wuhan - coronavirus

[Junie]

2 hours ago, Ausmumof3 said:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-vaccines-pfizer-idUSKBN27P1CT

Pfizer claim their vaccine is 90pc successful with no safety issues.  This is far better than the 50-60 pc we were talking about with other vaccines! Hope their studies stand up to scrutiny because that would be amazing.

I almost cried for happiness when I read this.

[TCB]

25 minutes ago, Junie said:

I almost cried for happiness when I read this.

Me too! It does really feel like there is finally light at the end of the tunnel!

[BeachGal]

Pfizer's vaccine is more than 90% effective. Operation Warp Speed was hoping for at least 50%. No serious safety concerns reported. Most health problems occur within two months of vaccines hence the two month wait. They will continue monitoring both efficacy and safety.

Pfizer enrolled 43,538 people. 38,955 have received their second vaccination. 46% diverse backgrounds.

Pfizer has set up 150 clinical trials to test their vaccine in six countries, including the US, which is testing it in 39 states.

Initially, they were going to end the interim analysis when 32 events (Covid cases) occurred. They ended up having 94 events so almost three times as much data to analyze.

Pfizer is planning to submit their Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to the FDA next week, the third week of November. the Data and Safety Monitoring Board analyzes data as well. They are secret in order to prevent vaccine developers from lobbying.

https://www.pfizer.com/news/press-release/press-release-detail/pfizer-and-biontech-announce-vaccine-candidate-against

https://www.pfizer.com/news/hot-topics/albert_bourla_discusses_covid_19_vaccine_efficacy_results

[Ausmumof3]

[Ausmumof3]

Utah declared a state of emergency.  

[ktgrok]

9 hours ago, TCB said:

Very encouraging! Probably a bit premature, but I'm really starting to hope it won't be long before I can travel back home and see my parents again. And hug them!

Same! If we could get this AND affordable at home saliva tests I'd be dancing in the streets! Well, I'd be driving to see my mom and dad, is what I'd be doing! We haven't seen them since March, and they are only a little over an hour away. It's going to be miserable not seeing them for the holidays, but I'm thinking we have a Christmas in July party or something, when this is all over!

[kbutton]

34 minutes ago, Ausmumof3 said:

They held a special press conference about this today if anyone is interested. DeWine introduces folks and then steps out of the meeting. The rest is health experts talking and then answering questions from the press.

http://ohiochannel.org/collections/governor-mike-dewine

[kbutton]

And a school in one part of the state can't run buses part of the school week because too many drivers are quarantined: https://www.whio.com/home/fairborn-city-schools-announces-no-bus-transportation-monday-tuesday-this-week/AOPMFK4MNRHU3BOM6OP27TQOVY/?fbclid=IwAR0WQNYSJxHfWQEO2XZVtqsn0RqpUzrTIV1WDhAiR6saToQXbRX5T4DkhN0

 

[Shoeless]

8 hours ago, Junie said:

I almost cried for happiness when I read this.

I did cry when I read the news. 

I'm confused why there isn't more excitement about this, to be honest. I've talked to a couple people about this news and they are acting mad and pessimistic about it.  I don't get it. 

[Junie]

3 minutes ago, MissLemon said:

I did cry when I read the news. 

I'm confused why there isn't more excitement about this, to be honest. I've talked to a couple people about this news and they are acting mad and pessimistic about it.  I don't get it. 

Wow.  That makes no sense at all.

[Tenaj]

1 hour ago, Ausmumof3 said:

Yep.  Ohio is in a mess right now but on my fb feed I'm treated to pics of a bridal shower with a crowd (50+) in one room at a local church.  No masks in sight and cute group pics of bride hugging with attenders.  There's no pandemic going on here 🙁

[Tenaj]

34 minutes ago, kbutton said:

And a school in one part of the state can't run buses part of the school week because too many drivers are quarantined: https://www.whio.com/home/fairborn-city-schools-announces-no-bus-transportation-monday-tuesday-this-week/AOPMFK4MNRHU3BOM6OP27TQOVY/?fbclid=IwAR0WQNYSJxHfWQEO2XZVtqsn0RqpUzrTIV1WDhAiR6saToQXbRX5T4DkhN0

 

Two schools now I just heard.  . .

