COVID-19: Vaccine and testing procedures Megathread Part 3 - Read OP

astrofool wrote: »

It takes a large number being vaccinated to start bringing the transmission rates down, most of the initial elderly cohorts wouldn't have been big transmission vectors anyway, so the best stats really come from healthcare workers. The big question is what vaccinated % leads to a consistent low R number, which would then lead to eradication of the virus. This data has been mixed in with the ongoing lockdowns anyway, so hard to give an accurate scientific picture.

Israel is probably the closest to the best picture. High number of people vaccinated and economy open since early March with cases plummeting. So far things look very very good (on trend for zero covid in a few weeks). Though they do seem to be excluding unvaccinated people from pubs and the like so that probably skews things. We'd probably need higher numbers of people vaccinated to see the same effects as vaccinated people would be mixing with unvaccinated people.

UK on the other hand seems to have cases plateauing while still in lockdown. Not sure is it due to fewer number of second doses given, AZ not performing as well as Pfizer for blocking transmission, higher prevalence of B.1.1.7 or what.

Stark wrote: »

Israel is probably the closest to the best picture. High number of people vaccinated and economy open since early March with cases plummeting. So far things look very very good (on trend for zero covid in a few weeks). Though they do seem to be excluding unvaccinated people from pubs and the like so that probably skews things. We'd probably need higher numbers of people vaccinated to see the same effects as vaccinated people would be mixing with unvaccinated people.

UK on the other hand seems to have cases plateauing while still in lockdown. Not sure is it due to fewer number of second doses given, AZ not performing as well as Pfizer for blocking transmission, higher prevalence of B.1.1.7 or what.

Israel does appear to be a good example alright. I read an article a few weeks back discussing the fact that orthodox jewish people living in Israel had been largely ignoring the restrictions all the way through the pandemic (same in North London and in Brooklyn, NY) and this had been keeping transmission high when they were at 20-30% vaccinated. So if that's continuing, but those orthodox jewish people are largely vaccinated now, that would really show whether transmission rates are falling.

More good vaccine news

https://twitter.com/sailorrooscout/status/1376551927291469827?s=19

Scuid Mhór wrote: »

Why is cohort 4 taking so long?

I think they only started a couple of weeks ago and are only using whatever supply of AZ there is.
When you say "so long", how long did you expect it would take, all things considered?

plodder wrote: »

I presume the PPSN is such a unique personal identifier? I think the issue is that what it is used for should have an appropriate legal basis with safeguards etc.

So, if you want to use the PPSN as the key for a database of high risk medical conditions then you are upfront about it, in terms of how the database is stored and how it is combined with other data. Then you have to get GPs etc to actually provide the data. I doubt many reasonable people would object to that.

The problem with the Public Services Card was they tried to bring it in by stealth and by essentially bullying social welfare recipients (to begin with) into accepting it.

I agree in part but you say not many reasonable people would object. Unfortunately there are a lot of unreasonable people who would.

josip wrote: »

I think they only started a couple of weeks ago and are only using whatever supply of AZ there is.
When you say "so long", how long did you expect it would take, all things considered?

Fair point josip - I didn’t really have any grounds for saying so long, I just sort of baselessly thought cohort 4 was small enough that they would be able to get through it quite quickly.

MerlinSouthDub wrote: »

Amazing stuff. It seems to me that NPHET are not currently taking account of the impact on transmissibility of the vaccination rollout. This is fair enough, as data is only starting to emerge. But, it should allow us to move a bit more quickly, and with more confidence, with our opening plans.

In fairness I’d have no doubt that NPHET are aware of these studies and the effect of the vaccines. I think we just don’t have enough doses in bodies yet. We’re getting there though. Hopefully Pfizer will continue to be the heavy lifter.

That aside, those mRNA vaccines really are the dogs bo110x. Nobel prizes all round for the BioNtech couple !

hmmm wrote: »

It's not just good, it's almost unbelievably good . Imagine even a few months ago being told that the vaccines would stop 80% of transmission after one shot, rising to 90% after two.

https://twitter.com/CDCgov/status/1376552681255399424

Genuine question, is “risk of infection” the same thing as the efficacy they talk about in the trials or is it a different thing to do with transmission ?

Looks like the testing popup stations will be moving around over the next few weeks.
So they will be moving after Wednesday.
Source is staff at Dublin location.

Russman wrote: »

Genuine question, is “risk of infection” the same thing as the efficacy they talk about in the trials or is it a different thing to do with transmission ?

This new data is the risk of infection by the virus itself (the snappily named 2019-nCoV) which leads to Covid the disease. The trial efficacy was measured against Covid.

We knew the vaccines would prevent most people from severe Covid, but this is good news for people who can't take the vaccine or where the vaccine doesn't fully protect them.

Economics101 wrote: »

Just saw this on RTE: https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2021/0329/1206811-pharmacists-vaccine/

Pharmacists are complaining about absolutely no information from the HSE regarding their prospective role in administering vaccinations. They seem to make a reasonable case, and of course the HSE are true to form: totally lacing in ability to communicate effectively

HSE: We have no doses.

Pharmacists: But why aren't you giving us a plan?

They've been whingeing about it for weeks. They will be part of the mass vaccinations when we get to a point of being able to do 250K jabs a week.

On the pharmacists trying to jump the vaccination queue:
https://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/tense-scenes-irish-vaccination-centre-23810448

A group of pharmacists went to Pairc Ui Chaoimh's vaccination centre in Cork without appointments and allegedly demanded to be vaccinated.

There were tense scenes on Friday evening after the group turned up at the stadium and refused to leave without jabs, according to the Irish Daily Mail.

The incident prompted a response from the HSE, which sent an email to community pharmacists urging any of them who were there to leave.

The email insisted that nobody would be getting vaccinations without appointments and that if any group had staff at the centre they should contact them to go.

astrofool wrote: »

On the pharmacists trying to jump the vaccination queue:
https://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/tense-scenes-irish-vaccination-centre-23810448

Wow, that's actually crazy.

On the other topic though, I get the impression the pharmacists are worried that they'll be getting a smaller role (and hence less money) in the vaccination process than they'd hoped, so are kicking up this fuss over a non-issue.

astrofool wrote: »

On the pharmacists trying to jump the vaccination queue:
https://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/tense-scenes-irish-vaccination-centre-23810448

Jesus, imagine being that much of a bollox just demand a vaccine.

Seymour20 wrote: »

Astra Zeneca suspended for under 55s in Canada
https://twitter.com/bnodesk/status/1376586966154809344?s=21

More political posturing from the EU!