The Vaccine Discussion Thread

[princessmommyx3]

I would hope whether or not they require it they would be able to provide it for those who want it, free of charge. Does anyone know how they currently handle vaccinations in regards to crew? Is there the option for all to have the flu vaccine for example..? I've never thought much about it but my work has a couple of days a year where our insurance sends over a few doctors to provide it to anyone who wants one. The company wins because then its less likely to tear through the office, we win because its one less stop to make during our off hours.

I saw on Instagram a month or 2 ago that DCL crew were getting flu vaccines onboard. So, they definitely provide those to the crew.

 

[otten]

I saw on Instagram a month or 2 ago that DCL crew were getting flu vaccines onboard. So, they definitely provide those to the crew.

Private companies are able to purchase the flu shot to administer to their staff. I’m not sure that’s possible with the covid vaccine yet? But if not I imagine once governments have gotten enough vaccines that companies like cruise lines will be able to procure them for their own use.

 

[Intr3pid]

Novavax is reporting the results of its vaccine:
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/28/cov...vaccine-is-more-than-89percent-effective.html
Highlights:
* The vaccine is more than 89% effective against the wild version of COVID-19.
* Efficacy against the UK B117 variant is more than 86%.
* Efficacy against the South African 501.V2 variant is about 50%.
* The company wants to modify the vaccine (to tackle the South African variant) and test it in Q2 of this year. They still might get the EUA for the current formulation.
* It's a two-shot vaccine but doesn't require freezing.
* Novavax isn't big pharma. How many they can produce depends on how easily they can switch into a production role. Operation Warp Speed has committed $1.6 BN to help them produce about 100 million doses at the 'beginning of 2021'.

 

[tidefan]

Looks like J&J is around 70% effective against infection (72% effective in US trials and 57% effective in South Africa trials and it's strain). Similar numbers, actually, to AstraZeneca, which is of the same delivery method, but J&J gets there in 1 shot. More notably, it was much more effective (high 80's) against severe disease.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...accine-safe-effective-trials-show/6693563002/

While this may seem not as good as Pfizer or Moderna, remember, this is a one-shot vaccine (they are testing a second dosage to see if it boosts). There were no safety issues reported. EUA is expected to be applied for next week (and as the FDA's stated target was 50%, this definitely exceeds that). I could very well see this vaccine as going out to the 18-40 crowd. The bigger implication is not effectiveness on a single person, but what getting this out in Feb/March would mean for the trajectory of the pandemic.

And more notably... perhaps this could get into the arms of Cruise Ship crews...

 

[Sammie79]

The goal at this point isn’t about eradicating the virus. It’s about keeping people from getting sick enough to go to the hospitals and subsequent death.

I think we’re finally turning the corner. Even with the mutations, most people will have some immunity to fight off the virus once they’re vaccinated or had past infections.

 

[brentm77]

The goal at this point isn’t about eradicating the virus. It’s about keeping people from getting sick enough to go to the hospitals and subsequent death.

I think we’re finally turning the corner. Even with the mutations, most people will have some immunity to fight off the virus once they’re vaccinated or had past infections.

It seemed most credible experts were saying that from the start - that the virus was here to stay and would likely become a seasonal virus long term. Somewhere along the line, the public's/politician's expectations seemed to have shifted to the likely-unrealistic goal of eradication. With the vaccines (and just normal patterns of mutation), we can probably bring the danger of the virus down to the same or lower levels than other common seasonal illnesses and even reduce spread significantly. That is probably our most realistic goal. Just by vaccinating the highest risk groups, we are going to see deaths drop enormously.

The J&J vaccine should be a game changer with adequate production. Easy to distribute. One shot that is more effective than Pfizer's first shot. It will be interesting to see if the two-shot study makes it just as effective as two Pfizer shots. But in any case, its results are very good and still beat the expectations of the vaccine experts I was listening to last summer, saying an effective vaccine this soon was nearly impossible.

