Moderators: richierich, ua900, PanAm_DC10, hOMSaR
lightsaber wrote:An interesting read on the effectiveness in the current situation for Chinese vaccines:
https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/31/health/c ... index.html
“In China, my understanding is, the vaccine rates are sort of inverted somewhat, and the elderly have lower vaccination rates,” he said.
....
“A way out of the surge would be to rapidly vaccinate everyone with more effective vaccines. That’s not what they’re doing,”
That would explain the zero-Covid strategy. The link notes Sinovac and Sinopharm wanes rapidly.
My opinion is we need something new. Perhaps a variant vaccine, perhaps a new style of vaccine is required.
Lightsaber
Lightsaber
c933103 wrote:https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/covid-19-vaccines-sinovac-pfizer-moderna-singapore-study-2625511
Singapore: Sinovac 2.4× as likely tp have breakthrough infection, 4.6× as likely to have severe case, against Delta.
lightsaber wrote:c933103 wrote:https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/covid-19-vaccines-sinovac-pfizer-moderna-singapore-study-2625511
Singapore: Sinovac 2.4× as likely tp have breakthrough infection, 4.6× as likely to have severe case, against Delta.
Fascinating read. Sinovac was 10.9x more likely to have a severe case than Moderna!
Has there been any data on a vaccine being better than mRNA?
flyingclrs727 wrote:lightsaber wrote:c933103 wrote:https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/covid-19-vaccines-sinovac-pfizer-moderna-singapore-study-2625511
Singapore: Sinovac 2.4× as likely tp have breakthrough infection, 4.6× as likely to have severe case, against Delta.
Fascinating read. Sinovac was 10.9x more likely to have a severe case than Moderna!
Has there been any data on a vaccine being better than mRNA?
If I had the Sinovac or Sputnik V, I would want to get a Moderna booster!
lightsaber wrote:flyingclrs727 wrote:lightsaber wrote:Fascinating read. Sinovac was 10.9x more likely to have a severe case than Moderna!
Has there been any data on a vaccine being better than mRNA?
If I had the Sinovac or Sputnik V, I would want to get a Moderna booster!
I had 3x Pfizer and made the same choice.
There is so much surplus vaccine. Denmark tried to donate 1.1 million doses of vaccine and failed to find anyone to accept them. So they will be destroyed.
https://abcnews.go.com/amp/Health/wireS ... s-84441932
We need a variant booster, but otherwise it looks like those who would take a vaccine have. Cest la vie. With how fast immunity fades, the portion of immunity provided by vaccines must be fading as so many are ready for a booster just sight reading this chart:
https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/dail ... =~OWID_WRL
That means it is for the individual to protect themselves.
Lightsaber
flyingclrs727 wrote:I probably won't bother with a booster til Moderna is testing or just gets an EUA for a variant booster. Sure the antibody levels wane, but T and B cells are around to protect against infections.
alanb976 wrote:If it wasn't for politics you would think the Chinese government would be hoovering up all the spare Pfizer and Moderna vaccine and giving everyone older than 65 a primary cause if they are unvaccinated or an mRNA booster if they are.
lightsaber wrote:
I am beyond tired of politics in health.
fallap wrote:lightsaber wrote:
I am beyond tired of politics in health.
I’m more than tired of health in politics, i.e. doctors and virologists whose narrow medical way of thinking have been allowed to dictate health politics since the start of the pandemic. A pandemic is too important to be left to the doctors.
In other news, oh Canada, how lovely you decided to ditch the mask mandate the day I chose to arrive.
fallap wrote:A pandemic is too important to be left to the doctors.
fallap wrote:In other news, oh Canada, how lovely you decided to ditch the mask mandate the day I chose to arrive.
CowAnon wrote:FDA authorizes first COVID booster for children ages 5 to 11The Food and Drug Administration Tuesday authorized the first COVID-19 vaccine booster for children ages 5 to 11.
