Vaccine Megathread No 2 - Read OP before posting

revelman

ddarcy wrote: »

My understanding so far is that the clots are actually greater in the 60+ group then when they had the first dose. So will be interesting to monitor.

As a matter of interest, where are you picking this up? All I’ve seen is that the risk is being documented at 1.6 per 1 million for second doses. I haven’t seen anything about the risk being greater in people over 60 second time around. I don’t want to make a big deal about this but we have hundreds of thousands of people 60+ in this country who are waiting for their second dose. Some of them read these boards. So I think it is important to back up claims like this.

revelman

In the context of the Nursing Union issue, this is interesting:

In Spain, people under 60 who have received AZ have been given an option for a different vaccine for second dose. So far, over 90% of them have stuck with AZ for the second dose:

https://english.elpais.com/society/2021-05-27/most-under-60s-with-first-astrazeneca-shot-choosing-to-repeat-vaccine-for-second-dose.html

Turtwig

It's a very tough one. I think the better immune response is from mixed dosing. Given that the health care worker environment is low risk to covid at the moment. The AZ vaccine may harm that population more. Risk may favour the individual; not the population. Mixed vaccines should be an option.

I would say for cohort 4 AZ would still be net benefit. However, I feel mixed dosing may be best for this group for other reasons.

I think NIAC will shift to mixed dosing tbh. Evidence is mounting that risk to AZ is cumulative. The more doses you get the greater your chances of developing low platelets will be.

km79

Gps must be getting a big stock of Pfizer
Two people at school today just got called I to two different practices in two different towns

Sleeper12

Widescreen wrote:

Had first dose of AZ start of April. Based on these latest findings I have no interest now in getting AZ 2nd dose (due in 5 weeks).

It's terrible how some people can be judgemental on another persons genuine fears.

There is in fact talk today on the radio of the possibility of mixing 2nd doses in some cases. I've no idea if this will be brought in or when but keep an eye out on today's news

Wolf359f

MerlinSouthDub wrote: »

That is both good and bad news. It is good news because the more effective a vaccine is, the longer it will take to get to the required number of infections.

I thought they run the trial until they get a certain number of positive cases in the placebo group? Or the very least the complete trial. Could be more a case of not enough covid in circulation in the trial locations.

revelman

Turtwig wrote: »

Evidence is mounting that risk to AZ is cumulative. The more doses you get the greater your chances of developing low platelets will be.

Again, sorry but this is similar to the post before. What evidence? The MHRA says it is difficult to compare first and second doses given the number of second doses that have been given. Currently the risk is 1.6 per 1 million for second doses. Some theorise that you tolerate the first dose, you are likely to tolerate the second and therefore risk is lower. But we simply don’t have the data to conclude either way. At least, as far as I’m aware. So what is this mounting evidence?

stephenjmcd

Turtwig wrote: »

It's a very tough one. I think the better immune response is from mixed dosing. Given that the health care worker environment is low risk to covid at the moment. The AZ vaccine may harm that population more. Risk may favour the individual; not the population. Mixed vaccines should be an option.

I would say for cohort 4 AZ would still be net benefit. However, I feel mixed dosing may be best for this group for other reasons.

I think NIAC will shift to mixed dosing tbh. Evidence is mounting that risk to AZ is cumulative. The more doses you get the greater your chances of developing low platelets will be.

I don't think they will as it puts more pressure on supply and will lead to a longer rollout. There's also not enough data on AZ dose 2 yet, the UK will be ahead of us in this aspect.

We'll see what happens but I don't think they'll make any change on the 2nd dose in terms of type, interval perhaps yes, I could see a situation (supply dependent) where the 12 weeks might drop to 8 weeks.

Stark

Something I'm curious about for second generation vaccine trials. Now that we have effective first generation vaccines, will future trials be run against placebo or against previous generation vaccines. Can't imagine anyone signing up to a placebo controlled trial nowadays knowing they can get an already approved vaccine.

Stark

Stark wrote: »

Something I'm curious about for second generation vaccine trials. Now that we have effective first generation vaccines, will future trials be run against placebo or against previous generation vaccines. Can't imagine anyone signing up to a placebo controlled trial nowadays knowing they can get an already approved vaccine.

They'll be run against existing vaccines. It's unethical to use a placebo where an effective vaccine is available.

Deeper Blue

Apparently the India variant has been in the US since February/March and yet their cases have dropped off a cliff, and they've opened up fully in many areas.

angeldelight

Webmechanic wrote: »

I asked in a different thread, but possibly not the correct one, does anyone know the actual age that's getting vaccinated in DIFE in Drogheda at the moment? I'm 56 and been waiting for three weeks and getting a bit anxious now with the lack of clear info. As I've often heard, 'it's the hope that gets you'.

I suggest you log back into the vaccine portal and check if there’s appointment data there for you. There’s an issue with some people not getting notification texts and missing appointments they never knew about

Seeing a lot of friends on social media around my age (late 20's) posting vaccine cards for the their first shot. Almost certain out of all them vaccinated, none of them are vulnerable in any way or any underlying conditions that I know of. Are they just being offered spares from their GP or what? Happy for them of course.

noplacehere

InitialG wrote: »

Seeing a lot of friends on social media around my age (late 20's) posting vaccine cards for the their first shot. Almost certain out of all them vaccinated, none of them are vulnerable in any way or any underlying conditions that I know of. Are they just being offered spares from their GP or what? Happy for them of course.

