Covid-19 Vaccine - Where, How & Costs

[aonestudio]

COVID-19 Breakthrough Case Investigations and Reporting | CDC

Information and resources to help public health departments and laboratories investigate and report COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough cases.

www.cdc.gov

 

[Grey Havoc]

Deleted gene sequences confirm coronavirus circulated before Wuhan seafood market

A new report does not answer whether the SARS-CoV-2 virus jumped directly from animals to people or was accidently leaked from a Chinese research lab.

news.yahoo.com

 

[Grey Havoc]

MSN

 

[Grey Havoc]

NIH defends deleting COVID-19 genetic data pointing to lab leak origin

The National Institutes of Health defended its decision to delete its record of the genetic sequencing of COVID-19 cases from early in the coronavirus pandemic, apparently done at the request of Chinese researchers.

news.yahoo.com

 

[DWG]

Deleted gene sequences confirm coronavirus circulated before Wuhan seafood market

A new report does not answer whether the SARS-CoV-2 virus jumped directly from animals to people or was accidently leaked from a Chinese research lab.

news.yahoo.com

That headline's a statement of the blatantly obvious. The seafood market was the nexus of the outbreak, but we've known for well over a year that there were cases beforehand - in bats, if not in humans. Which makes that second headline deliberate clickbait.

1st known case of coronavirus traced back to November in China

A 55-year-old individual from Hubei province in China may have been the first person to have contracted COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus spreading across the globe.

www.livescience.com

 

[TomcatViP]

Interesting articles on the problems faced by the Astra-Zeneca jab:

The Oxford vaccine: the trials and tribulations of a world-saving jab

Amid bemusement from scientists at the deluge of often undeserved criticism, the Guardian pieces together the story behind the vaccine’s successes and failures

www.theguardian.com

Astra-Zenaca just faced the same machinery that guned down Boeing MAX.

Perhaps it's time to think at a regulation "vaccine" for paid bots and minions.

 

[DWG]

Our senior stats guys on why even vaccinated people still die

Why most people who now die with Covid in England have had a vaccination | David Spiegelhalter and Anthony Masters

Don’t think of this as a bad sign, it’s exactly what’s expected from an effective but imperfect jab

www.theguardian.com

 

[Trident]

Our senior stats guys on why even vaccinated people still die

Why most people who now die with Covid in England have had a vaccination | David Spiegelhalter and Anthony Masters

Don’t think of this as a bad sign, it’s exactly what’s expected from an effective but imperfect jab

www.theguardian.com

Pretty common sense really, but as that is really uncommon these days, a concise explanation is always warranted.

 

[chimeric oncogene]

Pfizer at current 70%ish-target vaccination rates will likely not be able to provide herd immunity against Delta without additional measures.

Of course, if it does turn out to reduce hospitalizations by a large percentage (up to 90%+), it may well be profitable to just let the virus spread, although that is not the recommended strategy... and would likely face opposition in light of last year's debacles.

 

[Flyaway]

They’ve discovered evidence of a coronavirus epidemic in east Asia 20,000 years ago, it could have been more widespread than that but they don’t have the data yet.

A coronavirus epidemic hit East Asia 20,000 years ago, new study shows

Over the past 20 years, people have faced a series of outbreaks caused by coronaviruses, including SARS, MERS, and Covid-19. But humans may have faced the disease millennia ago, new research suggests.

edition.cnn.com

 

[DWG]

They’ve discovered evidence of a coronavirus epidemic in east Asia 20,000 years ago, it could have been more widespread than that but they don’t have the data yet.

A coronavirus epidemic hit East Asia 20,000 years ago, new study shows

Over the past 20 years, people have faced a series of outbreaks caused by coronaviruses, including SARS, MERS, and Covid-19. But humans may have faced the disease millennia ago, new research suggests.

edition.cnn.com

It's important for people to remember (something the anti-vaxxers have deliberately distorted), that when scientists say "a coronavirus", it's like saying "a homininae". The coronavirus in this story is likely as distinct from Covid as we are from gorillas (which is more than we are from chimps, which is more than we are from Australopithecines, which is more than we are from Australopithecus, which is more than we are from archaic humans like Homo Erectus, which is more than we are from the Neanderthals and Denisovans).

