New vaccine

[terrierjohn]

5 hours ago, janny444 said:

Hi....this is good news about the Pfizer vaccine being approved and starting the roll out next week. My question is possibly  more directed at people who understand these things unless I am overlooking the obvious.

Am I correct in thinking that this is the vaccine developed in the USA and if so why are we the first country in the world to approve  it and roll out the vaccine and not the country of development the USA ? 

The country of manufacture is Belgium at a Pfizer factory , the development is ftom Biontec in Germany, as to first approval it appears that our approval organisation has been working since January to keep itself up to date with all the development and trials data, which is why it has been faster to approve the vaccine.

Edited December 2, 2020 by terrierjohn

[terrierjohn]

4 hours ago, davecttr said:

Agree and hopefully the additional testing programme AstraZenica have announced will not take too long to complete. Apparently they need to verify efficacy of the half dose regime for those of 55 years . I read that this can be done with a much smaller test group than the full programme.

I understand that approval is already being sought and will not need to await the extra testing to verify the half starter dose results.

[Adawn47]

3 hours ago, jeanlyon said:

Very good news, I expect it will annoy POTUS though!

 

Wonder how long it will take to vaccinate the first lot - health workers and those in care homes.  My husband will be next after that as he is over 80.

I read a piece two days ago, can't remember which on-line paper it was, but according to their calculations it will take approximately 5 months before they get to the over 75's. Don't know how close they are, with their assessment, but as with any news, I take it with a large pinch of salt.

Avril

Edited December 2, 2020 by Adawn47

[yorkshirephil]

[cruisenewbie1976]

1 hour ago, Adawn47 said:

I read a piece two days ago, can't remember which on-line paper it was, but according to their calculations it will take approximately 5 months before they get to the over 75's. Don't know how close they are, with their assessment, but as with any news, I take it with a large pinch of salt.

Avril

I know it all depends on what you read/believe but I'm sure the government said they would be looking to offer the vaccine to anyone who wanted it by March. Although what they say and do is normally very different admittedly. I suppose a lot depends on the other vaccines getting approved. 

[davecttr]

1 hour ago, terrierjohn said:

I understand that approval is already being sought and will not need to await the extra testing to verify the half starter dose results.

True enough BUT. If they commence giving the Oxford vaccinations to the at risk groups before the half dose testing has verified that it is just as good as it was when given to the under 50's group, AND it turns out it is down in the low 60% efficacy for those groups there will be IMO an almighty row, and justifiably so , given that there should be enough 90%+ efficacy vaccine for ALL at risk groups. Do you think we might find out in a few months time that members of the government, 'power elite' etc have been given high efficacy vaccine when they HAD NO CLINICAL NEED 😨

 

apologies for shouting but I just don't trust them to do it right given their track record so far 😠

[Selbourne]

31 minutes ago, cruisenewbie1976 said:

I know it all depends on what you read/believe but I'm sure the government said they would be looking to offer the vaccine to anyone who wanted it by March. Although what they say and do is normally very different admittedly. I suppose a lot depends on the other vaccines getting approved. 

....and the logistical operation involved, the like of which we haven’t seen before.

[jeanlyon]

3 hours ago, P&O SUE said:

Thank you Selbourne, I’m in my mid 50’s but have a stent so will be higher up than my husband who is 60 but too ‘healthy’ to get a flu jab yet! Obviously we’ll have to be both vaccinated before we could travel anyway. 

Confused by that comment.  Flu Jabs are free to anyone over 50?

