International COVID-19 Updates & Discussion 3

[Sinbad]

Did you get a 2nd date?

I was told I would be contacted in 8 to 10 weeks, while another person I know they booked his 2nd date on the day he went.

They booked my 2nd date when I arrived

 

[Sinbad]

Damn. I was just told that I can expect a text within 12 weeks. I had the AZ, though, so wonder if there will even be enough to go around when the time comes.

There's probably no harm (in fact, it may even be better) to have a second dose of a different vaccine, I reckon.

 

[The Voice]

There's probably no harm (in fact, it may even be better) to have a second dose of a different vaccine, I reckon.

Apparently you need to have the same one as the first? AZ and Pfizer, for example, have been created using completely different methods, and work in a different way.

 

[Dave]

Apparently you need to have the same one as the first? AZ and Pfizer, for example, have been created using completely different methods, and work in a different way.

It won’t hurt you, but the current guidelines are that you should get the same vaccine for the second.

Covid-19: Vaccine brands can be mixed in “extremely rare occasions,” says Public Health England

Patients should receive the same type of covid-19 vaccine for their first and second doses, but they could be given different brands if the same vaccine is not available or if there is no record of which vaccine the person received first, Public Health England (PHE) has said. Mary Ramsay, head...

www.bmj.com

Patients should receive the same type of covid-19 vaccine for their first and second doses, but they could be given different brands if the same vaccine is not available or if there is no record of which vaccine the person received first, Public Health England (PHE) has said.

Mary Ramsay, head of immunisations at PHE, told The BMJ that “every effort should be made to give [patients] the same vaccine, but where this is not possible it is better to give a second dose of another vaccine than not at all.”

Covid-19 vaccines are currently being rolled out to priority groups including care home residents and staff, people over 80, and health and care workers. In its Green Book,1 which provides guidance to healthcare professionals, PHE said that it was preferable for patients to get the same vaccine type but that it was “reasonable to offer one dose of the locally available product to complete the schedule.”

It added that this option was “preferred if the individual is likely to be at immediate high risk or is considered unlikely to attend again. In these circumstances, as both the vaccines are based on the spike protein, it is likely the second dose will help to boost the response to the first dose.”

 

[The Voice]

It won’t hurt you, but the current guidelines are that you should get the same vaccine for the second.

Covid-19: Vaccine brands can be mixed in “extremely rare occasions,” says Public Health England

Patients should receive the same type of covid-19 vaccine for their first and second doses, but they could be given different brands if the same vaccine is not available or if there is no record of which vaccine the person received first, Public Health England (PHE) has said. Mary Ramsay, head...

www.bmj.com

Patients should receive the same type of covid-19 vaccine for their first and second doses, but they could be given different brands if the same vaccine is not available or if there is no record of which vaccine the person received first, Public Health England (PHE) has said.

Mary Ramsay, head of immunisations at PHE, told The BMJ that “every effort should be made to give [patients] the same vaccine, but where this is not possible it is better to give a second dose of another vaccine than not at all.”

Covid-19 vaccines are currently being rolled out to priority groups including care home residents and staff, people over 80, and health and care workers. In its Green Book,1 which provides guidance to healthcare professionals, PHE said that it was preferable for patients to get the same vaccine type but that it was “reasonable to offer one dose of the locally available product to complete the schedule.”

It added that this option was “preferred if the individual is likely to be at immediate high risk or is considered unlikely to attend again. In these circumstances, as both the vaccines are based on the spike protein, it is likely the second dose will help to boost the response to the first dose.”

Ah ok. I guess 2nd of any is better than none.

Just not keen on mixing my monkey DNA with anything else, I guess.

 

[Sinbad]

Ah ok. I guess 2nd of any is better than none.

Just not keen on mixing my monkey DNA with anything else, I guess.

but but but if you get an mRNA booster, it might mutate the monkey DNA and make you as strong as King Kong!

 

[Dave]

but but but if you get an mRNA booster, it might mutate the monkey DNA and make you as strong as King Kong!

It could also regress him into a tea drinking chimpanzee.

 

[Geoff.D]

There's probably no harm (in fact, it may even be better) to have a second dose of a different vaccine, I reckon.

Provided there is no interaction between the two. How will anyone know until a case is documented?

 

[flippakitten]

So how am I anti-vaxx, but you are not, when we share the same opinions (minus the fact that AZ is ineffective here)

Won't help you for v2.0 , so what's the point?

It does help, it still prevents hospitalizations and I'm not against the vaccine I was just undecided on what the risk profile is for the AZ vaccine due to lack of information avaible at the time.

 

[flippakitten]

NICE how one always gets plastered with benefit vs risk comparisons, but where it doesn't suit, it's just the risk that gets looked at.

Why should the 25 year old taky any risk whatsoever!???

And no it would not be 100% her choice as otherwise she gets labeled anti-vaxx.

As I am in the UK, it would mean she could choose to have a different vaccine, so yes 100% her choice.

