Possible vaccines/treatment(s) for Coronavirus

[Lord Camomile]

Bit of a hoo-ha brewing in the States.

A lot of people criticising Marco Rubio for "jumping the queue" and getting vaccinated. Meanwhile, AOC has also had the vaccine, seemingly in an effort to destigmatise/demystify it (which is fairly consistent with other stuff she's done).

So, is one right, one wrong? Are politicians leading by example by getting the vaccination, or are they jumping the queue?

(Obviously some of the ire against Rubio is that he's been claiming "hoax" and all that stuff for most of 2020, but has now jumped on a vaccine...)

 

[Cloo]

Bit concerned to hear from a neighbour that her elderly mum got a call about her vaccination, but nothing in writing (understandable considering urgency) - her mum had to write down address, date and time. This is a worry for my 92-year-old step-grandma, as she's partially sighted and her memory's going, so it could be a challenge for her to write details down and remember it if they don't catch her on a good day. I think her daughter has taken to leaving notes (in large writing) by her mum's phone to remind her of stuff so maybe she needs a 'Phone A when you get the vaccination time' reminder to make sure someone else has details. There must be plenty of older folks like her living alone or with partners with similar issues who may miss out if they have to write it down themselves.

 

[Monkeygrinder's Organ]

Bit of a hoo-ha brewing in the States.

A lot of people criticising Marco Rubio for "jumping the queue" and getting vaccinated. Meanwhile, AOC has also had the vaccine, seemingly in an effort to destigmatise/demystify it (which is fairly consistent with other stuff she's done).

So, is one right, one wrong? Are politicians leading by example by getting the vaccination, or are they jumping the queue?

(Obviously some of the ire against Rubio is that he's been claiming "hoax" and all that stuff for most of 2020, but has now jumped on a vaccine...)

I think it will probably help to dampen some of the anti vax stuff tbh so a good thing, even though I obviously wouldn't trust his motives at all.

 

[teuchter]

 

[Indeliblelink]

Article about why we might be seeing relatively higher incidents of allergic reaction to the Pfizer vaccine.

Science | AAAS

www.sciencemag.org

Severe allergy-like reactions in at least eight people who received the COVID-19 vaccine produced by Pfizer and BioNTech over the past 2 weeks may be due to a compound in the packaging of the messenger RNA (mRNA) that forms the vaccine’s main ingredient, scientists say. A similar mRNA vaccine developed by Moderna, which was authorized for emergency use in the United States on Friday, also contains the compound, polyethylene glycol (PEG).
....
Some allergists and immunologists believe a small number of people previously exposed to PEG may have high levels of antibodies against PEG, putting them at risk of an anaphylactic reaction to the vaccine.

 

[Supine]

PEG is contained in lots of things. There are always a small number of people who react badly to any chemical. I wouldn't be undue concerned about this vaccine.

 

[Indeliblelink]

I'm not particularly concerned, I just find the science interesting.

 

[Chilli.s]

Aged parents booked in for vaccination (part 1) next week

 

[teuchter]

Scotland still world-beating:

 

[platinumsage]

It's looking increasingly foolish for the government to have fucked off the Moderna vaccine. If we'd had that now we could be proceeding at a much faster rate.

 

[platinumsage]

Latest vaccination data:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/COVID-19-total-announced-vaccinations-24-December-2020.pdf

521,594 people vaccinated, 366,715 of which were over 80 (there are 3.2 million over 80s in the UK)

 

[Boudicca]

My lodger, who works in NHS Admin, has just told me that their IT guy has had a Covid jab 'because he moves around a lot'.

 

[weltweit]

..
521,594 people vaccinated, 366,715 of which were over 80 (there are 3.2 million over 80s in the UK)

That doesn't sound like much more than they already announced, they said they did 500,000 already days ago ..

 

[teuchter]

That doesn't sound like much more than they already announced, they said they did 500,000 already days ago ..

That data was for whole of UK I think. What platinumsage posted is just England. Scotland seems to be quite far ahead.

 

[Cloo]

Bit concerned to hear from a neighbour that her elderly mum got a call about her vaccination, but nothing in writing (understandable considering urgency) - her mum had to write down address, date and time. This is a worry for my 92-year-old step-grandma, as she's partially sighted and her memory's going, so it could be a challenge for her to write details down and remember it if they don't catch her on a good day. I think her daughter has taken to leaving notes (in large writing) by her mum's phone to remind her of stuff so maybe she needs a 'Phone A when you get the vaccination time' reminder to make sure someone else has details. There must be plenty of older folks like her living alone or with partners with similar issues who may miss out if they have to write it down themselves.

