I guess this is promising news in that a team in Wales is leading research into CV genes 🧬 and how it can help track strains and identify where in the world a case has come from.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-53579785
So Russia claims to have a vaccine.
Good news or not?
Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.
It's good news for the Russian people if it's safe and efficacious.
It's good news for the rest of the world if they publish credible data that shows it's safe and efficacious.
It's slightly unclear what was actually approved yesterday. From 'Science'...
So it looks to me like they are approving it to go forward into Ph III clinical trials without the overhead of running 'proper' Ph III trials. Then, assuming it will continue to be safe and effective, it will be widely approved on Jan 1st (or a date pulled forward that suits Putin).(T)he nation’s Ministry of Health issued what’s called a registration certificate for a vaccine candidate that has been tested in just 76 people. The certificate allows the vaccine, developed by the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology in Moscow, to be given to “a small number of citizens from vulnerable groups,” including medical staff and the elderly... But the certificate stipulates that the vaccine cannot be used widely until 1 January 2021, presumably after larger clinical trials have been completed.
I'm not sure if this is being done as:
- to provide as much protection as possible to the Russian people by cutting a few clinical corners
- пропаганда
- a bit of both
If it's propaganda (are you fluent in Russian?), so be it. Mrs. M is stuck in Russia at the moment and she says the people are backing Vlad.
France is on the quarantine list.
Piers Morgan is in France.
As for all these self entitled fake outraged holiday makers on the BBC, complaining about the lack of notice, being gouged by the airlines and ferry companies, having to quarantine on return, etc, just remember this is about saving lives, the NHS, reducing the R Rate, etc and not about causing you and your family some personal inconvenience, because you choose to ignore the warning signs.
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Yes, saw one guy on the BBC news whining because he was supposed to be starting a job when he returned, and if he was quarantined it might be in jeopardy. Apparently had been out of work for a long time and was so looking forward to starting work.
But still went abroad three weeks before the start date in the middle of a pandemic not knowing what might happen with lockdowns and quarantines.
Life’s hard. Some people just make it harder.
Last edited by oldoakknives; 26th August 2020 at 22:23.
Promising results for small trial of Moderna vaccine
https://www.politico.eu/article/mode...-older-adults/
https://g8fip1kplyr33r3krz5b97d1-wpe...26-v2FINAL.pdf
WaPo link:
Moderna, the Massachusetts biotech company leading the global race to develop a coronavirus vaccine, has failed to disclose government financial support in any of the 126 patents it has filed in its 10-year history, in apparent violation of federal law, according to a new report by activist researchers.
Moderna was founded in 2010 and has yet to win market approval of a drug. But its vaccine technology, which has been developed with a combination of U.S. taxpayer support and a large share of private investment, allowed it to be the first company to test its SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in humans.
With a boost of nearly $1 billion in research and development money from the Trump administration, it has initiated Stage 3 clinical trials in tens of thousands of people and is sprinting toward seeking an emergency-use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration before the end of the year. It also has a contract to sell 100 million doses to the United States for another $1.5 billion. The key protein used in the vaccine was co-invented by the National Institutes of Health.
Before those developments this year, Moderna honed its messenger RNA technology on vaccines against other infectious diseases, including Zika and Chikungunya. That research was supported with grants of about $25 million by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), according to the report by Knowledge Ecology International (KEI), a nonprofit group that advocates to protect taxpayer investments in patents.
Moderna has not listed that government support in any patents, despite a requirement in the 1980 Bayh-Dole Act that companies disclose in patent applications when they have received government help, KEI said. Moderna also has not disclosed government involvement in any of 154 pending patent applications, KEI’s report said...
It seems promising. Rates of infections increasing (up 1000 / day) but death rates very low (less than 5 a day). Also Sweden which did not lock down is doing well. Discuss.
Depends on your definitions of 'lockdown and' 'doing well' I guess.
https://www.newscientist.com/article...success-story/
Those who regard the strategy as a success claim it reduced the economic impact, but it isn’t clear that it did. What is clear is that so far Sweden has had a more protracted outbreak with far more deaths per capita than its neighbours.
While it is sometimes implied that Sweden didn’t have a lockdown, it did. It was just largely voluntary, with only a few legal measures such as a ban on gatherings of more than 50 people.
https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/new-scientist/
Don't just do something, sit there. - TNH
Looking at figures - say France where infection is increasing, death rates seem to still be flat. Isn’t this encouraging for us all?
Good for the majority of society.
What we are not seeing in that article is how much the respective governments have spent to help the countries out during the pandemic.
I know what help the UK government has given us but I have no idea what schemes, if any, other governments put in place.
Pure speculation here on my part but I would have thought that with the vast majority of businesses staying open in Sweden, the need for financial help of the government would be a lot less.
