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

Apogee

muddypuppy wrote: »

(I didn't see this posted) The Irish Times has an interesting article with some insights on how the vaccine distribution works in Ireland. Nothing too technical, but good to see: https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/inside-the-dublin-warehouse-at-the-centre-of-the-covid-19-vaccine-rollout-1.4466656

Very good article, especially highlighting the measures required to handle the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.

Related report from RTÉ News:
https://twitter.com/rtenews/status/1353821630636699649

lbj666

plodder wrote: »

The 8% figure if it has any basis at all is probably very misleading, but am I right in thinking that the EMA process underway is for a "normal" approval rather than the emergency basis used by the UK and the US? If that is the case, it would hardly be that surprising if the EMA didn't approve it for over 65's given the paucity of efficacy data for that cohort, at least until more data becomes available?

All this could be a means to deflect from the fact its not an emergency process and the valid question as to why isnt it.

Micky 32

I see that the EU are getting tougher now with travel restrictions due to the obsession with new strains, that in the current climate is probably the right thing to do. No objection from me. However it begs this question. Just say we get the population needed vaccinated ( Ireland and the EU) by the end of the year. Cases and sickness drop to getting back to normality levels...

What’s going to be story on travel i wonder. Are we still going to be quarantined and rubber gloved for the rest of our lifetimes because of the ‘just in case we pick up a new strain and bring it back and making vaccines useless’ mantra? Seems to be a big obsession of these new strains lately and is fueling the travel restrictions

It’s a worrying time for people who have family abroad.....

gctest50

froog wrote: »

what a mess. jesus

It doesn't really matter anyway, none of them do the sterilising trick

( but waaaaay better than having no vaccine), and you can be asymtomatic and spread covid.

Even if a new turbo-vaccine-now-with-sterilising-immunity it would take years and unreal amounts of money and organisation

Smallpox was the only thing eradicated way back in the 70's when the World Population about 3.5 billion
Population now 7.8 billion

No big deal, just learn to live with it.

Be like living in a country with Rabies - don't pet the infected ones

Amirani

Micky 32 wrote: »

I see that the EU are getting tougher now with travel restrictions due to the obsession with new strains, that in the current climate is probably the right thing to do. No objection from me. However it begs this question. Just say we get the population needed vaccinated ( Ireland and the EU) by the end of the year. Cases and sickness drop to getting back to normality levels...

What’s going to be story on travel i wonder. Are we still going to be quarantined and rubber gloved for the rest of our lifetimes because of the ‘just in case we pick up a new strain and bring it back and making vaccines useless’ mantra? Seems to be a big obsession of these new strains lately and is fueling the travel restrictions.

I'd imagine that we'll only be able to travel to areas of the world with comparable levels of vaccination initially.

Eventually enough of the world will be vaccinated that rapid mutation etc. won't be as much of a concern and things will be back to normal. Things could change in the interim, but these seems the most likely route.

plodder

Reuters reporting on the two reports in Handelsblatt and Bild now

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-eu-astrazeneca-ger-idUSKBN29U2D9

Turtwig

Amirani wrote: »

I'd imagine that we'll only be able to travel to areas of the world with comparable levels of vaccination initially.

Eventually enough of the world will be vaccinated that rapid mutation etc. won't be as much of a concern and things will be back to normal. Things could change in the interim, but these seems the most likely route.

Pretty much this. We will be limited by the proportion of global the population that is vaccinated. If the virus is rampant then vaccine resistant variants are a possibility. However, once infection levels fall to levels similar to seasonal influenza it'll be less of a concern. Just a matter of getting the seasonal covid vaccine.

Least, that's how the optimist in me sees it.

Danzy

Micky 32 wrote: »

I see that the EU are getting tougher now with travel restrictions due to the obsession with new strains, that in the current climate is probably the right thing to do. No objection from me. However it begs this question. Just say we get the population needed vaccinated ( Ireland and the EU) by the end of the year. Cases and sickness drop to getting back to normality levels...

What’s going to be story on travel i wonder. Are we still going to be quarantined and rubber gloved for the rest of our lifetimes because of the ‘just in case we pick up a new strain and bring it back and making vaccines useless’ mantra? Seems to be a big obsession of these new strains lately and is fueling the travel restrictions

It’s a worrying time for people who have family abroad.....

One way or another this will be over long before the rest of our life times.

Micky 32

Danzy wrote: »

One way or another this will be over long before the rest of our life times.

Definitely i agree, i was being a tad sarcastic with the “lifetime” comment

lbj666

How fast can 2.2million Pfizer or Moderna doses get here?

Kermit.de.frog

In tomorrow's FT Moderna has acknowledged it's vaccine is mostly ineffective against South Africa strain. The company is to begin new trials on a product to try tackle this particular strain.

I always suspected the vaccine narrative since last March was partly a morale booster for populations first and foremost (and that's fine, people need hope of light at the end of the tunnel). My concern is that the unravelling of the narrative may only now be beginning.

I have no doubt we will get an effective vaccine but vaccines are hard and usually take a long time. Many years.

We'll see.

MerlinSouthDub

Kermit.de.frog wrote: »

In the FT Moderna has acknowledged it's vaccine is mostly ineffective against South Africa strain. The company is to begin new trials on a product to try tackle this particular strain.

That's not quite what Moderna said. Anyway, the Moderna share price is up 12% today on the bad news that their vaccine won't work. Odd.

Deeper Blue

Kermit.de.frog wrote: »

In tomorrow's FT Moderna has acknowledged it's vaccine is mostly ineffective against South Africa strain. The company is to begin new trials on a product to try tackle this particular strain.

