Re: Coronavirus: Vaccines
Posted: Fri Nov 19, 2021 12:51 pm
Falsehoods Unchallenged Only Fester and Grow
https://thefogbow.com/forum/
The publishing company noted that the word holds particular significance both as a medical term and a vehicle for ideological conflict.
"For many, the word symbolized a possible return to the lives we led before the pandemic," it said in Monday's announcement. "But it was also at the center of debates about personal choice, political affiliation, professional regulations, school safety, healthcare inequality, and so much more."
The word of the year is determined by data, as Merriam-Webster has explained in the past. It must have been a top lookup at Merriam-Webster.com in the past 12 months, and it must have seen a significant increase in lookups over the previous year.
That was certainly the case with "vaccine" this year. Lookups for the word increased 601% year-over-year from 2020, and were up 1,048% from 2019, the dictionary said.
Cross-posting in the Variant thread.Three shots of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine are likely to provide effective protection against the Omicron variant, laboratory tests suggest.
The vaccine makers said they were keeping the option of an updated Omicron-based vaccine on the table, however, and could produce it by March 2022 if needed.
In the first official statement from vaccine manufacturers on the likely efficacy of their shot against Omicron, BioNTech/Pfizer said that two vaccine doses resulted in significantly lower neutralising antibodies but that a third dose of their vaccine appeared to bring antibody protection up to a level equivalent to two vaccine doses against the original strain.
The findings are broadly in line with a preliminary study published by researchers at the Africa Health Research Institute in South Africa on Tuesday, showing that Omicron can partially evade protection from two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.
Three shots of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine are likely to provide effective protection against the Omicron variant, laboratory tests suggest.
Federal regulators Thursday authorized booster shots of Pfizer-BioNTech’s coronavirus vaccine for 16- and 17-year-olds, a step that could bolster protection against delta, the dominant variant in the United States, and the emerging omicron version.
That’s how I’ve always seen them.W. Kevin Vicklund wrote: ↑Wed Dec 08, 2021 4:30 pm I told Dr. Vicklund last night that I was become increasingly convinced that the mRNA vaccines should be considered three shot primary series, rather than two plus booster.
I initially got the J&J one because that was all the Health Department had at the time (they come out to give me the shots here - which is really nice!). I chose to go with Moderna for my booster - the news had been talking about how the FDA had approved that particular combination (but not J&J with Pfizer at the time - dunno if that's changed or not.) I figured having the 2 different types of technology might make it work at bit better. Now, I kinda wish I could get the Pfizer-BioNTech one as wellpipistrelle wrote: ↑Thu Dec 09, 2021 1:58 pm I got the third Pfizer 5 months after the second, vs. 6.
Wouldn’t mind a 4th.
Yep. As my kin would say, I got what they give me.Kriselda Gray wrote: ↑Thu Dec 09, 2021 2:06 pmI initially got the J&J one because that was all the Health Department had at the time (they come out to give me the shots here - which is really nice!). I chose to go with Moderna for my booster - the news had been talking about how the FDA had approved that particular combination (but not J&J with Pfizer at the time - dunno if that's changed or not.) I figured having the 2 different types of technology might make it work at bit better. Now, I kinda wish I could get the Pfizer-BioNTech one as wellpipistrelle wrote: ↑Thu Dec 09, 2021 1:58 pm I got the third Pfizer 5 months after the second, vs. 6.
Wouldn’t mind a 4th.
The C.D.C. recommends that other vaccines be preferred over J.&J.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday recommended that Covid vaccines other than Johnson & Johnson’s should be preferred, after its advisers cited increasing evidence that the company’s shots can trigger a rare blood clot disorder now linked to dozens of cases and at least nine deaths in the United States in the last year.
The decision adopted a recommendation by an expert panel that effectively discouraged vaccine providers and adults from using Johnson & Johnson’s shot. New data showed that there was a higher risk for the blood clotting condition than previously known. The risk was greatest among women aged 30 to 49, estimated at 1 in 100,000 who had received the company’s shot.
Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine is not being removed from the market. It will remain an option for people who are “unable or unwilling” to receive the more popular shots from Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech, the agency said.
The recommendationis the latest setback for a vaccine which has largely fallen out of favor in the United States. The company’s vaccine has not fulfilled its early promise as a traditional, one-and-done format that would be easy to deploy in more isolated or rural communities, and among people skittish about receiving two doses.
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/12/16 ... blood-clot
Lots more at the link.The emergence of the Omicron variant has made it clear the pandemic won’t be over until it is beaten everywhere.
But there has been a vast and continuing inequality in the global Covid vaccine rollout.
This mirrors other rollouts, such as the vaccine for diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), and tetanus, which has a vaccination rate as low as 41% in some countries.
In the case of Covid, inequality has been compounded by wealthy nations buying up doses, and the need to ramp up adult vaccination programs in countries that hadn’t had them before.
This map shows how the Covid vaccine rollout has progressed globally, showing the number of doses administered per 100 people over time.