Only concern I have Martyn, is Deaths is a trailing indicator. The increase in testing which must be 20 fold March 20 Values is clearly revealing more accurately the true position. It really makes you wonder how many people walking around London and other large cities in Feb 20 were positive or a symptomatic.
Oxford/AZ trial has been halted, apparently due to a patient getting sick.
Now we need more promising news.
How are other vaccines progressing?
Or is it getting more likely that we won’t end up needing one as we’re getting vlosre to the herd immunity levels?
It’s all ok. Trump says vaccine before Election Day. No need to worry.
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"This incident in the UK will have no impact on the Indian vaccine trial being carried out by Serum Institute," said Adar Poonawalla, CEO of Serum Institute of India, that is conducting trials on the Oxford vaccine AZD1222 (aka ChAdOx1 nCoV-19) in India also known as COVISHIELD.Adar Poonawalla added, "The reaction that has been reported is not directly linked to the vaccine. The person who has had the reaction had an existing neurological condition. During a vaccine trial such events are common place.""Our production timelines are on schedule as planned," the Serum Institute CEO further said.
Not much good news lately but the NHS Covid app for England and Wales is FINALLY here:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-54250736
Getting the word out as the more uptake the better.
I've downloaded it and the app looks good. Score is low on app stores as they were mostly from disgruntled people who couldn't participate in the pilot. They had to get some external consultants working on it which perhaps they should've considered from the start.
Have I missed some kind of major news update? Just drove passed a local sports stadium and there are yellow signs on the road saying 'vaccine appointments this way'. The whole car park is set up with a snaking one way system of cones leading to gazebos with tables. I at first thought it was a new test centre, but the multiple signs definitely said vaccine not test
Yep just seen this. Not sure I would be rushing to be injected. I think this will be a long time before we know just how ‘good’ this is. I see the uk have ordered 30 million so it may be a good start to getting us back to a level or normality but with no data on how long protection lasts for (and that will be years before we know) I don’t know how many people will be queuing up to get ‘jabbed’. Just my opinion of course.
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I’ve heard that care homes have been told to expect it for residents and staff from next month. Great news indeed....light at the end of the tunnel.
Its great news on the Vaccine, lets hope they can make it quickly and get it to the high risk groups asap.
re Vitamin D this was put forward early in the epidemic, with more time spent in doors, I think its a good idea to take a supplement in any case as it helps with numerous other ailments.
Fingers crossed
Don't just do something, sit there. - TNH
Good news about the vaccine, however I have my doubts.
Firstly itis only 90% effective, which is better than the 50% effectiveness of the Flu vaccine, however I have heard nothing about how long the vaccine remains effective. 1 month, 3 months, a year or forever.
Secondly the mortality rates associated with Covid indicates that those with underlining health issues are most at risk. If it’s only 90% effective and 10% of those vaccinated have underlining health issues how effective will it actually be for those most at risk.
I suppose we will only find out once the population has been vaccinated and whether we see the R-rates, case numbers and morbidly rates reduce, but my biggest concern is that people will simply start ignoring all the advice given and go back to their pre-Covid lives before they should, or that the Anti-Vaxers will refuse to be vaccinated those providing the perfect host for the vaccine to remain in situ.
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
If it's 90% effective then surely 10 out of 100 people would get no benefit. Of those 10 if 20% have underlying health issues that means 2 people out of every 100 remain at serious risk. Worst case 10 could remain at serious risk.
If the original 100 weren't vaccinated and 20% had underlying health issues that means 20 at serious risk. From 20 down to between 10 and 2 seems a pretty good outcome.
Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.
There is a huge benefit even for those for whom the vaccine is ineffective. They are far less likely to come across someone who is infected. The same applies to anyone who, for some medical reason, cannot be vaccinated. At 90% effectiveness the virus will in time struggle to find anyone to infect. That’s why it’s so important for those of us who can, to be vaccinated.
My problem is that the claim is that it’s 90% effective without any further information.
So it may be 90% effective (on the population as whole), however given that 90% of Covid deaths occur in the over 65’s and that the over 65 represent about 20% the population, then the gains could be marginal (especially if it’s less effective on the over 65’s. If fact if we did nothing, you could argue that “nothing” is 99% effective against dying from Covid. Hopefully they provide more data as to its effectiveness and the longevity of that effectiveness.
It’s interesting that HMG are already talking down the vaccine as a Covid cure.
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
I’ve noticed that about the vaccine being talked down, i was hoping they are doing this just so the general population doesn’t go into party mode and ignore all the things we can do to keep the numbers down until it hopefully becomes proven safe to use...
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They talked down masks for a long time too.
My Wife (40 years as a SRN), thinks they are awful. Not the concept of mask, but how they are continuously touched, how they are washed (or not), how they fit and how they are worn. Whilst she accepts it does provide some protection to others, a similar feat could be achieved by people covering their faces with a snotty hanky.
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche