Covid-19 Vaccine - Where, How & Costs

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shedofdread said:
Flyaway said:
I see it’s already reached Europe as they’ve found a case of it in Belgium. I imagine that means it has been circulating for a while now.
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I suspect that there are countries out there that should be doing more sequencing than they are...
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The U.K. still does more than many. I cannot help think that’s the fact that many countries who could do more sequencing but don’t that partly adds the spread of new variants, looking at the US here amongst others.
 
Flyaway said:
shedofdread said:
Flyaway said:
I see it’s already reached Europe as they’ve found a case of it in Belgium. I imagine that means it has been circulating for a while now.
Click to expand...
I suspect that there are countries out there that should be doing more sequencing than they are...
Click to expand...
The U.K. still does more than many. I cannot help think that’s the fact that many countries who could do more sequencing but don’t that partly adds the spread of new variants, looking at the US here amongst others.
Click to expand...

Looking at the U.S.? Based on what? 20 months in and who's leading the charge?
 
Omicron variant... O RLY ?

futurama.fandom.com

Omicron Persei 8

Omicron Persei 8 is a planet inhabited by large aliens that frequently attempt to invade Earth. The Omicronians are ruled by Emperor Lrrr. The planet orbits the star Omicron Persei, which is about 1000 light years from Earth: this convenient coincidence allows the Omicronians in the 31st Century...
futurama.fandom.com futurama.fandom.com

We need pr. Fansworth...
 
www.ecdc.europa.eu

Threat Assessment Brief: Implications of the emergence and spread of the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1. 529 variant of concern (Omicron) for the EU/EEA

A SARS-CoV-2 variant belonging to Pango lineage B.1.1.529, with a high number of S-gene mutations compared to the original virus was detected at the beginning of November 2021. On 26 November 2021 the variant was designated a variant of concern (VOC) and assigned the label Omicron by the World...
www.ecdc.europa.eu www.ecdc.europa.eu

www.imperial.ac.uk

Q&A: Imperial experts discuss new variant Omicron | Imperial News | Imperial College London

What is the new variant, how is it different, and how concerned should we be?
www.imperial.ac.uk www.imperial.ac.uk

Today South-African Dr. Angelique Coetzee (who 'discovered' B.1.1.529 Omicron) was shown on Belgian TV. She said 'mostly mild cases' with the Omicron-patients she treated. She forgot to say most of them were younger then 40.
The TV-journalists forgot to mention median age in South-Africa is 27 years, while it is above 40 in European countries. And that in South-Africa only 6% of the population is 65 or older, while in Belgium that is about 20%.

We´ll have to wait and see. But I would´t expect or count too much on 'less virulence'.
 
Dreamfighter said:
www.ecdc.europa.eu

Threat Assessment Brief: Implications of the emergence and spread of the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1. 529 variant of concern (Omicron) for the EU/EEA

A SARS-CoV-2 variant belonging to Pango lineage B.1.1.529, with a high number of S-gene mutations compared to the original virus was detected at the beginning of November 2021. On 26 November 2021 the variant was designated a variant of concern (VOC) and assigned the label Omicron by the World...
www.ecdc.europa.eu www.ecdc.europa.eu

www.imperial.ac.uk

Q&A: Imperial experts discuss new variant Omicron | Imperial News | Imperial College London

What is the new variant, how is it different, and how concerned should we be?
www.imperial.ac.uk www.imperial.ac.uk

Today South-African Dr. Angelique Coetzee (who 'discovered' B.1.1.529 Omicron) was shown on Belgian TV. She said 'mostly mild cases' with the Omicron-patients she treated. She forgot to say most of them were younger then 40.
The TV-journalists forgot to mention median age in South-Africa is 27 years, while it is above 40 in European countries. And that in South-Africa only 6% of the population is 65 or older, while in Belgium that is about 20%.

We´ll have to wait and see. But I would´t expect or count too much on 'less virulence'.
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It’s my understanding Covid is in evolutionary equilibrium as to how dangerous it is, and that there is little selective pressure to change. After all a recent study found that the hepatis crossed into humans 16,000 years ago and has neither got more or less dangerous. That’s why I am always equally sceptical about stories talking about it getting more or less dangerous.

amp.theguardian.com

UK science advisers brace for hundreds of confirmed Omicron Covid cases

Exclusive: Some may predate earliest cases of new variant found in South Africa last week
amp.theguardian.com amp.theguardian.com
 
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Latest data from South Africa shows that Omicron is literally Delta V2.0 with all types of cases showing rises in numbers. Also the wave of cases it’s driving is much steeper than the equivalent Delta wave. Though all of this is very provisional of course but it looks like with Delta it’s a jack of all trades with both more transmission and more immune evasion. Usual caveats apply. Hopefully it's impact on vaccination provided you've had your booster will like with Delta be more on the marginal end. I read this morning that 30% of unvaccinated Americans were thinking of getting vaccinated because of Omicron so that might be a silver lining.