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-sho ... sters-helpThere's more mixed news about the power of vaccines to protect people against the omicron variant — this time about the Moderna vaccine.
A preliminary study made public Wednesday studied blood samples in the lab from 30 people who had gotten two Moderna shots, and it found that the antibodies in their blood are at least about 50 times less effective at neutralizing the omicron variant of the coronavirus.
Previous research had indicated the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is also less protective against omicron.
But there was good news too. An additional 17 people in the study had received a Moderna booster. And the antibodies in their blood were highly effective at blocking the omicron variant — essentially about as effective as they are at blocking the delta variant....
A low dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine did not produce a potent immune response in children 2 through 5 years of age, the companies announced on Friday, a discouraging setback that threatens to keep the vaccine from younger children for longer than many parents had hoped. In ongoing clinical trials, the companies tested 3 micrograms of the vaccine — one-tenth of the adult dose — in children 6 months to less than 5 years of age.
After two doses, children between 6 months and 2 years produced an immune response that was comparable to that of people aged 16 to 25 years, the companies said. But children between 2- and 5-years-old did not. The companies said they now would test a third low dose of the coronavirus vaccine in children 6 months to under 5 years of age. But they do not plan to test a higher dose of the vaccine in children between 2 and 5 years of age.
“The goal here is to understand the potential of protection of the third dose,” said Jerica Pitts, a spokeswoman for Pfizer. “We are studying 3 micrograms at this time.” In a conference call with investors and analysts on Friday, Kathrin Jansen, Pfizer’s head of vaccine research, said the company planned to seek authorization for a “three-dose series” in children, instead of the originally planned two doses. If the revised strategy works, “we would have a consistent three-dose vaccine approach for all ages,” she said.
The announcement underscores the emerging idea among many experts that people should be considered “fully vaccinated” only after receiving what are now viewed as booster shots: three doses of the mRNA vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna, or after receiving at least one additional shot following a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Early studies indicate that three doses of the mRNA vaccines may provide a stronger bulwark against the Omicron variant than two doses.
That's a statement where I tend to grumble over the take of the author. It assumes that the production capabilities had already been in place. But we have a fresh pandemic where "the wealthy nations" first had to invest huge amounts of money into R&D to get to a viable vaccine. Of course they first batches will be for themselves. Production resources have to be built up. It's not just like mixing a handful of chemicals, it's a biological reaction that turns out the final product, it takes a certain time. With a world wide demand some will have to wait. I understand that currently vaccine production is sold out for around four months. Also too the author ignores that "the wealthy nations" have been donating large quantities. The author also ignores the fact that the current vaccines have a short shelf life, they need special handling like freezing and cooling up to the point of delivery, just in time for the shots to be given. Not all potential recipients have the required infrastructure to handle these needs.AndyinPA wrote: ↑Fri Dec 17, 2021 11:07 am https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-in ... -19-divide
Lots more at the link.The emergence of the Omicron variant has made it clear the pandemic won’t be over until it is beaten everywhere.
But there has been a vast and continuing inequality in the global Covid vaccine rollout.
This mirrors other rollouts, such as the vaccine for diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), and tetanus, which has a vaccination rate as low as 41% in some countries.
In the case of Covid, inequality has been compounded by wealthy nations buying up doses, and the need to ramp up adult vaccination programs in countries that hadn’t had them before.
This map shows how the Covid vaccine rollout has progressed globally, showing the number of doses administered per 100 people over time.
Children can't consent. The parents have to do it.Sam the Centipede wrote: ↑Sat Dec 18, 2021 12:46 am Re the underperformance of mRNA vaccines in young kids: I wonder if administering half the adult dose is a factor? For drugs with widespread systemic effects, clearly body size can be important in determining dosage
But the mRNA vaccine goes directly into a muscle and acts locally, and dendritic cells migrate from there to start the magic. That very local reaction to the vaccine isn't obviously related to the size of other parts of the body. Maybe the kids just need adult doses?
Of course, immune systems change with after too. And the precautionary principle is especially important with children who are to young to give fully informed consent.
Most of the World’s Vaccines Likely Won’t Prevent Infection From Omicron
They do seem to offer significant protection against severe illness, but the consequences of rapidly spreading infection worry many public health experts.
By Stephanie Nolen
Dec. 19, 2021
A growing body of preliminary research suggests the Covid vaccines used in most of the world offer almost no defense against becoming infected by the highly contagious Omicron variant.
All vaccines still seem to provide a significant degree of protection against serious illness from Omicron, which is the most crucial goal. But only the Pfizer and Moderna shots, when reinforced by a booster, appear to have initial success at stopping infections, and these vaccines are unavailable in most of the world.
The other shots — including those from AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson and vaccines manufactured in China and Russia — do little to nothing to stop the spread of Omicron, early research shows. And because most countries have built their inoculation programs around these vaccines, the gap could have a profound impact on the course of the pandemic.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/19/heal ... icacy.html