You need to go six steps up our taxonomic family tree, to sub-family level, to get to the point at which we and our Homininae relatives are as broad a grouping as the coronaviruses (aka the Orthocoronavirinae). The coronaviruses, in addition to SARS, MERS and Covid, cause one sixth of common colds (via at least four different species) , and infect everything from birds to whales.

 

[Grey Havoc]

Highly contagious Delta coronavirus variant spreading fast in California

The Delta variant now makes up 14.5% of coronavirus cases analyzed so far this month in California, up from 4.7% in May.

news.yahoo.com

Sydney Locks Down as Delta Covid-19 Variant Spreads

Parts of Australia’s largest city will go into a rare lockdown for at least a week as officials seek to stamp out an outbreak of the highly infectious Delta variant of the coronavirus.

www.wsj.com

Thailand to reimpose coronavirus curbs to contain outbreak - France 24

Thailand to reimpose coronavirus curbs to contain outbreak

www.france24.com

 

[Flyaway]

This is fascinating article on the rather different challenges of the third wave of COVID. I hadn’t realised how much a virus like COVID can cause trouble for the vulnerable just through having a high R number rather than any particularly great immune evasion ability.

In light of everyone’s pandemic fatigue this is rather concerning conclusion. In that it boils down to how many deaths is a society willing to stomach in exchange for no restrictions.

The third wave will almost certainly look very different to before. There will inevitably be fatalities, but not of the levels of the previous two waves. As a result, some doctors feel that any decisions on re-implementing restrictions in the months to come are likely to be moral and ethical questions, rather than medical necessity.

“I think wave one, wave two, it was clear that there was a huge emerging wave of infections and hospitalisations and deaths,” says Morgan. “Now, it’s different. I don’t think these are medical decisions anymore, they are ethical, moral and societal decisions, and they have to be answered by society, governments, and ethical institutions.”

The third wave of Covid is here… and it’s weird

Cases of Covid-19 are rising again in the UK, but with most adults vaccinated the dynamics of this wave will be different

www.wired.co.uk

I have seen some modelling talking about by 2022 1000 unvaccinated people a day dying in the US of Covid if it continues on its current evolutionary track.

 

[Grey Havoc]

States hesitant to adopt digital COVID vaccine verification

As states end their coronavirus restrictions, very few are creating systems to help businesses verify whether customers have been vaccinated against COVID-19.

apnews.com

France and Germany will renew attempt to force UK tourists to quarantine in EU

Currently, each EU state is free to impose its own coronavirus restrictions on travellers arriving from abroad

www.telegraph.co.uk

 

[Grey Havoc]

Covid: Vaccines running out in poorer nations, WHO says

There are chronic shortages in some nations where Covid infections are surging, a key official says.

www.bbc.com

 

[Flyaway]

This small study has indicated that viral vector vaccines like the AZ & J&J ones can be used for booster shots.

"There had been some concerns that we would not be able to use this vaccine in a booster vaccination regime, and that's certainly not what the data is suggesting," study author Teresa Lambe of Oxford's Jenner Institute told Reuters.

Oxford vaccine produces strong immune response from booster shot - study

A third shot of the Oxford-AstraZeneca (AZN.L) COVID-19 vaccine produces a strong immune response, researchers said on Monday, adding there was not yet evidence that such shots were needed, especially given shortages in some countries.

www.reuters.com

 

[DWG]

This small study has indicated that viral vector vaccines like the AZ & J&J ones can be used for booster shots.

"There had been some concerns that we would not be able to use this vaccine in a booster vaccination regime, and that's certainly not what the data is suggesting," study author Teresa Lambe of Oxford's Jenner Institute told Reuters.

Oxford vaccine produces strong immune response from booster shot - study

A third shot of the Oxford-AstraZeneca (AZN.L) COVID-19 vaccine produces a strong immune response, researchers said on Monday, adding there was not yet evidence that such shots were needed, especially given shortages in some countries.

www.reuters.com

Mixing Covid vaccines offers strong immune protection – study

Oxford researchers say having AstraZeneca then Pfizer jabs is almost as potent as two shots of Pfizer

www.theguardian.com

Same basic article as Flyaway's, but without the paywall/access limits.

