Medical Discussion of Coronavirus

[billy]

I have not heard a peep about vaccines in my area. Maybe they are being distributed left to right?

Northwell already started vaccinating in NYC, and a few hospitals in NY and NJ will start this week. It's not a left to right thing, I think more of a state deciding to distribute in harder hit areas thing. Your area luckily wasnt as swamped as others in NY

[pulmdoc]

We start vaccinating tomorrow. I have my appointment for tomorrow AM.

Moderna vaccine passed FDA review. I expect EUA Thursday. More good news.

[Lordosis]

Northwell already started vaccinating in NYC, and a few hospitals in NY and NJ will start this week. It's not a left to right thing, I think more of a state deciding to distribute in harder hit areas thing. Your area luckily wasnt as swamped as others in NY

It was in jest.

I figured nyc would be one of the first. Us upstate county folk can wait.

Actually now that I think about it left to right still makes sense.

[TheQuietOne]

Moderna’s vaccine review can be viewed here:

https://www.fda.gov/media/144434/download#page11

[Peds]

any data on influenza vaccine uptake at this time?

dont see covid vaccine rate surpassing that.

[CordMcNally]

Looks like Moderna studied transmission a little bit and found it to reduce transmission. I would think that since the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are similar that you would think this would also be true for the Pfizer vaccine. Hopefully someone smarter or more in the know can comment on that. I think our hospital system is strictly getting the Pfizer vaccine and this was one of my questions with it.

[Tim]

We start vaccinating tomorrow. I have my appointment for tomorrow AM.

Moderna vaccine passed FDA review. I expect EUA Thursday. More good news.

Has not passed Advisory Committee yet. Another Advisory meeting is scheduled Thursday.

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/fda-committee-to-meet-again-thursday-for-modernas-covid-19-vaccine-2020-12-14

[artemis]

Looks like Moderna studied transmission a little bit and found it to reduce transmission. I would think that since the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are similar that you would think this would also be true for the Pfizer vaccine.

That makes sense, since people who have asymptomatic COVID infections (as opposed to people who WILL develop symptoms but are in the pre-symptomatic stage) don't seem to transmit the virus. I suspect the difference is that the people who stay asymptomatic never develop a high virus count in their nasopharynx, while the presymptomatic people have a count that is steadily climbing until the symptoms set in. I'd expect the majority of immunized people to resemble the people who have asymptomatic COVID infections, as the whole point of the vaccine is to train their immune system to crush the virus ASAP.

[pulmdoc]

Has not passed Advisory Committee yet. Another Advisory meeting is scheduled Thursday.
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/fd...ine-2020-12-14

True...passed the vaccine committee today. Chance of rejection on Thursday extremely small.

[Tim]

Fauci predicts 'herd immunity' for U.S. by late spring or early summer

Tim FitzsimonsMon, December 14, 2020, 1:49 PM CST
Dr. Anthony Fauci predicted Monday that the United States could achieve herd immunity against Covid-19 by "the end of the second quarter 2021" after vaccines are more widely deployed.
Speaking to MSNBC's Hallie Jackson, Fauci — director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases — said that, depending on the "efficiency of the rollout," the Covid-19 vaccines should be widely available to most Americans by spring.
Depending on whether enough people can be persuaded to get inoculated, he said, it could be "sometime by the end of March, the beginning of April, that the normal healthy man and woman in the street who has no underlying conditions would likely get it."
Fauci said he hopes that by late spring or early summer, the U.S. will attain "that umbrella of herd immunity."

Is this a change ? Does that mean May or June for the "all clear"? I guess the TV camera's deserve sound bites.

[gap55u]

Our health system started Pfizer vaccine today. The talk is that sites w ultra-cold freezers in my state will stick with Pfizer and other sites will get moderna, until we have a 3rd vaccine. Self-book in waves depending on role.

[FishinNBrewin]

I had this strange thought today that some quick google searching hasn't seemed to help me with: Would clearing a covid (or any) infection with the help of convalescent plasma decrease the avidity/capability of antibodies that your own B cells produce in response to infection? Similarly - would an engineered/targeted immune response towards the spike protein via the mRNA vaccines offer better protection than someone who had cleared the infection on their own?

[ginmqi]

Fauci predicts 'herd immunity' for U.S. by late spring or early summer

Tim FitzsimonsMon, December 14, 2020, 1:49 PM CST
Dr. Anthony Fauci predicted Monday that the United States could achieve herd immunity against Covid-19 by "the end of the second quarter 2021" after vaccines are more widely deployed.
Speaking to MSNBC's Hallie Jackson, Fauci — director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases — said that, depending on the "efficiency of the rollout," the Covid-19 vaccines should be widely available to most Americans by spring.
Depending on whether enough people can be persuaded to get inoculated, he said, it could be "sometime by the end of March, the beginning of April, that the normal healthy man and woman in the street who has no underlying conditions would likely get it."
Fauci said he hopes that by late spring or early summer, the U.S. will attain "that umbrella of herd immunity."

Is this a change ? Does that mean May or June for the "all clear"? I guess the TV camera's deserve sound bites.

Emphasizing the keywords from that article:

Depending on whether enough people can be persuaded to get inoculated, he said, it could be "sometime by the end of March, the beginning of April, that the normal healthy man and woman in the street who has no underlying conditions would likely get it."

Fauci said he hopes that by late spring or early summer, the U.S. will attain "that umbrella of herd immunity."

It's just the mainstream media doing sensational reporting to get a sound bite/headline for the views/clicks.

Fauci is careful with his words. And there is NO WAY that we can guarantee herd immunity by early summer. Even if so, there will likely continued masking recommendations (mandates may be dropped...who knows...) since we're not able to target 100% herd immunity.

I think early summer is the very best case scenario...with how many people are being stupid AND voicing their opinion on refusal of taking the vaccine...it will be optimistic of we get close to herd immunity near the end of 2021 IMO.

[Kamban]

Are the mRNA used by Pfizer and Moderna for the spike protein the same or different. Will they be producing different versions of the spike protein or the same. Is there any benefit to getting one vaccine on one day and another vaccine 3 weeks later as opposed to the same vaccine ( if that is even allowed).

I think the few cases of Bells Palsy is most likely due to the increased immunity triggered by the mRNA, since Bells Palsy is though to be autoimmune related, sometimes triggered by Herpes zoster infection. I would like to see the true incidence of this when millions of doses have been administered, rather than 40K doses in trials.

[G]

I think the few cases of Bells Palsy is most likely due to the increased immunity triggered by the mRNA, since Bells Palsy is though to be autoimmune related, sometimes triggered by Herpes zoster infection. I would like to see the true incidence of this when millions of doses have been administered, rather than 40K doses in trials.

yeah...my luck, I get a bilateral Bell.

at least continued use of masks will make the cosmetics less noticeable....