 
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From The Times can’t post the link:
Booster jabs “massively” strengthen the body’s defences against Covid, according to key results that have raised hopes of strong protection from the Omicron variant.


A third dose not only increased antibody levels thirtyfold, but roughly tripled levels of T-cells, a part of the immune system that experts believe could be the critical weapon against the heavily mutated Omicron strain.


• Germany has imposed a de-facto lockdown on the unvaccinated
• EU health chiefs estimate that Omicron could displace Delta by the spring
• The total number of Omicron case across Britain has risen to 42
• Omicron has become dominant in South Africa as infection rates surge


The long-awaited results of the trial underpin Britain’s decision to press ahead with a mass booster campaign. They found that Pfizer and Moderna performed best as boosters out of six vaccines that were tested.


Early data from the study was central to the decision by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisations to offer booster jabs in September and cut the gap between second and third doses to three months. Full results reveal how widely booster jabs can rally the immune system, making scientists cautiously optimistic as the world prepares for a wave of Omicron cases.


“This T-cell response gives us hope,” said Professor Saul Faust, chief investigator of the trial, which is published today in The Lancet. “The T-cell responses to [the original Wuhan variant], Beta and Delta are very similar. And we would hope that we would see something similar for Omicron. Our hope as scientists is that protection against hospitalisation and death will remain intact.”
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news.sky.com

COVID-19: 75 more Omicron cases found in England - as UKHSA releases risk assessment

The UK Health Security Agency gives red status to concerns about naturally acquired immunity, vaccine-derived immunity and therapeutics.
news.sky.com news.sky.com

The rollout of Covid-19 booster vaccines will be opened up to more groups in England by 13 December, the NHS has said – a fortnight after the Government’s scientific advisers called for the programme to be accelerated.

The timetable means that most under-40s will have to wait until after Christmas to come forward for a booster, despite mounting evidence that the jab has a major impact on virus transmission and serious illness.

Currently the only people who can book a third dose are those over 40 who had their second jab at least six months ago.
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inews.co.uk

Most under-40s won't be able to book vaccine booster until after Christmas as rollout revealed

Most under-40s are unlikely to be able to book their third dose until the new year as the NHS has revealed the timeline for accelerating the programme
inews.co.uk inews.co.uk
 
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Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 harbors a unique insertion mutation of putative viral or human genomic origin

The emergence of a heavily mutated SARS-CoV-2 variant (B.1.1.529, Omicron) and it’s spread to 6 continents within a week of initial discovery has set off a global public health alarm. Characterizing the mutational profile of Omicron is necessary to interpret its shared or distinctive clinical phenotypes with other SARS-CoV-2 variants. We compared the mutations of Omicron with prior variants of concern (Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta), variants of interest (Lambda, Mu, Eta, Iota and Kappa), and all 1523 SARS-CoV-2 lineages constituting 5.4 million SARS-CoV-2 genomes. Omicron’s Spike protein has 26 amino acid mutations (23 substitutions, two deletions and one insertion) that are distinct compared to other variants of concern. Whereas the substitution and deletion mutations have appeared in previous SARS-CoV-2 lineages, the insertion mutation (ins214EPE) has not been previously observed in any SARS-CoV-2 lineage other than Omicron. The nucleotide sequence encoding for ins214EPE could have been acquired by template switching involving the genomes of other viruses that infect the same host cells as SARS-CoV-2 or the human transcriptome of host cells infected with SARS-CoV-2. For instance, given recent clinical reports of co-infections in COVID-19 patients with seasonal coronaviruses (e.g. HCoV-229E), single cell RNA-sequencing data showing co-expression of the SARS-CoV-2 and HCoV-229E entry receptors (ACE2 and ANPEP) in respiratory and gastrointestinal cells, and HCoV genomes harboring sequences homologous to the nucleotide sequence that encodes ins214EPE, it is plausible that the Omicron insertion could have evolved in a co-infected individual. There is a need to understand the function of the Omicron insertion and whether human host cells are being exploited by SARS-CoV-2 as an ‘evolutionary sandbox’ for host-virus and inter-viral genomic interplay.

nference | On the Origins of Omicron’s Unique Spike Gene Insertion

The emergence of a heavily mutated SARS-CoV-2 variant (Omicron; Pango lineage B.1.1.529 and BA sublineages) and its rapid spread to over 75 countries raised a global public health alarm. Characterizing the mutational profile of Omicron is necessary to interpret its clinical phenotypes which are...
nference.com nference.com
 
It looks like that study of the Delta sub variant AY4.2 might have been on the money where that was 10% more transmissible than the standard Delta but in turn caused less numbers of severe cases though the percentage decrease wasn’t in line, I mean a 10% increase in one factor did not equal a 10% decrease in the other. And it still caused a lot of cases. It wonder if it might be the case if we are lucky that Omicron and Covid in general follows that rule as well that more transmission beyond a certain point equals less severe cases.