Honestly you might not know what they have. I’m very high risk and have been working from home as a result. Had to go to work last week and a colleague was like isn’t it just that you couldn’t manage the mask…. I’m like eh no, I’m very high risk

noplacehere

noplacehere wrote: »

Honestly you might not know what they have. I’m very high risk and have been working from home as a result. Had to go to work last week and a colleague was like isn’t it just that you couldn’t manage the mask…. I’m like eh no, I’m very high risk

A few of these friends I went to college with who are 100% not vulnerable so thats why i'm asking. Ill assume its spares from their GP but who knows.

ACitizenErased

Not sure if this was posted but McCauley Pharmacy have announced that “6 of our community pharmacies have been selected by the Health Executive Authority (HSE) to act as Covid-19 vaccination centres in support of the national mass vaccination programme currently underway. We have repurposed 6 of our former beauty salons into vaccinations centres, each of which will have the capacity for up to 200 vaccinations daily.”

The centres are:
McCauley Pharmacy, Redmond Square, Wexford
McCauley Pharmacy, Enniscorthy, Wexford
McCauley Pharmacy, Douglas, Cork
McCauley Pharmacy, Blackpool, Cork
McCauley Pharmacy, Fermoy, Cork
McCauley Pharmacy, Fairgreen, Carlow
 
“It is envisaged that the programme will commence next month. We are fully prepared to provide the vaccination service for all vaccine types and have a pre-registration facility available to the public.”

Webmechanic

angeldelight wrote: »

I suggest you log back into the vaccine portal and check if there’s appointment data there for you. There’s an issue with some people not getting notification texts and missing appointments they never knew about

Thanks for that. I had been checking regularly and… appointment finally showed up! Monday at the Helix, so they're sending some of us down to Dublin it seems. Getting the Janssen jab so will be as vaccinated as I can be two weeks afterwards. Still haven't received a text mind, I'll probably get that just as I get the injection!

IRISHSPORTSGUY

Good news for Ireland's 'best case scenario' regarding J&J deliveries.

Published: May 27, 2021 at 7:20 p.m.
WASHINGTON—The Food and Drug Administration and vaccine maker Johnson & Johnson JNJ expect to announce within days that contamination problems at a Covid-19 vaccine plant in Baltimore are resolved, clearing the way for millions more doses to become available.

Vaccine production at the plant run by contract manufacturer Emergent BioSolutions Inc. was halted after unsanitary conditions led to contamination of J&J vaccines. The facility made vaccine substance and finished vaccine doses for J&J and AstraZeneca.

Emergent chief executive Robert Kramer told a House committee last week that the company had produced enough of a key ingredient to yield more than 100 million doses of the J&J vaccine.

Johnson & Johnson said it is working with Emergent to secure “as quickly as possible emergency-use-authorization in the U.S. for Covid-19 drug substance manufactured at Emergent Bayview.”

Emergent declined to comment for this article.

The emergency use authorization for the plant to produce Covid-19 vaccine could be made next week, the U.S. officials said. That could help toward fulfilling President Biden’s pledges to share 20 million doses from J&J, Pfizer Inc. and Moderna Inc. with the rest of the world by the end of June.

The Baltimore plant has produced millions of doses that were in inventory awaiting authorization, but most aren’t finished and are placed in vials, the officials said, adding it could take months before all those doses are ready for use.

One official said that as part of that arrangement to get the plant online, the U.S. and J&J have tentatively agreed that about 60 million doses of J&J vaccine substance made at the Baltimore plant now will be cleared for use either in the U.S. or overseas.

AstraZeneca is still doing testing on about 60 million doses, also manufactured at the Emergent plant in Baltimore, that could be the subject of another agreement with the FDA in coming weeks or possibly still part of this one, another official said. AstraZeneca declined to comment for this article.

The J&J doses, when they are finished, would be enough to vaccinate about 60 million people with the company’s one-shot regimen. The AstraZeneca doses, if they become available, are a two-dose regimen and could inoculate about half that many people.

An accident at the Baltimore plant led to the contamination of material that could have yielded up to 15 million doses during January and February.

The company has been taking corrective measures and been in talks with FDA and J&J over the steps needed to reopen the facility.

An FDA inspection of the Emergent plant in April concluded that the facility failed to maintain clean and sanitary conditions and didn’t take proper measures to avoid cross-contamination between the two vaccine lines.

Under an agreement with the U.S. government, the U.S. had paid Emergent $271 million of monthly reservation fees to be prepared to manufacture vaccines, but the government partially stopped payment after learning of the contamination, according to a memo from the Democratic staff of the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis.

At a meeting of the subcommittee last week, Emergent executives blamed some of the problems at its Baltimore vaccine plant on having to produce the two different vaccines simultaneously in large quantities.

