Exciting news about a vaccine?

I must admit to being rather nervous about it. When you think about how long these new vaccines are usually tested it makes me wonder just how safe it will be. Even some drugs that have been tested for ages turn out to cause serious problems to some users. Thalidomide was a good example. Just one or two pills caused huge harm to babies.
I will have to decide, when/if the time comes whether the greater risk comes from the vaccine or catching Covid, but I don’t suppose we will know for quite some time just how safe, or effective, it is.
I hope, for the world’s sake, it it does the job.

dayvidg
That’s precisely why we have a yearly flu vaccine. Maybe we’ll need a yearly Covid19 vaccine. However, scientists have said regularly that this virus has barely mutated since the beginning. There are some slight variations, but apparently insignificant.
Let’s try to be glass half full shall we? Instead of glass half empty!

The research and commitment of scientists is absolutely fantastic. I hope, when the vaccine is approved and available to us all, they will be honoured in some way.

If, as we have been told, the virus was not genetically engineered, but mutated naturally, why should it not mutate again, rendering any vaccine useless?

But no one knows if the vaccine will only last two months. At the moment, it’s only had time to be tested for two months. As time passes, we’ll know if it continues to protect for longer.

25Avalon they are going to need a lot of doses if the vaccine only protects for 2 months and then has to be done again.

However, if most people can have the vaccine, then those who can’t will still be protected, because the virus will be unable to circulate in society. That’s why it’s important for all those of us that can have the vaccine, do have the vaccine.

Callistemon

There are some groups of people who are advised not to have certain vaccines.
The shingles vaccine, for instance, is a live vaccine and people with poor immune systems are advised not to have it, unfortunately. The pneumonia vaccine is inert as are most others.

I hope this new vaccine will be an inert one and the most medically vulnerable will be able to have it.

Yes Calli it's very unfortunate that sometimes those who would need it most can't have it because of the reasons you mentioned.

Elderflower - to me what you say sounds rather silly. Do you really know every ingredient in every food you consume, and every medication you take? Do you even have the scientific knowledge to understand these ingredients?

If you became ill with this virus, would you ask for all ingredients of any treatments you were being offered?

Why are you so worried about the ingredients. Do you think they are trying to make us ill?

Looking forward to receiving my vaccination when it's fully tested and available. And to getting on with life in the future.

With sincere thanks and gratitude to all concerned for providing it to us.

Brilliant news.

Last night I listened to Prof Sarah Gilbert, from the University of Oxford. She said "There is still much work to be done before we can confirm if our vaccine will help manage the Covid-19 pandemic, but these early results hold promise."

The results so far are promising, but their main purpose is to ensure the vaccine is safe enough to give to people.

The study cannot show whether the vaccine can either prevent people from becoming ill or even lessen their symptoms of Covid-19.

More than 10,000 people will take part in the next stage of the trials in the UK

It is possible a coronavirus vaccine will be proven effective before the end of the year, however, it will not be widely available.

Health and care workers will be prioritised as will people who are deemed at high risk from Covid-19 due to their age or medical conditions.

However, widespread vaccination is likely to be, at the earliest, next year even if everything goes to plan.

She also said side effects so far are either fever or headache. 70% of people on the trial developed these but that's treatable with paracetamol.

There are some groups of people who are advised not to have certain vaccines.
The shingles vaccine, for instance, is a live vaccine and people with poor immune systems are advised not to have it, unfortunately. The pneumonia vaccine is inert as are most others.

I hope this new vaccine will be an inert one and the most medically vulnerable will be able to have it.

I’m all for trying the vaccine when available, despite my age I’ve offered to be a guinea pig on the COVID-19 app. I can clearly remember being so ill with measles and whooping cough as a child, obviously there wasn’t a vaccine then otherwise mum would have had us done, and my youngest son had measles as he missed the vaccine due to illness, he was so bad with it I wouldn’t wish it on any child

I assume we’re being told it offers two months protection because that’s how long has passed since the volunteers were inoculated. After three months there’ll be checks, and if still good, it’ll be said to offer three months protection, after four months, it’ll be four months protection, and so on. No one knows how long the protection lasts as it’s only two months since it started to be tested. Anyway, I’d be happy to have the jab regularly if that was what was required.

Talking of anti-vaccers, when my grandson's mother and father were at odds over whether he should have the MMR, and mother gave in so he had it. Just beforehand she had me take a video of him playing, with her voice over "this is my son a healthy intelligent little boy before his MMR" just in case she had to show the world that the vaccine had damaged him. A couple of months later, with a still healthy and intelligent little grandson I asked if we could do an "after" video to share, to show people how he was still happy and healthy after his jab. She got cross with me :D But if he'd been badly affected she'd have been happy to share the before and after videos. So that is social media bias in action! That's how it happens that there is a bias towards sharing the bad effects not the good.

I'm in! I'm prepared to risk side effects of the vaccine, given that on latest stats I am 20% likely to die if I get the virus. Seems a no-brainer

I won't be having the vaccine but that shouldn't bother those that do.

If they provide a total breakdown of all ingredients and none of them are harmful, perhaps I'll consider it.

I think it’s great to get good news for a change.

They say no side effects but it only seems to offer immunity for 2 months. I can live with that. This is such a tremendous breakthrough to give a glimmer of light at the end of a long tunnel. These scientists have my admiration and gratitude.

Well said Franbern!

PS I'll be having the vaccine!

It's good that suddenly scientists are our new heros fighting our way to safety from this disease by developing vaccines and finding better treatments. I hope there will be a greater interest in studying science and science as a career. We need youngsters to see this as an interesting career choice.

Think we do need to be prepared to wait sometime to get a vaccine. However, whenever it comes, there will be some sort of concerted fakenews campaign mainly via social media saying how harmful it is and it is actually being used to do some sort of dreadful thing to us.

I just do not understand either the people who put this out, or even less, those silly idiots who believe it.

So many of these very stupid stores around, some people are totally paranoid.

Children have died from preventable measles, etc. due to this sort of rubbish..

I am so grateful for the annual 'flu vaccine and for the single dose one for Pneumonia and shingles. As a young child , I can remember how wonderful it was when they first brought in something to protect us from killer diptheria, and then a few years later, as a teenager, the relief when they finally got something to protect us from the iron lungs caused by polio.

Think these research scientists are the truly great heros and hope they can produce another miracle as soon as possible with a vaccine against Covid19. I most definitely will have it as soon as it is available, as will all my family,

I’ve got my fingers crossed. I really hope it will work out well.

If enough people are vaccinated those who did not want to participate would have to take their chances.
I think about 90% need to be vaccinated to provide community immunity.