General COVID-19 Vaccine Discussion

[mviy]

It will be interesting to see if they do lots of vaccinations over Christmas/New Year when most people are on holidays.

 

[burmans]

If everyone had their first by December end then three weeks later is the second. End of Jan.

Not at 400K people a week you won't. 3 weeks assumes you have the capability and supply, this hasn't been the case to date, even if we miraculously find a way to up the vaccination rate to 1M a week this will take us well into Q2.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

If everyone had their first by December end then three weeks later is the second. End of Jan.

I think so as I understand that both Pfizer and Novavax are both 2 dose, 3 week apart vaccines.

AZ being longer, but presumably as AZ will be in abundance anyone that is willing to be vaccinated with AZ will have had their two doses well prior despite its longer time to its second vaccination.

 

[Pushka]

Not at 400K people a week you won't. 3 weeks assumes you have the capability and supply, this hasn't been the case to date, even if we miraculously find a way to up the vaccination rate to 1M a week this will take us well into Q2.

Then that pattern will change. Three weeks between is the approval standard.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Not at 400K people a week you won't. 3 weeks assumes you have the capability and supply, this hasn't been the case to date, even if we miraculously find a way to up the vaccination rate to 1M a week this will take us well into Q2.

Well I guess the assumption is IF everyone has had their first dose by Dec31 then as they are meant to to be 3 weeks apart, that they will not get their first does if there is not the capability to provide the second dose 3 weeks after their first. So if DEc31 is met for first dose, the second dose for everyone should soon follow.

 

[Flashback]

Yes, it's still the standard 12 week window in the UK regardless of Pfizer / AZ. I'm waiting for my booking notification for my 2nd Pfizer jab. Mrs FB is AZ and she already has hers, as supply is more readily available so they can book within 48 hours of receiving their first jab.

 

[mviy]

Well they've now "walked back" Dan Tehan's announcement and are waiting "for advice from the medical experts about potential time frames"

Maybe he saw some preliminary new advice and ran with it before he should have.

 

[drron]

Or maybe they have finally learnt to under promise and over deliver.

 

[burmans]

Yes, it's still the standard 12 week window in the UK regardless of Pfizer / AZ. I'm waiting for my booking notification for my 2nd Pfizer jab. Mrs FB is AZ and she already has hers, as supply is more readily available so they can book within 48 hours of receiving their first jab.

The strategy in the UK was to get one dose into everyone, and the suggested period went out the window (from memory I believe it was a minimum 3 weeks apart, not a recommended 3 weeks apart). All the latest messaging has concentrated in the first dose only, maybe they are learning their lesson, but if they promise the first dose by a time and make no promises on second dose it's highly suggestive they will prioritise the first dose rather than getting everyone jabbed twice.

And of course delivered Q4 means different things to different people, the government wants us to believe this means early Sept, for Pfizer it means any time up until 31/12. Personally I think that unless its in early to mid October even this is a challenging target by EOY.

 

[burmans]

Well they've now "walked back" Dan Tehan's announcement and are waiting "for advice from the medical experts about potential time frames"

Maybe he saw some preliminary new advice and ran with it before he should have.

Latest news is that Scommo has conceded it may not happen by EOY for the first dose.

 

[Port Power]

When will being vaccinated trump quarantine? I support our Premier, and I can see that closing the border to a whole state is easier than just one city, but why I should have to quarantine for two weeks because of a 6 hour stop over in Longreach is just ridiculous! I’m holding off filling in the G2G as I hope the border will reopen without penalty before I return home. (The flight is Alice Springs to Sydney via Longreach.)

 

[drron]

I believe MM has reduced the time for no community transmission to 14 days so will be open to QUEENSLAND from 19/4.

 

[ethernet]

I previously posted 2 indepth links. The German flowchart for AZ says if headache for >2 days then DO... As an over-50 I just do not trust my local GP

Or maybe they have finally learnt to under promise and over deliver.

Dear Dr,

If someone has a brain impairment right after an AZ shot, what is the outcome?. They say the dr's will not be held accountable. However NDIS has an age limit so anyone drawing the short straw will be up cough creek. My take is the German flowchart should be followed or else the lawyers have a chance. At this rate, platelet tests and MRI scans will get a workout.

