Current Affairs Coronavirus Thread - Serious stuff !!!

[davek]

I'm pretty sure it was one of the people involved in assessing that trial which - in a guardian article you posted on here - said that the longer spacing had provided the better results. They also explained it was an accident it had happened, a happy accident, but an accident nevertheless. But that's what science is, trial and error.

My point is, we have to see how it plays out. Pfizer roll out started mid-December, we have a lot of people who have received full doses - yes it could be more, but that would mean less people have received any protection at all.

The hope has to be that as more and more vaccines get approved and more and more AZ doses become available, that we can start shortening the spacing perhaps? But right now, we just don't know. All we know is infection rates are going down and the vaccine programme is getting doses into arms at speed. 600k today, that is nothing but positive, it just isn't.

Anyway, I'm off to sleep.

I cant remember that being members of the vaccine creating team. More likely it was an AZ employee.

 

[Brennan]

I cant remember that being members of the vaccine creating team. More likely it was an AZ employee.

It was.

 

[degsy]

On a related point, reports here, (UK), today are saying the Aussie RFU board have offered to host the South Africa Lions tour there. All profits, after hosting costs are deducted, go to SA RFU.

Pretty decent if true/possible. Just not sure how many Aussies would want to watch a SA/Lions match, cos I doubt you would want 000's of visiting fans, rightly so.

If they put it on in Melbourne they'll get a full house because they will turn out to watch any big sport and SA will have plenty of support due to 'we're automatically anti Pom' thing
90,000, ffs, turn up to watch the rs a few years ago
And they could probably get full (covid) houses at Brisbane and Sydney too

 

[BlueToff]

I cant remember that being members of the vaccine creating team. More likely it was an AZ employee.

and @Brennan

found the article, it was the head of Public Health England

and - Prof Wei Shen Lim, the chair of the Covid-19 immunisation group of the JCVI (that's what I was thinking of, apologies for the mix up)

and then one of the AZ heads is also featured

Second shots of Covid vaccine could be delayed further in England

Some evidence suggests spacing vaccination doses improves effectiveness

www.theguardian.com

 

[NilSatisOptimum]

I would like to hear what the scientists at Oxford think. We heard a great deal from them prior to the announcement that their vaccine had received an emergency license, but they seem to be nowhere to be seen since. Are they being muzzled?

Not a chance will all be tied up with non disclosure agreements whatever the legal speak is. Also, the careful eye on revenue streams for future endeavours cannot be jepordised, the greater good and all that.

Do have some experiences with that in drug prohibition, where some charities will have the official opinion XYZ illicit drug should remain illegal in private they will have more liberal views, purely because a security manufacture firm specialties in drug detection and law enforcement is their biggest financial contributor...
Receive significant money from one source you dance the tune.

 

[whiteshadow]

Is there yet any cold, hard evidence that delaying the jabs causes what people are worried it does? I'm not trying to be pedantic, I just see a lot of articles (mostly dated several weeks ago).

People conveniently ignore that AZ tested the vaccine over longer spacing. because well, that just doesn't suit their argument does it.

The Pfizer jab probably shouldn't be messed with, but the six-week spacing seems to be working fine in Denmark and that goes against Pfizer advice too.

So far, it appears that the UK's vaccine approach is working. But, time's going to tell. Unfortunately in life, we don't get all of the answers as soon as we'd like them.

Infection rates are thankfully continuing to fall. Most likely the result of restrictions but it could well be that the vaccinations/first doses are starting to have an effect too. We have to see how it plays out.

Would have thought 4 years of insisting the world would end and sky would fall in the moment the UK left the EU would be enough for the political/vaccine/NHS/pandemic/China/virus all-in-one experts.

Most vaccines give better long term.immunity with a delayed second dose. That's the reason they are taking the chance with it.

It's not been tested for the Pfizer vaccine, which is why some people object to it but if it acts like most vaccines the chances are the delayed 2nd dose won't affect long term immunity.

The worry is if the immunity dwindles quickly from the first dose, which is possible but not that likely.

