Article

2021-01-31 -Signs, Portents, and the Weather-

Third Vaccine nears Approval (plus one for the EU)

Hat tip to the Dallas Morning News, which posted the WaPoo-authored story.
[Medical Express] The first one-shot COVID-19 vaccine provides good protection against the illness, Johnson & Johnson reported in a key study released Friday, offering the world a potentially important new tool as it races to stay ahead of the rapidly mutating virus.
Still really scary, eh?

The pharmaceutical giant's preliminary findings suggest the single-dose option may not be as strong as Pfizer's or Moderna's two-dose formula, and was markedly weaker against a worrisome mutated version of the virus in South Africa.
I'm just gonna crawl back into bed and pull the covers over my head.
But amid a rocky start to vaccinations worldwide, that may be an acceptable trade-off to get more people inoculated faster with an easier-to-handle shot that, unlike rival vaccines that must be kept frozen, can last months in the refrigerator.

"Frankly, simple is beautiful," said Dr. Matt Hepburn, the U.S. government's COVID-19 vaccine response leader.

J&J plans to seek emergency use authorization in the U.S. within a week. It expects to supply 100 million doses to the U.S. by June—and a billion doses globally by year's end—but declined to say how much could be ready if the Food and Drug Administration gives the green light.

Defeating the scourge that has killed more than 2 million people worldwide will require vaccinating billions.
According to St. Anthony, 95% of eight billion. More or less.

Nearly 23 million Americans have received a first dose of Pfizer or Moderna shots since vaccinations began last month, but fewer than 5 million have gotten their second dose.
21 days later for the Pfizer, 28 days for the Moderna. I got one; my wife got the other.
Also Friday, regulators cleared a third option, AstraZeneca's vaccine, for use throughout the European Union. The decision came amid criticism that the 27-nation bloc is not moving fast enough, as well as concern that there's not enough data to tell how well the vaccine works in older people.

Still another vaccine is in final testing: Novavax reported this week that its vaccine appears 89% effective in a British study and that it also seems to work—though not as well—against new mutated versions of the virus circulating in Britain and South Africa.

Posted by Bobby 2021-01-31 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11127 views ] Top

#1 Good.
(a) No way mRNA vaccines can be effectively distributed in Third World.
(b) InSouth Africa, 95% of cases in the trial were due to a variant known as B.1.351, which is known to be more contagious and carries mutations that may make the virus less susceptible to the antibody immune response -- including antibodies prompted by vaccination.
Even those who got moderate cases of Covid-19 in the trial tended to develop a milder course and fewer symptoms, said Dr. Mathai Mammen, Janssen's global head of research and development.

Posted by g(r)omgoru 2021-01-31 04:00|| 2021-01-31 04:00|| Front Page Top

#2 Another perspective - Nearly 23 million Americans have received a first dose

So (nearly) more people in the US have been vaccinated than have had the virus. Doesn't sound like a "pandemic".

Posted by Bobby 2021-01-31 08:07|| 2021-01-31 08:07|| Front Page Top

09:11 Mercutio
09:07 AlmostAnonymous5839
08:52 Matt
08:24 Matt
08:20 SteveS
07:43 Procopius2k
07:42 BrerRabbit
07:42 Procopius2k
07:39 Procopius2k
07:36 Procopius2k
07:35 Procopius2k
07:34 trailing wife
07:31 Procopius2k
07:30 NN2N1
07:22 NN2N1
07:18 trailing wife
07:14 Richard Aubrey
07:10 NN2N1
07:09 Besoeker
07:03 NN2N1
06:58 NN2N1
06:58 Besoeker
05:28 Whiskey Mike
05:23 Whiskey Mike