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk

Omicron Appears More Transmissible Than Delta, Boris Johnson Says

It comes after experts warned the new variant is spreading through the UK much faster than initially feared.
www.huffingtonpost.co.uk www.huffingtonpost.co.uk

edition.cnn.com

We all want the Omicron variant to be milder. Here's why it's too soon to know | CNN

The Omicron variant may look like it's causing mostly mild illness, but it's too soon to bet on that, experts agree.
edition.cnn.com edition.cnn.com
 
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Covid: Vaccines should work against Omicron variant, WHO says https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-59573037

Because that BBC News article is badly lacking in detail here’s a better one.
The first in-depth laboratory study of the omicron variant of the coronavirus offers a mixed bag of bad news and good news.
The bad: This variant is extremely slippery. It eludes a great deal of the protection provided by disease-fighting antibodies. That means people who previously recovered from a bout of covid-19 could be reinfected. And people who have been vaccinated could suffer breakthrough infections.
FAQ: What to know about the omicron variant of the coronavirus
But the findings of the study, which tested the omicron variant of the coronavirusagainst the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, aren’t entirely bleak. The study, released Tuesday, found that even if the power of vaccines is diminished in the face of omicron, there’s still some protection afforded against the virus. And it suggests that booster shots could be key in the battle with the variant.
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news.slashdot.org

In Naming Omicron Variant, Authorities Skipped 'Xi' and 'Nu' - Slashdot

WHO has been using the Greek alphabet to name coronavirus strains, but avoided two letters that presented problems. From a report: As health authorities around the world grappled with the emergence of a new strain of the coronavirus, virologists were struggling with a thorny question of their...
news.slashdot.org
 
www.jpost.com

COVID: Israel to consider 4th vaccine for immuno-suppressed patients

Such patients were the first ones who were approved to receive a booster in July.
www.jpost.com www.jpost.com

edition.cnn.com

Protection against Omicron coronavirus variant improves with three vaccine doses, Pfizer says | CNN

Preliminary lab studies show two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine may not provide sufficient protection against the Omicron coronavirus variant, but three doses are able to neutralize it, the companies said in a news release on Wednesday.
edition.cnn.com edition.cnn.com

thehill.com

WHO expecting more hospitalizations with omicron now detected in 57 countries

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Wednesday that a total of 57 nations have reported COVID-19 cases with the omicron variant, raising concerns that the number of patients who need to…
thehill.com thehill.com
 
More precisely, the WHO best practices guidelines for naming diseases (which was actually written in 2015) always included a rule to avoid disease names that are also people's names and geographic place names. So, the geographic variant names were never consistent with WHO best practices.

And Xi isn't just the premier of China, it's the family name for a significant fraction of the Chinese population (there are at least eight Chinese family names that get romanized as Xi, some of them rather common). I'd expect them to also skip Pi and Chi for similar reasons (they're surnames in both Chinese and Korean).
 
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Grey Havoc said:
www.bbc.com

Omicron: Three vaccine doses key for protection against variant

UK scientists say two doses of a Covid vaccine are not enough to stop you catching the Omicron variant.
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com
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South-African in vitro Omicron-study by Sigal (as can also be found through a link in that BBC-article):

Omicron vs Wuhan-strain
Impact of Omicron on antibodies provided by;
* 2 doses of Pfizer vaccine
* natural infection with original 'Wuhan'-strain + 2 doses of Pfizer vaccine


3 doses of vaccine will be very helpful, but maybe the key will be updated/2nd gen. vaccines...

German in vitro Omicron-study by Ciesek (not yet peer-reviewed):
www.medrxiv.org

Reduced Neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant by Vaccine Sera and monoclonal antibodies

Due to numerous mutations in the spike protein, the SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern Omicron (B.1.1.529) raises serious concerns since it may significantly limit the antibody-mediated neutralization and increase the risk of reinfections. While a rapid increase in the number of cases is being...
www.medrxiv.org www.medrxiv.org

Omicron vs Delta variant
Impact of Omicron on antibodies provided by;
* 2 doses of Pfizer vaccine
* 3 doses of Pfizer vaccine (at 2 different intervals)
* natural infection with 'Delta'-variant + 2 doses of Pfizer vaccine
* 2 doses of Moderna vaccine
* 3 doses (combination) of Pfizer/Moderna vaccine

So, until 2nd generation vaccines become available, maybe we should hope T-cells won´t suffer from dementia (too much)....


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Overview of the lab study results available as of (early morning) December 9th 2021
(including the study-results released earlier this week, by Pfizer)
 

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