 

[tidefan]

The goal at this point isn’t about eradicating the virus. It’s about keeping people from getting sick enough to go to the hospitals and subsequent death.

I think we’re finally turning the corner. Even with the mutations, most people will have some immunity to fight off the virus once they’re vaccinated or had past infections.

One other thing to consider about the J&J vaccine is that it was developed in conjunction with BARDA (Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority), which is under the US Dept. of Health and Human Services. The implication of that is that they (the Gov't) will have the numbers and be much more informed than they were with Pfizer, which was developed outside of Government purview. I expect that it will speed up the EUA process as the agencies should already have much of the information instead of having to wait for J&J to send it all to them...

The even bigger implication, though, is on vaccination timelines. Up to now, you had to go with only Pfizer/Moderna as the "sure things" to be out there. There is the now very real prospect of adding another 100 million doses by June. And these are 1-shot, so unlike Pfizer and Moderna, that actually translates to 100 million people...

 

[sabrecmc]

For me, the important part of the J&J news is that it was 100% effective against hospitalizations and deaths. And 85% effective against severe cases. That's really what we want. This thing might still infect people, but if all you get is the equivalent of a cold, then it isn't an issue and things can return to normal. Fingers crossed!

 

[brentm77]

For me, the important part of the J&J news is that it was 100% effective against hospitalizations and deaths. And 85% effective against severe cases. That's really what we want. This thing might still infect people, but if all you get is the equivalent of a cold, then it isn't an issue and things can return to normal. Fingers crossed!

This cannot be overstated. And it is being buried in the media. We have a vaccine that is 100% effective against hospitalizations and deaths so far. That is amazing.

 

[sullivan.kscott]

Looks like J&J is around 70% effective against infection (72% effective in US trials and 57% effective in South Africa trials and it's strain). Similar numbers, actually, to AstraZeneca, which is of the same delivery method, but J&J gets there in 1 shot. More notably, it was much more effective (high 80's) against severe disease.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...accine-safe-effective-trials-show/6693563002/

While this may seem not as good as Pfizer or Moderna, remember, this is a one-shot vaccine (they are testing a second dosage to see if it boosts). There were no safety issues reported. EUA is expected to be applied for next week (and as the FDA's stated target was 50%, this definitely exceeds that). I could very well see this vaccine as going out to the 18-40 crowd. The bigger implication is not effectiveness on a single person, but what getting this out in Feb/March would mean for the trajectory of the pandemic.

And more notably... perhaps this could get into the arms of Cruise Ship crews...

Also 100% effective against hospitalization and death (that might change in a larger population). So overall good news.

I agree this would be a great option for the 18-40 group who are less susceptible to severe disease, and should probably be given to that age group of essential workers. It could have a very marked effect on the pandemic overall.

 

[sullivan.kscott]

Update on DW and her Moderna #2:

She received the shot at 6pm local time (about 15 hours now). She’s complaining of a”dead arm” (still using it, non-dominant). No fever, but she has taken Tylenol for a mild headache.

She currently has a WFH role, and was up and ready to tackle the day so long as they don’t want video for any internal meetings (she’s sans makeup and in comfy “house clothes”).

 

[brentm77]

I also think this is generally good news: The Johnson & Johnson vaccine's efficacy rate dropped from 72 percent in the United States to just 57 percent in South Africa, where a highly contagious variant is driving most cases.

A difference of 5% for one of the more concerning variants isn't too bad.

 

[DisneYE]

This cannot be overstated. And it is being buried in the media. We have a vaccine that is 100% effective against hospitalizations and deaths so far. That is amazing.

Yes its great news
But we don't know how soon it will go out to people and whether they can sustain output for millions of doses for extended periods of time.
We're seeing the problems with Pfizer distribution... they disrupted entire countries' vaccination efforts (e:g Canada).. but if J&J can churn out millions of vials a day then its a massive game changer.

