Coronavirus

[Mr._Clark]

Hey, waddiya know, some good news! Preliminary results show that the Oxford vaccine significantly reduces transmission of the virus, and a single dose is quite effective.

>>>Researchers measured the impact on transmission by swabbing participants every week seeking to detect signs of the virus. If there is no virus present, even if someone is infected, it cannot be spread. And they found a 67 percent reduction in positive swabs among those vaccinated. The results, detailed by Oxford and AstraZeneca researchers in a manuscript that has not been peer-reviewed, found that the vaccine could cut transmission by nearly two-thirds. . . .

The Oxford and AstraZeneca researchers also found that a single dose of the vaccine was 76 percent effective at preventing Covid-19. The data measured the three months after the first shot was given, not including an initial three-week period needed for protection to take effect. <<<

The AstraZeneca vaccine is shown to drastically cut transmission of the virus.

A new study by researchers at the University of Oxford underscores the importance of mass inoculation as a path out of the pandemic.

www.nytimes.com

 

[highfigh]

Hey, waddiya know, some good news! Preliminary results show that the Oxford vaccine significantly reduces transmission of the virus, and a single dose is quite effective.

>>>Researchers measured the impact on transmission by swabbing participants every week seeking to detect signs of the virus. If there is no virus present, even if someone is infected, it cannot be spread. And they found a 67 percent reduction in positive swabs among those vaccinated. The results, detailed by Oxford and AstraZeneca researchers in a manuscript that has not been peer-reviewed, found that the vaccine could cut transmission by nearly two-thirds. . . .

The Oxford and AstraZeneca researchers also found that a single dose of the vaccine was 76 percent effective at preventing Covid-19. The data measured the three months after the first shot was given, not including an initial three-week period needed for protection to take effect. <<<

The AstraZeneca vaccine is shown to drastically cut transmission of the virus.

A new study by researchers at the University of Oxford underscores the importance of mass inoculation as a path out of the pandemic.

www.nytimes.com

And yet, people are testing positive and dying after one and in at least a couple of cases, two shots.

 

[Trell]

And yet, people are testing positive and dying after one and in at least a couple of cases, two shots.

Bear in mind that the vaccines are not 100% efficient.

 

[highfigh]

Bear in mind that the vaccines are not 100% efficient.

I know, but the deaths are alarming, especially the Doctor in Florida, who was 56 and in good health. The cause of death was listed as hemorrhagic stroke, while many of the deaths have been due to clotting.

I watched a video from a doctor who was showing the effects on lungs and other organs- the majority of the cases shown had clotting in several organs, but the cause of death was due to the clotting and inflammation in their lungs. In that video, all of the people had underlying issues (the usual ones mentioned) and were over 70 years of age.

 

[Swerd]

I know, but the deaths are alarming, especially the Doctor in Florida, who was 56 and in good health. The cause of death was listed as hemorrhagic stroke, while many of the deaths have been due to clotting.

Those deaths are alarming, but not more alarming than the some 450,000 deaths among people who never could get vaccinated.

I watched a video from a doctor who was showing the effects on lungs and other organs- the majority of the cases shown had clotting in several organs, but the cause of death was due to the clotting and inflammation in their lungs. In that video, all of the people had underlying issues (the usual ones mentioned) and were over 70 years of age.

The widely disseminated clotting as a cause of death among Covid-19 patients is old news, both in the national news as well as here on AH.

 

[highfigh]

Those deaths are alarming, but not more alarming than the some 450,000 deaths among people who never could get vaccinated.
The widely disseminated clotting as a cause of death among Covid-19 patients is old news, both in the national news as well as here on AH.

Couldn't, because no vaccine was available.

Right WRT clotting, but they're having a hard time finding a solution to that particular problem. The Dr in Florida was treated by specialists from around the country and they couldn't raise his platelet count.

