Lots of good news at the moment!

[FrugiFan]

www.bbc.com/news/health-53467022
A trial of a drug which could reduce ICU admission by 79%, and is already in use for other things so doesnt need human trials for side effects etc.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53469839
Promising news about one of the many vaccines in production.

Hospital admissions have not increased, more than 2 weeks after pubs and restaurants reopened.

Lots of reasons to think positive at the moment

www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/09/k-overlooked-variable-driving-pandemic/616548/

Not 'good news' in and of itself, but super interesting commentary.

It would suggest that a different approach to tracing and careful management of the type of situations we know can lead to super spreading could make a big difference to containment strategies.

Fergus Walsh has posted this today on Twitter
European Medicines Agency begins ‘rolling review’ of Oxford University/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine - which means it will evaluate the early data, so that when the full trial results come in, it should speed up the process.

Makes me think this is indeed big news today

report that one of the vaccine candidates gave a good response in older people www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMoa2028436

@TheKeatingFive

www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/09/k-overlooked-variable-driving-pandemic/616548/

Not 'good news' in and of itself, but super interesting commentary.

It would suggest that a different approach to tracing and careful management of the type of situations we know can lead to super spreading could make a big difference to containment strategies.

I think it is good news because it's more knowledge

I read that article too, @TheKeatingFive, super fascinating, isn’t it? Makes you want to move to Japan. It’s worth following Zeynep Tufekci, along with Adam Kucharski, who she cites several times in article. I’m now going to try and read this preprint by his group on backward tracing.

Meant to post on here last night. Had half an eye on the ITV news at 10 and in the middle they were discussing the fact that scientists were very positive about that there will be a vaccine and the word on the street is there will be an announcement about it in the next 6-8weeks! I can't find anything on it on the web so starting to think I dreamt it. But I know it was said

@Layladylay234 someone just said the exact same thing on a twitter thread I was just reading (unless it was you posting on there as well!) sounds like good news.

Glad to see this thread on active again 😊

@Layladylay234 - this could be what you were referring to.

www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-birmingham-54375643

Very much speculation. I am taking this with a huge pinch of salt, but interesting nonetheless. And possibly a step in the right direction.

God I hope so.

More from front page of times; screenshot from app as paywall:-

Basically it's speculating roll out could be completed in 6 months

[quote blametheparents]@Layladylay234 - this could be what you were referring to.

www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-birmingham-54375643

Very much speculation. I am taking this with a huge pinch of salt, but interesting nonetheless. And possibly a step in the right direction.[/quote]
Possibly.. They weren't as specific as that as to name a month or discuss a leaked document and they stuck it right in the middle of the news which I found odd. But they were defo talking about the scientists feeling confident and an announcement being imminent.

So fingers crossed

Thanks for those links! I know it’s speculation (it’s been endless speculation in various aspects since bloody January!) but it’s in the right direction even if it’s not as close as we’d like

Trump's treatment will give a very good indication of how the current cocktail of drugs and early interventions have in combating the disease in an at-risk individual.

I would have thought that given the US pre-eminence in medical science and vast experience to date this will be the gold standard of therapeutics. I personally believe these therapeutics have come on a long way since Boris was ill and as Dr Fauci says they will be the bridge to the vaccine and the Trump will be out and about in a matter of days.

It will also hopefully act as a wake-up call to further double down on universal mask-wearing and social distancing for those too slow or stupid to get the message.

So thanks Mr President for taking one for the team!

Sorry if it's been shared already but can't hurt to repeat it as don't know about anyone else but I'm deffo feeling the need for positive news now more than ever!

www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/everyone-could-vaccinated-against-covid-4572167?fbclid=IwAR06JdSUKvaJn2fOh8r-kVrf6NPrF7oxo6EHIhw42JBpXY9XmFENERbWX_k

@vera99

Trump's treatment will give a very good indication of how the current cocktail of drugs and early interventions have in combating the disease in an at-risk individual.

I would have thought that given the US pre-eminence in medical science and vast experience to date this will be the gold standard of therapeutics. I personally believe these therapeutics have come on a long way since Boris was ill and as Dr Fauci says they will be the bridge to the vaccine and the Trump will be out and about in a matter of days.

It will also hopefully act as a wake-up call to further double down on universal mask-wearing and social distancing for those too slow or stupid to get the message.

So thanks Mr President for taking one for the team!

It's very annoying that with the size and wealth of the US, their scientific capabilities that, because of their non joined up health care, they, apparently, don't do such good trials. They scorn "socialised healthcare" but it's the NHS that is able to set up the excellent recovery trials to provide data. From what I've read, the US just give people that can afford it the drugs but results aren't properly correlated throughout the country. All those cases not put to good use!

Sorry to rant on this cheery thread!

@tobee the UK is one of the world leaders for clinical trials exactly because of a unified health system. We can be proud of that.

I keep reading about preparations for administration of the vaccine. It feels like it could be very soon.

Re the news vaccine news from Birmingham.
A friend in Leeds has had similar information for that area in an email from their local councillor. 500,000 in the priority group vaccinated initially and a booster jab will be given at the GP surgery four weeks later.

@Chickenandrice

I keep reading about preparations for administration of the vaccine. It feels like it could be very soon.

Isn’t there an early review of the data by some European board at the moment? It does feel like early indications are favourable but it could still go either way.

@MadisonAvenue is this the Covid vaccine ?

[quote vera99]@MadisonAvenue is this the Covid vaccine ?[/quote]
Yes

Encouraging report about cases from Tim Spector of the ZOE app. It was shared on the data thread: