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Had you given any thought to what would happen when coronavirus vaccines are announced? Because there are a lot of potential questions.
There are somewhere in the vicinity of 100 teams across the world racing to come up with vaccines. All the researchers would like the glory of being "the one" and all the money people are hoping for a big score. We have one, which not surprisingly is from a major company with a lot of power to ram it through. But now what?
But what happens when we have more available? The first, from Pfizer, already had two major inconveniences, the double dose, and the refrigeration. Because you just know that if there is a problem with a shipment refrigeration, it'll probably be kept secret. And a third one should be available soon.
What if the whole country rushes to be vaccinated, and then in the coming months even better ones emerge? What if the best one is very expensive, and American insurers only want to cover a less effective cheaper version? What if the best one is from another country, and American insurers are ordered to only reimburse for the American one which is considered to be third best? What if the best one is made in a country you don't trust? What if one is the safest, but another one offers the best protection? What if better ones come out, but the big pharmaceutical companies muscle out the little ones? What if you decide that you want a particular one, but your providers only offer something else? What happens when a quarter of the population is vaccinated, and people start fighting about whether of not we should still be wearing masks?
Then, beyond the immediate issues, what about the future? After all, the flu is perpetually changing, and new vaccines have to be developed again and again. Will we be going through this every year or two? Will the population be more alert and more efficient, or will people be lazier and think, well, I didn't get it last time, so I'm not going to bother with precautions now?
Had you given any thought to what would happen when coronavirus vaccines are announced? Because there are a lot of potential questions.
There are somewhere in the vicinity of 100 teams across the world racing to come up with vaccines. All the researchers would like the glory of being "the one" and all the money people are hoping for a big score. We have one, which not surprisingly is from a major company with a lot of power to ram it through. But now what?
But what happens when we have more available? The first, from Pfizer, already had two major inconveniences, the double dose, and the refrigeration. Because you just know that if there is a problem with a shipment refrigeration, it'll probably be kept secret. And a third one should be available soon.
What if the whole country rushes to be vaccinated, and then in the coming months even better ones emerge? What if the best one is very expensive, and American insurers only want to cover a less effective cheaper version? What if the best one is from another country, and American insurers are ordered to only reimburse for the American one which is considered to be third best? What if the best one is made in a country you don't trust? What if one is the safest, but another one offers the best protection? What if better ones come out, but the big pharmaceutical companies muscle out the little ones? What if you decide that you want a particular one, but your providers only offer something else?
That would be a really good problem to have.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cida
What happens when a quarter of the population is vaccinated, and people start fighting about whether of not we should still be wearing masks?
Not much different from today except more people will refuse masks. But this already happens a lot in more rural areas with a high percentage of people following the lead of a certain high-profile government official who has popularized mask refusal and will remain in his position until January 20th.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cida
Then, beyond the immediate issues, what about the future? After all, the flu is perpetually changing, and new vaccines have to be developed again and again. Will we be going through this every year or two? Will the population be more alert and more efficient, or will people be lazier and think, well, I didn't get it last time, so I'm not going to bother with precautions now?
A lot of things to consider.
Optimistically, COVID-19 will eventually be sort of like tuberculosis is now, where healthcare and social workers may require vaccination and others require tests or vaccination if they are in jobs that involve contact with members of the public. Realistically, some people will refuse the shot or will neglect boosters, so you will have some mixture of natural and vaccine-derived herd immunity. If 90% of the immunity comes from the vaccine and 10% from natural infection, then the death rate from COVID-19 would drop down to the same as the seasonal flu (in terms of deaths per 100,000 immune persons).
As long the vaccine will give some protection and minimal side effects, I don't see any problem with a double dose.
Some vaccines need to be repeated every year (Influenza), some every x years (tetanus, diphtheria...), so Covid won't be much different:
RNA vaccines were authorized for human use this year. I'll wait a few years to see the results of rapid implementation of a new medical technology with huge financial, social, and political incentives.
From the onset of the pandemic, most of the hand wringing over what "we" would do was proven to be a futile act of worry that in some cases did more harm than good. The hoarding, the "I don't wear a mask" sentiment, the notion that the virus was a political ploy and therefore, a grand hoax on the unsuspecting public, etc. Those who initially followed the advice of the country's leading epidemiologists hunkered down, masked up, and isolated themselves at every opportunity, seemed to adapt quite well.
Now we are looking at the huge complexities surrounding a vaccination effort of unprecedented proportions. And here again we see the fear, the doubt, the anxiety, and mostly the "me first" crowd who still have the nations largest collections of toilet paper in their basements. On a personal note, I've received a notice from my health care provider that I will be contacted when I'm appropriately categorized and then a date and time will be provided. I'll be in that group of people who will most likely be vaccinated in the spring of 2021.
In the meantime, I try not to read too much about all the "possibilities" involved, all speculative at this time and therefore, just something more to be unduly worried about. Leave the people who are undertaking the vaccination effort to their work, and leave politics out of it, know that health care officials in every state are working overtime in order to deliver the vaccine as best they can. In the meantime, focus on what we can control--our own behavior....
