[cwoodward]

FROM BBC
The first effective coronavirus vaccine can prevent more than 90% of people from getting Covid-19, a preliminary analysis shows.

The developers – Pfizer and BioNTech – described it as a “great day for science and humanity”.

Their vaccine has been tested on 43,500 people in six countries and no safety concerns have been raised.

The companies plan to apply for emergency approval to use the vaccine by the end of the month.

A vaccine – alongside better treatments – is seen as the best way of getting out of the restrictions that have been imposed on all our lives.

There are around a dozen in the final stages of testing – known as a phase 3 trial – but this is the first to show any results.

It uses a completely experimental approach – that involves injecting part of the virus’s genetic code – in order to train the immune system.

[MartynSinclair]

What makes this news release so positive is that it has been released by nearly ALL (if not all) major news streams. Tt may not be available for some time, but I hope Governments and the healthcare, do not screw up the logistics of getting from pharma mfg, into people’s arms…

Well done science…. and hopefully more phase 3 results to follow

[BackOfThePlane]

Probably the best Covid related news we’ve had since, well, this year.

Ok, it’s early days and a good dollop of caution is required, but this is a vaccine developed by Pfizer & BioNTech (no, me neither) not the Russian government. I am prepared to be very optimistic.

From a UK point of view, I have read (unverified) that the British government will have access to some 10 million doses by the end of this year, with more to follow early 2021.

If that is true, and the vaccine is deemed to be safe, that potentially means a lot of vulnerable people, key workers etc will receive their (90%) immunisation perhaps by the end of January.

Time to dig out my speedos and start planning some late winter / early spring sun.

[SimonS1]

Everyone needs 2 doses. So the 40m on order will cover 20m people….

Good jump in stock prices though.

[Stevescoots]

You dont need to vaccinate everyone, I am sure there are some Doctors here but once it gets into the population there is a cumalative effect (unless those who have been vaccinated can still be carriers)

[J_Pathmore]

Heard the CEO of Ryanair speak last week, understandably frustrated. His opinion, which I completely believe in, is that once you’ve vaccinated the high risk population (which the 40m doses should cover in the UK) younger and lower risk people will not pay an ounce of attention to rules and regulations.

This will create an interesting dilemma and dynamic in the UK, as once the majority of higher risk people are no longer dying from this, we can say that any lockdown “cure” will be worse than the problem. However it seems like the clowns in government will be hell bent on keeping severe restrictions in place until lower risk populations have been vaccinated too, which could take some time. There will be a lot of pressure on Boris from both sides, with business’s hurting beyond belief come Xmas.

Interesting times ahead indeed. At least we can look forward to what should be a more normal late spring and summer across much of the western world. All things equal…

1 user thanked author for this post.

IanFromHKG

[FaroFlyer]

[postquote quote=1015566][/postquote]

True, and the 40 million vaccines, 20 million people, is by the end of 2021

[MartynSinclair]

Purely as a discussion point, I think the most must have travel document for 2021, will be an inoculation certificate that is recognizable and accepted by the world. Whilst I feel confident the first vaccine (of perhaps multiple options) will be launched soon, I do not think this will be the key to a speedy unlocking of the world.

Whilst European borders are likely to open up faster, long haul travel I presume, will only restart in earnest when there is agreement with the airlines and destinations that the vaccine given is accepted as being suitable protection within a particular jurisdiction. A universally accepted proof of inoculation also needs to be agreed. I hope the airports, airlines and governments will agree to a universally accepted travel protocol otherwise, the current system of multiple testing could result in different countries perhaps demanding different types of inoculations (if and when they become available) and different styles of proof that an arriving passenger has been inoculated.

This is not just about passengers arriving into the UK, but UK passengers being allowed to once again travel to all 4 corners of the world and without the need to quarantine.

As ridiculous as it sounds, I can perhaps imagine countries like Thailand extending quarantine to 30 days by insisting inbound passengers have the full inoculation procedure on arrival thus keeping their ASQ hotels busy for 30 days, at least for their first post pandemic arrival.

