Off Topic Coronavirus

They have data that it is certainly protective after 6 months. Bearing in mind we have only had this virus about 10 months ( from when we had the sequence data.and.this I believe is an RNA vaccine)..

That is good data.
They gave it to a large population of people ( none got any real side effects)...and then awaited them to "naturally" get Covid ..over 100 did...and over 90% of them showed little to no symptoms.

Very very early days...but that is about as good as it could be at this stage Col.

I am very pleased to say that this is the trial that my youngest daughter and her bloke are on..

But as it is a blinded trial...they may have got a placebo and not the vaccine.. we will know in about a years time

 

https://www.rte.ie/news/2020/1109/1176917/-health-ireland/

 

The article I posted the other day indicated that the mutation is in the spike (?) and this is where most vaccines are targetted - hence the reason why Denmark was rapidly put on the quaratine list

 

To be honest Fingy, I don’t think he’s in a position he’s in a position to scaremonger like this yet. I note that he is an epidemiologist, not a virologist. Viruses mutate constantly and many different variants and strains are in circulation now. It is not a given that any mutation is immune to attack from antibodies. See:

https://medium.com/microbial-instin...-there-but-only-one-is-important-878b1ee1f829

Even back in August 68 different strains were doing the rounds.

 

****ing hell, for once I’m trying to be upbeat and I’m getting shot down at every turn!

 

No one knows whether the mink mutation alters for better or worse the infection rate of the virus.

The mink mutation may make it less infectious to human...or yes more infectious.

But it is wise, very wise to cull the mink population. Close Denmark and see.

 

I think a few minks would disagree..

 

Mate, I want this to work as much as you do, but this is what I read the other day...

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A mutated strain of coronavirus that has spread to humans has triggered culls of millions of mink across Denmark and a lockdown in some parts of the country.

More than 200 people have been infected with strains related to mink, according to reports.

Mink kept in large numbers on farms have caught the virus from infected workers. And, in a small number of cases, the virus has crossed back from mink to humans, picking up genetic changes on the way.

Mutations in some of the strains, which have infected a small number of people, are reported to involve the spike protein of the virus, which is targeted by some, but not all, vaccines being developed.

The coronavirus, like all viruses, mutates over time, but there is no evidence that any of the mutations pose an increased danger to people

 

Wot I said!!

 

So Steel... Here is an article to read.


The Pfizer vaccine is an mRNA vaccine , and so it works in a different way. It programs your own cells to make the antigemn and so produce an antigenic response ( and I believe the response is more T cell mediated and so longer lasting). I am not sure what bit of the virus sequence the mRNA is targetted to, but I expect it will be more than one
It is also very flexible, and if one of the sequences becomes "redundant" due to a viral mutartion...that can be correcteed very quickly and a new batch can be made.

The Pfizer vaccine was always the most ambitious, as it is new.
Because it is RNA based and did not required growing up the virus itself ...it was always going to be the first passed the post

I am very glad that it looks good.

https://www.pfizer.co.uk/behind-science-what-mrna-vaccine

 

I thought I heard someone say on a news bulletin, that this Pfizer Covid vaccine was going to be good for a year.

 

This new strain is gathering pace by the look of it...

 

How many million doses were bought based on 91 people showing little to no symptoms

 

30 million.......but they were bought before we knew the answer.

 

I am in awe of your knowledge Beth.

Please let me know when I can come out from under the covers!

 

do you know how many doses have been bought from all the other companies working on vaccines

 

I love reading Beth's contributions to this thread.

 

We have dibs in...on 5 vaccines.
I am assuming there is some sort of sale or return clause, for vaccines that don't get there.

But, for all my criticism before of the government, this was a very wise move. Well done Boris ( advisors)

We get 30 million doses on a couple of good vaccines...and do not take up the option on a couple that don't pass muster.

That's fair

Remember...30 million doses ( you need 2 shots, 3 months apart) only does 15 million people on the first run

We need we still need another 40-50 doses....but a great great start

 

I think the various Governments are making orders with the different companies, Pfizer/Bio N/Tech, Johnston & Johnston, Sanofi and Astra Zaneca/Oxford University. A certain amount of money was invested by the various countries to help with the development of the vaccines and trials. The World Health Organisation is looking to co-ordinate distribution between rich countries and poorer countries fairly but the richer countries have signed separate deals directly with the pharmaceutical companies.

Pfizer/Bio N Tech has signed contracts with the following.
United States - 100 million doses and an option for 500 million more doses.
European Union - 200 million doses and an option for 100 million more doses.
Japan - 120 million doses.
United Kingdom 30 million doses.

I believe Canada and New Zealand have an order in too with Pfizer but can't find their numbers confirmed. Some South American countries have also placed orders. Australia has an order with Zaneca/Oxford University.

 

3 weeks apart according to news...