COVID-19: Vaccine and testing procedures Megathread Part 2 [Mod Warning - Post #1]

thomasdylan

I don't really get where the idea that unions are delaying starting vaccination is coming from. Is there any basis for this or is it lazy thinking?

Vaccinations will presumably all be done by nurses and doctors. The nursing and medical unions have both been very flexible throughout the Covid crisis. EWTD was suspended and there wasn't a word.

stephenjmcd

Avoation1091 wrote: »

Is that ready to start Moderna vaccine by Paddys day? Pity we will receive doses much later compared to the Pfizer approval. There doses arrived within days

Hes taking the p1ss, Moderna would arrive within days of approval much like Pfizer.

Varadkar said in the interview they would expect Moderna to arrive in January which pulls the timelines forward again as current plan is based on just Pfizer & BioNTech. AstraZeneca approval later in January would again bring everything forward.

IrishHomer

Stheno wrote: »

Why are your family not obeying the rules as they should?

Not my direct family it's complicated

Marhay70

thomasdylan wrote: »

I don't really get where the idea that unions are delaying starting vaccination is coming from. Is there any basis for this or is it last thinking?

Vaccinations will presumably all be done by nurses and doctors. The nursing and medical unions have both been very flexible throughout the Covid crisis. EWTD was suspended and there wasn't a word.

Unions, even Public Service unions, have an image they like to project, I'd be surprised if they did anything to impede the roll out of vaccinations. Bad PR.

Avoation1091

stephenjmcd wrote: »

Hes taking the p1ss, Moderna would arrive within days of approval much like Pfizer.

Varadkar said in the interview they would expect Moderna to arrive in January which pulls the timelines forward again as current plan is based on just Pfizer & BioNTech. AstraZeneca approval later in January would again bring everything forward.

Ah ok. Sorry took that seriously.

Hope more groups can start to be vaccinated then when they and Astrazenca arrive.

eigrod

Apologies if posted already

https://twitter.com/laoneill111/status/1343173942102650891?s=21

ACitizenErased

Oxford really is the game changer. Cheap, easy to transport and highly effective.

stephenjmcd

eigrod wrote: »

Apologies if posted already

https://twitter.com/laoneill111/status/1343173942102650891?s=21

Will massively speed things up here when approved.

Can get into many other areas of the community through GP (when agreed with them) and pharmacists. Would also enable Pfizer and Moderna to be sectioned off for the most vulnerable if required.

For the rest of us, appointment with your GP or pharmacy etc

Stheno

https://twitter.com/higginsdavidw/status/1343217109992689666?s=19

MerlinSouthDub

stephenjmcd wrote: »

Will massively speed things up here when approved.

Can get into many other areas of the community through GP (when agreed with them) and pharmacists. Would also enable Pfizer and Moderna to be sectioned off for the most vulnerable if required.

For the rest of us, appointment with your GP or pharmacy etc

Yeah it's a game changer. Hopefully, EMA don't spend a few weeks delaying things for this one. They started weekly rolling reviews on this vaccine on 1st October, before Pfizer, so they've had lots of time to review the data.

lbj666

eigrod wrote: »

Apologies if posted already

https://twitter.com/laoneill111/status/1343173942102650891?s=21

Anyone have a sub for the times? Thought not.

I'm more antsy about when we will see first deliveries of this than anything to do with an delays in administering a limited supply of Pfizer, that will easily be caught up on.

stephenjmcd

MerlinSouthDub wrote: »

Yeah it's a game changer. Hopefully, EMA don't spend a few weeks delaying things for this one. They started weekly rolling reviews on this vaccine on 1st October, before Pfizer, so they've had lots of time to review the data.

I know the MHRA got the final data packets not long ago so you'd assume they'll give them to EMA and formally apply for conditional marketing authorisation

Marhay70

Stheno wrote: »

This appears to be a reason for the rise in cases imo. People coming home and not self isolating

I'd love to see some proper contact tracing to see how many overseas visitors brought and spread the virus to their families here

Incidence of Covid in New Ross, Co. Wexford, rose 1000% in a week on the back of one funeral where people ignored the guidelines. A marquee was erected and catering was laid on and anecdotal evidence suggests social distancing was non-existent. Quite a sizeable portion of the mourners, of which there were 150-200, were from UK and US.

WoollyRedHat

From TG:

Germany’s coronavirus vaccination campaign faced delays in several cities on Sunday after medical staff found potential irregularities in the cooling of the Pfizer shot, according to Reuters.

“When reading the temperature loggers that were enclosed in the cool boxes, doubts arose about the compliance with the cold chain requirements,” the district office of Lichtenfels in the north of Germany’s largest state, Bavaria, said in a statement.

The Pfizer vaccine, which uses new so-called mRNA technology, must be stored at ultra-low temperatures of about -70C (-94F) to remain effective before being shipped to distribution centres.

