The Vaccine

With you sparklefizz. The government is having to employ a team to track down disseminators of fake news and ridiculous anti vax stories. It makes me so angry.

The Oxford vaccine is expected to have been tested on 60,000 volunteers by the end of the year.

How many more thousand people tested would you need to know about before you would have the vaccine, Nonni53, and all others who are saying that they will wait and see how the rest of us get on.

You may find - like a friend of mine who refused the flu jab a couple of months ago, and now has changed her mind - that you won't be able to get the vaccine if you have a change of heart.

Prof Van Tam has specifically told his mother that when she is called for the vaccine, to take it up immediately.

Daftbag1 interesting stuff, I’m amazed your GP was available for a discussion, ours are really busy.

I am surprised at the responses referring to the lack of vaccines for other diseases, such as cancer, and using that as a reason not to take the Covid vaccine.
The situations are quite different. Just because one disease is not beaten, does not mean that others can’t be. I do not see the logic.

Nonni53

I think it is amazing that vaccines are on the horizon so quickly and they will definitely make a difference!
I am concerned though how fast the vaccines were made. I do think it's incredible but there is room for pause too.
I do not know how it is in other countries but in the United States (where I live) a drug/vaccine needs to be on the market for a minimum of 7 years before it is deemed 'safe' - when medications are new people that take them are all part of the data in figuring out if something is safe or not.

I will eventually get it but I definitely will wait until it's been out awhile. I am 67 and basically healthy, I did go through a serious illness a few years ago. I also had an allergic reaction to the pneumonia shot, which has been on the market for years.

Everyone's system is different and some people will tolerate it while others will not, just like any other medication. That being said, I think through time the vaccines will be adjusted so the majority of the population can safely be vaccinated.

Nonni53 I did a bit of an online search and couldn't find any evidence about drugs not being deemed safe for 7 years, in the US or anywhere. I did find one post from a consumer advocate's website that was telling people not to take drugs before they had been on the market for 7 years, which is a bit of a different thing. It did make me wonder, if no-one takes the drug for 7 years, how do they know its "safe" then? Would we have to wait another 7 years, or longer even?

pharmamkting.blogspot.com/2013/02/sydney-wolfes-7-year-drug-ruleitch-dont.html

Even so, he does make an exception: You should wait at least seven years from the date of release to take any new drug unless it is one of those rare ‘breakthrough’ drugs that offers you a documented therapeutic advantage over older proven drugs.

I think we could safely call covid vaccines "breakthrough drugs".

I just hope this vaccine will be available asap. All this Covid business is really starting to have a negative effect on my DH and I. I have noticed we are bickering a lot as we are cooped up together day after day. I go out to do the shopping once a week and collect our medication when due as he is shielding. Last night we had another spat over Christmas and trying to sort out seeing the kids and GC, its all so complicated and i just want to stay in with the doors locked, phones switched off and hibernate till its all over!!!!

I think it is amazing that vaccines are on the horizon so quickly and they will definitely make a difference!
I am concerned though how fast the vaccines were made. I do think it's incredible but there is room for pause too.
I do not know how it is in other countries but in the United States (where I live) a drug/vaccine needs to be on the market for a minimum of 7 years before it is deemed 'safe' - when medications are new people that take them are all part of the data in figuring out if something is safe or not.

I will eventually get it but I definitely will wait until it's been out awhile. I am 67 and basically healthy, I did go through a serious illness a few years ago. I also had an allergic reaction to the pneumonia shot, which has been on the market for years.

Everyone's system is different and some people will tolerate it while others will not, just like any other medication. That being said, I think through time the vaccines will be adjusted so the majority of the population can safely be vaccinated.

MayBee70

Daftbag. Maybe it would be easier and quicker to ask your GP a strait forward yes no question which is ‘will you be having the vaccine yourself’.

Elliie666 is your moniker a deliberate choice? (Ref the numbers).
Anyway, I for one will have the vaccine when it becomes available. The alternative doesn't bear thinking about, i.e., living the way we are living now for years and years and years....

I have received some pretty scathing responses which I suppose is fair enough. Since my last post, I have had a long conversation with my GP, mainly about the vaccinations that are not actually ready for production as they have not been given approval.

If you go onto the Oxford website, there are points raised by THEM relating to the trial results needing to be 're evaluated due to differences in the methodology of trials which included half doses being given (accidentally), to a small group of over 60's prior to the full dose later.