My mum told me this morning that step-grandma has receivied her vaccine - very luckily her daughter was there when they called about it so she got to the vaccination and her daughter has details for second dose so she won't miss that.

 

[William of Walworth]

It's looking increasingly foolish for the government to have fucked off the Moderna vaccine. If we'd had that now we could be proceeding at a much faster rate.

I must have missed out on this -- have the Government sacked getting any of the Moderna vaccine, then?

I thought I'd read that the UK Government had at least seven million doses on order -- admittedly that's a pretty limited total, but still!

 

[platinumsage]

I must have missed out on this -- have the Government sacked getting any of the Moderna vaccine, then?

I thought I'd read that the UK Government had at least seven million doses on order -- admittedly that's a pretty limited total, but still!

Unlike the other vaccines they bought, they acquired the Moderna one very late, after the trial results, and we consequently won’t get any until April. The US is already giving it to people.

Now is when we need it, when the rollout rate is limited by the available vaccine and not by the staff to administer it etc. By April we‘ll have lots of vaccines to go around so it’ll be of limited utility, plus thousands more people will be dead by then.

 

[Supine]

To be fair to the gov they bought into lots of potential vaccines and they invested money into all of the major science platforms used to develop them. Moderna has done well but they had no history and looked like an outside shot only a few months ago.

 

[Supine]

May be of interest to some:

The official ingredients of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine with their functions:

𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐓
- nucleoside-modified messenger RNA (modRNA) encoding the viral spike glycoprotein (S) of SARS-CoV-2

RNA is a template to produce a specific protein. In the vaccine, this message tells our cells to produce the viral protein that will trigger the immune response to the virus.

𝐋𝐈𝐏𝐈𝐃𝐒

• (4-hydroxybutyl)azanediyl)bis(hexane-6,1-diyl)bis (ALC-3015)
• (2- hexyldecanoate),2-[(polyethylene glycol)-2000]-N,N-ditetradecylacetamide (ALC-0159)
• 1,2-distearoyl-snglycero-3-phosphocholine (DSPC)
• Cholesterol

These are fancy words for 4 different fatty molecules. These assemble into capsules that contain the RNA. These fats aid in delivery and protection of the RNA.

𝐒𝐀𝐋𝐓𝐒

• potassium chloride
• monobasic potassium phosphate
• sodium chloride
• basic sodium phosphate dihydrate

Again, fancy words for 4 salts. This formula is actually phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), a common buffer. This normalizes the pH of the vaccine.

𝐒𝐔𝐆𝐀𝐑
- sucrose

Just sugar! It is a cryoprotectant to ensure the lipids don't get too sticky in ultra-cold storage.

 

[souljacker]

My lodger, who works in NHS Admin, has just told me that their IT guy has had a Covid jab 'because he moves around a lot'.

Good stuff. I've worked with quite a few trusts in England and the IT staff are pretty much the only people in a hospital who need to go everywhere. We don't want them running around infecting the whole place.

 

[weltweit]

May be of interest to some:

The official ingredients of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine with their functions:

𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐓
- nucleoside-modified messenger RNA (modRNA) encoding the viral spike glycoprotein (S) of SARS-CoV-2
..

Goes into garden shed equipped with chemicals and test tubes - how hard can it be?

 

[cupid_stunt]

This possible new treatment sounds promising, the idea being that it could be given to people who have been exposed to SARS-Cov-2, to prevent it developing into covid-19. Subject to the trials going well and approval, it could be an important addition to the expanding toolkit in the flight against this fucker.

British scientists are trialling a new drug that could prevent someone who has been exposed to coronavirus from going on to develop the disease Covid-19, which experts say could save many lives.

The antibody therapy would confer instant immunity against the disease and could be given as an emergency treatment to hospital inpatients and care home residents to help contain outbreaks.

People living in households where someone has caught Covid could be injected with the drug to ensure they do not become infected too. It could also be given to university students, among whom the virus has spread rapidly because they live, study and socialise together.

