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

Itsaduck1

Malcomex wrote: »

There's still uncertainty over new variants

True it's always a threat

ACitizenErased

Itsaduck1 wrote: »

True and I've read the current vaccines might be less efficacious ( as in you'll catch the virus ) but didn't read they won't stop severe illness

I might be wrong here, as no expert but does it really matter if vaccines are less efficacious

Isn't stopping people getting sick the most important thing?

Are people still ending up in hospital after vaccines?

Or is it rare?

Main thing is stopping people getting sick, it doesn't really matter if people are infected if there's mass vaccination and nobody getting ill

titan18

Vicxas wrote: »

No one apart from people in Israel want to live in Israel.

They'll likely be fully vaccinated at this rate by April and it's a nice enough looking country for domestic tourism. I'd gladly take that over what we're getting here for 2021.

is_that_so

Itsaduck1 wrote: »

True and I've read the current vaccines might be less efficacious ( as in you'll catch the virus ) but didn't read they won't stop severe illness

I might be wrong here, as no expert but does it really matter if vaccines are less efficacious

Isn't stopping people getting sick the most important thing?

Are people still ending up in hospital after vaccines?

Or is it rare?

The reduction in efficacy has been confirmed but they still seem to work. The rest is unknown and it's way too early to have answers.

ninebeanrows

Good news for production in Europe

SANOFI to produce Pfizer vaccine

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-01-27/sanofi-to-make-millions-of-biontech-pfizer-s-covid-vaccine-doses?srnd=premium-europe

tom1ie

is_that_so wrote: »

Not really, the SA one is the only real concern and they'll all make boosters as required.

is there not a variant they're worried about in brazil or something?

Itsaduck1

ACitizenErased wrote: »

Main thing is stopping people getting sick, it doesn't really matter if people are infected if there's mass vaccination and nobody getting ill

Makes sense ;-)

Why are we caught up in this efficacy war thing then?

Oxford 70% not as good as Pfizer at 95% and Chinese vaccine no good at 50%

If Oxford one prevents illness who cares about efficacy?

is_that_so

tom1ie wrote: »

is there not a variant they're worried about in brazil or something?

Yeah there is one, but there's still a lot of may and might about it. I don't think they've tested vaccines against it yet.

ACitizenErased

Itsaduck1 wrote: »

Makes sense ;-)

Why are we caught up in this efficacy war thing then?

Oxford 70% not as good as Pfizer at 95% and Chinese vaccine no good at 50%

If Oxford one prevents illness who cares about efficacy?

The lower it gets the higher the chances of it not preventing illness in certain individuals so ideally we'd have a vaccine that prevents serious illness and stops transmission but we could also have one that prevents serious illness but doesnt prevent mild illness. If we could make COVID a headcold we'd be flying.

funnydoggy

ACitizenErased wrote: »

The lower it gets the higher the chances of it not preventing illness in certain individuals so ideally we'd have a vaccine that prevents serious illness and stops transmission but we could also have one that prevents serious illness but doesnt prevent mild illness. If we could make COVID a headcold we'd be flying.

I've got a good feeling about this!

ixoy

I saw pharmacists saying they had not been approached about administering the AZ vaccine, despite doing the flu vaccine each year to which it'd be broadly comparable. Is there any logical reason for this if we're aiming to get it out as quickly as possible (assuming we have enough doses to give)?

odyssey06

ACitizenErased wrote: »

Main thing is stopping people getting sick, it doesn't really matter if people are infected if there's mass vaccination and nobody getting ill

Yes but in that scenario even more important to vaccinate the vulnerable groups first. Risk if that start vaccinating e.g. 18-55 years olds with AZ before your over 70s get their approved jab, you could turn them into silent spreaders.

is_that_so

ixoy wrote: »

I saw pharmacists saying they had not been approached about administering the AZ vaccine, despite doing the flu vaccine each year to which it'd be broadly comparable. Is there any logical reason for this if we're aiming to get it out as quickly as possible (assuming we have enough doses to give)?

They just haven't been brought in on their part yet is the most likely explanation. It's also the media looking for someone else whining about it. There's no obvious need to just yet as we seem to be going week by week.

ACitizenErased

Chair of the Trade Committee in European Parliament calling for EU vaccine contracts to be made public.
https://twitter.com/berndlange/status/1354353165794226178?s=21

Responder XY

Not really a vaccine question, but a science one and this seems the best spot (Mods, move/delete if not the right place!). I swear I saw a post here during the week with a link to an article raising significant doubt over the increased transmissibility of new variants theory (basically saying that there is no evidence to support the assertion, but not able to rule it out yet either). I thought it was a proper science based article, but in my hurry I didn't read it.