[ScoutTN]

41 minutes ago, Junie said:

Wow.  That makes no sense at all.

People are afraid to hope that the nightmare could be ending (or at least lessening significantly), I think.

[Kassia]

35 minutes ago, JanOH said:

Yep.  Ohio is in a mess right now but on my fb feed I'm treated to pics of a bridal shower with a crowd (50+) in one room at a local church.  No masks in sight and cute group pics of bride hugging with attenders.  There's no pandemic going on here 🙁

 

I see the same thing here (in NE Ohio).  Lots of gatherings with no distancing or masks.  Meanwhile, our county just keeps getting worse and worse with Covid.  I don't get it.  

 

34 minutes ago, JanOH said:

Two schools now I just heard.  . .

Our district had to go to hybrid for middle/high school because so many teachers are quarantined.  One grade level had to go to 100% virtual because of the shortage of teachers.  

 

 

[Acorn]

1 hour ago, JanOH said:

Two schools now I just heard.  . .

Three, as another in the region will switch to virtual due to busing

[Ausmumof3]

1 hour ago, MissLemon said:

I did cry when I read the news. 

I'm confused why there isn't more excitement about this, to be honest. I've talked to a couple people about this news and they are acting mad and pessimistic about it.  I don't get it. 

Most epidemiologists are having hopeful but... type posts.  Yes it looks good but let’s let the FDA do their thing properly.  I think the part they’re probably worried about as well is that roll out will take a while and if people get too relaxed because they know it’s coming that might be a problem.  

[Ausmumof3]

EDI Lilly’s monoclonal antibody is getting EUA 

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-eli-lilly-fda-idUSKBN27P35L

[Pen]

On 11/9/2020 at 5:38 AM, Ausmumof3 said:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-vaccines-pfizer-idUSKBN27P1CT

Pfizer claim their vaccine is 90pc successful with no safety issues.  This is far better than the 50-60 pc we were talking about with other vaccines! Hope their studies stand up to scrutiny because that would be amazing.

 

👍 “cautiously optimistic” 🙂

 

[Update: Kid has bacterial ear infection ... improving with antibiotic.  No test for CV19 due to unlikelihood of having it. ]

 

 

Edited November 12, 2020 by Pen

[Ausmumof3]

27 minutes ago, Pen said:

 

👍 “cautiously optimistic” 🙂

 

meanwhile my kid is at Urgent Care with his second “probably not CV19, but who knows” ...  bad ear ache so he needs to be seen whatever it is 

 

 

Oh dear.  Hope it is nothing major and you’re back to normal soon.

[TCB]

Lancet article about Non Pharmaceutical Interventions to reduce spread.

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(20)30785-4/fulltext

[kbutton]

Federation of American Scientists published recommendations for combatting COVID misinformation: https://www.dayoneproject.org/post/a-national-strategy-to-counter-covid-19-misinformation?fbclid=IwAR2EBVkATeeUWf32SFjQ4lXnhc5-Y04HzRtDvrQcTkcgCjIUwLk3DpSHFZI

 

[Ausmumof3]

Not strictly covid related but one of the Covid related people I follow shared this coming up if anyone’s interested.  It’s called mini med school for teachers and is a series of four lectures on virology etc.  I’ve tried registering as a homeschool parent so will see if they accept that.

This seems like a great way to try to bring the general population a better understanding of viruses etc, I know there was so much I had no idea about when this all started (well and there still is!).  Targeting the science teachers seems sensible.

[Terabith]

I want to be super excited about the vaccine, but I have concerns.  We don't know if it prevents serious illness, especially in the people who are more likely to be particularly susceptible.  (Most vaccinations don't work as well in the elderly or obese, for example.)  The fact that it has to be stored at such a low temperature might make deployment challenging.  And the high rate of significant side effects is concerning:  the fact that a study participant cracked a tooth with chills and high fever is going to be a super hard sell for the folks who won't get flu shots because they get a sore arm.  

And there seems to be real question about whether it prevents infection or just people are asymptomatic spreaders.  Or how long immunity will hold.  (And I'm not sure how enthused I am to sign up for a 103 degree fever every 3-4 months, you know, especially given it has to be done twice.)  

