Oxford vaccine for South African variant

[HighSpecWhistle]

The Guardian (amongst others) says this morning that South Africa has stopped giving the Oxford vaccine to it's people due to a reduced efficiency for mild-moderate cases of the South African strain of Covid.

But all vaccines including this one have been shown to still protect against the most severe disease, hospitalisation and death.

So...why would they stop giving it? Isn't it the hospitalisations and deaths that we are trying to reduce?

Ok, long Covid isn't ideal, but surely we can accept - until a better solution is available if ever - that mild-mod Covid is around? Same as flu and other illnesses that make us feel rotten for a few weeks but we get over?Just not sure what the big deal is if we have solutions for the most severe form.

AIBU to think this is a major overreaction from South African gov to suspend the use of this vaccine?

What do the terms mild and moderate actually mean in terms of this study? Does 'moderate' require hospitalisation (either in the general population or in the vulnerable)?

There is a great craving for certainty, but this, like so many factors of the pandemic is new and emerging science (AZ is the first ever jab of this type used in humans, even though the descriptions from some wouid have readers believe it was established tech)

Of course there needs to be continual reassessment of vaccines, their effectiveness against new variants (including when a new one also escapes immunity from disease of earlier variant) and best way/timing to administer - eg heterologous regimes

It does make you wonder if they know something we don't.
Personally if I was the SA govt, I'd rather give health care workers sonething, even more f that something was not perfect, than wait another 4+ weeks for an alternative.

@unmentionedElephantDildo

I'm not sure but the Guardian distinguished mild/mod from severe/hospitalisation/death. So presumably it's shown to still reduce hospitalisations and forms severe enough to require it.

Media coverage of the Oxford vaccine comes across in a very negative way. If the BBC and others did their homework properly and read the scientific papers, they would realise the Oxford vaccine is very effective in combating covid

They can do their research, they can continue to do their own research.

@MrsHuntGeneNotJeremyObviously

It does make you wonder if they know something we don't. Personally if I was the SA govt, I'd rather give health care workers sonething, even more f that something was not perfect, than wait another 4+ weeks for an alternative.

Is that the wait?

Not getting why you’d stop and wait, I’ve probably missed the reason

Ie I heard the study but something is better than nothing?

Also when do we get J&J here

Judging by how ill the people were on the lungs threads on MN (really struggling to breathe and truly awful symptoms yet not deemed bad enough to go to hospital) I wouldn't be happy to risk getting 'moderate' disease. I'd want a more effective vaccine.

Anyway, it isn't our business. South Africa should decide what is best for their population.

The Guardian article on this is a useful read. Not sure why SA decided to suspend the vaccine as it isn't clear if the data is worse for the AZ vaccine as compared to any others...

www.theguardian.com/world/2021/feb/07/covid-variants-and-vaccine-resistance-all-you-need-to-know

@CaptainSirTomMooreismyhero

Judging by how ill the people were on the lungs threads on MN (really struggling to breathe and truly awful symptoms yet not deemed bad enough to go to hospital) I wouldn't be happy to risk getting 'moderate' disease. I'd want a more effective vaccine.

Anyway, it isn't our business. South Africa should decide what is best for their population.

I would argue it is our business if we potentially have transmission from South Africa to the rest of the world.

I agree it's none of our business if they close their borders to all imports, exports and all travel across borders but I assume that can't be a long term solution.

Are the alternative vaccines proven to work more effectively against the SA variant?

I think we need to close our borders completely for the time being and then ensure that no one who has been to SA in the last few months can travel to the UK. People are trying to circumvent the border control by flying via countries we are still accepting flights from.