[DamianG]

On 12/1/2020 at 3:26 PM, Purdey16 said:

Can someone tell me what’s the joke with the daffodils!! Ive lead a very sheltered life 😳

 

 

Edited December 2, 2020 by DamianG

[terrierjohn]

1 hour ago, davecttr said:

True enough BUT. If they commence giving the Oxford vaccinations to the at risk groups before the half dose testing has verified that it is just as good as it was when given to the under 50's group, AND it turns out it is down in the low 60% efficacy for those groups there will be IMO an almighty row, and justifiably so , given that there should be enough 90%+ efficacy vaccine for ALL at risk groups. Do you think we might find out in a few months time that members of the government, 'power elite' etc have been given high efficacy vaccine when they HAD NO CLINICAL NEED 😨

 

apologies for shouting but I just don't trust them to do it right given their track record so far 😠

I had assumed that the initial approval would be for the 2 full dose vaccinations, and that we will wait for the results of the further half dose trial and its authorisation before they switch to any half dose vaccination roll out.

[P&O SUE]

1 hour ago, jeanlyon said:

Confused by that comment.  Flu Jabs are free to anyone over 50?

Aah yes they are supposed to be but when I asked my GP’s receptionist they were still doing the ‘usual’ list first and wouldn’t get round to the under 65’s until at least Mid December 🙄

[davecttr]

11 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

I had assumed that the initial approval would be for the 2 full dose vaccinations, and that we will wait for the results of the further half dose trial and its authorisation before they switch to any half dose vaccination roll out.

that is fine as long as they don't give the two dose vaccinations to high risk groups who would benefit more from the 90% efficacy vaccines that are already approved. as i mentioned before there is enough Pfizer/BioNTek vaccine on order to vaccinate everyone in the high risk groups so no need to give the AstraZenica one (62% efficacy) to high risk groups. Unless they decide to give the less effective vaccine because it is readily available  and ALSO give the at risk person the high effectiveness vaccine when it becomes available. Hopefully it is safe to give someone two different courses of vaccine.

[terrierjohn]

2 minutes ago, davecttr said:

that is fine as long as they don't give the two dose vaccinations to high risk groups who would benefit more from the 90% efficacy vaccines that are already approved. as i mentioned before there is enough Pfizer/BioNTek vaccine on order to vaccinate everyone in the high risk groups so no need to give the AstraZenica one (62% efficacy) to high risk groups. Unless they decide to give the less effective vaccine because it is readily available  and ALSO give the at risk person the high effectiveness vaccine when it becomes available. Hopefully it is safe to give someone two different courses of vaccine.

But the faster we roll out the vaccination the sooner the spread of the vaccine will decline, which will help to limit the risk of becoming infected.

[AnnieC]

31 minutes ago, P&O SUE said:

Aah yes they are supposed to be but when I asked my GP’s receptionist they were still doing the ‘usual’ list first and wouldn’t get round to the under 65’s until at least Mid December 🙄

Try local pharmacies, Sue. Others in your position have had success doing that.

[P&O SUE]

28 minutes ago, AnnieC said:

Try local pharmacies, Sue. Others in your position have had success doing that.

Yes I’ve heard that, I have had mine it’s the hubby who hasn’t - he’s a man, what can I say?!? I keep telling him to go along but I can’t force him....

[Bazrat]

1 hour ago, P&O SUE said:

Aah yes they are supposed to be but when I asked my GP’s receptionist they were still doing the ‘usual’ list first and wouldn’t get round to the under 65’s until at least Mid December 🙄

It really depends if your surgery as called in extra help to contact the patients, I rang around everyone on the list who actually answered the phone and asked if they wanted the jab, last job was the under sixties who seamed to be more willing to have it.

[terrierjohn]

28 minutes ago, Bazrat said:

It really depends if your surgery as called in extra help to contact the patients, I rang around everyone on the list who actually answered the phone and asked if they wanted the jab, last job was the under sixties who seamed to be more willing to have it.

I found that our surgery never sent us any messages when the clinics were due, they expected us to check their website. However the chemist we now have our prescription delivered from sent texts to both of us asking if we wanted to book flu jabs, and they had an easy website to book appointments, so hopefully they might be offering the covid jabs.

[P&O SUE]

1 hour ago, Bazrat said:

It really depends if your surgery as called in extra help to contact the patients, I rang around everyone on the list who actually answered the phone and asked if they wanted the jab, last job was the under sixties who seamed to be more willing to have it.