Going to find it again I can't - anyone know if there was one?

Micky 32

ACitizenErased wrote: »

Main thing is stopping people getting sick, it doesn't really matter if people are infected if there's mass vaccination and nobody getting ill

We carry around many viruses and bacteria and transmit them everyday but most of them never make us sick ( or if they do only mild ilnesses)because we are immune to them. So they don’t really matter. That’s what the vaccine will do to Covid 19, make us immune to it.

lbj666

ACitizenErased wrote: »

Chair of the Trade Committee in European Parliament calling for EU vaccine contracts to be made public.
https://twitter.com/berndlange/status/1354353165794226178?s=21

Id be very surprised given everything that a manufacturer would sign up to stuff like rigid order commitments, strict performance clauses with penalties etc. given all that was involved with approvals, QA of plants, unprecedented ramp up of production etc. and off course not knowing how good the vaccine is in the first place. Huge amount of unknowns and risk there.

Micky 32

Gael23 wrote: »

It’s more around the travel regulations

Varadkar did say something at the press conference that gave an air of positivity around the vaccines. He mentioned NZ would be keeping their borders closed until they vaccinate their population. Varradkar obviously took note of that way of thinking.

Maybe we’ll all follow suit.

Gael23

Micky 32 wrote: »

Varadkar did say something at the press conference that gave an air of positivity around the vaccines. He mentioned NZ would be keeping their borders closed until they vaccinate their population. Varradkar obviously took note of that way of thinking.

Maybe we’ll all follow suit.

I very much expect them to bow to pressure in time.

Vaccines were supposed to be a way out of this but instead we are getting tougher and tougher restrictions

Cork2021

Good article on how the likes of moderna are already tweaking their vaccines in case of future variants become an issue but at the moment they’re not!

https://twitter.com/laoneill111/status/1354374178766524418?s=21

Cork2021

I’ll tell ye all one thing as much as Claire Byrne is a fine women she’s top of my Gowl list lately!

https://twitter.com/rtenews/status/1354375653068599296?s=21

Micky 32

Cork2021 wrote: »

Good article on how the likes of moderna are already tweaking their vaccines in case of future variants become an issue but at the moment they’re not!

https://twitter.com/laoneill111/status/1354374178766524418?s=21

But of course the experts on this thread will claim the vaccines are a problem against the new strains :rolleyes:

zuutroy

How do they include the text in the Tweet that makes it seem like bad news, when the last thing he says is September is still the plan. They're a joke.

Cork2021

zuutroy wrote: »

How do they include the text in the Tweet that makes it seem like bad news, when the last thing he says is September is still the plan. They're a joke.

It’s how they roll!!

ACitizenErased

Astrazeneca are refusing to attend EU meeting this evening according to reports

Gael23

I just find it hard to see an end in sight that’s all.

If vaccines are not it what is?

markodaly

Micky 32 wrote: »

It seems once again you ignored what i wrote in my post and continue on with your narrative. Once people are vaccinated and deaths hospitals decline the restrictions will ease, there will be no reason for them.

You agree with me then, restrictions will ease but they will not disappear, which is my point

It’s quite obvious why Israel borders are closed. You keep it supressed until the population( or most of it) is vaccinated.

And also stopping the possibility of any new variants passing into the community.

New Zealand themselves have said they’ll open up for tourists once their population is vaccinated.

Em, no not quite what they said, they said they will open up their borders once all their population will be vaccinated AND once the rest of the world, goes back to something more normal. So, 2022 it is then.

https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:IsWjJoFTOFMJ:https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/26/new-zealand-borders-to-stay-closed-until-citizens-are-vaccinated-and-protected+&cd=4&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=au

Jacinda Ardern has said New Zealand and “the world” need to return to some semblance of normality before she opens the country’s borders to foreign nationals.

The Irish Government have pretty much ruled out foreign travel as per normal this year, no holidays to the sun this summer.
Are they right?

is_that_so

ACitizenErased wrote: »

Astrazeneca are refusing to attend EU meeting this evening according to reports

I do hope someone finds an adult in the company, if true. There's a mess and they they need to find a way out of it. Sulking is not a good negotiating tactic.

markodaly

is_that_so wrote: »

So, what do you imagine "done" looks like?

Where we want to get to, Feb 2020...
I do not think we will get there this year, but probably late next year.

ACitizenErased

RTE on it like a car bonnet

https://twitter.com/rtenews/status/1354381747329392641?s=21