New vaccine

[bobstheboy]

I understand the second dose is ensure a long term protection. Not claiming to be an expert, just what I have read.

[showingdiva]

51 minutes ago, Beckett said:

Yay!  The Oxford/Astra Zeneca vaccine has been approved.

 

In my 32 years working for the NHS this is the happiest day.

 

Congratulations and heartfelt thanks to the wonderful scientists who have made this possible.

 

Matt Hancock has just said "The cavalry has arrived".

 

Sorry to gush but I feel like crying!

 

Have a great day everyone.

 

Best wishes.

 

Jane

X

 

 

 

I absolutely echo everything Jane.   I'm slightly behind you at 24 years in the NHS, both primary and secondary care, but agree that this is fantastic news.

[dorsetlad]

1 minute ago, pete14 said:

Probably not, but the politicians could. I am always wary when politicians come up with new unpublished evidence. Hopefully my greater caution is mis-placed.

Once again, I don't think the politicians would dare override the MHRA, but carry on doubting if you wish. I'm just thrilled that the end COULD be in sight.😀

[pete14]

1 minute ago, dorsetlad said:

Once again, I don't think the politicians would dare override the MHRA, but carry on doubting if you wish. I'm just thrilled that the end COULD be in sight.😀

Trust me, I am as thrilled as anybody else that the end of Covid COULD be in sight.

[purplesea]

Good news that the vaccine has improved. 

[AnnieC]

12 minutes ago, pete14 said:

Probably not, but the politicians could. I am always wary when politicians come up with new unpublished evidence. Hopefully my greater caution is mis-placed.

They probably could, but hopefully we have Jonathan Van-Tam keeping a beady eye on them.

[Eddie99]

MHRA (?) report will be published over the course of the day

We’ll see their reasoning/statistics then (if we can make sense of it)

Personally, I understand scepticism, and perhaps I’m being naive, but I think it is an independent scientific body, resistant to political pressure 🤞

[yorkshirephil]

11 minutes ago, Eddie99 said:

MHRA (?) report will be published over the course of the day

We’ll see their reasoning/statistics then (if we can make sense of it)

Personally, I understand scepticism, and perhaps I’m being naive, but I think it is an independent scientific body, resistant to political pressure 🤞

Exactly, it would make no difference how much pressure politicians or pharma companies put on the MHRA, they are an independent body. These bodies were set up to stop pharma companies and politicians using their will and money to push the release of drugs before they were fit for market. I can vouch for the efficiency of the MHRA after having dealt with them for over 30 years. Pharma companies hate being audited by MHRA and or the FDA, you think you have got your processes and procedures almost perfect only for MHRA to rip holes in them.

[Selbourne]

55 minutes ago, pete14 said:

Of course the approval of the Oxford vaccine is excellent news but I wonder where the 12 week gap between vaccinations has come from. As far as I know, the efficacy and safety trials had a shorter gap and it is this that the efficacy percentage ratings were based on. The news I read is that the increased gap is as a result of new unpublished evidence. It just seems odd that this new unpublished evidence coincides with calls (including from Tony Blair) to give more people the first dose (likely to be half a dose with this vaccine) so that a greater number of people can receive some protection. This new approach may be the best way of administering the greatest protection to the greatest number, I sincerely hope it is, but until the new evidence is published, we won’t know whether it is the best way or just a cynical political way of manipulating the figures. 

Given that Tony Blair seems to be hated by politicians of all colours, including Labour - even though he was their most successful leader in our lifetimes - I should imagine that the decision has been influenced more by the countless virologists and medics who have been saying for weeks that it makes far more sense to give as many people one jab as quickly as possible rather then stressing over the second jab within a quick window. This was mentioned by a few of us on here some days go. 
 

This is indeed good news and can’t come soon enough. I still feel that those thinking that we will all be vaccinated within the next “month or two” are over optimistic. Sir Simon Stephens, CEO of the NHS has said this week that they hope to have “the most vulnerable vaccinated by late Spring”. As always, they never qualify what they mean by ‘the most vulnerable’. Some will hear that as over 70’s and those with underlying health issues, whereas others will hear that as all over 50’s. I’ve no idea which it is, but even if (optimistically) it is all over 50’s, ‘late Spring’ could still mean 6 months from now. 
 

Still none of the over 80’s in our family have had a call yet but, rather bizarrely, two in their 70’s (with no health issues) have.

[jeanlyon]

Great news!  I've got my sleeve rolled up ready.  Will be personally relieved when my husband (82) gets his.  He is fit and well, but this vaccine will bring life back to normal.

[middlehaitch]

Congratulations to  all in the UK 

 I'm almost as excited as you guys are as the rest of my family and lots of friends are in the UK.

 

BC, the Canadian Province I live in, is doing the vaccine as many people as possible with the vaccine we have available, following with the booster shot later when more stock arrives. It will still be months before I get mine though.