Technically they are gambling with the second dose but it's based on their working knowledge of how most vaccines work, so it's probably not as bad as some are making out. The chances are the strategy will work.

 

[tsubaki]

Most vaccines give better long term.immunity with a delayed second dose. That's the reason they are taking the chance with it.

It's not been tested for the Pfizer vaccine, which is why some people object to it but if it acts like most vaccines the chances are the delayed 2nd dose won't affect long term immunity.

The worry is if the immunity dwindles quickly from the first dose, which is possible but not that likely.

Technically they are gambling with the second dose but it's based on their working knowledge of how most vaccines work, so it's probably not as bad as some are making out. The chances are the strategy will work.

“the chances are” / “taking the chance”

I hope it works too, but really there should be a lot more questioning of this given we are doing this with the people most at risk here and are alone in the world doing this.

 

[BlueToff]

Most vaccines give better long term.immunity with a delayed second dose. That's the reason they are taking the chance with it.

It's not been tested for the Pfizer vaccine, which is why some people object to it but if it acts like most vaccines the chances are the delayed 2nd dose won't affect long term immunity.

The worry is if the immunity dwindles quickly from the first dose, which is possible but not that likely.

Technically they are gambling with the second dose but it's based on their working knowledge of how most vaccines work, so it's probably not as bad as some are making out. The chances are the strategy will work.

I agree mate. I'm hoping the bit in bold is correct.

My general point was there's a lot of articles getting shared (some several weeks old) about the risks and warnings etc, but I wondered if there's yet evidence that really does show what the government have decided to do is wrong/leading to people getting ill. As far as I can tell, there isn't.

On Pfzier I've been very consistent that I don't think they should have messed with the spacing as it hadn't been tested at all, other than at 3 weeks. If we did have to space it out, then limiting it to 6 weeks like Denmark and France might have been a better option.

 

[NilSatisOptimum]

Most vaccines give better long term.immunity with a delayed second dose. That's the reason they are taking the chance with it.

It's not been tested for the Pfizer vaccine, which is why some people object to it but if it acts like most vaccines the chances are the delayed 2nd dose won't affect long term immunity.

The worry is if the immunity dwindles quickly from the first dose, which is possible but not that likely.

Technically they are gambling with the second dose but it's based on their working knowledge of how most vaccines work, so it's probably not as bad as some are making out. The chances are the strategy will work.

There is evidence already that the vaccines have less efficacy against the new variants...The worry is partially immunized people get covid, who in turn teach the virus to work round the vaccine, bang vaccine resistant COVID.

 

[whiteshadow]

“the chances are” / “taking the chance”

I hope it works too, but really there should be a lot more questioning of this given we are doing this with the people most at risk here and are alone in the world doing this.

True.

If it does work it will save more people. Normally I'd err on the side of caution and go with the dosing from the trails but with the new strain I can see why they are taking the chance.

 

[whiteshadow]

There is evidence already that the vaccines have less efficacy against the new variants...The worry is partially immunized people get covid, who in turn teach the virus to work round the vaccine, bang vaccine resistant COVID.

Don't viruses only evolve through random mutations?

I don't think a virus can evolve in the same way bacteria can become resistant to some treatments.

 

[tsubaki]

Don't viruses only evolve through random mutations?

I don't think a virus can evolve in the same way bacteria can become resistant to some treatments.

They do, but it’s which random mutation(s) is successful at reproducing that determines in which direction it goes.

 

[BlueToff]

Nice little military coup in Myanmar, there.

It's alright though, we should look to south east Asia as the beacon of all hope and follow their ways.

 

[Blues Harp]

Nice little military coup in Myanmar, there.

It's alright though, we should look to south east Asia as the beacon of all hope and follow their ways.

Eh? What is your point? How is this relevant to covid 19?

 

[Chewbacca]

The AZ vaccine is conventional in type and there is a lot of data from other vaccines about dosage timing.

The Pfizer one is a new type of vaccine without all of that background data hence should be used only as it was in testing and trial.

I’m pretty comfortable with the current strategy (for the first time since last March)