The authorization makes all children in that age group who received their second shot at least five months ago eligible to receive a third shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
The companies requested the authorization based on a small study that the companies and FDA said demonstrated a third shot is safe and can significantly boost antibody levels, countering waning immunity and providing added protection against the virus, including the more contagious omicron variant.
I'm really happy about this news. I hadn't seen any news about boosters for the 5-11 set, so I was worried there wasn't much work being done on this front.
flyingclrs727 wrote:CowAnon wrote:FDA authorizes first COVID booster for children ages 5 to 11The Food and Drug Administration Tuesday authorized the first COVID-19 vaccine booster for children ages 5 to 11.
The authorization makes all children in that age group who received their second shot at least five months ago eligible to receive a third shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
The companies requested the authorization based on a small study that the companies and FDA said demonstrated a third shot is safe and can significantly boost antibody levels, countering waning immunity and providing added protection against the virus, including the more contagious omicron variant.
I'm really happy about this news. I hadn't seen any news about boosters for the 5-11 set, so I was worried there wasn't much work being done on this front.
If I had a child in that age group, I would wait til there are reports of a surge of cases locally before getting a booster.
lightsaber wrote:How ironic. Minutes after I submitted the last post, my child's school informed me that the LA Country Department of Public Health declared the school an outbreak site. So I ask the child, were any of your schoolmates out sick? Three from math, four from social studies, 2 from an extracurricular activity that had an indoor event yesterday with a grand total of one child with a mask on, one from science... So waiting for an outbreak is too late.
casinterest wrote:lightsaber wrote:How ironic. Minutes after I submitted the last post, my child's school informed me that the LA Country Department of Public Health declared the school an outbreak site. So I ask the child, were any of your schoolmates out sick? Three from math, four from social studies, 2 from an extracurricular activity that had an indoor event yesterday with a grand total of one child with a mask on, one from science... So waiting for an outbreak is too late.
Right now the current Covid Replication/Hospitalization rate is acceptable. Will have to see what the next few weeks brings, but I think for now we are in an endemic stage.
The virus is still here in NC, but I haven't heard a lot of panic. Just positive test with cold/flu symptoms mostly. Most are vaccinated/boosted.
The percent positivity is increasing, but i still reckon a lot of this is just a lot more interactions are starting to occur normally.
https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracke ... l=Hospital
c933103 wrote:https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202205300180.aspx
Some in China claim they got acute leukemia after getting SinoVac, with population claim to be affected in the number of thousands.
lightsaber wrote:casinterest wrote:lightsaber wrote:How ironic. Minutes after I submitted the last post, my child's school informed me that the LA Country Department of Public Health declared the school an outbreak site. So I ask the child, were any of your schoolmates out sick? Three from math, four from social studies, 2 from an extracurricular activity that had an indoor event yesterday with a grand total of one child with a mask on, one from science... So waiting for an outbreak is too late.
Right now the current Covid Replication/Hospitalization rate is acceptable. Will have to see what the next few weeks brings, but I think for now we are in an endemic stage.
The virus is still here in NC, but I haven't heard a lot of panic. Just positive test with cold/flu symptoms mostly. Most are vaccinated/boosted.
The percent positivity is increasing, but i still reckon a lot of this is just a lot more interactions are starting to occur normally.
https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracke ... l=Hospital
Hospitalizations are ok.
My unvaccinated coworker who had it is moaning about his long haul symptoms. He is miserable even though over the disease.
For well vaccinated, this is like a cold/flu (my last time was more like a flu).
Lightsaber
c933103 wrote:https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/06/18/1105929247/vaccinations-for-children-6-months-to-5-years-old-can-begin-after-cdc-clears-the
US CDC approve vaccine for children down to age of 6 months old
lightsaber wrote:Two variant boosters doing well
https://www.reuters.com/business/health ... 022-06-22/
Sanofi, although mentions nothing about BA.4 or BA.5 https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart ... 2da79c3bd8
These levels of neutralizing antibodies were about 3-fold lower than previously reported neutralizing levels against BA.1, Moderna said.
