You’ll have to ask them why they made a decision on the basis of no evidence. As far as I know they ok’d the dosing schedule for the AZ vaccine, not so sure about the Pfizer one, that might have just been the government and it’s advisers. The MHRA is a quango, an arms length agent of the government, its chairman is appointed by the Secretary of State for Health, currently Matt Handcock.
Having researched the reasons given by the four chief medical officers it seems they have done it to reduce the pressure on hospitals that are reaching breaking point. ****ed if I know what to think.
The MHRA have issued a statement that i can't copy and paste as using phone but claims vaccine efficiency will be maintained with dosing intervals longer than 21 days.....this is in line with the conditional marketing authorisation issued to Pfizer/Biontech by the European medicines agency on 21st December.... So although it may be a government approved quango they seem to have made this decision themselves and if it goes wrong they are wholly accountable....
Just mentioned this to my wife, and she's informed me that one of our friends, who works in the Covid Test Centre, has also had her second dose postponed. WTF - we can't even protect those who are in the extreme front line? It's like sending soldiers to war without any armour.....now where have I heard that before?
Yeah, I’ve just looked it up, the approval says the interval should be ‘at least’ 21 days. But the fact is it was rolled out on a schedule of 21 days for the second dose (same as the trials) and now that has been dumped.....not by the MHRA, it’s a government decision, aided by the odd wording of the approval. Now I’m going to look up the AZ approval...... https://assets.publishing.service.g...althcare_Professionals_on_Pfizer_BioNTech.pdf Hmm, wish I hadn’t, this data seems chaotic. Second dose administered in the trials ‘between 4 and 26 weeks ‘because of logistical constraints’. Wtf? Based on this the MHRA says dosing between 4 and 12 weeks. https://assets.publishing.service.g...essionals_on_COVID-19_Vaccine_AstraZeneca.pdf what an odd way to spend New Years Eve
I get that everyone thinks today the UK government are nothing but ****s but where's the evidence this was a government decision?
Because it was announced by Johnson on telly yesterday, backed up by The Chief Medical Officer, in the shape of Jonathan Van Tam, his deputy. I understand why this decision has been taken, I just think it is based on hope and guesswork rather than evidence. Perhaps I’d have more respect for them if they were just honest - NHS expected to collapse, we don’t know if this will help, but we are trying anyway. Might backfire badly.
Well the Government will be happy with the BBC, it’s reporting on all this dosing stuff is that ‘experts have decided’ that it’s all ok, and the MHRA backs this up. No mention of what Pfizer say.
I really want this gamble to pay off mate. It’s a big win if it does, and might mean relaxing of restrictions much earlier if enough people can be vaccinated. But, to be utterly tedious on this, there is no evidence to suggest that this will work, just guesswork and supposition. Let’s see what the Europeans and the yanks do, I’d feel more comfortable with some company.
I am not really sure this will result in restrictions being released earlier. It will just take longer for every one to have a second dose...so the trailing edge of the curve will go on longer. We will just have more people testing positive...( Maybe a few less dying...but I am not convinced about that either ) So we still have thousands testing positive for longer...how can they justify reducing restrictions
I wonder if it will Col. Hospitals are under more pressure this time because we now have treatments and so people are staying in hospital longer...and we are saving more people, and they are hospital used for a long time..a terrible double edged sword. So the beds are fuller. So what if we have more people to treat with a Covid infection that still produces serious symptoms. Rather than fully treat the more susceptible people...and protect them from getting Covid at all. No I don't know the maths, and whether this may be true...but I hope someone does
I'm sorry mate, that may be the case where you are, but that's certainly not the case up here and in other areas that I have friends in the medical services... And, chatting tonight to our friend who works in the local Covid testing centre, Covid hospital admission referrals from her department bypass A&E and go straight to the wards