 

[NINaudio]

I calculated the numbers WRT deaths reported on VAERS, which has ~120 reports of death reported after 20+ million doses administered compared to COVID deaths. Using the number of closed cases and deaths from worldometer and the numbers from VAERS, you are more than 10,000 times MORE likely to die if you get covid than if you get the vaccine. So, yes, the deaths after vaccinations are worrisome, but much less so than the disease it will protect you from, IMO.

 

[Mr._Clark]

Couldn't, because no vaccine was available.

Right WRT clotting, but they're having a hard time finding a solution to that particular problem. The Dr in Florida was treated by specialists from around the country and they couldn't raise his platelet count.

It will be interesting to see what they find out WRT the Florida doctor.

Given that 3 out of 100k in the population develop ITP per year and roughly 26 million people in the U.S. have had at least one jab already, I suspect it's a coincidence.

>>>James Bussel, MD, a professor emeritus of pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York, said that Michael's case is out of the norm for ITP, as the sudden drop in platelet count to zero in just three days would be extremely unlikely. Bussel said that while we do not know what happened, there is a chance Michael may have been predisposed to ITP, and the vaccine may have triggered an immune attack on his thrombocytes.

Bussel said that there are also two other ITP diagnoses that physicians know of which occurred after vaccination for COVID-19, but those cases responded to treatment. "Even if you accept all three of these cases, that's three out of millions of vaccinations, and they are quite likely to be coincidental," he said.<<<

Officials Investigate Physician's Death After COVID Vaccination

Onset of rare blood disorder should not be interpreted as causal, experts say

www.medpagetoday.com

 

[Mr._Clark]

I calculated the numbers WRT deaths reported on VAERS, which has ~120 reports of death reported after 20+ million doses administered compared to COVID deaths. Using the number of closed cases and deaths from worldometer and the numbers from VAERS, you are more than 10,000 times MORE likely to die if you get covid than if you get the vaccine. So, yes, the deaths after vaccinations are worrisome, but much less so than the disease it will protect you from, IMO.

Here's another way to look at it. If one person out of 26 million receiving a first jab dies from ITP and if 10-12 times this many people are ultimately vaccinated, this would result in a total of 10-12 deaths due to vaccine-related ITP (I'm not convinced the vaccine caused ITP in the case of the Florida doctor, so this is just an assumption).

Right now, about 3,000 people die from COVID every day in the U.S. The vaccines appear to be virtually 100% effective in preventing deaths from COVID.

I'll go with the vaccine.

 

[NINaudio]

Here's another way to look at it. If one person out of 26 million receiving a first jab dies from ITP and if 10-12 times this many people are ultimately vaccinated, this would result in a total of 10-12 deaths due to vaccine-related ITP (I'm not convinced the vaccine caused ITP in the case of the Florida doctor, so this is just an assumption).

Right now, about 3,000 people die from COVID every day in the U.S. The vaccines appear to be virtually 100% effective in preventing deaths from COVID.

I'll go with the vaccine.

I'm with you there.

My calculations were purely given as a worst case scenario. I did them for someone who was worried about getting the vaccine because of the reports on VAERS, which are not necessarily caused by the vaccinations. In all likelihood, the numbers are even more in favor of vaccination that what I indicated.

 

[Mr._Clark]

Studies on using different vaccines for first and second jabs are starting. This seems like a good idea.

>>>Researchers at the University of Oxford are enrolling volunteers in an 820-person trial in the U.K. to evaluate a one-two combination of the shot developed by Pfizer Inc. and Germany’s BioNTech and the vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca PLC. . . . Immunologists said the mix-and-match strategy is a tried and tested method of enhancing the body’s immune response to beat back invaders. Heterologous prime-boost vaccination has been turned against other infectious diseases, including ebola, malaria and tuberculosis, and has been used to sharpen the body’s assault against pathogens that cause some cancers and against the tumors themselves. . . . Immunologists said mixes of technologies aren’t unusual. Scientists at the University of Oxford in January reported in a study awaiting review that combining a different RNA-based vaccine and a viral-vector vaccine generated a strong immune response in mice. . . . A mix-and-match strategy could help if, for instance, someone couldn’t get a second dose of the original shot or experienced a bad reaction to the first one.<<<

Scientists Test a New Covid-19 Vaccine Question: Mixing Different Doses

Researchers are beginning trials to study the effects of following an initial dose with a booster produced by another manufacturer.

www.wsj.com

 

[Mr._Clark]

I'm with you there.