I always suspected the vaccine narrative since last March was partly a morale booster for populations first and foremost (and that's fine, people need hope of light at the end of the tunnel). My concern is that the unravelling of the narrative may only now be beginning.

I have no doubt we will get an effective vaccine but vaccines are hard and usually take a long time. Many years.

We'll see.

What a load of nonsense, did you even read the article?

Micky 32

Kermit.de.frog wrote: »

In tomorrow's FT Moderna has acknowledged it's vaccine is mostly ineffective against South Africa strain. The company is to begin new trials on a product to try tackle this particular strain.

I always suspected the vaccine narrative since last March was partly a morale booster for populations first and foremost (and that's fine, people need hope of light at the end of the tunnel). My concern is that the unravelling of the narrative may only now be beginning.

I have no doubt we will get an effective vaccine but vaccines are hard and usually take a long time. Many years.

We'll see.

Good to see your rare contribution to the thread when it suits you and your narrative.;)

marno21

In other news on Planet Real World, the Israelis believe that so far in the vaccinated cohort vs the rest of the Israeli population, the vaccine is exceeding, slightly, the 95% effectiveness claimed from trials.

https://twitter.com/natesilver538/status/1353815228451086338?s=21

Bear in mind also that this is in older people more so, which is even better news.

Nice to have some good news to distract us from the slow moving car crash that the AstraZeneca vaccine seems to have evolved into.

Le Bruise

Kermit.de.frog wrote: »

In tomorrow's FT Moderna has acknowledged it's vaccine is mostly ineffective against South Africa strain. The company is to begin new trials on a product to try tackle this particular strain.

A quick Googling suggests otherwise.

ACitizenErased

Funny how the same faces keep popping up posting utter ****e

Micky 32

Le Bruise wrote: »

A quick Googling suggests otherwise.

Didn’t someone post a tweet earlier where Moderna claimed their vaccine was effective against the new strains.

Le Bruise

Micky 32 wrote: »

Didn’t someone post a tweet earlier where Moderna claimed their vaccine was effective against the new strains.

Yup, and every news report I’ve seen today agrees!

Kermit.de.frog

ACitizenErased wrote: »

Funny how the same faces keep popping up posting utter ****e

Firstly you might want to address your attitude.

Secondly you might want to actually read posts.

https://twitter.com/BBCNews/status/1353823426834804737

ACitizenErased

Kermit.de.frog wrote: »

Firstly you might want to address your attitude.

Secondly you might want to actually read posts.

https://twitter.com/BBCNews/status/1353823426834804737

You should really read Moderna's statement, you're making yourself look silly.

lbj666

Kermit.de.frog wrote: »

In tomorrow's FT Moderna has acknowledged it's vaccine is mostly ineffective against South Africa strain. The company is to begin new trials on a product to try tackle this particular strain.

Kermit.de.frog wrote: »

Firstly you might want to address your attitude.

Secondly you might want to actually read posts.

https://twitter.com/BBCNews/status/1353823426834804737

Clearly you didnt read the article

plodder

Micky 32 wrote: »

Didn’t someone post a tweet earlier where Moderna claimed their vaccine was effective against the new strains.

Yes, still effective, but at lower levels of antibodies, which may mean protection does not last as long in the elderly, possibly necessitating this booster they are developing.

nommm

https://twitter.com/scottehensley/status/1353820335087493122?s=21

Good summary of mRNA vax effectiveness against variants.

ACitizenErased

nommm wrote: »

https://twitter.com/scottehensley/status/1353820335087493122?s=21

Good summary of mRNA vax effectiveness against variants.

Can't wait to see what's next for mRNA vaccines. Really an interesting technology.

Kermit.de.frog

ACitizenErased wrote: »

You should really read Moderna's statement, you're making yourself look silly.

I'm reading the front page of the Financial Times. It states in the third paragraph the injection only illicited production of around one sixth of the antibodies by comparison to the original virus.

That's in black and white unless you doubt it's veracity for some unspecified reason.

ACitizenErased

Kermit.de.frog wrote: »

I'm reading the front page of the Financial Times. It states in the second paragraph the injection only illicited production of around one sixth of the antibodies by comparison to the original virus.

That's in black and white unless you doubt it's veracity for some unspecified reason.

1/6 of a big number is still a big number. I'll trust Moderna's statement.

Water John

But one sixth is adequate, because it was originally so high.

The HorsesMouth

Kermit.de.frog wrote: »

I'm reading the front page of the Financial Times. It states in the third paragraph the injection only illicited production of around one sixth of the antibodies by comparison to the original virus.

That's in black and white unless you doubt it's veracity for some unspecified reason.

He also said he had "zero concerns".

DaSilva

Kermit.de.frog wrote: »

In tomorrow's FT Moderna has acknowledged it's vaccine is mostly ineffective against South Africa strain. The company is to begin new trials on a product to try tackle this particular strain.

I always suspected the vaccine narrative since last March was partly a morale booster for populations first and foremost (and that's fine, people need hope of light at the end of the tunnel). My concern is that the unravelling of the narrative may only now be beginning.

I have no doubt we will get an effective vaccine but vaccines are hard and usually take a long time. Many years.

We'll see.

What an incredibly misleading bad take on the news. If you care to read any of the news about it there is no suggestion that the vaccine is "mostly ineffective", rather the opposite, its still effective. The booster they are testing by the way, is simply the same vaccine but a third dose. They are also starting up a trial on a third dose of a re-engineered version of the vaccine which is designed on this variant. Don't let the facts interrupt your personal narrative though