TLDR: Preprint (ie not yet peer-reviewed) Oxford Uni study of a limited number of people who had extended gaps between AZ shots shows boosted immune responses at least as far out as a 45 week interval, and separately that a third shot more than six months after their second led to a substantial rise in antibodies.

(There's going to be an ethical question over 3rd doses when most of the rest of the world is still waiting for 1st/2nd).

 

[DWG]

TLDR: Preprint (ie not yet peer-reviewed) Oxford Uni study of a limited number of people who had extended gaps between AZ shots shows boosted immune responses at least as far out as a 45 week interval, and separately that a third shot more than six months after their second led to a substantial rise in antibodies.

Thinking about it, a 45 week interval between doses strongly implies some, if not all, of these people were in the initial AZ trial cohorts. As does a six month later booster given it's only just over six months since the initial vaccinations.

 

[edwest4]

I'll stop just short of condemning the US media again. The following will appear cold and calculating but it is the appropriate approach. Deaths are up 14% or 15%. Well, what does that mean? 96 deaths today in the US as opposed to 90?

Just like the seasonal flu shot given every year in the U.S. So what if there is a third jab? Every year the flu virus mutates just like this one. New virus strains appear. This is not news.

The other problem is that research with this virus and its variants is ongoing. Here is the latest about the effectiveness of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

Study finds sign of long-lasting protection from COVID-19 vaccines

The COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna produce a “persistent” immune response and give a sign of long-lasting protection, a new study finds.The study is a positive development in…

thehill.com

 

[edwest4]

States hesitant to adopt digital COVID vaccine verification

As states end their coronavirus restrictions, very few are creating systems to help businesses verify whether customers have been vaccinated against COVID-19.

apnews.com

France and Germany will renew attempt to force UK tourists to quarantine in EU

Currently, each EU state is free to impose its own coronavirus restrictions on travellers arriving from abroad

www.telegraph.co.uk

The freedom to go where you like needs to be balanced against the health of the area/place you are visiting. Sure, people can be left to go wherever but actions have consequences.

 

[Flyaway]

South Africa has entered a strict lockdown to combat a third wave of COVID caused by the emergence of the Delta variant and low vaccination rates.

South Africa enters strict lockdown to combat 'extremely serious' impact of Delta variant

South Africa has entered at least two weeks of strict lockdown to combat a devastating third wave of Covid-19,

edition.cnn.com

 

[Flyaway]

I'll stop just short of condemning the US media again. The following will appear cold and calculating but it is the appropriate approach. Deaths are up 14% or 15%. Well, what does that mean? 96 deaths today in the US as opposed to 90?

Just like the seasonal flu shot given every year in the U.S. So what if there is a third jab? Every year the flu virus mutates just like this one. New virus strains appear. This is not news.

The other problem is that research with this virus and its variants is ongoing. Here is the latest about the effectiveness of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

Study finds sign of long-lasting protection from COVID-19 vaccines

The COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna produce a “persistent” immune response and give a sign of long-lasting protection, a new study finds.The study is a positive development in…

thehill.com

The thing is variants like Delta are going to make hay with the unvaccinated in the US. This virus seems to have an unsettling ability to travel through populations to get at the vulnerable even if it has to travel through the protected. If it does turn out that even the fully vaccinated can pass on the virus, even if it doesn’t impact them at all personally that does rather alter the game.

 

[edwest4]

I'll stop just short of condemning the US media again. The following will appear cold and calculating but it is the appropriate approach. Deaths are up 14% or 15%. Well, what does that mean? 96 deaths today in the US as opposed to 90?

Just like the seasonal flu shot given every year in the U.S. So what if there is a third jab? Every year the flu virus mutates just like this one. New virus strains appear. This is not news.

The other problem is that research with this virus and its variants is ongoing. Here is the latest about the effectiveness of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

Study finds sign of long-lasting protection from COVID-19 vaccines

The COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna produce a “persistent” immune response and give a sign of long-lasting protection, a new study finds.The study is a positive development in…

thehill.com

The thing is variants like Delta are going to make hay with the unvaccinated in the US. This virus seems to have an unsettling ability to travel through populations to get at the vulnerable even if it has to travel through the protected. If it does turn out that even the fully vaccinated can pass on the virus, even if it doesn’t impact them at all personally that does rather alter the game.