How Australia will react is also a key indicator, with their strictly controlled borders for both arrivals and departure.

Whilst I like cwoodwards comment on another thread that travel may resume “soon”, I think there are many challenges ahead before freely available travel resumes…

1 user thanked author for this post.

K1ngston

[Stevescoots]

I do not think it will be for a long time if based just on the Pfizer vaccine, end of next year at a guess. The sheer logistics of that + the 3 week wait in between and..the cost @ almost 30 quid a pop will mean a very long rollout globally. If the oxford/Astra one come up with good results then that could well be the one that gets things moving. Traditional type, single jab. standard vaccine logistics and storage and the cost. Uk is paying just under £3.00 each. not sure if that is a global price or because Uk Gov invested in it

[SimonS1]

Indeed a yellow fever style vaccination certificate would be the logical way forward. Although whether it is practical is another thing though, as there are multiple vaccines nearing the start line and the relative effectiveness and how long they last needs more clarification.

To be honest I think the Thais will end up cutting their own throats economically, and the world will move on without them. There is an obvious balance to be met between health and trade, but unfortunately Junta style governments rarely get that. We let our sales rep in Bangkok go 2 weeks ago, as it is just more trouble than it is worth and I can invest the budget in places with a slightly more enlightened outlook.

[MartynSinclair]

[quote quote=1015766]to be honest I think the Thais will end up cutting their own throats economically,[/quote]

Simon, as you know the Thai’s have a wonderful resolve to rise from the ashes and in time, it will return to being “same same, just different”.

I agree with your comment about the solution being a balance between trade and health. The UK may have maintained virtually open and unrestricted borders during 2020, the rest of the world have taken a different view. The Heathrow debacle about testing outbound passengers, is a red herring, as ex UK passengers have very few places they can go to without strict Prisoner Style Quarantine.

The UK now appears to be at the front of the Q for the first vaccine. My hope is the rest of the world will accept / recognise the vaccine and also the proof of inoculation that undoubtedly will be issued. My big question is will this then allow passengers from the UK to freely enter, USA/ASIA/Australia OR will ex-UK passengers still be the pariah around the world, with no entry signs still posted.

The world needs to reopen for all trade….and free passage…

[SimonS1]

More changes today….from last week I can now go to Dubai with a free test on arrival, and from this Saturday no quarantine on return to UK either.

[IanFromHKG]

Having been chatting with friends and colleagues about this undeniably good news, I quickly became depressed as so many said they would not take the vaccine – reasons primarily being that it was “untested”, the most cogent argument being that the longterm effects were unknown. That is a valid concern, of course. I grew up in the Thalidomide era and remember a classmate at my primary school who had severe deformities resulting from it.

The people I spoke to were not obvious anti-vaxxers, and have themselves had (I believe) multiple vaccinations and given them to their children – so the concern seems to be about the vaccine for this particular disease rather than vaccines generally (I will confess at this point that we did not give our children the MMR vaccine but rather gave them the separate vaccines).

I have an immune system disorder so must confess I do have some concerns about taking a vaccine that does not have a long-proven track record (I don’t know whether the phase III trials have specifically covered people such as me). At the same time, I firmly believe that vaccination is the way to go and that as many healthy people as possible need to get a vaccine in order to arrest this disease.

So I’m torn….

3 users thanked author for this post.

cwoodward, DerekVH, tomwjsimpson

[Swissdiver]

Unless I read too fast, no one speaks about those you got the disease. There is a natural immunisation, although its length is questioned. Switzerland considers it to be of at least three months while a recent (British?) study mentions “at least 5 months” (the study continues so they expect this to be longer). Given the number of people being positive these days, this will matter (even if 8 cases in the whole Europe are said to have been infected twice).

[craigwatson]

I am the same. Not an anti vaxxer. My family have all had our vaccinations and get travel vaccinations when needed, but this just hasn’t been tested long enough. It’s also the first time this method has ever been used and yet they are rushing it out to everybody. No thanks I’ll wait awhile to see the results of this worldwide test, because that’s what this is. A worldwide test.

[Author]

Posts