Community Chat

[Anonymous032819]

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@willdob3 wrote:

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@Anonymous032819 wrote:

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@willdob3 wrote:

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@Anonymous032819 wrote:

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@willdob3 wrote:

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@Mindy D wrote:

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@haddon9 wrote:

Have they announced long term safety?

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@haddon9 They only need to have short term safety results to get approval under Compassionate Use. They will follow participants for two years to get long term safety data.

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@Mindy D 

Do they plan to stop at 2 years? That isn’t really very long.

Five years ongoing to 10-15 would be more appropriate especially when they plan to contaminate as many people on the planet as possible with the vaccines.

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@willdob3 

I will gladly be "contaminated" with the vaccine if it means it helps to get this virus under control.

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@Anonymous032819 

Well, none of them will work to do that if most people don’t wear masks and practice social distancing. We’d all better pray that all of us do that or there is going to be no end to this.

There isn’t going to be a magic vaccine that lets us go back to life as it was.  We need to accept that and make the necessary changes despite not wanting to.

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@willdob3 

You don't know that "none of the vaccines will work".

I would rather be hopeful and optimistic that one will, but you do you, and live your life the way that you want, and kindly let other's do the same.

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@Anonymous032819 

I pay attention to what the health experts say and that is that masks and social distancing will be needed in addition to any vaccine that is in trials now. NONE of the vaccines have been described as being able to work alone without need of wearing masks. That is fact. That is realistic. 

Thinking a vaccine will magically make it all better isn’t optimistic; it is unrealistic. 

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@willdob3 

A vaccine will help, and that is being realistic.

But, since you are so desperate to have the last word, have at it.

[SydneyH]

This is possibly good news, but I'm not interested in getting this vaccine, ever.

[Mindy D]

@Krimpette Modernaas's CEO. statements says the vaccine need storage at -20°C.

[SharkE]

Practical advantages of Moderna's vaccine

While the two vaccines appear to have very similar safety and efficacy profiles, Moderna's vaccine has a significant practical advantage over Pfizer's.

Pfizer's vaccine has to be kept at minus 75 degrees Celsius. No other vaccine in the US needs to be kept that cold, and doctors' offices and pharmacies do not have freezers that go that low.

Moderna's vaccine can be kept at minus 20 degrees Celsius. Other vaccines, such as the one against chickenpox, need to be kept at that temperature.

That means Moderna's vaccine can be kept in "a readily available freezer that is available in most doctors' offices and pharmacies," Zacks said. "We leverage infrastructure that already exists for other marketed vaccines."

Another advantage of Moderna's vaccine is that it can be kept for 30 days in the refrigerator, the company announced Monday. Pfizer's vaccine can last only five days in the refrigerator.

[goldensrbest]

I read in local newspaper, that lonza here in new hampshire is  ramping up production on this vaccine.

[SharkE]

Better news then we've had in a long time and I'd like to thank the volunteers that are doing the trials. Some get the real vaccine and some the placebo.

Doing tests on live humans. Keep fingers crossed we may not be able to eradicate it, but, we might be able to take a vaccine to help prevent it being so bad and if we get it we won't die from it.

spanish flu was a historical nightmare and people way back then finally got thru it. Those poor people didn't have the therapeutics we have today.

[suzyQ3]

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@suzyQ3 wrote:

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@Nancy Drew wrote:

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@suzyQ3 wrote:

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@Nancy Drew wrote:

I get a flu shot every year, taking a COVID shot will not bother me at all. Throwing away those masks and getting our lives back especially our youth, I'm in!

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@Nancy Drew, OMG, if I take the vaccine, I'll get my youth back -- where do I sign up?

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Oh let me be clear. I am extremely worried about our youth during this pandemic. That is my number one priority.

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I was very clear, @Nancy Drew. Just wanted to lighten up the conversation a little.

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Sorry, make that "It was very clear." @Nancy Drew

[pitdakota]

This may be yet another result of not having a national team that regularly updates and informs the public with accurate information, but many here are repeating information  those not well versed in running vaccination programs understands  in the differences between requirement for vaccine transportation, storage, and administration.  Nor is it expected that people that aren't familiar with setting up and running vaccination programs should understand the finer details of the information.  But in these days and times it is different and lends itself to more debate over things and further mistrust of information out there.   

 For the new messenger RNA vaccines, they (at least these two vaccnies) do require very low temperatures for transportation and long term storage.  But one doesn't administer the vaccine itself at those temps.  

Think about it, you cannot administer a liquid in a syringe into the muscle of someone's arm with that liquid being minus any degrees F.  No matter what that temperature below zero might be.  That would damage the tissue.  

The vaccine itself must be thawed and then kept according to protocols specific for that vaccine.  In this case, once thawed both of these vaccines can be kept at refrigerated temps for a specific amt. of time before the vaccine starts to degrade.

People out there familiar with setting up vaccination programs know this and will be working out the details so that the vaccine can be administered safely.   

Actually setting up a vaccination program is a series of multiple complex steps.  Some here have provided the information that since the Moderna vaccine can be kept at refrigerated temps for 30 days versus the Pfizer vaccine can be stored for 5 days as a major advantage .   However, it is also a challenge in being able to determine the amount of vaccine thawed and the demand for the vaccine.  Those experts will need to use data and information to accurately plan how much vaccine will be thawed.  Worse case scenario is that too much vaccine is thawed and demand not be there to actually administer those doses.  

[pitdakota]

To add to the discussion of whether masks and social distancing will still be required after the vaccination program starts, I will add the information that has taken place via public health experts over the past months.

I am still on the recipent list for multiple public health list serves and can add that there has been discussion about the need to continue with masks and social distancing requirements after vaccination programs for SARS-CoV-2 begins.

It really gets down into the weeds of infectious disease principles, but technically at this point all we know from the data on both vaccines at this point is that the vaccine has demonstrated efficacy in preventing "disease".  

We don't have data yet on whether it prevents infection or transmission.  I think by the time they get to the point to apply to the FDA for emergency authorization they might have a little  more data in that regard.  But they really won't have  solid information about that until the vaccination program actually starts.  Which is why wearing masks and keeping some of those restrictions with limiting gathering, etc. will likely remain in place until they have more information along those lines.  

It also hinges on the ability to obtain herd immunity with vaccination.  I haven't actually seen yet what the experts have established with herd immunity for this vaccine, but I would imagine it would be pretty high since this virus is so contagious and also noted for longer periods of asymptomatic spread.

[pitdakota]

I forgot to mention that there is still not a really good understanding of how long immunity lasts.  We do know that reinfections of the actual disease has occurred and that have been document scientifically.  Therefore we don't yet know how long whatever vaccine will produce protection and how often boosters will be required.  That also necessitates wearing masks and sticking to some guidelines until they get better data in that regard.

I imagine that all those subjects in the experimental groups for all the vaccines will continued to be monitored.  They will probably draw titers on those that received the vaccine to monitor the level of viral neutralizing antibodies.  So those individuals in the experimental group will still be paving the way to provide information for the rest of us.