My calculations were purely given as a worst case scenario. I did them for someone who was worried about getting the vaccine because of the reports on VAERS, which are not necessarily caused by the vaccinations. In all likelihood, the numbers are even more in favor of vaccination that what I indicated.

Yeah, I wasn't disagreeing or nit picking, just throwing out another super rough calculation as another possible way to put the risks in perspective.

It would be different if one could completely avoid any risk of contracting COVID.

The deaths of elderly people after a jab has gotten some media attention, but many of these patients were extremely frail with terminal illnesses. It's probably worth looking into, but it doesn't make sense to extrapolate these potential issues to the general population.

>>>Medscape talked to Professor Joël Belmin, head of geriatrics, and vaccination coordinator, at l’hôpital Charles-Foix, Paris. Belmin urges people to not jump to conclusions, as vaccination can save many lives. "In older people, due to their great frailty, a significant amount of spontaneous mortality is expected. In a retirement home, one in five people die each year. It’s therefore difficult to directly attribute these deaths to the fact that these people were vaccinated,” he said.<<<

COVID-19 Vaccines

Vaccines are seen as one of the best ways to stop COVID-19. Learn more about the types of vaccines, including the newly approved Novavax.

www.webmd.com

 

[Swerd]

Johnson & Johnson submitted its single-shot coronavirus vaccine to the US FDA this afternoon. J&J will seek emergency use authorization after the vaccine was shown to be robustly effective against Covid-19 illness in a very large, multi-nation, clinical trial.

Paul Stoffels, chief scientific officer, said J&J would be ready to ship doses immediately upon authorization but did not specify how many doses. Government officials have told The Washington Post this could be in the single-digit millions. J&J has previously committed to delivering 100 million doses by the end of June, but has not been specific about how many doses could be shipped each month.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/02/04/jj-vaccine-fda/

 

[TLS Guy]

It will be interesting to see what they find out WRT the Florida doctor.

Given that 3 out of 100k in the population develop ITP per year and roughly 26 million people in the U.S. have had at least one jab already, I suspect it's a coincidence.

>>>James Bussel, MD, a professor emeritus of pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York, said that Michael's case is out of the norm for ITP, as the sudden drop in platelet count to zero in just three days would be extremely unlikely. Bussel said that while we do not know what happened, there is a chance Michael may have been predisposed to ITP, and the vaccine may have triggered an immune attack on his thrombocytes.

Bussel said that there are also two other ITP diagnoses that physicians know of which occurred after vaccination for COVID-19, but those cases responded to treatment. "Even if you accept all three of these cases, that's three out of millions of vaccinations, and they are quite likely to be coincidental," he said.<<<

Officials Investigate Physician's Death After COVID Vaccination

Onset of rare blood disorder should not be interpreted as causal, experts say

www.medpagetoday.com

ITP is not a rare disease, so one case after a dose of vaccine does not indicate causation. There are many drugs that can induce ITP. Drug induced thrombocytopenia is within pretty much every physicians experience.

 

[TLS Guy]

Johnson & Johnson submitted its single-shot coronavirus vaccine to the US FDA this afternoon. J&J will seek emergency use authorization after the vaccine was shown to be robustly effective against Covid-19 illness in a very large, multi-nation, clinical trial.

