Good News Thread Part 3

[FuzzyPuffling]

New thread as I got worried the old one was going to run out of space!

Lol @Fleshlumpeater

Not wanting to not be grateful (double negative ) about the vaccine news so far but this is a reminder that there are, what, over 170 vaccines currently under development. Even if only, say, 10 have good efficacy, that would be fabulous. And Pfizer, Moderna, and Oxford are still carrying on with the stage 3 trials etc etc to improve knowledge and administration.

And treatments and testing.

And knowledge for use in other disease and future viruses

[quote tobee]@TheChineseChicken when we read stuff that seems like a set back or a downer I find it helps to take a breath and think there's thousands of advances in medicine and technology that have these moments and we don't notice coz a) we're not usually so desperate b) the world's spotlight isn't shining on it! [/quote]
Thank you. Sometimes it only takes a small thing to set off the panic. Actually any time I look at the news I feel miserable so I’m much better off avoiding it!

Thanks Fuzzy- this is our third thread of good news, which shows it's not all been doom and gloom!

We (ie one of the vaccine hubs) have been told that Oxford sign off is currently expected 22 Dec.

@rubbishatballet

We (ie one of the vaccine hubs) have been told that Oxford sign off is currently expected 22 Dec.

Thanks for this. I hope hope hope it's true x

Just watched the Panorama programme- very encouraging. I had a dream the night before last that it had been approved snd was gutted when I realised it was just a dream! Hopefully soon

@rubbishatballet

We (ie one of the vaccine hubs) have been told that Oxford sign off is currently expected 22 Dec.

Omg :-)

I wonder what dose regime they will authorise? The Panorama programme indicates they are considering the low dose/high dose regime. Although it was only tested in under 55s, the other arms of the trial showed no statistical difference between efficacy in different age groups, so hopefully the low dose/high dose would be equally effective in older people too.

For what it's worth, we had previously been told to expect approval last week - I wonder if the delay could be because they are now reviewing the half dose/full dose? (NB this is purely speculation on my part, I know nothing of the approval process!)

@rubbishatballet I know nothing either but that’s what I’m thinking too...

Oh that sounds like positive movement. I did wonder whether the Panorama programme was a kind of "softener" to quell some peoples' fears (obviously not us lot!) before approval.

Would they have broadcast that programme if there was substantial doubt as to it coming ion stream? I don't know...I'm just musing.

Sarah Gilbert was also on Andrew Marr on Sunday so maybe this is a bit of a PR campaign to get us ready?

Maybe not of immediate importance to British posters, but the EU - under pressure from Angela Merkel - has pushed forward the date of approval of the Pfizer vaccine to next Wednesday.

I did think that Panorama doc was great too - positive and supportive of Oxford but absolutely addressing the issues as well.

One thing they seemed to mention - think it was the AZ boss who said this - was that he assumed the MHRA would wait to see the US trial results before they license the vaccine. He seemed to think that would happen very soon though because they’ve had such high cases over there.

Hopefully I’ve understood that correctly!

I thought he was talking about waiting for US results to licence the vaccine in the US?

@IcedPurple

Maybe not of immediate importance to British posters, but the EU - under pressure from Angela Merkel - has pushed forward the date of approval of the Pfizer vaccine to next Wednesday.

That sounds good news. After all we want all Europeans to get vaccinated as well as us Brits here. I couldn’t believe they EU countries were happy to wait till 29th Dec to review the Pfizer vaccine and no one really seemed that bothered (at least from what I could see) Imagine the vaccine regulator just happily wasting a month like that here because they can’t change the date of the meeting. Surely anyone involved would drop everything to be there?! A month is thousands of deaths. Good that Merkel is trying to hurry it along

Yeah I too was amazed at how casual the EU regulatators seem to have been about getting the vaccine approved - weeks after the UK, US, Canada and other countries too.

Given the clout Germany has in the EU, Merkel was right to get things sped up, especially as the vaccine was created in Germany and cases are rising there.

Isn't that the case here too though? Pfizer was approved at the last monthly meeting, Oxford will be approved at the next one. I think I read about the monthly meetings somewhere.

@DontWalkPastTheCastle

Isn't that the case here too though? Pfizer was approved at the last monthly meeting, Oxford will be approved at the next one. I think I read about the monthly meetings somewhere.

Pfizer still hasn 't been approved in the EU. They were going to wait until after Christmas, but Merkel persuaded them to move it orward to next Wednesday.

The EU were hinting that the UK had rushed its approval of Pfizer, but now, with the US, Canada and other countries giving the seal of approval too, that excuse is wearing thin.

@IcedPurple

Yeah I too was amazed at how casual the EU regulatators seem to have been about getting the vaccine approved - weeks after the UK, US, Canada and other countries too.

Given the clout Germany has in the EU, Merkel was right to get things sped up, especially as the vaccine was created in Germany and cases are rising there.

Yes seems astonishing it has taken so long!? It is a German vaccine too. I’m surprised the Germans aren’t crosser. Imagine another country getting a British vaccine a month before we got it. Matt Hancock would chased out of town

Yes I agree it is because of their criticism and implication the U.K. had rushed it. They backed themselves into a corner. But that is a nonsense excuse. It was then and it looks even more foolish now with so many other nations approving it.

I was talking about the UK @IcedPurple

Ah was he? That’d probably make more sense actually, sorry!

(That was to @FuzzyPuffling!)