In another of THEIR papers they talk about proposals to deliver vaccines to the prison population, to reduce the risk of mass infections spreading into the wider community. But, and I found this part very worrying, they were aware that large proportions of the prison community have psychiatric conditions as well as other co morbidities.

Apparently, they know that psychiatric patients both catch and fare less well when they do catch Covid, and are therefore at greater risk (news to me).

I read 9 papers in total on THEIR own website, before I started to realise that I don't have the capacity to clearly analyse the information and data. I therefore, following advice from my GP, emailed a list of specific questions, and sent the same questions to Moderna and Pfizer.

For the record my GP also said that if I was happy to share any responses with him and other surgery staff, he would be most grateful. I had the impression though he didn't say so, that he can't ask these questions himself.

I have just turned 80 and at the moment I will definitely take up the offer of a vaccine.
Meanwhile I will continue taking my daily vitamin D tablets as I am convinced that it ,plus the flu jab must be helping to keep the virus at bay.

Alegrias2

Shelagh Fogarty doing an interesting piece on vaccine hesitancy on LBC. You've converted me Suziewoozie

I’m listening as well ( and thanks)

Shelagh Fogarty doing an interesting piece on vaccine hesitancy on LBC. You've converted me Suziewoozie

Tweedle24

Me again, Sorry!

I decided to research that question on the WHO website who.int and found an excellent explanation by their chief scientist about herd immunity. Well worth watching.

Do you have a link?

growstuff

Ooops! Snap! I've just posted the same link as suzie. Sorry!

Great minds ?

Ooops! Snap! I've just posted the same link as suzie. Sorry!

Nobody knows exactly what level of immunity is required for herd immunity. It depends on a number of factors, such as efficacy and length of immunity, which won't be known for some time. Even being optimistic, it's likely to take years rather than months to develop - and that's without factoring in other countries.

www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)32318-7/fulltext

Thank you for that Suziewoozie. That is something I need to put my thinking head on to read but, I shall do that now.

I think the one I mentioned should be screened on all public media. It is simply and clearly delivered. The best explanation I have seen yet.

Me again, Sorry!

I decided to research that question on the WHO website who.int and found an excellent explanation by their chief scientist about herd immunity. Well worth watching.

Tweedle24

Interesting stats heard on the radio. After a survey (sorry, did not hear the numbers of participants) 9% said they would not have the vaccine and 25% said they were not sure. Assuming that half of the ‘don’t knows’, and I know that is a guess, decide to take the vaccine, that is approximately 21% who will not take it.

Scientists on here, is that going to be considered enough?

Good article here from the Lancet showing how difficult your question is to answer simply

www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)32318-7/fulltext

trisher

I don't think it's just the media who are jumping the gun about vaccine. Perhaps it's an attempt to raise morale or perhaps to try and keep people isolating but the government are playing their part Prime Minister Boris Johnson said it was "incredibly exciting news" and that while there were still safety checks to come, "these are fantastic results".
Speaking at a Downing Street briefing on Monday evening, Mr Johnson added that the majority of people most in need of a vaccination in the UK might be able to get one by Easter.
I would imagine many don't take much notice of the "might".

I agree - and whatever the motivation, overpromising and underdelivering is not at all helpful. The recent development with the AZ vaccine ( which I think has been handled very badly in terms of PR) is a reminder that there’s many a slip. I’m 74 and would count myself lucky to have the vaccine this side of Easter regardless of what anyone and especially Johnson has to say on the matter.

Interesting stats heard on the radio. After a survey (sorry, did not hear the numbers of participants) 9% said they would not have the vaccine and 25% said they were not sure. Assuming that half of the ‘don’t knows’, and I know that is a guess, decide to take the vaccine, that is approximately 21% who will not take it.

Scientists on here, is that going to be considered enough?

I don't think it's just the media who are jumping the gun about vaccine. Perhaps it's an attempt to raise morale or perhaps to try and keep people isolating but the government are playing their part Prime Minister Boris Johnson said it was "incredibly exciting news" and that while there were still safety checks to come, "these are fantastic results".
Speaking at a Downing Street briefing on Monday evening, Mr Johnson added that the majority of people most in need of a vaccination in the UK might be able to get one by Easter.
I would imagine many don't take much notice of the "might".

Wot? Reread all 20 pages before every post one makes. many people come into threads at all stages on long threads. A bit of repetition does no harm every so often.