MHRA approves Pfizer jab for use in UK

[AuntieStella]

News just breaking on BBC

Oh this is marvellous news to wake up to.

Apparently DH will get it very soon. He is an A&E Dr. Most of his fellow Drs even though they've nearly all had Covid will take any of the vaccines. They've had enough.

Scientists themselve are aware that the compressed timeline of delevopment is risky

Can you share your sources, please?

Here for sure. Easter time ish I reckon

[quote purplefig]@satnighttakeaway that’s interesting - but this isn’t just a new vaccine, it’s a brand new TYPE of vaccine which is what concerns me.[/quote]
I need to re-listen but my understanding is that is isnt a new type of vaccine and that's one of the reasons it has been found relatively quickly. All the previous work to combat SARS1 and MERS meant that development was already quite advanced for corona type viruses, what they done now is the fine tuning for SARS2. There's a woman who works on the Oxford one who explains it well.

@ThornAmongstRoses

"43,000 people were vaccinated in the Biontech trial, and there's been no serious side effects discovered yet"

And herein lies people’s reluctance I think - which is perfectly valid

It's true that a trial of 43,000 is no guarantee that there won't be serious side effects discovered once the vaccine is in general use, but even for younger people, the infection fatality rate for 25 year olds is estimated at 0.01% (here) - that's 1 in 10,000. I'd take a likely 1 in 43,000 or less chance of a serious side effect over a 1 in 10,000 chance of dying.

I do think some people are in denial that we ARE going to go back to normal and all the things that have helped reduce the spread of Covid over the past 9 months WILL be relaxed/removed.

I imagine that in hospitals they are going to continue to be very strict for a long time. They aren’t going to drop all our current restrictions just because there is a vaccine coming out.

Like I said, I work with infants aged 0-2 and I imagine the parents of that age group will also be being very, very careful for a long time to come in order to protect their child. Especially as the parents are most likely not to be high on the list of who is entitled to a vaccine.

And to those saying that it’s crazy to suggest there could be side effects, have you read much on the 1976 swine flu response?

Good overview here: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1976_swine_flu_outbreak

This is absolutely brilliant news. And the vaccine being so highly effective also means we’ll not need as many people to get vaccinated to protect the rest of the population, too. So the people who don’t want it, fine, enjoy your covid, the rest of us will be celebrating about the first steps to getting back to normal.

Purplefig would you prefer to stay in lockdown with crashing economy?

I really don’t get how people don’t get what a dire situation we are in. Only to worsen if no vaccine.

Oh that’s interesting - the bbc were saying this type of vaccine has never been used outside of trials.

@ThornAmongstRoses

What a shame. Who will look after your non-Covid patients when you and your colleagues are off sick with Covid?

We have a ward of about 50 staff - of those 50 we’ve had one member of staff be off sick with Covid in the last 9 months.

You’ve been lucky up until now, then - some hospitals and departments have had up to 20% of staff off either sick or self-isolating at any one time.

So if only one of your team has had it, the other 49 could be susceptible.

Why are the UK the only place to have approved it?

Despite not getting why people go to the negative continuously I don’t doubt demand is there. It’s personal risk anyway so it doesn’t protect others. People can crack on with risk of Covid or stay home.

[quote purplefig]And to those saying that it’s crazy to suggest there could be side effects, have you read much on the 1976 swine flu response?

Good overview here: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1976_swine_flu_outbreak[/quote]
Comparing this to a vaccine produced 45 years ago is like saying an Austin Allegro is the same as an Audi R8. Science and the regulation of it has moved on a tad since the Seventies.

Happy that by default for me it’s a case of ‘after you’.

The decision is easier if you are 80+ I guess.

Why have Switzerland said there’s not enough data to approve it?

“ Switzerland’s medical regulator Swissmedic says it lacks the necessary information to sign off on three different coronavirus vaccines ordered by the government.

The regulator said important data on safety, efficacy and quality are still missing. It has reached out to the manufacturers, who provided data from their studies.”

www.swissinfo.ch/eng/society/incomplete-data-stalls-swiss-authorisation-of-covid-19-vaccines/46196598

I don’t think it’s crazy to think there could be side effects. Life is not without risk.

Yet, what’s the alternative? Carrying on like this? No fucking thank you. A vaccine is the only way out of this. It’s been through rigorous safety trials and I’d be a hypocrite if I wanted everyone else to get the vaccine so I could go back to normal. So sign me up.

[quote purplefig]Why have Switzerland said there’s not enough data to approve it?

“ Switzerland’s medical regulator Swissmedic says it lacks the necessary information to sign off on three different coronavirus vaccines ordered by the government.

The regulator said important data on safety, efficacy and quality are still missing. It has reached out to the manufacturers, who provided data from their studies.”

www.swissinfo.ch/eng/society/incomplete-data-stalls-swiss-authorisation-of-covid-19-vaccines/46196598[/quote]
All regulators reach out for more information. MRHA does the same.

@satnighttakeaway The Pfizer vaccine is a new type of vaccine. They have been developing the technology for a while but this is the first one to be trialled in such large numbers so we can’t know the long term consequences. As I said before long term consequences are rare in any vaccine but still a possibility. The Oxford vaccine is based on spike protein- it is closer to vaccines we already use in a way (still different but closer in a way). The work on both of these types had been started before the pandemic but this is the first time large scale trials have been done with this technology.

@MrsMichaelPalin

Desperation

Comments like this will be what makes people not have the vaccine. 🙄

@MarshaBradyo but we’ve approved it and they haven’t.

[quote purplefig] NHS staff will take it I’m sure

@MarshaBradyo I think that’s doubtful. Anecdotally I know many nhs workers who won’t be taking it.

Also this: “ A poll of readers of Medscape UK found that of 308 UK doctors, 4 in 10 would not get a COVID-19 vaccine” www.medscape.com/viewarticle/941492[/quote]
I know a fair few doctors and other health staff. Many live on our estate, have friends who are doctors and we have a lot of medics where I teach. Ages range from 18 to retirement age. Almost every one will be getting the vaccine and are advocating it to everyone who is able to have it. I do t actually know of any who has said they won't get it, though guess they could just be keeping quiet. Mind we also have a number of research medics locally who have been involved in vaccination funding and research so are pretty knowledgeable about it all.