Also read what I posted again, there's a pretty clear risk/benefit comparison as per the data I posted previously that shows that.

 

[krycor]

So I see a lot of news about Israeli study of Pfizer vaccine and SA variant still impacting vaccinated(double dose) patients.

No data on efficacy just yet so I guess that will be started again.. but yah.. tricky with stats and the way this is calculated.. ie they do general population exposure trials meaning the timing of the trial has a bearing on the efficacy stats. Ie doing it now they’d get near 100% due to mask adherence and low infection rate presently in SA.

What I’m trying to point out is that efficacy isn’t stand here while I let and infected person cough in front of 100 people and see who gets infected.. instead it’s a go live you life and let’s see if you get it type.

Let’s hope gov sticks to rollout plan.. I doubt efficacy will be as low as AZ.. still if I had a choice I’d go with J&J.. one shot sounds good.

Ps. Also reports about US lady who still got it in NY despite having a J&J shot 2ish weeks prior.. seems like this pandemic is gonna drag on

 

[Sinbad]

The vaccine doesn't make you immune to the virus. It does seem to have a dramatic effect though on the seriousness of the illness that you get if you catch the virus. And that's what makes it all worthwhile.

 

[Geoff.D]

The vaccine doesn't make you immune to the virus. It does seem to have a dramatic effect though on the seriousness of the illness that you get if you catch the virus. And that's what makes it all worthwhile.

Agreed. This is why I cannot understand how anyone can claim a vaccine prevents anyone from getting infected. but it can mitigate the effects to the point where no noticeable symptoms or illness happens.

Then it raises the question how is efficacy measured and tested? Surely a PCR test will still come out positive after getting vaccinated?

 

[AdrianH]

Agreed. This is why I cannot understand how anyone can claim a vaccine prevents anyone from getting infected. but it can mitigate the effects to the point where no noticeable symptoms or illness happens.

Then it raises the question how is efficacy measured and tested? Surely a PCR test will still come out positive after getting vaccinated?

Vaccines won't make you test positive for covid. This is because the vaccines don't contain live covid virus. Anybody testing positive likely got infected before or the weeks following their vaccine.

Here's some info

Will the COVID vaccine make me test positive for the coronavirus? 5 questions about vaccines and COVID testing answered

Even if you're vaccinated, you still need to come forward for COVID testing, even if you have the mildest symptoms.

theconversation.com

 

[The Voice]

The vaccine doesn't make you immune to the virus. It does seem to have a dramatic effect though on the seriousness of the illness that you get if you catch the virus. And that's what makes it all worthwhile.

Somehow this goes over so many people's heads. You can still catch it, still get sick (though with dramatically less side effects) and still transfer it. If the latter happens the person you infect had better hope they've had the shot by then, too.

 

[Dave]

Somehow this goes over so many people's heads. You can still catch it, still get sick (though with dramatically less side effects) and still transfer it. If the latter happens the person you infect had better hope they've had the shot by then, too.

It’s funny how the majority of people understand how the flu vaccine works like that but somehow can’t comprehend the same scenario for the Covid vaccine...

 

[Sinbad]

Agreed. This is why I cannot understand how anyone can claim a vaccine prevents anyone from getting infected. but it can mitigate the effects to the point where no noticeable symptoms or illness happens.

Then it raises the question how is efficacy measured and tested? Surely a PCR test will still come out positive after getting vaccinated?

Efficacy is measured by changes in the rate of severe illness and death in the vaccinated vs non vaccinated population.

More than 6,000 Covid deaths averted due to UK’s vaccine programme, study shows

Results of Public Health England study ‘give us hope’ and reinforce ‘importance of getting the jab as soon as we are eligible’

www.independent.co.uk

 

[quovadis]

Then it raises the question how is efficacy measured and tested? Surely a PCR test will still come out positive after getting vaccinated?

Efficacy is generally measured by cumulative incidence and no, a PCR test would not come out positive unless you are infected with covid. There is no covid in the vaccines whatsoever.

 

[The_Right_Honourable_Brit]

Genomic characteristics and clinical effect of the emergent SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 lineage in London, UK: a whole-genome sequencing and hospital-based cohort study

Emerging evidence exists of increased transmissibility of B.1.1.7, and we found increased virus load by proxy for B.1.1.7 in our data. We did not identify an association of the variant with severe disease in this hospitalised cohort.

www.thelancet.com

Emerging evidence exists of increased transmissibility of B.1.1.7, and we found increased virus load by proxy for B.1.1.7 in our data. We did not identify an association of the variant with severe disease in this hospitalised cohort.

 

[MiW]

It does help, it still prevents hospitalizations and I'm not against the vaccine I was just undecided on what the risk profile is for the AZ vaccine due to lack of information avaible at the time.

Studies in UK were showing anything between 75-85% reduction in hospitalizations after vaccines, that clearly begs the question what happened with the other 15-25%?

There is no one trial having enough data to claim AZ prevents hospitalizations in the SA mutation cases.