I mean, this is totally good news.  But it's not going to mean we can relax social distancing really.

[Ausmumof3]

3 hours ago, Terabith said:

I want to be super excited about the vaccine, but I have concerns.  We don't know if it prevents serious illness, especially in the people who are more likely to be particularly susceptible.  (Most vaccinations don't work as well in the elderly or obese, for example.)  The fact that it has to be stored at such a low temperature might make deployment challenging.  And the high rate of significant side effects is concerning:  the fact that a study participant cracked a tooth with chills and high fever is going to be a super hard sell for the folks who won't get flu shots because they get a sore arm.  

And there seems to be real question about whether it prevents infection or just people are asymptomatic spreaders.  Or how long immunity will hold.  (And I'm not sure how enthused I am to sign up for a 103 degree fever every 3-4 months, you know, especially given it has to be done twice.)  

I mean, this is totally good news.  But it's not going to mean we can relax social distancing really.

I think the more optimistic part is it does mean that a vaccine targeting spike protein can work to some level.

[kbutton]

11 hours ago, Terabith said:

I want to be super excited about the vaccine, but I have concerns.  We don't know if it prevents serious illness, especially in the people who are more likely to be particularly susceptible.  (Most vaccinations don't work as well in the elderly or obese, for example.)  The fact that it has to be stored at such a low temperature might make deployment challenging.  And the high rate of significant side effects is concerning:  the fact that a study participant cracked a tooth with chills and high fever is going to be a super hard sell for the folks who won't get flu shots because they get a sore arm.  

And there seems to be real question about whether it prevents infection or just people are asymptomatic spreaders.  Or how long immunity will hold.  (And I'm not sure how enthused I am to sign up for a 103 degree fever every 3-4 months, you know, especially given it has to be done twice.)  

I mean, this is totally good news.  But it's not going to mean we can relax social distancing really.

Is this one of the ones that has fairly strict storage requirements? That could affect how they distribute it, and if so, symptoms need to be taken into account.

For nursing homes, how likely is it that vaccination will be done at the facility level? I they do something where every single nurse aide gets vaccinated at the same time or within a day or two of each other, entire nursing homes could be stuck without workers. Ditto for emergency departments, etc. 

I am really concerned also that they don't vaccinate an entire nursing home at once and then have trouble caring for the elderly who are ill from the vaccine (potentially on top of workers being ill).

[Terabith]

2 hours ago, kbutton said:

Is this one of the ones that has fairly strict storage requirements? That could affect how they distribute it, and if so, symptoms need to be taken into account.

For nursing homes, how likely is it that vaccination will be done at the facility level? I they do something where every single nurse aide gets vaccinated at the same time or within a day or two of each other, entire nursing homes could be stuck without workers. Ditto for emergency departments, etc. 

I am really concerned also that they don't vaccinate an entire nursing home at once and then have trouble caring for the elderly who are ill from the vaccine (potentially on top of workers being ill).

Yeah, my husband and I were talking about how they're really going to need to stagger vaccinations.  Not a good idea to line up and vaccinate all the nursing home staff or hospital workers or what not on the same day.  

[Ausmumof3]

5 hours ago, kbutton said:

Is this one of the ones that has fairly strict storage requirements? That could affect how they distribute it, and if so, symptoms need to be taken into account.

For nursing homes, how likely is it that vaccination will be done at the facility level? I they do something where every single nurse aide gets vaccinated at the same time or within a day or two of each other, entire nursing homes could be stuck without workers. Ditto for emergency departments, etc. 

I am really concerned also that they don't vaccinate an entire nursing home at once and then have trouble caring for the elderly who are ill from the vaccine (potentially on top of workers being ill).

Yep it’s around - 50 Celsius or something maybe even lower.  Basically it needs to be stored like Antarctica.  Norman Swan talked about it on coronavirus yesterday though and said he’d heard long term it may not need that level of storage they just haven’t tested how stable it is at higher temp.

