then it would also likely be a radical enough change to the spike protein to make it useless anyway, a bit like if you altered the shape of a key.It would probably stop fitting the lock.

I have come across comments like this regularly:



“”For the vaccine to lose effectiveness, the mutation would have to drastically alter the spike protein of the virus.
This is effectively impossible as the virus is dependent on a functioning spike protein in order to infect cells, and the machinery involved with the mechanics of the spike are extremely delicate. Errant mutations that would cause compositional changes to the shape of the protein are almost guaranteed to cause functional failure. Using terminology, this is what we call a highly conserved area.
In both cases for the South African or UK strain, if you take a look at the areas where mutations have occurred, you’ll see that the code responsible for generating the spike protein is basically completely unaffected. This will generally hold true for any successive future strains.””

Le Bruise

ixoy wrote: »

Would approving AZ earlier have made any difference to production issues ? I can't see how with the EU order always coming from the same plant but given the outcry maybe I'm missing something.

I thought the same. People seem to be blaming a slow approval when it’s clearly a production issue.

We really need J&J (plus others) to be approved and supplied quickly now!

seamus

Le Bruise wrote: »

I thought the same. People seem to be blaming a slow approval when it’s clearly a production issue.

We really need J&J (plus others) to be approved and supplied quickly now!

Don't forget that the Pfizer vaccine is still being monitored and data gathered, which will allow for tweaks and changes in it's schedule.

If they can stretch out the dosing regime and/or prove that it's stable at fridge temperature for longer, without substantially impacting efficacy, then we can drive greater yield from what we have.

A temporary delay in AZ delivery of initial supplies, is not a huge deal.

Micky 32

Lets hope this comment from MM holds true:

“”By the summer we will be in a changed environment because of the large scale vaccination that will have been achieved by then."”

ACitizenErased

Donnelly would wanna cop on a tad now. Tweeting real positive updates for the past few weeks and giving people some hope and he comes out calling the AZ news like its the end of the world.

Micky 32

ACitizenErased wrote: »

Donnelly would wanna cop on a tad now. Tweeting real positive updates for the past few weeks and giving people some hope and he comes out calling the AZ news like its the end of the world.

The headline on the RTE app today is : Vaccinations for the over 70’s maybe delayed - Taoiseach.

Doc07

ixoy wrote: »

Would approving AZ earlier have made any difference to production issues ? I can't see how with the EU order always coming from the same plant but given the outcry maybe I'm missing something.

IMO no difference at all. I’m no logistics expert but plans for optimal production would have been on the go months ago on the assumption of approval and AZ were not waiting on actual date of approval to actually implementing their mass scale up plans.

is_that_so

pinkfloyd34 wrote: »

https://kclr96fm.com/iehg-statement-vaccine/

Still front line staff waiting for their first dose and now won't get it until mid February.

Group 2 were largely secondary to getting the care homes done. We've done 71,000 of them and they'll be back in line next week.

is_that_so

Micky 32 wrote: »

The headline on the RTE app today is : Vaccinations for the over 70’s maybe delayed - Taoiseach.

It also says they won't know the actual impact till they have a meeting next week. The story of the delay has already been in the news for a day or so.

IRISHSPORTSGUY

60% less yields is diabolical. A question of is it incompetence from AstraZeneca or is there politicking going on behind the scenes?

Call me a cynic, but I wonder how much Boris Johnson and the Tory government are pulling their strings. A delayed EU economic recovery while the UK exit from lockdown a lot earlier will makes them look good after all.

Itsaduck1

ACitizenErased wrote: »

Donnelly would wanna cop on a tad now. Tweeting real positive updates for the past few weeks and giving people some hope and he comes out calling the AZ news like its the end of the world.

Donnnelly needs to keep the head alright

What I cant understand is how has a nation like Isreal vaccinated so many if Pfizer has supply issues?

What did they do differently?

is_that_so

Itsaduck1 wrote: »

Donnnelly needs to keep the head alright

What I cant understand is how has a nation like Isreal vaccinated so many if Pfizer has supply issues?

What did they do differently?

They paid a lot more and are in effect a Pfizer experiment , so they are likely to be prioritised.

lucernarian

is_that_so wrote: »

Group 2 were largely secondary to getting the care homes done. We've done 71,000 of them and they'll be back in line next week.