Yes, of course. Those who will not take any vaccine will suffer. The virus is only doing what any virus does. No resistance means infection and likely death. I'd rather not see this happen but it has started.

The "game" is simple. Do I, as a doctor (which I am not), allow a patient to leave quarantine and enter the general population untreated? This is not an individual person issue like climbing Mount Everest and falling off. "Poor chap." No one else suffers from this. Viruses will always do what viruses always do. And do I, as a US citizen, do more than what I have been doing for the past 15 months? Aside from being fully vaccinated, no.

 

[DWG]

The freedom to go where you like needs to be balanced against the health of the area/place you are visiting. Sure, people can be left to go wherever but actions have consequences.

It's an internal EU spat, just over UK visitors. France and Germany want to block visitors from the UK because of the Delta Covid rates here, while Greece and Portugal, not sure on Spain, want the UK tourists back. To a degree it comes down to local rates, Covid and vaccinations both, and whether you think your national health systems can cope. The logic is all smoke and mirrors anyway, Delta Covid was already on the Continent even if you had stopped every UK visitor the moment Merkel spoke up.

(It's much more significant an argument than it sounds on the surface for non-EU audiences, freedom of movement across national borders is a major principle of the EU. The UK is now out of the EU, but one or two EU countries trying to dictate the border policies of other EU nations is going to go down badly with a lot of people across the EU)

 

[edwest4]

I follow events in the EU and UK. In my opinion, the U.S. should have imposed border checkpoints between states. Last summer, I saw license plates from as far away as California in my state, along with visitors from states designated as "hot spots." This summer, more of the same, including Washington state. Want to travel? Can't get on a plane? Then drive to wherever you want. Look what's happening in Scotland: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-57638936

"freedom of movement" in this case means ignoring a serious health threat. If it is not managed correctly then people will become ill and some will die.

 

[DWG]

This small study has indicated that viral vector vaccines like the AZ & J&J ones can be used for booster shots.

"There had been some concerns that we would not be able to use this vaccine in a booster vaccination regime, and that's certainly not what the data is suggesting," study author Teresa Lambe of Oxford's Jenner Institute told Reuters.

Oxford vaccine produces strong immune response from booster shot - study

A third shot of the Oxford-AstraZeneca (AZN.L) COVID-19 vaccine produces a strong immune response, researchers said on Monday, adding there was not yet evidence that such shots were needed, especially given shortages in some countries.

www.reuters.com

Mixing Covid vaccines offers strong immune protection – study

Oxford researchers say having AstraZeneca then Pfizer jabs is almost as potent as two shots of Pfizer

www.theguardian.com

Same basic article as Flyaway's, but without the paywall/access limits.

TLDR: Preprint (ie not yet peer-reviewed) Oxford Uni study of a limited number of people who had extended gaps between AZ shots shows boosted immune responses at least as far out as a 45 week interval, and separately that a third shot more than six months after their second led to a substantial rise in antibodies.

The article's now been modified with further news from Oxford - a preprint in the Lancet - results are in from mixing AZ and Pfizer, and they're weird. AZ then Pfizer, or Pfizer then AZ, are both better than 2xAZ, but AZ then Pfizer is significantly better than Pfizer then AZ, and almost as good as 2x Pfizer. These are based on a four week interval between doses, results from a 12 week interval, which tends to boost the AZ response, are due next month.