Our ancestors lived with routine of epidemics and pandemics which went on for decades. Folks may remember a little scene in Downton Abby where when the 1918 flu hit, the Dowager mentioned an episode in France "Wasn’t there a masked ball in Paris? When cholera broke out? Half the guests were dead before they left the ballroom.” Her son replied "Thank you, Mama. That’s cheered us up no end.” That actually happened as recorded in the journal of Henrich Heine. She was referring to the cholera pandemic of 1832. It spread to Canada and US fast due to steamships and then to the frontier. It lasted in waves in the US until 1866. It also ushered in an entire series of health reforms we take for granted: public water supplies, inspections of ship cargo for disease and so forth. (There is still a street in Norfolk, VA called Quarantine Road. When a wave of yellow fever which was always around hit Norfolk in 1855, people who did not obey the quarantine were put in quarantine houses on that road. Over 2,000 people died that year of yellow fever, out of a population of 14,000.)
There will be a new normal, what it is we don't know. But in an era of travel in 14 hours non-stop flying, we will be exposed before we even know we are in a burgeoning pandemic.
Given the chaos of the rollout of the first polio vaccine (Cutter incident) which gave thousands polio, I think the protocols are in place for most folks. But I do wonder...what are the long term effects for someone like me who has a neurological disease? On the other hand, I did not take care of myself this long to be taken down by this little bug. Its a balancing act.
I remember the polio vaccine rollout. As I recall, it was in sugar cubes, two doses. It was at the local high school, the only place looking back that could handle it: in one door and out the rear. Masses of people, and I guess my parents were filling out papers and such. But my father who was one to complain about government mess ups did not complain about the process, so I have to assume it was smooth.
RNA vaccines were authorized for human use this year. I'll wait a few years to see the results of rapid implementation of a new medical technology with huge financial, social, and political incentives.
Additionally, this is the first vaccine to use mRNA, and "For Emergency Use Only". They have been working with mRNA for some time, and they are excited to be able to put this into the general public.
This is a pretty good website, or so I think, and they are tracking the enthusiasm for the COVID 19 vaccines as far as using 4 categories from wanting it ASAP to not wanting it at all. The website has a lot of other info on cases/deaths etc. also.
As long as the vaccines contain mRNA, those that understand the difference between that and "normal" vaccines will be hesitating whether one is supposed to actually be better or not than others.
For both of the mRNA vaccines, it states that trials are still underway, and that there could be serious effects.
"For Emergency Use" isn't a category that makes me feel comfortable.
Big money involved, so the rush is on. Our family has chosen a hard pass, so that is 3 for others! We never get the flu shots either, thus our immune systems have had a workout over the decades.
These are FDA PDFs. I suspect all mRNA vaccines will be touted as so similar it won't matter which one someone gets. I do wonder if they will try to make a "standard" vaccine, something not so experimental in nature, which might help some feel more comfortable.
Had you given any thought to what would happen when coronavirus vaccines are announced? Because there are a lot of potential questions.
There are somewhere in the vicinity of 100 teams across the world racing to come up with vaccines. All the researchers would like the glory of being "the one" and all the money people are hoping for a big score. We have one, which not surprisingly is from a major company with a lot of power to ram it through. But now what?
But what happens when we have more available? The first, from Pfizer, already had two major inconveniences, the double dose, and the refrigeration. Because you just know that if there is a problem with a shipment refrigeration, it'll probably be kept secret. And a third one should be available soon.
What if the whole country rushes to be vaccinated, and then in the coming months even better ones emerge? What if the best one is very expensive, and American insurers only want to cover a less effective cheaper version? What if the best one is from another country, and American insurers are ordered to only reimburse for the American one which is considered to be third best? What if the best one is made in a country you don't trust? What if one is the safest, but another one offers the best protection? What if better ones come out, but the big pharmaceutical companies muscle out the little ones? What if you decide that you want a particular one, but your providers only offer something else? What happens when a quarter of the population is vaccinated, and people start fighting about whether of not we should still be wearing masks?
Then, beyond the immediate issues, what about the future? After all, the flu is perpetually changing, and new vaccines have to be developed again and again. Will we be going through this every year or two? Will the population be more alert and more efficient, or will people be lazier and think, well, I didn't get it last time, so I'm not going to bother with precautions now?
A lot of things to consider.
Yes, a lot of things to consider.
There's a 1-shot vaccine close to being released, that doesn't require extreme temperatures for storage. They're monitoring their test subjects for a minimum of a year, to see how long immunity lasts. Undoubtedly, there will be other options coming into the market, too. I haven't heard anything about Kaiser's vaccine, even though they were the first to throw their hat in the ring last year.
The whole country isn't going to rush to be vaccinated, I can tell you that right now. Some people are choosing to be cautious, and taking a wait-and-see approach. Those would be the people, who might benefit from better choices available down the pike.
And yes, the virus is constantly evolving. There are already two strains in the US (and the original one in the UK is also a different strain), and there are people who get the mutated one, shortly after recovering from the original. This has been happening to young people with no risk factors, as well as older people, according to reports.
What's starting to concern me, in view of the constantly-mutating disease, is the economics of the Pharma industry having to chase after these mutations. Who's going to pay for all the new vaccines? The insurance companies, especially government-run ones, like Medicare/Medicaid and the Vet Admin, will surely balk. Is this going to boil down to either a massive burden on the federal budget, OR a situation where only those who can afford to pay out of pocket get to be vaccinated?
How is Canada handling this, btw? Anyone know?
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