Pfizer has designed special shipping containers filled with dry ice to keep the vaccine from spoiling in transit. Shots can be kept in an ultra-low temperature freezer for up to six months, or for five days at 2-8C, a type of refrigeration commonly available at hospitals.

Besides Lichtenfels, the northern Bavarian cities of Coburg, Kronach, Kulmbach, Hof, Bayreuth and Wunsiedel also held off from inoculating people after uncertainty arose about whether the cold chain had been maintained.

“Vaccination against the coronavirus is not about who vaccinates the fastest or who does the most doses. Safety and conscientious work for the benefit of the population has the highest priority,” said Oliver Bär, district administrator of Hof.

Similar problems also delayed the vaccination campaign in the southern Bavarian city of Augsburg, the daily Merkur reported.

froog

https://www.rte.ie/news/2020/1227/1186579-covid-ireland-latest/

Health Service Executive chief Paul Reid said the HSE intends to begin vaccinations on 29 December, a day earlier than planned.

lbj666

Stheno wrote: »

https://twitter.com/higginsdavidw/status/1343217109992689666?s=19

Not treating this as gospel at all but it shows promise at the beginning but I don't get why the %tages stall at -68% and -72% after 100% is vacinated. Or is he allowing for refusals or people unable within the rollout %? That's not actually that good at all but of course you'd hope herd immunity would take it from there by that stage.

Away With The Fairies

Does anyone know when it's our time to get the vaccine, how do we go about getting it?

Do we have to book a time slot and show up or what? I know it's a few weeks/months away but surely they have all this sorted and how it should work?

Stheno

Away With The Fairies wrote: »

Does anyone know when it's our time to get the vaccine, how do we go about getting it?

Do we have to book a time slot and show up or what? I know it's a few weeks/months away but surely they have all this sorted and how it should work?

It not sorted yet

Away With The Fairies

Stheno wrote: »

It not sorted yet

Guess it's difficult enough to start the vaccinations, I don't know what I was thinking.

stephenjmcd

Away With The Fairies wrote: »

Does anyone know when it's our time to get the vaccine, how do we go about getting it?

Do we have to book a time slot and show up or what? I know it's a few weeks/months away but surely they have all this sorted and how it should work?

There will be an online system whereby when its your groupings turn you will be invited to make an appointment online, you'll then be reminded to make your second appointment also. This is the public portal.

Should you not be able to book online for whatever reason there will be a contact centre.

On the provider portal (HSE, GPs, hospitals etc) they can enroll in bulk, i.e a GP could submit all their paitents details and appointments will be scheduled.

I would imagine your GP will more than likely look to schedule their paitents in bulk.

iamwhoiam

I would imagine anyone in Group 7 will need a GP letter .

iamwhoiam

iamwhoiam wrote: »

I would imagine anyone in Group 7 will need a GP letter .

Yeah it'll be interesting to see how they work it. There's obvious ones like people with heart disease or CF, but say for asthma where it would have to be fairly bad asthma to be included in the group you might get people putting pressure on GPs to make out they are worse than they really are.

A lot of people that take immunosuppressants would be on High Tech scripts so the HSE should have that data fairly handy to get those people on the list

jackboy

Deleted User wrote: »

Yeah it'll be interesting to see how they work it. There's obvious ones like people with heart disease or CF, but say for asthma where it would have to be fairly bad asthma to be included in the group you might get people putting pressure on GPs to make out they are worse than they really are.

A lot of people that take immunosuppressants would be on High Tech scripts so the HSE should have that data fairly handy to get those people on the list

It will be interesting to see the cut off point for vulnerable groups. Obese people are a vulnerable group. Will they be vaxxed before those of healthy weight?

CIARAN_BOYLE

jackboy wrote: »

It will be interesting to see the cut off point for vulnerable groups. Obese people are a vulnerable group. Will they be vaxxed before those of healthy weight?

Obesity is listed with people with respiratory illnesses on the priority group list.

jackboy

jackboy wrote: »

It will be interesting to see the cut off point for vulnerable groups. Obese people are a vulnerable group. Will they be vaxxed before those of healthy weight?

It's a BMI of greater than 40 to be in the group.

Water John

Away With The Fairies wrote: »

Guess it's difficult enough to start the vaccinations, I don't know what I was thinking.

Ah now, look at your name here.

whisky_galore

Stheno wrote: »

This appears to be a reason for the rise in cases imo. People coming home and not self isolating

I'd love to see some proper contact tracing to see how many overseas visitors brought and spread the virus to their families here

Self delusional it'll never happen to me mindset.

jackboy

Deleted User wrote: »

It's a BMI of greater than 40 to be in the group.

40 is massively overweight.cant add up to a huge percentage of people.

Stheno

jackboy wrote: »

40 is massively overweight.cant add up to a huge percentage of people.

You'd be surprised id say its at least 5% of adults

jackboy

jackboy wrote: »

40 is massively overweight.cant add up to a huge percentage of people.

Yeah it's 20 stone for an average height male, so shouldn't be too many people.