Paul Stoffels, chief scientific officer, said J&J would be ready to ship doses immediately upon authorization but did not specify how many doses. Government officials have told The Washington Post this could be in the single-digit millions. J&J has previously committed to delivering 100 million doses by the end of June, but has not been specific about how many doses could be shipped each month.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/02/04/jj-vaccine-fda/

The data from the UK is encouraging. You can already see positive effects of the vaccination program. Nearly 30% of the population have received at least one dose of a vaccine. So 20,000,000 doses have so far been administered. Almost all care home residents and staff have had one does. 2% of the population have had two doses. UK policy to to space doses by 90 days. For the Oxford vaccine there is data that this produces more robust immunity than 30 day spacing. So they have extrapolated that to all the vaccines. This is actually a very good idea. They have also started a trial of using a different vaccine for the first and second doses. Professor Sarah Gibert, feels there are strong theoretical reasons that this will produce more robust immunity. So this trial is the brainchild of the Oxford team.

The plan is to have all the elderly, and at risk population, vaccinated within the next to weeks, and all adults over 50 immunized by May. The goal is to achieve herd immunity in the UK by July. The plan is to start getting schools reopened after March 8. The hope is to start easing general restrictions in May. There is debate about how soon mass gatherings like concert halls and theaters can open. My guess is that there will be a cautious reopening in July.

There is data this campaign is working. Care home infections are already plummeting. Infections and hospitalizations are falling fast, but deaths are high. It is not certain how much of this is due to restriction measures and how much due to vaccine. The consensus is that a vaccine effect is already evident. There is increasing evidence that Oxford vaccine reduces transmission by at least two thirds. The others probably do as well, but most of the doses given in the UK have been the Oxford Astrazeneca vaccine. There still has been no adverse event report after administering this vaccine as far as I'm aware.

This is all very good news for all of us.

The US really needs to vaccinate faster and increase supply. It is clear that the Oxford vaccine, is highly effective and extremely safe. Waiting for results of US phase III trials is in my view unconscionable. There is every reason with no downside to start administering that vaccine in the US now.

J & J have sent their data to the FDA. This should be reviewed promptly and get approval next week and not the end of the month. They should look at the data quickly. This is the same technology as the Oxford vaccine. We need vaccinations to speed up, break transmission and save lives. This is still an emergency situation and usual rules and procedures need to be suspended. We can do what the UK is doing and continue extensive investigation simultaneously with the roll out. In any event this will produce much more reliable data and encourage innovation as it already is.

 

[Old Onkyo]

I read an article that stated the J&J vaccine won’t be approved until March at the earliest. If so, this is unconscionable!
What else does the FDA have to work on other than vaccine approval?

 

[lovinthehd]

I read an article that stated the J&J vaccine won’t be approved until March at the earliest. If so, this is unconscionable!
What else does the FDA have to work on other than vaccine approval?

Seems they are being treated same as the other vaccine mfrs. They just applied Thursday for the emergency approval....and FDA needs time to review, they vote Feb 26. If approved they could start shipping in early March. More here https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/02/04/world/covid-19-coronavirus#johnson-johnson-applies-for-emergency-authorization-for-a-single-shot-vaccine

 

[Old Onkyo]

Seems they are being treated same as the other vaccine mfrs. They just applied Thursday for the emergency approval....and FDA needs time to review, they vote Feb 26. If approved they could start shipping in early March. More here https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/02/04/world/covid-19-coronavirus#johnson-johnson-applies-for-emergency-authorization-for-a-single-shot-vaccine

Thanks Lovin, does it really take three weeks to review the data?

 

[lovinthehd]

Thanks Lovin, does it really take three weeks to review the data?

I think normally it would take much longer.....and I imagine it is a hell of a lot of information to go thru.

 

[GO-NAD!]

The US really needs to vaccinate faster and increase supply.

While all countries need to increase the rate of vaccination, the US is already doing very well, in comparison with her peers. Canada is falling off the pace, because we've essentially run out of vaccine.