Coronavirus

[gurnemanz]

Which vaccine? The Pf/B appears to offer a higher degree of protection against this variant, as it does with others.

AZ.... Doomed?

[Serial_Apologist]

AZ.... Doomed?

One issue now being widely discussed is the wisdom or otherwise of breaking the copyright on vaccine manufacture so as to make it available to smaller companies worldwide, and the possibility that this could lead to a pandemic of unsafe products leaking into the distribution system worldwide. I can't make up my mind about the ethics of this one.

[Frances_iom]

One issue now being widely discussed is the wisdom or otherwise of breaking the copyright on vaccine manufacture so as to make it available to smaller companies worldwide,...

judging from the difficulties seen even in Europe re ramping up manufacture - it's the knowledge of how to do it that is key - India is in a self induced 3rd wave Mohdi (like BJ who opened up too early and wasn't prepared for the 1st wave ) has much to answer for allowing political rallies religious gatherings

[LHC]

Another very small case study - Seychelles.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/05/06/seychelles-vaccines-covid-cases/

This is an example of a country which embarked on early vaccinations, but is now experiencing some problems.
This is not too encouraging - unfortunately.

I think the Seychelles are using the Sinopharm vaccine which is only just over 50% effective. However, this Twitter thread suggests that cases in the Seychelles are largely in line with what should be expected, as the unvaccinated are roughly twice as likely as the vaccinated to have been infected. This is completely in-line with the 50% efficacy reported for Sinopharm.

Despite this, those who have been vaccinated should still have a strong protection against suffering severe symptoms or needing to be hospitalised, so although cases are rising, serious cases should still be prevented

https://twitter.com/jburnmurdoch/status/1389955259410354177?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1389955259410354177%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=

[Serial_Apologist]

judging from the difficulties seen even in Europe re ramping up manufacture - it's the knowledge of how to do it that is key - India is in a self induced 3rd wave Mohdi (like BJ who opened up too early and wasn't prepared for the 1st wave ) has much to answer for allowing political rallies religious gatherings

Still doesn't rule out unscrupulous producers manufacturing & selling dodgy vaccine on the market, if the franchises are released.

[oddoneout]

Still doesn't rule out unscrupulous producers manufacturing & selling dodgy vaccine on the market, if the franchises are released.

And even without dodgy activities any lack of rigorous inspection, quality control, and post-jab data to pick up problems pose a risk. Even if more is now known about how to increase production manufacturing the vaccines is still not like manufacturing 'normal' drugs.

[Dave2002]

And even without dodgy activities any lack of rigorous inspection, quality control, and post-jab data to pick up problems pose a risk. Even if more is now known about how to increase production manufacturing the vaccines is still not like manufacturing 'normal' drugs.

Plus batches could go wrong for other reasons - perhaps lack of cleanliness precautions etc. It appears that some manufacturing plants are making more than one type of vaccine, and there is the possibility of cross contamination.

Chances are the risks are low - perhaps very low - but unexpected/unwanted contamination should be avoided. See https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/06/w...countries.html

[Anastasius]

And 'Indian' variants now in UK - spells serious trouble in various cities, one senses?

Yes and if Boris actually did something at the right time then all those incoming flights from India would have been stopped days ago. Let alone letting the extra flights in.

[Bryn]

Interesting item during this evening's Science in Action: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct1l3n

It's repeated a couple of times over the next few days. Also, try https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct1l3m

[oddoneout]

I've got stuck in a loop re vaccination. I had the first in March and was told I would be contacted to book the second. This week I've had two texts asking me to book my vaccinations[sic] by clicking the link - which I can't as it's not that kind of phone. Both my GP surgery and the one to which it has delegated the vaccine programme say do not contact them to make vaccine appointments. I think the texts were part of a generic nudge exercise rather than the call to book my second jab, but it's tiresome not being able to find out for sure. When my details were passed to the other surgery the caveat about the mobile number(which my surgery insisted they needed even though I pointed out it couldn't be the primary contact) evidently didn't go with them.
When I had a covid test last week there was the same issue with an assumption of mobile phone as required/only contact - the person doing the registration said that if a mobile number wasn't entered then the process wouldn't continue to the next page, there was no option for a landline number instead. I realise that it may be a minority involved, but if this is a national effort to deal with a pandemic then such exclusions don't make sense.

[Petrushka]

I've got stuck in a loop re vaccination. I had the first in March and was told I would be contacted to book the second. This week I've had two texts asking me to book my vaccinations[sic] by clicking the link - which I can't as it's not that kind of phone. Both my GP surgery and the one to which it has delegated the vaccine programme say do not contact them to make vaccine appointments. I think the texts were part of a generic nudge exercise rather than the call to book my second jab, but it's tiresome not being able to find out for sure. When my details were passed to the other surgery the caveat about the mobile number(which my surgery insisted they needed even though I pointed out it couldn't be the primary contact) evidently didn't go with them.
When I had a covid test last week there was the same issue with an assumption of mobile phone as required/only contact - the person doing the registration said that if a mobile number wasn't entered then the process wouldn't continue to the next page, there was no option for a landline number instead. I realise that it may be a minority involved, but if this is a national effort to deal with a pandemic then such exclusions don't make sense.