[Pen]

12 minutes ago, Ausmumof3 said:

Yep it’s around - 50 Celsius or something maybe even lower.  Basically it needs to be stored like Antarctica.  Norman Swan talked about it on coronavirus yesterday though and said he’d heard long term it may not need that level of storage they just haven’t tested how stable it is at higher temp.

 

Perhaps Even colder ...

https://de.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-vaccines-distribut/why-pfizers-ultra-cold-covid-19-vaccine-will-not-be-at-the-local-pharmacy-any-time-soon-idUSKBN27P2VI

 

[Jean in Newcastle]

2 hours ago, Terabith said:

Yeah, my husband and I were talking about how they're really going to need to stagger vaccinations.  Not a good idea to line up and vaccinate all the nursing home staff or hospital workers or what not on the same day.  

Unless you are a very small nursing home or hospital that isn't going to happen.  My husband's work (medical) doesn't have everyone on shift on the same day, for one thing.  Plus they are covering three time shifts.  He's given a window of a couple weeks in which they are giving vaccinations and he gets them when he can within that window.  If he misses the window at work, he can get it through his own doctor's office or a pharmacy and show proof but it's a lot handier to just have one of the nurses give it to him when he goes on shift. 

[Ausmumof3]

I can’t remember if I added the Coronacast take on the vaccine yesterday.  Basically good news on the 90pc but ... science should be done by peer review not press release.  Because the distribution of Pfizer vaccine is difficult they possibly did the press release as a marketing strategy because being first is the one way they’ll  get a jump on the opposition because of the storage issues.  So I think this is where the negativity is coming from - they did something that’s not really the right way to drive sales (and it’s working they are getting contracts out of it).  He believes we will most likely have a choice of three or four vaccines by mid next year although we will be piecing together the ones we use based on availability and local suitability etc.

[Pen]

 

https://www.statnews.com/2020/11/09/covid-19-vaccine-from-pfizer-and-biontech-is-strongly-effective-early-data-from-large-trial-indicate/

 

 

38,000 plus people of various ethnicities and risk factors (not sure about older age  which seems to be biggest risk factor) have had second dose    

 

I am a bit concerned about the company denial of being part of Warp Speed 

don’t know if that’s political or trying to reassure public

 

Generally though, 

It is looking quite good ...  

 

Even if getting it to rural areas is a problem due to not being able to manage freezing temperature requirements, it may still make a huge difference 

 

Edited November 11, 2020 by Pen

[Ausmumof3]

1 minute ago, Pen said:

 

https://www.statnews.com/2020/11/09/covid-19-vaccine-from-pfizer-and-biontech-is-strongly-effective-early-data-from-large-trial-indicate/

 

 

So potentially a week and a half from filing for emergency use?  Typically from what I’ve read that can take a couple of months but I can see that process being sped up.  Even if the immunity is relatively short term if health care workers could get access to the vaccine to get US through this current spike of cases it would be a massive help to keeping a functioning healthcare system going.

incidentally Russia announced their Sputnik v vaccine has 92pc effectiveness yesterday.  It’s like the vaccine race is the new space race or something ...

[Pen]

2 minutes ago, Ausmumof3 said:

So potentially a week and a half from filing for emergency use?  Typically from what I’ve read that can take a couple of months but I can see that process being sped up.

Yes.

also the vaccines are being followedand awaited.

 

2 minutes ago, Ausmumof3 said:

 Even if the immunity is relatively short term if health care workers could get access to the vaccine to get US through this current spike of cases it would be a massive help to keeping a functioning healthcare system going.

 

Yes.

 

2 minutes ago, Ausmumof3 said:

incidentally Russia announced their Sputnik v vaccine has 92pc effectiveness yesterday.  It’s like the vaccine race is the new space race or something ...

 

😄 probably   more important than getting to moon

[Ausmumof3]

Interesting document from the UK assessing the impact of various public health measures on spread, hospitalisation and level of non Covid related impact on people’s lives.

 

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/925856/S0770_NPIs_table__pivot_.pdf

Edited November 12, 2020 by Ausmumof3

[Corraleno]

2 hours ago, Pen said:

I am a bit concerned about the company denial of being part of Warp Speed 

don’t know if that’s political or trying to reassure public

Operation Warp Speed had no involvement in the development, manufacturing, or distribution of Pfizer's vaccine. The only involvement of the US government was that they placed a pre-order in July, but Pfizer will not get any of that money until they actually deliver the vaccine. Operation Warp Speed provided R&D funding to Moderna and Astra-Zeneca, but the only vaccine R&D funding Pfizer received came from the German government, via their partner BioNTech.