Every potential AZ candidate will ask - if it goes wrong - who pays? No the PM's lackey said it will not be the Dr's - I think AZ is on the nose bigtime.

 

[hb13]

A concession by the government that first doses very likely not to be done by end of 2021:

Scott Morrison scraps COVID-19 vaccination deadline plan

Scott Morrison has scrapped plans to announce a new deadline to vaccinate all Australians by the end of the year against COVID-19 in an admission over the “uncertainties” surrounding the program.

www.news.com.au

Australia (apart from Victoria) did a great job controlling the virus, however, the vaccine roll out is a shambles and will likely end up putting Australia well behind the ball when international travel starts to pick up later this year.

The US, a country of 330 million will have everyone vaccinated by mid year as will the UK. European countries a few months later, and Australia, with approx. 20 million adults is languishing - unbelievable.

 

[jase05]

So, about that Chinese vaccine

Chinese official says local vaccines' effectiveness is low

Beijing has distributed hundreds of millions of doses in other countries while also trying to promote doubt about the effectiveness of Western vaccines.

www.abc.net.au

 

[Pushka]

So, about that Chinese vaccine

Chinese official says local vaccines' effectiveness is low

Beijing has distributed hundreds of millions of doses in other countries while also trying to promote doubt about the effectiveness of Western vaccines.

www.abc.net.au

Which given that China is opening up widely and their vaccine not all that effective, and it has been providing less developed countries in the region, is not good news.

 

[kamchatsky]

Which given that China is opening up widely and their vaccine not all that effective, and it has been providing less developed countries in the region, is not good news.

More information here:

China mulls mixing COVID-19 vaccines to improve efficacy of jabs

BEIJING: China is considering the mixing of different COVID-19 vaccines to improve the relatively low efficacy of its existing options, a top ...

www.channelnewsasia.com

Preventing Infection rates / Preventing cases requiring medical intervention rates:
Sinovac: 50% / 80%
Sinopharm: 79% / 72%
CanSino: 65% (overall)

Don't forget though, China has practically given those vaccine to those countries for free as part of their overall diplomatic relations, it is still better than nothing.

 

[ethernet]

The name of the game was to prevent deaths, save lives, and prevent a full blown pan-epidemic panic - collapse of order. In this context, China was hugely successful. Futhermore their solution was scalable in short order. tick. Able to supply friends, less developed countries. Tick.
Mixing vaccines to improve outcomes is logical, or using another as a booster makes sense.
When the UK just decided to pull a number out of a hat, and space AZ booster out to 3 months, the justification is not something I remember reading about.
AZ has apparently talked to the Russians over the Sputnik, and I suspect the spacing will get longer or adjusted on an age basis. Apparently Australia is cough about having AZ booster delivered before 12 weeks - or you don't get it.

 

[jonboixxx]

When the UK just decided to pull a number out of a hat, and space AZ booster out to 3 months

ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AZ) was granted emergency use because UK was a basket case. Subsequent results of the clinical trials (Voysey et al) supported the 12 week gap. Our rollout commenced later as we fortunately had the time for TGA to properly evaluate.

 

[Seat0B]

If some countries beyond NZ open up for non-essential travel from Australia being vaccinated may well be a likely condition of travel out of and entry back into Australia, and is so that may also have some take AZ who might well otherwise not. I am probably at 60 in this group as with the present circumstances I see no pressing need to be vaccinated if international travel is not possible.

My feelings exactly @lovetravellingoz - I will now only take AZ if I can travel, otherwise, my personal risk assessment is that I have all but no chance of catching COVID (and thus no chance of complications, even though I am 60) and therefore the risk equation on AZ makes it more likely that I would get a blood clot than suffer badly from COVID - exactly the same calculation that has seen the recommendation for people under 50 not to take it. At least they will be offered Pfizer. I acknowledge that the risk of clots is extremely low, but if that risk is too high for an under 50, then it it probably too high for me until I get some other benefit (eg the ability to travel) that would cause a re-calc of the risk equation. Arghhhhhh.

Edit: and I had previously been keen to be vaccinated, as soon as possible.