 

[aonestudio]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1409677164648169476

View: https://twitter.com/BNODesk/status/1409677164648169476

 

[Grey Havoc]

Thousands stranded in Bangladesh ahead of sweeping Covid lockdown

Thousands of people were stranded in Bangladesh's capital on Monday as authorities halted almost all public transport ahead of a sweeping lockdown imposed to combat a deadly resurgence of Covid-19 infections.

news.yahoo.com

 

[Grey Havoc]

Australia tightens lockdown amid Delta virus outbreak, vaccine chaos

Australia reported a slight rise in COVID-19 infections on Tuesday, while officials in several states tightened movement curbs and pushed for vaccinations to limit flare-ups of the highly infectious Delta variant.

www.reuters.com

 

[Grey Havoc]

African Union wants Covishield approved for EU COVID-19 certificate

The African Union has criticised an EU decision not to include Covishield, a version of AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine used by the global COVAX facility, on a list of approved vaccines for a digital certificate meant to ease travel in the bloc.

www.reuters.com

 

[Grey Havoc]

Double-jabbed travellers drive bookings for Spain and Portugal

British holidaymakers who have received both doses of the Covid-19 vaccine are driving interest in trips to Spain and Portugal, tour operator data suggests.

www.telegraph.co.uk

 

[Flyaway]

Does anyone think it’s getting to stage with the emergence of the Delta variant that if your wilfully not getting vaccinated you’re effectively playing definite Russian roulette with your life especially if aged 50 or above?

With the more contagious Delta variant, some officials are issuing new mask guidance

The more transmissible Delta variant has spread to almost every state in the US, fueling health experts' concerns about Covid-19 spikes in the fall -- just as students head back to school.

edition.cnn.com

 

[DWG]

TLDR: Preprint (ie not yet peer-reviewed) Oxford Uni study of a limited number of people who had extended gaps between AZ shots shows boosted immune responses at least as far out as a 45 week interval, and separately that a third shot more than six months after their second led to a substantial rise in antibodies.

Thinking about it, a 45 week interval between doses strongly implies some, if not all, of these people were in the initial AZ trial cohorts. As does a six month later booster given it's only just over six months since the initial vaccinations.

A friend tracked the paper down, the subjects were initially in a single dose trial, but when AZ showed good results with long intervals between doses they split them so one group stayed single dose and the others got a second dose after even longer intervals.

Tolerability and Immunogenicity After a Late Second Dose or a Third Dose of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AZD1222)

Background: COVID-19 vaccine supply shortages are causing concerns about compromised immunity in some countries as the interval between first and second dose ex

papers.ssrn.com

 

[edwest4]

Does anyone think it’s getting to stage with the emergence of the Delta variant that if your wilfully not getting vaccinated you’re effectively playing definite Russian roulette with your life especially if aged 50 or above?

With the more contagious Delta variant, some officials are issuing new mask guidance

The more transmissible Delta variant has spread to almost every state in the US, fueling health experts' concerns about Covid-19 spikes in the fall -- just as students head back to school.

edition.cnn.com

Does anyone think? Opinions don't matter. It's obvious: Not fully vaccinated and your chances of ending up in the hospital increase with age and number of medical conditions. And with some people thinking they can go wherever now that they're vaccinated - and a few who think 'nothing bad is going to happen to me' - then you'll get outbreaks here and there - as predicted. And those people sneaking into other countries, travel ban or no? It will not go well, definitely not. And they better start offering shots to people under 16 soon.

 

[Grey Havoc]

US urges Covid cooperation at G20 as China critical

METATEXT

www.sinodaily.com

 

[Grey Havoc]

Could your face mask detect Covid?

METATEXT

www.spacedaily.com

 

[Grey Havoc]

https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/oabtfq

View: https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/oabtfq/modernas_covid19_vaccine_shows_promise_against/

 

[Grey Havoc]

https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/oa4j07

View: https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/oa4j07/australias_top_medical_body_refuses_to_endorse/

 

[Flyaway]

Editorial: Scrapping ‘bubbles’ and isolation won’t stop Covid circulating

Editorial: Sajid Javid is growing worryingly zealous in his drive to end lockdown on 19 July, and with it the bubble-and-isolate protocols in schools – the virus may have other ideas

www.independent.co.uk

 

[Flyaway]

Guatemala asks Russia to return money over failure to deliver Sputnik COVID-19 vaccine

Guatemalan Health Minister Amelia Flores said on Tuesday that the government had asked Russia to return money already paid for doses of the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine because of non-delivery.

www.reuters.com

COVID-19: the first study to look at whether fake news actually changes people’s behaviour

Despite fake news commonly being cited as a danger to society, very little research has been conducted on its ability to alter what people think.

theconversation.com