From Fortune magazine: Germany funded the development of Pfizer's COVID vaccine, not US's Warp Speed 

[Pen]

“Pfizer is proud to be one of various vaccine manufacturers participating in Operation Warp Speed as a supplier of a potential COVID-19 vaccine," a Pfizer spokesperson said in a statement sent to Newsweek Monday afternoon.

 

 

[Ausmumof3]

I think it’s a wording thing.  Pfizer didn’t receive any funding from operation warpspeed but they do have an agreement with US gov under operation warp speed to sell a certain amount of vaccine to the US.  I think they are taking issue with others maybe taking undue credit for the result.  

[Ausmumof3]

9 minutes ago, Pen said:

“Pfizer is proud to be one of various vaccine manufacturers participating in Operation Warp Speed as a supplier of a potential COVID-19 vaccine," a Pfizer spokesperson said in a statement sent to Newsweek Monday afternoon.

 

 

https://www.newsweek.com/pfizer-avoided-rd-funding-trumps-operation-warp-speed-because-bureaucracy-politics-1546110
 

This full article probably adds some clarity.  I’m using Newsweek because I presume that’s a trusted source for you.

This might be better on the politics board if you want to discuss in any more depth.  

[Corraleno]

16 minutes ago, Pen said:

“Pfizer is proud to be one of various vaccine manufacturers participating in Operation Warp Speed as a supplier of a potential COVID-19 vaccine," a Pfizer spokesperson said in a statement sent to Newsweek Monday afternoon.

Yes, the US government has agreed to buy a certain number of Pfizer's vaccine doses once it's available. Pfizer has not received any funding from Operation Warp Speed, nor has the US government had any involvement whatsoever in the development of the vaccine.

Many countries have placed preorders, just like the US has — in fact Pfizer says that more than 80% of the initial doses have already been presold.

The fact that I can place a preorder for a Tesla doesn't mean I can take credit for it's development.  

Edited November 12, 2020 by Corraleno

[Pen]

17 minutes ago, Ausmumof3 said:

https://www.newsweek.com/pfizer-avoided-rd-funding-trumps-operation-warp-speed-because-bureaucracy-politics-1546110
 

This full article probably adds some clarity.  I’m using Newsweek because I presume that’s a trusted source for you.

This might be better on the politics board if you want to discuss in any more depth.  

 

 

No, no, no, thank you! 

 

I am very  very  very sorry to have mentioned OWS, or even the word speed with a small s.

 

 

 

[Corraleno]

32 minutes ago, Ausmumof3 said:

https://www.newsweek.com/pfizer-avoided-rd-funding-trumps-operation-warp-speed-because-bureaucracy-politics-1546110

That article includes the second half of the statement that was quoted above, clarifying that they did not receive any funding:

"Pfizer is proud to be one of various vaccine manufacturers participating in Operation Warp Speed as a supplier of a potential COVID-19 vaccine," a Pfizer spokesperson said in a statement sent to Newsweek Monday afternoon. "While Pfizer did reach an advanced purchase agreement with the U.S. government, the company did not accept BARDA [Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority] funding for the research and development process," the statement continued.

 

[JennyD]

Here is a short but very informative interview with the CEO of Pfizer.  He discusses why the company decided to go it alone rather than take OWS funds (flexibility and paperwork, mostly).  

 

[Ausmumof3]

Worldwide over 10,000 deaths in one day - highest to date. 😞 

[Ausmumof3]

https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M20-5661
 

60 day outcomes on hospitalised patients from Michigan 

“Findings: Of 1648 patients with COVID-19 admitted to 38 hospitals, 398 (24.2%) died during hospitalization and 1250 (75.8%) survived. Of 1250 patients discharged alive, 975 (78.0%) went home whereas 158 (12.6%) were discharged to a skilled nursing or rehabilitation facility (Table 1). By 60 days after discharge, an additional 84 patients (6.7% of hospital survivors and 10.4% of intensive care unit [ICU]-treated hospital survivors) had died, bringing the overall mortality rate for the cohort to 29.2%, and 63.5% for the 405 patients who received treatment in an ICU. Within 60 days of discharge, 189 patients (15.1% of hospital survivors) were rehospitalized.

