International COVID-19 Updates & Discussion 3

[MiW]

It's common knowledge that vaccines will need to be adjusted and administered at a regular interval.

We also don't know enough about the effect of vaccines against new variants when it comes to severe disease. Everyone is only talking about efficacy..

I know it's common knowledge here, but most of the media in UK announces loudly every day how as soon as everyone gets vaccinated , it will be all over. And pretends they can stop mutations coming in, 'forgetting' that mutations happen anyway everywhere.

 

[Gordon_R]

It's common knowledge that vaccines will need to be adjusted and administered at a regular interval.

We also don't know enough about the effect of vaccines against new variants when it comes to severe disease. Everyone is only talking about efficacy..

All of the vaccines are effective at preventing severe disease and death, including all of the new variants. Efficacy refers to a different standard, of infection and minor illness.

Edit: Once everyone is vaccinated, Covid will stop killing people in large numbers, but it won't disappear as a disease.

 

[AdrianH]

Got my invite yesterday ...... no pre-existing conditions so have they ramped up that much they're starting the next age group in certain areas? Damn.

I received a SMS yesterday saying I'll be contacted next week to make booking? Was yours the same, or is yours an actual booking SMS?

 

[Mephisto_Helix]

I received a SMS yesterday saying I'll be contacted next week to make booking? Was yours the same, or is yours an actual booking SMS?

Mine was the actual booking sms, had a choice of today or Friday

 

[AdrianH]

Mine was the actual booking sms, had a choice of today or Friday

Nice!

Do you have to book online with link from SMS, or reply to the SMS?

I'm guessing you're the 40 to 50 band?

 

[MiW]

All of the vaccines are effective at preventing severe disease and death, including all of the new variants. Efficacy refers to a different standard, of infection and minor illness.

Edit: Once everyone is vaccinated, Covid will stop killing people in large numbers, but it won't disappear as a disease.

The Differences Between the Vaccines Matter

Yes, all of the COVID-19 vaccines are very good. No, they’re not all the same.

www.theatlantic.com

But it’s also true that the COVID-19 vaccines aren’t all the same: Some are more effective than others at preventing illness, for example; some cause fewer adverse reactions; some are more convenient; some were made using more familiar methods and technologies. As for the claim that the vaccines have proved perfectly and equally effective at preventing hospitalization and death? It’s just not right.

So that’s how the vaccine trials were designed: Each would try to demonstrate at least 50 percent efficacy with respect to symptomatic disease as its “primary outcome.”

The trials could have used severe disease, hospitalization, or death as primary outcomes, but that would have slowed things down. These events are far more infrequent—there could have been 200 infections for each COVID-19 death in the U.S.—and that means it would have taken more time, and larger numbers of trial participants, to generate enough data to be sure of a 50 percent efficacy. Developers did include “severe COVID-19” as a secondary outcome—that is, one that would be measured and analyzed, but for which the trial might not have been designed to provide a definitive answer. Efficacy against hospitalization and against death, however, were not included as secondary outcomes for every trial.

It would be just as risky to assume that all hospitalizations would be included in the analyses of people who developed severe COVID-19. Hospitalization and severe disease are not synonymous—people could be coping at home even though COVID-19 has caused their oxygen levels to drop severely, and moderately ill people might be hospitalized out of an abundance of caution when they are at high risk of getting worse.

For the Novavax and Oxford-AstraZeneca trials, there were zero people with severe disease in the vaccinated group versus only one in the control group, so adding or subtracting one would have been even more dramatic. The problem is even greater for deaths. For that efficacy analysis, only two of the vaccine trials—for Moderna’s and Johnson & Johnson’s—reported any COVID-19 deaths at all in the control groups.

the FDA pointed out in December that one vaccinated person in the Moderna trial had been hospitalized with apparently severe COVID-19 two months after receiving a second dose.

 

[The_Right_Honourable_Brit]

Where people in UK going to go, most borders are closed anyway.

Actually many nations are opening up or will open up in the summer to attract the British tourists. Greece, Spain etc. It's just that the UK is not allowing anyone out -- it's clear that the 17th of May date for international leisure travel to resume will be pushed back at least until July.

 

[Gordon_R]

The Differences Between the Vaccines Matter

Yes, all of the COVID-19 vaccines are very good. No, they’re not all the same.

www.theatlantic.com

Please edit your post so that the text quoted from the article is below the link, otherwise it looks like it was my comment.

 

[Paulsie]

Looking at the two countries with high vaccination uptakes (UK/Israel) the initial data seems to disagree with you so far.

The vaccines are not on trial here. It is the actions of the UK government INSPITE of the vaccines.

 

[Mephisto_Helix]

Nice!

Do you have to book online with link from SMS, or reply to the SMS?

I'm guessing you're the 40 to 50 band?

Yep, link from SMS, just chose a location from 2 choices and then a time slot. Quick and easy. And yeah, 45 so smack dab in the middle

 

[AdrianH]

Yep, link from SMS, just chose a location from 2 choices and then a time slot. Quick and easy. And yeah, 45 so smack dab in the middle

Sweet, I am 42.

Looking forward to my jab

 

[Geoff.D]

Sweet, I am 42.

Looking forward to my jab

You all sound like a bunch of druggies waiting for your latest fix.
The question is are you both health workers of honorary health workers?

 

[AdrianH]

You all sound like a bunch of druggies waiting for your latest fix.
The question is are you both health workers of honorary health workers?

Not at all, just an ordinary 42 year old dude with no underlying health issues.

 

[Geoff.D]

Not at all, just an ordinary 42 year old dude with no underlying health issues.

So, not in the next group that is supposed to be selected as part of the phased roll out then?

 

[AdrianH]

So, not in the next group that I s supposed to be selected as part of the phased roll out then?

Last thing I heard is that 40s to 50s will start mid-April. Not sure why the earlier dates.

 

[Mephisto_Helix]

I think they're ahead of targets, no other reason that I can see except they're doing a lot more than expected in smaller areas and then sending invites to the next group so as to use up supplies.

 

[Dave]

I think they're ahead of targets, no other reason that I can see except they're doing a lot more than expected in smaller areas and then sending invites to the next group so as to use up supplies.

That’s what I suspect as well, the system is working well now and as soon as surplus is predicted they move to alternative groups.

My daughter had a phone call from her work on Monday to ask if she wanted to go in for the vaccination on Tuesday and she’s only 27 but in an occupation that could be considered at higher risk for encountering COVID carriers.

 

[Mephisto_Helix]

Old Bojo might be correct in his 'seeing some normalcy return by July' after all ....

 

[AdrianH]

I think they're ahead of targets, no other reason that I can see except they're doing a lot more than expected in smaller areas and then sending invites to the next group so as to use up supplies.

Have you been in hospital lately? I was beginning of March due to kidney stone. Maybe this is a reason?

 

[Mephisto_Helix]

Nope, nothing like that. I went to see a doc when I first got here as I had a horrid chest infection (2019), then I went for a diabetes and blood pressure because over 40 and that's the extent of it, lol. The only thing on file that could explain it is that I had T2 diabetes a few years ago but surely their more recent test should be on record as showing clear of that. I dunno, just glad to be getting it over with because lots of friends and family are already done with.