I think our surgery has ‘problems’. Luckily I got my flu jab through my work.

[Dinglebert]

15 minutes ago, P&O SUE said:

I think our surgery has ‘problems’. Luckily I got my flu jab through my work.

That sounds painful

[Bazrat]

Interesting thing is my wife would get the new vaccine but I would have to wait, considering it is made in Belgium and sent to us what do the Belgium’s think about that.

[Adawn47]

2 hours ago, P&O SUE said:

Yes I’ve heard that, I have had mine it’s the hubby who hasn’t - he’s a man, what can I say?!? I keep telling him to go along but I can’t force him....

Take him by the hand, pat him gentley on the head and promise  him a sweetie afterwards. Works every time, no matter how old the child😁

Avril

[tring]

3 hours ago, DamianG said:

 

 

 

I assume the "temperature taking" was  referring to the per rectum method, which does give a rather comical picture of the daffodil.  I may be naive beyond that, but suspect it was nothing any worse as the carry on films did have a certain modicum of respectability. 

[tring]

2 hours ago, Bazrat said:

It really depends if your surgery as called in extra help to contact the patients, I rang around everyone on the list who actually answered the phone and asked if they wanted the jab, last job was the under sixties who seamed to be more willing to have it.

 

Ringing patients does sound somewhat time intensive!!

 

Our surgery sends out letters which always seem to come the week after the late August bank holiday week.  They invite us to make an appointment or return form saying we do not want one.  Appointments can be made on line (which I suspect many people do) or by ringing the surgery after 11 am, and the calls are put through to a dedicated person by having to press a certain number on the telephone pad as the call initially goes through.  The delivery is again in very slick, dedicated clinics (apts every 3 minutes per member of staff).  Saturday morning is a common time for the clinics and they have several staff to administer them (doctors as well as nurses).  So as we arrive we are sent straight through to one of the rooms being used (having been asked to remove outer clothes on the way).  This year I did not even get into the room as the nurse met me at the room door and jabbed me whilst I was still standing in the corridor.  Also this year someone was at the surgery entrance to make sure patients were socially distanced and were directed to a different exit, hence a one way system.  We have never had to wait beyond the end of September for a flu jab. 

 

Our local Tesco's also offer the jabs and no charge is made if you are eligible for a free one on the NHS. 

Edited December 2, 2020 by tring

[Purdey16]

4 hours ago, DamianG said:

 

 

Thank you very much Damian , I think I’m up to date with it all now 😂 thank you for taking the time to find that clip 

 

Edited December 2, 2020 by Purdey16

[Bazrat]

13 minutes ago, tring said:

 

Ringing patients does sound somewhat time intensive!!

 

Our surgery sends out letters which always seem to come the week after the late August bank holiday week.  They invite us to make an appointment or return form saying we do not want one.  Appointments can be made on line (which I suspect many people do) or by ringing the surgery after 11 am, and the calls are put through to a dedicated person by having to press a certain number on the telephone pad as the call initially goes through.  The delivery is again in very slick, dedicated clinics (apts every 3 minutes per member of staff).  Saturday morning is a common time for the clinics and they have several staff to administer them (doctors as well as nurses).  So as we arrive we are sent straight through to one of the rooms being used (having been asked to remove outer clothes on the way).  This year I did not even get into the room as the nurse met me at the room door and jabbed me whilst I was still standing in the corridor.  Also this year someone was at the surgery entrance to make sure patients were socially distanced and were directed to a different exit, hence a one way system.  We have never had to wait beyond the end of September for a flu jab. 

 

Our local Tesco's also offer the jabs and no charge is made if you are eligible for a free one on the NHS. 

Really depends on size of surgery I asked the question why not just send them out letters the reply I got, most people read them but it requires an action on there part so some just forget, when you call them you can book them in, before I was volunteered to help they just ran a Saturday clinic, after my calls they ran clinics twice a day for 3 weeks plus a couple of Saturdays than I was thrown on the street, (actually returned to work).