Of patients alive 60 days after discharge, 488 (41.8%) were successfully contacted and completed the 60-day postdischarge telephone survey. Of these, 265 reported seeing a primary care physician within 2 weeks (Table 2). Most follow-up visits (304 of 382) occurred virtually by videoconference (161 of 382) or telephone (143 of 382), whereas 77 occurred in person and 1 was of unknown format.

Cardiopulmonary symptoms (such as cough and dyspnea) were reported by 159 patients, including 92 with new or worsening symptoms and 65 with persistent loss of taste or smell. Fifty-eight patients reported new or worsening difficulty completing activities of daily living. Among 195 patients who were employed before hospitalization, 117 had returned to work whereas 78 could not because of ongoing health issues or job loss. Of the 117 patients who returned to work, 30 reported reduced hours or modified duties due to health reasons.

Nearly half of all patients (238 of 488) reported being emotionally affected by their health, and 28 sought care for mental health after discharge. Moreover, 179 patients reported at least a mild financial impact from their hospitalization, with 47 reporting use of most or all of their savings and 35 rationing food, heat, housing, or medications due to cost.

 

[kbutton]

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/broad-study-marine-recruits-shows-limits-covid-19/story?id=74152498&fbclid=IwAR2JRoHgtljWReJbeybfddzdT1HkNVPkXKwUZLNMX1gtbYX619jlR_ENvPo

Study about US Marine recruits and spread.

[Corraleno]

How is it possible that, 10 months into the pandemic, we still don't have adequate PPE and governors are once again bidding against each other as we head into winter with exploding cases???  ☹️

"the Strategic National Stockpile, the U.S. emergency reserve, has only 115 million N95 masks, far short of the 300 million the administration had hoped to amass by winter, Rear Adm. John Polowczyk, who retired on Monday as the national supply chain commander, said in a recent interview, though he added that the government is continuing to expand its supplies of protective gear.

The pandemic caught the nation flat-footed in March, but epidemiologists have been warning for months of a fall and winter wave as people are driven indoors, schools resume in-person classes and Americans grow tired of months of precautions. Yet shortages of personal protective equipment are back, especially among rural hospitals, nursing homes and private medical practices that lack access to the supply networks that serve larger hospital chains.

Governors are once again competing with one another and big hospital chains for scarce gear. Nursing homes are grappling with staff shortages, which have left hospitals unable to discharge patients to their care.

In the absence of leadership, local officials feel as if they are struggling alone. New weekly cases among nursing home residents jumped fourfold from the end of May to late October, and deaths have more than doubled in 20 states, according to R. Tamara Konetzka and Rebecca J. Gorges, researchers at the University of Chicago who analyzed data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Even many large hospital chains, which say they have adequate supplies of medical gear, continue to operate in crisis mode. That often means requiring employees to repeatedly reuse respirator masks that are meant to be discarded after each use."

from NYT

[Ausmumof3]

https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/coronacast/everything-youve-wanted-to-know-about-sewage-testing/12878138
 

Coronacast this morning was an interesting interview with a CSIRO expert on wastewater surveillance.  It seems to be reasonably accurate.  He talks about surfactants, number of cases required for detection, other viruses that have been detected this way around the world.

[Ausmumof3]

Abc go: With 875,401 new cases, one in 378 Americans tested positive for COVID-19 this week, according to the COVID Tracking Project.

Twenty-seven states this week hit a record for the number of new cases reported.

 

[Laura Corin]

Scotland's figures may be stabilising but some areas are still under pressure

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-54535938

 

 

[TCB]

I've been thinking about an article I read at the beginning of March and posted on FB. It is amazing how clear thinking the journalist was so early on, about what the real problems would be!

https://medium.com/@amwren/forget-about-the-death-rate-this-is-why-you-should-be-worried-about-the-coronavirus-890fbf9c4de6