Simply copy the link (be careful to type it in precisely) on to your Google (or whatever browser you use) search on your computer/laptop and it will take you straight to it and you can book from there. You should then get a confirmation text on your phone within seconds.

My phone is now too old to click on links and I used the above method for both my vaccinations. It worked perfectly.

[Bryn]

Simply copy the link (be careful to type it in precisely) on to your Google (or whatever browser you use) search on your computer/laptop and it will take you straight to it and you can book from there. You should then get a confirmation text on your phone within seconds.

My phone is now too old to click on links and I used the above method for both my vaccinations. It worked perfectly.

Very useful, hopefully. However, this general assumption that we all have smartphones needs to be challenged. Is this but a back door way of imposing 'identity cards' on the population via effectively compulsory smartphone ownership? Recognising the lethal dangers offered by 'anti-vaxxers', I have no great problem with needing proof of vaccination in some verifiable form but giving the powers that be relatively easy access to the data in everyone's powerful pocket computer/communicator is simply not on.

[teamsaint]

Very useful, hopefully. However, this general assumption that we all have smartphones needs to be challenged. Is this but a back door way of imposing 'identity cards' on the population via effectively compulsory smartphone ownership? Recognising the lethal dangers offered by 'anti-vaxxers', I have no great problem with needing proof of vaccination in some verifiable form but giving the powers that be relatively easy access to the data in everyone's powerful pocket computer/communicator is simply not on.

The Danes are planning to get rid of their passports, once all 16 YO and over have been offered a jab.

[oddoneout]

Simply copy the link (be careful to type it in precisely) on to your Google (or whatever browser you use) search on your computer/laptop and it will take you straight to it and you can book from there. You should then get a confirmation text on your phone within seconds.

My phone is now too old to click on links and I used the above method for both my vaccinations. It worked perfectly.

Thank you for that suggestion - it had crossed my mind, but good to know that it should work. However I have another route to try first, as I've found a general query email address for my GP surgery, and they might be able to say if the information I was originally given(wait for them to call, as in landline call) has now changed, and if so whether that means a different location as well.

[Anastasius]

Thank you for that suggestion - it had crossed my mind, but good to know that it should work. However I have another route to try first, as I've found a general query email address for my GP surgery, and they might be able to say if the information I was originally given(wait for them to call, as in landline call) has now changed, and if so whether that means a different location as well.

I wouldn't hold your breath. My experience is that quite a lot of these general email addresses (like website contact forms) are rarely monitored. I'd go for Petrushka's response.

I, on the other hand, have the opposite problem. Because I took part in the COM-Cov2 trial, their IT systems cannot/not allowed to connect to NIMS (the main immunisation database and the one that drives the NHS App). So the system' believes that I have not yet had my second dose and I am being bombarded with texts and letters encouraging me to get my second dose. As a result, there is also the practical aspect of foreign travel. The COM-Cov2 trial team are sending letters confirming the second jab out to the GPs of those who took part and also a copy to the triallists but would you chance your luck at foreign travel producing this letter and having it accepted as proof of the second vaccination? I wouldn't risk it.

Any foreign travel is out of the question for me anyway but for another reason. The pre and/or post-Covid tests before travel. It is impossible to find out ahead of time what type of tests they are...nasal and throat or just nasal. Those where I have found the details are nasal and throat and so out of the question for me as I cannot do the throat swab nor will anyone do it for me. I could go and chance it but fear that I will end up like Tom Hanks and doomed to spend the rest of my life stranded at Preveza airport.

I entirely agree with Bryn re the presumed assumption that everyone has a smartphone or often more importantly a mobile signal. It's not just in the context of Covid but online purchases where especially the latter can make life impossible to function within the e-commerce world.

I also see that PHE has redefined 'highly'. PHE released the efficiency results of Pfizer and AZ re the Indian variant. Pfizer is 88% highly effective after two doses. AZ is a measly 60%. That is not IMO 'highly' effective. After doing a lot of research I came to the conclusion long ago that Pfizer was the vaccine of choice and determined to try and choose a vaccination location where I stood the best chance of getting it. I over-thought it and got AZ sadly for my first dose. Now, having taken part in the COM-Cov2 trial I have no idea where I might be in the spectrum. if I gt a second dose of AZ then I know that I have a measly 60% effectiveness rate (better than Covid, I accept). But mix'n'match.....where does that leave us ?