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

stephenjmcd wrote: »

Better than 0 isn't it ??

It sure is. These restrictions will be a lot easier to hack once we can see vaccines being distributed and icu numbers coming down.

Sky King wrote: »

It sure is. These restrictions will be a lot easier to hack once we can see vaccines being distributed and icu numbers coming down.

There won’t be any easing if restrictions under Holohans watch until everyone has been vaccinated

If it gets to the point where herd immunity isn't reached because the vaccine is available but people aren't bothered taking it then I say **** those people, open up for the rest of us and let them deal with the consequences for themselves if they get sick. At least their kids shouldn't be too badly affected, unlike in the usual anti-vaxxer scenarios where their children suffer while they enjoy the benefits of the vaccines they themselves received in childhood.

Russman wrote: »

I'd say it'll be gradual once vaccinations start, but definitely not like switching on a light.
I mean, obviously the vulnerable and the health care workers should and will be first, but after that I doubt many people who are "average" risk will be volunteering to just open up and if they get it, they get it. Its still potentially very serious for anyone and the ICUs could still be filled by people in their 40s if enough of them get it.

Exactly, people need to remember that 3% hospitalizations under the age of 65 is still a very significant rate, . That rate is manageable while the number of cases is been limited to 60,000 in that age bracket as it has.

Near total laxing of restrictions gives license for the virus to spread through the majority of the population within 2-3 months at best, even without mass gatherings.

Granted much of that 3% had unlying conditions and would be prioritized for vaccine, but even it was 0.3% of 4.2m people thats 14,700. We've had 5,000 in hospital over the course of 10 months this year.
Not even bringing in long covid or at risk groups who cant or turn down vacine into the equation or the 5% at risk who got vaccines who will still get ill.

Anyone who thinks just vaccinating the at risk brings an end to this has not been following this or choose to ignore vital elements suit them. Nothing to do with some sadist joy from NpHet

hmmm wrote: »

There's a small bit of information in the Pfizer news release which I haven't seen mentioned here:

"There were 10 severe cases of COVID-19 observed in the trial, with nine of the cases occurring in the placebo group and one in the BNT162b2 vaccinated group."

Even though this person was vaccinated, they still were unlucky enough to get severe Covid. We don't know if that was an outlier, or whether this will be repeated - more results will obviously help.

People understood that to be 90% efficacious in reducing severe covid too, but not necessarily, both pacebo and vacine groups had severe covid in approx the same proportion. Of course the data set in the vacine group is too small to rush to conclusions.

chrisbonnie wrote: »

Just so we're clear.

Say you get the vaccine, and you're in the 95% bracket where it works for you. Does that mean you can't catch and spread covid, or you just become asymptomatic and will spread it?

My missus thinks you can still get it, but im thinking not. Just like all the vaccines we had as kids

-You can catch the virus
-You are unlikely to subsequently develop Covid
- We don't know if you can spread the virus, probably will be infectious but not to same extent as today.

Gael23 wrote: »

Would Holohan be so up himself that he says we need restrictions to protect the 5% it doesn’t work for

At least Tony probably has a grasp of math, which seems to fail most of his detractors

5% of the 650,000 over 65 in ireland is still a lot of people. 10,000 cases so far most of the 2,000 deaths.

You would hope the severity of the disease would be less for those vacinated but the Pfizers dataset is too small to determine whether or which.

Look at my other post from a few hours ago about the unvacinated under 65s .

If you don'y read anything else today, or this week or even this year, please read this:

https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2020/11/18/vaccine-possibilities

Clear, concise, to the point and an easy read as well with references to boot.

hmmm wrote: »

The private sector will lead the way on this I think - they'll use cheap and rapid antigen tests to give extra comfort to their customers.

They don't have to meet the same standards as you might want in a government/HSE test. Just give an extra level of assurance when e.g. travelling, or maybe even going to a restaurant/concert etc.

they would probably have to have a "FOR NOVELTY USE ONLY" sticker on them, if they are not approved by HPRA they cannot be sold for the purpose they are intended.

CalTech working on and already testing a vaccine that works against SARS-cov-2, SARS-cov and their closest and some not so close relatives that have potential to jump to humans in the near future:

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.11.17.387092v1.full.pdf+html

By displaying 8 RBDs on a single nanoparticle it seems to be possible to not just get a neutralizing response to the 8 viruses alone but also a decent cross-neutralizing response to virus RBDs not in the vaccine construct, but who are relatively close genetically (down to 70% RBD similarity in one example). B cells are mighty impressive I have to say.

This might work quite well in the future when the current vaccines need an adjustment due to antigen drift.

TL;DR - this construct could provide protection from future zoonotic SARS-like viruses and any future mutations of SARS-cov-2 with a single shot.