General COVID-19 Vaccine Discussion

[DC3]

I understand your reservations but state health services are very well practiced in distribution of critical supplies. With the added assistance of the federal government and 1 million doses a week coming out of CSL in Victoria, I foresee no reason why logistical or political shortfalls should hinder the rollout - at least in the major centres. We are in a very fortunate position in Australia relative to other nations.

You haven’t lifted that from a government flyer, have you?

 

[Must...Fly!]

You haven’t lifted that from a government flyer, have you?

No, it's just a belief I have. This ain't the first vaccine rodeo governments have dealt with (unlike everything other part of the response that has been an abject failure).

 

[DC3]

No, it's just a belief I have. This ain't the first vaccine rodeo governments have dealt with (unlike everything other part of the response that has been an abject failure).

You could be an asset to government, with your literary skills.

Anyway, Governments need to be wary of being involved in rodeos. Sometimes things don’t always go as planned.

 

[Must...Fly!]

You could be an asset to government, with your literary skills.

Anyway, Governments need to be wary of being involved in rodeos. Sometimes things don’t always go as planned.

My criticism of governments of various persuasions has been noted many times in the past...governments know how to do some things. They have no idea how to do a lot of others...

 

[SydneySwan]

Sir Humphrey is the weak link in the chain.

Old Humpy doing rather well rolling out vaccine in the UK.

 

[jb747]

Old Humpy doing rather well rolling out vaccine in the UK.

Well, I have no faith in his Australian cousin, Sir Bruce.

 

[jakeseven7]

BREAKING: AstraZeneca vaccine approved by TGA​

The AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine has been approved for use in Australia.

The nation’s medical regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration, says it can be used to immunise people aged 18 years and over.

The TGA says immunising people over the age of 65 should be decided on a case by case basis.

The approval of the vaccine is valid for two years.

Most Australians will be offered this vaccine because the Federal Government has ordered nearly 54 million doses and most will be manufactured in Australia.

It’s the second COVID-19 vaccine to be approved in Australia (Pfizer was given the green light last month).

Department of Health survey respondents hesitant about getting COVID jab straight away

A survey of about 4,000 people by the federal Department of Health shows under half of those asked would get the vaccine as soon as it is available, but 71 per cent say they will choose to have the jab by October.

www.abc.net.au

 

[Pushka]

BREAKING: AstraZeneca vaccine approved by TGA​

The AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine has been approved for use in Australia.

The nation’s medical regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration, says it can be used to immunise people aged 18 years and over.

The TGA says immunising people over the age of 65 should be decided on a case by case basis.

The approval of the vaccine is valid for two years.

Most Australians will be offered this vaccine because the Federal Government has ordered nearly 54 million doses and most will be manufactured in Australia.

It’s the second COVID-19 vaccine to be approved in Australia (Pfizer was given the green light last month).

Department of Health survey respondents hesitant about getting COVID jab straight away

A survey of about 4,000 people by the federal Department of Health shows under half of those asked would get the vaccine as soon as it is available, but 71 per cent say they will choose to have the jab by October.

www.abc.net.au

Interesting rider on people 65 plus.

 

[Princess Fiona]

Interesting rider on people 65 plus.

And also not approved for 16-18 year olds unlike Pfizer. Hopefully will be updated as the trials come through.

 

[serfty]

Interesting rider on people 65 plus.

And also not approved for 16-18 year olds unlike Pfizer. Hopefully will be updated as the trials come through.

More to do with lack of data; from that article:

Professor John Skerritt clarified the TGA's advice on giving the vaccine to people over 65, given it said "there were an insufficient number of participants infected by COVID-19 to conclusively determine the efficacy in this subgroup".

When the original clinical trials were going on, AstraZeneca targeted them towards heathcare workers who were of working age and under 65, and then only included older people later on.

But Professor Skerritt said the TGA's analysis of the data "gives us no reason" to think that the vaccine wouldn't work on older people.

More importantly:

He also went on to say that the experience in the UK during their vaccine rollout has shown positive immune responses, as have blood tests looking at immune responses in people over 65.

 

[drron]

WHO has now given Emergency Authorisation for the AZ vaccine.

WHO lists two additional COVID-19 vaccines for emergency use and COVAX roll-out

Today WHO listed two versions of the AstraZeneca/Oxford COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, giving the green light for these vaccines to be rolled out globally through COVAX.

www.who.int

Plus a trial starting in young people 6-17 with the AZ vaccine.

NIHR announces Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to be trialed in young people for first time

The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) has announced the launch of the first study to assess the safety and immune response to the Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine ChAdOx1 in children and young adults aged 6-17 years. According to the NIHR, the new study...

dgalerts.docguide.com

And Mexico is buying Chinese vaccines plus the AZ vaccine.It also has a deal to manufacture 250 million doses of the AZ vaccine for distribution through South America.