 

[Intr3pid]

The J&J vaccine's virtue is in its cost and its ease in logistics and storage - and it's a great addition to the mix since J&J can produce at a mass scale. And I am also thrilled it to see it will keep severe cases down and people out of hospitals.

There are a few caveats, however.

1. I would like to know more about the 85% efficacy against severity. It looks like the vaccine was only 57% effective in South Africa. Were those 15% severe cases against the new strains? If, for example, the South African trials were 15% to 20% of the total, you would end up with a very high incidence of severity in that region - or against that strain. You can't open up travel until those strains are under control.

2. The protection against hospitalization kicks in at about 4 weeks - which isn't different from that of the two-dose vaccines. Can the efficacy of the J&J vaccine be improved with a second dose after all?

3. The messaging is going to be an issue. Residents in countries that have choices of other more effective vaccines will need convincing. It will definitely be easier to use in countries without current agreements with the mRNA vaccines.

 

[tidefan]

The J&J vaccine's virtue is in its cost and its ease in logistics and storage - and it's a great addition to the mix since J&J can produce at a mass scale. And I am also thrilled it to see it will keep severe cases down and people out of hospitals.

There are a few caveats, however.

1. I would like to know more about the 85% efficacy against severity. It looks like the vaccine was only 57% effective in South Africa. Were those 15% severe cases against the new strains? If, for example, the South African trials were 15% to 20% of the total, you would end up with a very high incidence of severity in that region - or against that strain. You can't open up travel until those strains are under control.

I did see a story about this (maybe the CNN one?). Apparently, 92% of the cases in South Africa were of its strain, so I think that the 57% effectiveness against that strain is pretty statistically accurate.

One other thing to consider is that the J&J trial timeframe included the phase where a number of these variants are spreading, whereas when Pfizer and Moderna presented, they may not have had the spread of these variants. That could also be reflected in J&J's numbers.

 

[brentm77]

Yes its great news
But we don't know how soon it will go out to people and whether they can sustain output for millions of doses for extended periods of time.
We're seeing the problems with Pfizer distribution... they disrupted entire countries' vaccination efforts (e:g Canada).. but if J&J can churn out millions of vials a day then its a massive game changer.

All true. I suspect production will be the biggest bottleneck. The fact that the vaccine can be stored for months in a refrigerator will at least make distribution easier and cut down on spoiled vaccine. And at least if/until a second shot is recommended, not having the logistics of getting people back for a second shot will free up resources.

 

[DisneYE]

All true. I suspect production will be the biggest bottleneck. The fact that the vaccine can be stored for months in a refrigerator will at least make distribution easier and cut down on spoiled vaccine. And at least if/until a second shot is recommended, not having the logistics of getting people back for a second shot will free up resources.

I did a quick search on the JJ vax & read that if approved soon they could have 100 million doses distributed by the end of March. That means by the Fall we could see a dramatic improvement in the fight vs this virus in the USA. That's incredibly news.

 

[rjb123]

Just added Texas and New Mexico. Almost 1,800 miles (I think that's about 3,000 kilometers). No masks.

From the airport's website at least masks are required. https://cltairport.mediaroom.com/covid19update21 I'm not going to go through your entire list to figure out where else you were supposed to wear one, but you're breaking the rules whether or not someone stops you at the time... I'm not sure why you feel the need to continually flaunt about that in a vaccine thread. You're either lucky no one with authority is noticing or people are choosing not to engage with you. Please keep your responses on topic.
[/QUOTE]
Yes and as a resident of Charlotte NC I am disgusted that you violated our state and local laws in our airport. Shame on you!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Shame on you!

Not "shame on AquaDame". She was quoting someone else.

 

[AquaDame]

Not "shame on AquaDame". She was quoting someone else.

I was gonna say..! I always mask up!

The person being quoted has been warned by one of the webmasters however - we can move on.