Moderna expected to deliver variant booster in August:
lightsaber wrote:Parents of young children now have a challenge, to decide which vaccine. Locally, Pfizer is tough to find. I talked with parents and none of the local pediatricians want the "politics" of administering the vaccine. My very pro-vaccine pediatrician has decided to be neutral on the 6mo to 5 yr vaccine as the case to administer isn't as strong as with older kids.
DocLightning wrote:lightsaber wrote:Parents of young children now have a challenge, to decide which vaccine. Locally, Pfizer is tough to find. I talked with parents and none of the local pediatricians want the "politics" of administering the vaccine. My very pro-vaccine pediatrician has decided to be neutral on the 6mo to 5 yr vaccine as the case to administer isn't as strong as with older kids.
1) In my opinion, Moderna has better efficacy data based on a larger number of cases. Additionally, Moderna has only two doses spaced four weeks apart while Pfizer has three doses over a three-month period. The overall vaccine efficacy is low, but the protection against severe disease and MIS-C is expected to be high. I chose Moderna for my son and at that vaccination site, which offered both, all other parents made the same choice.
My son, who had Delta last August, got his first dose on Tuesday 6/21. He has had no side-effects and we are now approaching 48 hours. I recited a shechechyanu (a Jewish prayer for celebrating a special occasion) and choked back tears of joy.
2) I think the argument here is weaker than for adults, but as a pediatrician, former virologist, and parent, why wouldn't I want to protect my son? But where I think this is really important is the high-risk kids. I have a little girl in my patient panel who is on a ventilator at home. COVID-19 put her in the ICU for over two months. Rest assured, her parents are going to get her vaccinated and I will be the one to do it.
SL1200MK2 wrote:Mozel Tov for your son’s vaccination!
DocLightning wrote:SL1200MK2 wrote:Mozel Tov for your son’s vaccination!
Thank you. I had to beg, borrow, and steal for it, but we got it done.
lightsaber wrote:c933103 wrote:https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/06/18/1105929247/vaccinations-for-children-6-months-to-5-years-old-can-begin-after-cdc-clears-the
US CDC approve vaccine for children down to age of 6 months old
Parents of young children now have a challenge, to decide which vaccine. Locally, Pfizer is tough to find. I talked with parents and none of the local pediatricians want the "politics" of administering the vaccine. My very pro-vaccine pediatrician has decided to be neutral on the 6mo to 5 yr vaccine as the case to administer isn't as strong as with older kids.
More important is a variant vaccine. My best friend is down with Omicron this week. Nothing dramatic, but I lost a "wingman" to go out. Of the Omicron "brain fog cases", I now know one vaccinated person (all the others I personally know with brain fog were unvaccinated). A variant booster is needed. Hello Warpspeed...
Lightsaber
The Biden administration is considering a plan that would allow all adults to get a second Covid booster shot, according to a person with knowledge of the plan.
Covid hospitalizations have been rising modestly across the United States as the subvariants continue to make up a greater proportion of new cases.
BA.4 and BA.5 — considered the most contagious forms of the virus to date — made up about 70% of all new Covid cases in the U.S. for the week ending July 2, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
casinterest wrote:Looks like the US may offer the 2nd booster to all adults in the face of rising BA.4/5 hospitalizations.
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-n ... -rcna37791The Biden administration is considering a plan that would allow all adults to get a second Covid booster shot, according to a person with knowledge of the plan.Covid hospitalizations have been rising modestly across the United States as the subvariants continue to make up a greater proportion of new cases.
BA.4 and BA.5 — considered the most contagious forms of the virus to date — made up about 70% of all new Covid cases in the U.S. for the week ending July 2, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
frmrCapCadet wrote:There is a difficult public relations problem with this pandemic. The science has not been settled, and is not settled. Whatever the best policy for certain individuals and for a country and for the world differ, and are themselves uncertain. Then add the political complications. Not all people are comfortable living with uncertainty. But that uncertainty is part of the current science. We all need to weight countless risk/benefits and how they may best fit into our lives and those for whom we are responsible.