Dr Catherine Houlihan, a virologist at University College London Hospitals NHS trust (UCLH) who is leading a study called Storm Chaser into the drug, said: “If we can prove that this treatment works and prevent people who are exposed to the virus going on to develop Covid-19, it would be an exciting addition to the arsenal of weapons being developed to fight this dreadful virus.,”

The drug has been developed by UCLH and AstraZeneca, the pharmaceutical company that has also, along with Oxford University, created a vaccine that the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is expected to approve for use in Britain next week.

The team hope the trial shows that the cocktail of antibodies protects against Covid-19 for between six and 12 months. Trial participants are receiving it as two doses, one after the other. If it is approved, it would be offered to someone who has been exposed to Covid in the previous eight days.

UK scientists trial drug to prevent infection that leads to Covid

Exclusive: Antibody therapy could confer instant immunity to Covid-19 on at-risk groups

www.theguardian.com

 

[platinumsage]

To be fair to the gov they bought into lots of potential vaccines and they invested money into all of the major science platforms used to develop them. Moderna has done well but they had no history and looked like an outside shot only a few months ago.

It certainly didn't look like an outside shot which is why the US and EU both bought into the Moderna vaccine early on.

 

[farmerbarleymow]

So, is one right, one wrong? Are politicians leading by example by getting the vaccination, or are they jumping the queue?

I have no issue with politicians doing this - given the amount of scepticism about vaccines, it's important that people in public office lead by example. Compare that with Blair's reluctance to confirm one of his kids had had MMR - that was bloody stupid.

Goes into garden shed equipped with chemicals and test tubes - how hard can it be?

Don't forget to add the secret 5G microchips otherwise it won't work.

 

[two sheds]

Interesting summary here:

Ten reasons why we got Covid-19 vaccines so quickly without 'cutting corners' | Adam Finn

Speedy rollout is thanks to a combination of foresight, hard work and lucky breaks, says Prof Adam Finn

www.theguardian.com

 

[William of Walworth]

Interesting summary here:

Ten reasons why we got Covid-19 vaccines so quickly without 'cutting corners' | Adam Finn

Speedy rollout is thanks to a combination of foresight, hard work and lucky breaks, says Prof Adam Finn

www.theguardian.com

The above is excellent, and about the most positive summary of the vaccine-development process that I've read so far

Science = cool as fuck

Anti-science (aka "vaccine-scepticism" ) = uncool to the end of any known horizon

 

[2hats]

AZ CEO claims AZD1222 found to have 95% efficacy and be 100% protective against severe illness in latest trial where optimal dosing regime has been established. Regulatory approval expected later this week.

The coronavirus vaccine developed by Oxford University and Astra Zeneca is expected to win approval this week as the head of the drugs giant said it “should be” effective against the highly transmissible new strain of the virus.

Senior government officials expect the drugs watchdog to give the green light before Thursday, speeding up the provision of the jab to the 15m people who could end up in hospital if they caught the virus.

Astra Zeneca’s chief executive, Pascal Soriot, today reveals that new data will show the vaccine is as effective as the Pfizer and Moderna jabs that have already been approved, protecting 95% of patients, and is “100% effective” in preventing severe illness requiring hospital treatment.

Covid vaccine boost for millions as hospitals near breaking point

The coronavirus vaccine developed by Oxford University and Astra Zeneca is expected to win approval this week as the head of the drugs giant said it “should be”

www.thetimes.co.uk

 

[2hats]

Further phase 3 trials of the Novavax NVX-CoV2373 recombinant spike protein vaccine in the US and Mexico. (May end up being the fourth vaccine to be widely approved).

Novavax Investor Relations - Press Releases & Statements

ir.novavax.com

 

[William of Walworth]

Further phase 3 trials of the Novavax NVX-CoV2373 recombinant spike protein vaccine in the US and Mexico. (May end up being the fourth vaccine to be widely approved).

Novavax Investor Relations - Press Releases & Statements

ir.novavax.com

I really like a level of scientific detail that non-scientists like me have to work hard to understand. It's reassuring

 

[cupid_stunt]

Oxford vaccine approved at last.

This should be a game changer, not just for the UK, but the world.

COVID-19: Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine to be rolled out from Monday - but Britons warned against behaving with 'wild abandon'

Health Secretary Matt Hancock told Sky News it will start to be rolled out from 4 January.

news.sky.com