Mr. Kramer said that “ramping up production of two novel vaccines on a very large scale in the same facility is unprecedented.”

In an April 30 response to the FDA inspection report, Emergent said it had decommissioned the AstraZeneca portion of its plant in the Bayview section of Baltimore and has taken several steps to avoid any contamination of the J&J vaccine ingredient.

It said it planned to complete several remedial steps, such as repairing, cleaning and disinfecting the manufacturing plant and improving training of personnel at the site.

The company pledged to take several corrective actions during May and June, all of which need to be accomplished before fully recommencing manufacturing at the site.

RavenBea17b

Widescreen wrote: »

I am in plus 60 category, underlying condition-

Had first dose of AZ start of April. Based on these latest findings I have no interest now in getting AZ 2nd dose (due in 5 weeks).

Reason being, India variant. I think up to 66% efficacy after 2nd dose AZ whilst up to 88% with a mRNA 2nd dose instead. So I think I would now prefer Moderna or Pfizer 2nd dose

Has to be a no brainer, otherwise all the 60-69 people will be less protected than the under 69's - crazy stuff!

Lets face it, if I had a 34% chance of winning the lotto I would by a ticket every week , but not if only 12%.

I posted something from Mac n Chise twitter - about the Indian variant and effectiveness AZ vs Pfizer c66% a couple of days ago. It explained that that is not the expected end results for protection as the nature of AZ protection increases the lengthier duration. So, AZ is in the 60+% range at day 21.

All excellent at explaining the queries about efficacy for various vaccines.

This is quite interesting thread too :
https://twitter.com/jburnmurdoch/status/1396531241135087616

https://twitter.com/sailorrooscout/status/1396409980564262912

https://twitter.com/sailorrooscout/status/1396409980564262912

RavenBea17b

Janssen single dose approved in UK

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-57283837

Rebelbrowser

Flying Fox wrote: »

It's head wrecking that the question is asked repeatedly in here. We know it will be open next week. Have a bit of patience.

You could have posted the same thing this day last week and you would ultimately have been wrong. So again, I'd like to hear it from Government thank you very much, not from nameless newspaper leaks. I hope Revelman is correct and MM does clarify today.

Necro

2nd Pfizer jab this morning

All good so far, arm a little stiff but no pain like the first jab. Nothing else to report either so far. Just delighted to have the two doses now.

Roll on June 7th

xboxdad

stephenjmcd wrote: »

EMA press conference due around 1pm our time. Latest discussion & decisions could include Pfizer approval from 12-15 year olds.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ix5DYqtz8k

Hmm... I kept it open on a tab waiting for it to start at 2PM, then it suddenly got delayed until 3:30PM?..

stephenjmcd

xboxdad wrote: »

Hmm... I kept it open on a tab waiting for it to start at 2PM, then it suddenly got delayed until 3:30PM?..

Yup pushed back. Frequently happens with EMA conferences that they get delayed an hour or so

Sleeper12

This is good news for Ireland

The European Medicines Agency is expected to approve the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for use in 12 to 15-year olds on Friday.

It will be the first Covid vaccine available for adolescents.

https://www.irishtimes.com/business/health-pharma/pfizer-covid-19-vaccine-expected-to-be-approved-for-12-15-year-olds-1.4577823

Rebelbrowser

Rebelbrowser wrote: »

You could have posted the same thing this day last week and you would ultimately have been wrong. So again, I'd like to hear it from Government thank you very much, not from nameless newspaper leaks. I hope Revelman is correct and MM does clarify today.

We were due to hear an announcement this week. Nobody ever said it would be open for registration this week.

You're not going to be forgotten about, and you'll get your vaccine when you turn comes. There's no need for the angst.

eoinbn

MerlinSouthDub wrote: »

That is both good and bad news. It is good news because the more effective a vaccine is, the longer it will take to get to the required number of infections.

That isn't how trials work. The trials require people they didn't get the vaccine to get infected.

Late June has been the target since February.

Deeper Blue

Deeper Blue wrote: »

Apparently the India variant has been in the US since February/March and yet their cases have dropped off a cliff, and they've opened up fully in many areas.

Denmark is another one. Been present since March but no sign of significant growth. They sequence nearly all of their cases too.

Furze99

is_that_so wrote: »

It's the INMO looking after its own members, again. They kicked up a stink when members weren't being vaccinated and then when AZ was the vaccine they had another hissy fit.

You seem to be missing an important point!! The INMO represent health professionals, if they have serious concerns they want answered, how can the public be possibly expected not to be concerned.

It's critical that we have a 'do what I do' example from health professionals: nurses, GPs, consulatnts, NIAC, NPHET, HSE and all politicians.

muckisluck

Flying Fox wrote: »

We were due to hear an announcement this week. Nobody ever said it would be open for registration this week.

You're not going to be forgotten about, and you'll get your vaccine when you turn comes. There's no need for the angst.

Well that is debatable. I think any 59/60 yr olds I know in Drogheda have every reason to believe they have been forgotten. Its a very difficult situation to be in when we hear other parts of the country are vaccinating those 12/13 years younger already. When do you think their turn should cone? After the 12 year olds?