Indeed, if that's what was decided and what was promised then we should be cracking on with this priority. It's also staff in the homes that are getting the doses.

is_that_so

lucernarian wrote: »

Indeed, if that's what was decided and what was promised then we should be cracking on with this priority. It's also staff in the homes that are getting the doses.

Hopefully, that target will be met by tomorrow. I believe we have 25,000 or so to go in Group 2 but we are also onto 2nd shots now so that's an extra bit of a challenge.

Gael23

When is group 3 to begin?

ACitizenErased

Richard Chambers from virgin media is spouting some nonsense about the vaccines on twitter today. Claiming restrictions will have to remain even with all vulnerable vaccinated and that the virus will run through the population afterwards and kill loads. Christ almighty.

dominatinMC

Micky 32 wrote: »

The headline on the RTE app today is : Vaccinations for the over 70’s maybe delayed - Taoiseach.

It might be a good idea to delete that app Micky!

is_that_so

Gael23 wrote: »

When is group 3 to begin?

After Group 2, so now most probably starting in March. There was a hope with AstraZeneca available it would be mid-February onwards.

AdamD

ACitizenErased wrote: »

Richard Chambers from virgin media is spouting some nonsense about the vaccines on twitter today. Claiming restrictions will have to remain even with all vulnerable vaccinated and that the virus will run through the population afterwards and kill loads. Christ almighty.

Covid has been phenomenal for the media, wouldn't be surprised if even subconsciously they want this to drag on.

Stark

is_that_so wrote: »

After Group 2, so now most probably starting in March. There was a hope with AstraZeneca available it would be mid-February onwards.

Surely with all of groups 1 and 2 given their first Pfizer/Moderna shot , it makes sense to give all of the AZ stocks when they arrive to group 3?

is_that_so

Stark wrote: »

Surely with all of groups 1 and 2 given their first Pfizer/Moderna shot , it makes sense to give all of the AZ stocks when they arrive to group 3?

No, some of them would be coming up on Week 3-4 plus GPs and other community frontline workers would need to be done in advance of Group 3.

Micky 32

dominatinMC wrote: »

It might be a good idea to delete that app Micky!

The thought has crossed my mind

astrofool

Itsaduck1 wrote: »

Thanks Astro

When the Biontech CEO is talking about 6 weeks for a new modified vaccine to combat those strains, whats he modifying if these vaccines we have now already target the spike protein?

Will they target something else? Not the spike proteins?

On your last point the SA variant is supposed to be more transmissable and deadly, while also having changes to the spike protein

Shouldn't that be impossible as its spike protein has changed?

Probably a bit late as the thread moves so fast but they could have been making 2 points, 1, now that the safety and efficacy of the vaccines is proven, modifying it for future virus should be relatively quick, such that we don't get stuck in this situation again, and 2, if SARS-COV2 did mange to modify it's spike protein in such a way that existing vaccines didn't work, and it still managed to attack our cells effectively (scientists don't believe this is too likely as it would essentially have mutated into a different virus at that point), that modifying it would be relatively quick (it's still 6 weeks + manufacture, supply and injection, so you're still 6 months from getting to mass vaccination phase).

The CEO is also looking at future applications of this technology (which is what it started as, being able to quickly make a custom vaccine to specifically train the immune system to just attack the cancer cells in the body of a single patient).

landofthetree

https://twitter.com/laoneill111/status/1352979274920321024

is_that_so

landofthetree wrote: »

https://twitter.com/laoneill111/status/1352979274920321024

Surprised to see you with good news!

Van.Bosch

ACitizenErased wrote: »

Richard Chambers from virgin media is spouting some nonsense about the vaccines on twitter today. Claiming restrictions will have to remain even with all vulnerable vaccinated and that the virus will run through the population afterwards and kill loads. Christ almighty.

In fairness he didn’t say that, he tweeted an article from a German publication which did say it. It’s not the same as him saying it.

Irish Stones

plodder wrote: »

It's always possible in principle. But I wouldn't just assume that any pharmaceutical plant could produce this vaccine.

Of course, but those countries that know they can because they have cutting edge plants and technologies, they could ask.
I don't think that Pfizer has anything to lose in this agreement.

funnydoggy

Richard got out of the wrong side of the bed this morning. Totally f*cking uncalled for - is he trying to get a job with RTE?