Australia loosing their minds at being offered the Oxford Vaccine..

[MoirasRoses]

I’ve just been pottering through Twitter & came across a trending thread re-Australia mostly buying the Oxford vaccine. They are losing their minds at being offered the less effective vaccine & accusing the government of wanting to ‘kill them’ & being corrupt & pals with Trump (no idea what he’s got to do with a vaccine from the UK).

Why this major over reaction? Compared to the much more positive & hopeful reaction here? I thought more recently data showed Oxford to be 90% if given 12 weeks apart? And even if only 60%, more than good enough? I was reading an article where a couple doctors were saying almost 100% of people did not need hospital treatment or became seriously ill after one dose. That’s incredible..

www.ft.com/content/8def3a81-9b80-46a1-9742-f64b80bfc74f

Ah! They too have their Monster Shouters

Lol!

And yet you get the Blue Passport racist fucker mob in the UK only wanting the Oxford vaccine and not that horrible, nasty, forrin Pfizer vaccine!

I thought more recently data showed Oxford to be 90% if given 12 weeks apart?

No. It doesn't show that. Some people have drawn that conclusion, but the science does not demonstrate that.

Australia is in a very different position to us and has no community transmission, so they want herd immunity. Oxford may not be effective enough to achieve that.

Whereas here where covid is everywhere and the country is shut down, it is a very useful vaccine. It’s just that a 90% effective Pfizer could keep them covid free so is preferable to them.

They are in a better position and have higher standards basically!

No. It doesn't show that. Some people have drawn that conclusion, but the science does not demonstrate that.

I read today that the 'research chief' at AstraZeneca showed an 8-12 week interval is "the sweet spot for efficacy". I couldn't find any actual figures though.

I can't see how Australia or NZ will keep covid out long term. Good luck with that one. Esp. NZ which has such a huge overseas tourists sector.

So far australia has done well with keeping covid away . I don't think that will last forever though. Unless they keep their borders shut forever, which is unlikely.
They have a huge tourism/ immigration system there. Must be costing them millions to have it shut down for so long. We have considered immigrating. The immigration person within the sector we spoke to basically said we could start the process anytime and pay up But they are not doing any processing until the covid crisis is over.

Perhaps Australia could formulate their own vaccine if the one another country has put money and effort to isn't good enough?

Is Pfizer better though? If I were given the choice I'd go for the Oxford vaccine because no one on the trial died or became seriously ill even though more people caught Covid after vaccination.

Compared with 90% efficacy rate for the Pfizer, this still leaves 10% at risk of serious illness should they catch Covid.

I'm not sure I'm understanding Australian logic on this one. At a first glance yes, Pfizer or Moderna look better, but on analysing the overall protection the Oxford gives, it's a clear winner.

@CarolEffingBaskin

Perhaps Australia could formulate their own vaccine if the one another country has put money and effort to isn't good enough?

Good idea, or at least perhaps get a license to manufacture whichever their scientists recommend.

I'm sure they'll have no problems distributing the Pfizer one with its stringent storage and handling requirements over their vast territories...

Probably would be a good thing for other developed nations with currently low covid rates to leave supplies of the cheap and easier to distribute AZ vaccine for developing nations which need it more.

I am not an expert by any means but if I was in charge in Australia, I'd be getting a move on and immunizing asap...with any of the vaccines.

@CarolEffingBaskin

Perhaps Australia could formulate their own vaccine if the one another country has put money and effort to isn't good enough?

To be fair they tried - uni of Queensland - but it failed about a month ago

Most of the issues come from a few activists and a Twitter mob. The whole of Australia is not up in arms about the Oxford vaccine!

Can I just check - and missing the Australia point - I've just booked my Dad's two appointments. How do we know which vaccine he is getting? (Apart from when we go for the jab and he gets this info). A friend was telling me about her Dad not getting the 'good' vaccine and I was a bit flummoxed by which one she meant.

@purplebagladylovesgin

Is Pfizer better though? If I were given the choice I'd go for the Oxford vaccine because no one on the trial died or became seriously ill even though more people caught Covid after vaccination.

Compared with 90% efficacy rate for the Pfizer, this still leaves 10% at risk of serious illness should they catch Covid.

I'm not sure I'm understanding Australian logic on this one. At a first glance yes, Pfizer or Moderna look better, but on analysing the overall protection the Oxford gives, it's a clear winner.

Also I would think for Australia’s purposes they would want to go for one which reduces transmission and not just symptoms.

We want to get our hospitalisations down so reducing symptoms is amazing for us. But for Aus which wants to stay zero covid, transmission is surely key and we don’t know which if any prevent or reduce that.

Pfizer seems very unlikely to be deliverable across Australia outside urban centres. Even with that being where most of the population is, it still looks like they'd be better getting on with it and using Oxford.

I’ve just been pottering through Twitter
...
Why this major over reaction?
I've snipped your post down to the key elements. If you try to look for facts and reasoned discussion on Twitter, you will be sorely disappointed.

Prob just a few and none that they know stop transmission yet and also it may be cost and availibility
.
Bet most country is quite happy as realistically when they open back up people visiting will have had all different vaccines

@fridget none claim to reduce transmission though , that is still unknown

My brother lives in Australia. He said most people he knows, including the huge multinational company he works for, don't want the vaccine- they want to wait and see if there are any major 'incidents' from people taking the vaccine. I asked him how long they were prepared to wait, he didn't have an answer.

DS is in Sydney - he has heard rumours of them starting the vaccinate in March. And anything is better than nothing!

DdraigGoch

[quote donewithitalltodayandxmas]@fridget none claim to reduce transmission though , that is still unknown [/quote]
I know, I said that in the last line of my post. It’s why I’m so surprised they’re talking about wanting to use Pfizer to get herd immunity.

I was just talking to my mother (in Sydney) about this this morning. She understands that the Oxford vaccine is already being manufactured in Australia; and that the Pfizer one won't be given except in hospitals so fully expects to get the Oxford one. She is both elderly and clinically vulnerable, but has a history of weird reactions to the extent that she has never had a flu jab. In an ideal world I'll get the same one as she gets offered, first, and not react to it as at least a first approximation to safety for her ... (I volunteered for the phase 1/2 trials and was turned down because of our family history of reactions and autoimmune disorders).

Hope your mother gets it soon Grass, obviously on the basis that it's safe for her. Good news that it's being manufactured in Aus too.

@CarolEffingBaskin

Perhaps Australia could formulate their own vaccine if the one another country has put money and effort to isn't good enough?

They did and it got scrapped as it wasn’t good.