 

Cheers, h 🥂

Yes, I lurk here often😎

 

[Windsurfboy]

If every thing goes to plan, a million  a week for AZ,  and 300thousand Pfizer then look at numbers in each group , think all over 60s and others younger vulnerable  before end march.  Fingers crossed. 

 

That's 98% of deaths protected.

Edited December 30, 2020 by Windsurfboy

[Angel57]

7 minutes ago, Windsurfboy said:

If every thing goes to plan, a million  a week for AZ,  and 300thousand Pfizer then look at numbers in each group , think all over 60s and others younger vulnerable  before end march.  Fingers crossed. 

 

That's 98% of deaths protected.

Gosh, I so hope you are right.......🙏

[Selbourne]

Watching the scientific briefing live at present. Efficacy of Oxford vaccine “ up to 70%”. Better than zero but that means 3 out of every 10 vaccinated won’t be protected. What am I missing?

[yorkshirephil]

9 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Watching the scientific briefing live at present. Efficacy of Oxford vaccine “ up to 70%”. Better than zero but that means 3 out of every 10 vaccinated won’t be protected. What am I missing?

There is still a long way to go, until mass vaccination is well underway we won't know for sure. 

[zap99]

2 hours ago, Eddie99 said:

MHRA (?) report will be published over the course of the day

We’ll see their reasoning/statistics then (if we can make sense of it)

Personally, I understand scepticism, and perhaps I’m being naive, but I think it is an independent scientific body, resistant to political pressure 🤞

These people, hundreds of them are experts in their very specialist field, leading scientists of the world. Immune from any interference from anyone. If they say something is so, I believe them. Their opinion ,to me is worth listening to . Some body who has read 1 side of A4 and professes to know better, I listen to...... less.

Edited December 30, 2020 by zap99

[cruisenewbie1976]

15 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Watching the scientific briefing live at present. Efficacy of Oxford vaccine “ up to 70%”. Better than zero but that means 3 out of every 10 vaccinated won’t be protected. What am I missing?

Surely it's better to protect 7 out of 10 than 0 out of 10.

Presumably they're hoping that the vaccine will reduce transmission too. So those 3 that aren't afforded full protection, will benefit from those people who are no longer passing it on. 

And from what I've read, the results showed that there were no cases of severe disease in anyone that received the vaccine. So even if you're in the 3 out of 10 that can still catch it after vaccination, you will hopefully not become severely ill with it. 

[jeanlyon]

19 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Watching the scientific briefing live at present. Efficacy of Oxford vaccine “ up to 70%”. Better than zero but that means 3 out of every 10 vaccinated won’t be protected. What am I missing?

I did hear a week or so ago that even if you are one of the 30% where it doesn't work, if you get Covid it still should protect you from getting it badly.  The flu jab is less than 70% effective, but I've not had flu since I have been having the jab which is years.

[Eddie99]

No-one in the trials has been seriously ill with Covid.  No hospitalisation etc.

Thats ok for me.  A couple of days of aching bones I can deal with.  Many more months of this misery, or severe lasting disease or death - no thanks

[zap99]

3 hours ago, kalos said:

 

Lets not worry Dave ,be happy that we will be getting that first dose sooner than later .

As for the 2nd dose there is nothing to say it is or would be delayed, lets cross that bridge

when we come to it !  In the meantime onwards & upwards 

Leave it to the experts. We may get to Lanzarote in April. We may stop another 70k folks dying . ....ah  but. 

[Adawn47]

4 hours ago, Beckett said:

Congratulations and heartfelt thanks to the wonderful scientists who have made this possible.

And to the NHS staff who will administer the vaccine, and have done everything possible to keep us safe over the past 10 months.💕

Avril

[kalos]

1 minute ago, zap99 said:

Leave it to the experts. We may get to Lanzarote in April. We may stop another 70k folks dying . ....ah  but. 

 

Exactly  🎶 Always look On The Bright Side Of Life 🎶

 

But happy as we are lets spare a thought for all those who passed away

due to this horrible virus . 

[zap99]

15 minutes ago, Eddie99 said:

No-one in the trials has been seriously ill with Covid.  No hospitalisation etc.

Thats ok for me.  A couple of days of aching bones I can deal with.  Many more months of this misery, or severe lasting disease or death - no thanks

When the Doc phones and says  pop up for your jab I will need to know.

a)    is the needle sharp 

b).   If a is yes......no b.

[Windsurfboy]

40 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Watching the scientific briefing live at present. Efficacy of Oxford vaccine “ up to 70%”. Better than zero but that means 3 out of every 10 vaccinated won’t be protected. What am I missing?

 

The bit your missing is that no one who had the vaccine was ill enough to have to go into hospital.  The 30% who caught it had a mild or asymptomatic disease 

[jeanlyon]

Just hearing on TV that a US Congressman, aged 41, no underlying conditions, has died of Covid 2 weeks after getting it.  Discussion was how come the president and his sidekick Rudy Juiliani both got put in hospital almost immediately, given special therapeutics and walked out 3 days later.  There is a huge disparity in who gets the regeneron and other drugs and who doesn't.  quite an interesting piece.