Welcome to Precision Vaccinations News

Precision Vaccinations News publishes vaccine news patients can trust to make informed immunization decisions in partnership with doctors, nurses, and pharmacists.

www.coronavirustoday.com

 

[Pushka]

So now I'm confused @drron. Is Norman Swan right here?
"Norman Swan: To be blunt, and I've said it before on Coronacast, their trial (AZ) is a bit of a dog's breakfast. It's not a dog's breakfast scientifically, it's just that they've had problems with the dosage, they've changed the rules as they went on. Just to summarise, they got batches in from a manufacturing facility into Britain and they thought it was stronger than it was and they diluted it, and in fact they ended up diluting what was not a stronger batch of the vaccine and ended up giving people half a dose followed by the full dose and they got a good result, they got about 90% effectiveness, but in under 55s.

 

[Seat0B]

Question for the medical people on here. My son in Dubai has been offered the Sinopharm vaccine by his work for free, available now. Or he can wait about 2 months and get the Pfizer at his own cost (about $130). He's 30, in good health, working from home (mainly). There is a high case load in Dubai (it is on the red list for entry to the UK), and he knows people who have had COVID, even in the ex-pat white collar worker sector. However, he is pretty reluctant to get a Chinese vaccine - he does not trust the process or the results of their clinical trials. Does anyone on here know more? What would you do?

 

[drron]

Norman Swan is not my go to expert on matters of vaccines.In fact not on medical matters period.

The real problem is that Oxford released results as they came to hand giving them the appearance of being haphazard.They could have followed the Pfizer and Moderna playbook and hinted at how good it was and only release and publish the results when every part of the trrial was complete.
They were the first to publish results in a peer reviewed journal.

We just got our most-detailed look yet at the safety and effectiveness of the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine. Here's what you need to know.

The results, published in the Lancet on Tuesday, suggest the vaccine's efficacy is 70%, on average.

www.businessinsider.com.au

 

[Must...Fly!]

I agree with @drron, I feel Dr Swan is unfairly painting the Oxford-AZ vaccine in a negative light.

Does anyone on here know more? What would you do?

I'm not going to pretend I know more. But since you're asking what I would do - wait and pay for the Pfizer vaccine. At 30 years of age, your son is really in very little danger of serious disease or ongoing issues if he does contract COVID-19. I would personally take the Russian vaccine over the Chinese one (yes I have little trust in the latter...I think it's justifiable)

 

[Pushka]

I agree with @drron, I feel Dr Swan is unfairly painting the Oxford-AZ vaccine in a negative light.


I'm not going to pretend I know more. But since you're asking what I would do - wait and pay for the Pfizer vaccine. At 30 years of age, your son is really in very little danger of serious disease or ongoing issues if he does contract COVID-19. I would personally take the Russian vaccine over the Chinese one (yes I have little trust in the latter...I think it's justifiable)

It's unfortunate he seems to be frequently interviewed as the Covid expert in the ABC podcast. This tasty excerpt was in today's session.

 

[Seat0B]

I agree with @drron, I feel Dr Swan is unfairly painting the Oxford-AZ vaccine in a negative light.


I'm not going to pretend I know more. But since you're asking what I would do - wait and pay for the Pfizer vaccine. At 30 years of age, your son is really in very little danger of serious disease or ongoing issues if he does contract COVID-19. I would personally take the Russian vaccine over the Chinese one (yes I have little trust in the latter...I think it's justifiable)

Thanks for your opinion @Must...Fly! thats the way we were all leaning but his work is pressuring him a bit. None of us has a lot of faith in the Chinese vaccine.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

I think 'fully vaccinated' has to mean (a) all those who want it and (b) required for anyone working in a 'high risk' environment. A bit like the flu shot... if you know the risks but are willing to accept them by not being vaccinated, that's up to you.

Well that’s not true. A provisionally approved covid vaccine we don’t know that much about the risks but it will be effectively mandatory for high risk sectors.

Eg WHO recommended Dengvaxia and about 15 months later the manufacturer acknowledges that it increased the chance to get dengue in those children without a previous dengue infection.

Eg Pandemrix approved in Europe may have an increased risk of narcolepsy in children and young adults. Pandemrix is no longer produced.

EG The US swine flu vaccine program of 1976 increased the risk of Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare neurological disorder.

 

[blackcat20]

The hospital I work at says they start administering on Monday.

 

[Pushka]

The hospital I work at says they start administering on Monday.

SA is starting Monday too. Likely one family member will be immunised very soon as she works in Emergency in one of the two main hospitals here.