Novavax trial thread number 3

[Frazzled2207]

Yet more chat about novavax, (un)blinding, general vaccine passport stress, approval (please please please) and more.
Those involved in other vaccine trials also welcome.

@Frazzled2207

they said themselves they would be sent out w/c 20th June so that's pretty shockingly late. Not that I think they'll be very useful anymore.

Yes, exactly. Although I’m mostly annoyed with Novavax for not getting their act together and filing sooner, the study organisation has also been a bit shambolic, unfortunately

Has anyone got a QR code yet?

The whole thing is very disappointing isn’t it. We went into this early, when things were so uncertain, just wanting to do our bit for the science and now here we are - disadvantaged, no idea about our health status, in a trial which seems to be going nowhere. At this rate we’ll have had the flipping booster before they get Novavax across the line.
I hope our efforts make a difference for people in developing nations, even if not our own.

I really hope so too. I was so excited and positive to take part and now just feel so deflated by it all. It sounds like the study centres are now unblinding left right and centre.
I think once Pfizer, Moderna, AZ etc were all authorised the urgency suddenly came out of the equation, in the UK and US at least.
I really really hope the stuff does manage to make its own impact eventually even if we've all long given up caring by that point.

ps if you fancy a giggle here are two brave ladies in our position talking about the situation on the much maligned GB news.
Michelle Dewberry really is shockingly awful and ignorant in this

Any kind of media exposure helps I guess!

Who hired Michelle Dewberry. She can barely string a sentence together.

I complained to the NIHR via messenger, they told me to email the Scottish equivalent. They did apologise. Then I emailed my local GP and he's sending my letter plus a letter of his own to the lead health person in the Scottish govt.

Local MSP , IF it had been a Gp I'd never have got a reply

I went Twitter digging after watching that clip (how on earth is MB in this job, she's awful?) and found that apparently we've been promised international travel evidence in the app by the end of July. I'm somewhere between 'get jabbed on Friday' and 'wait and see what the US announce'.

@Frazzled2207 yes! Cruise on 18-20. Still going ahead. Just need to navigate PCR tests for the kids. I am looking forward to it!

I can believe that the app will show something for travel by the end of a July. It’s whether or not other countries will accept it which is the golden question(unless you know something I don’t)

@torvean
As useless as our government and been about all this I do believe there is some effort to sort this. The silence from Scottish and welsh governments is pretty shocking

@andadietcoke

Has anyone got a QR code yet?

Yes, it's under Event Trials in my NHS app.

Waiting for Sajid’s announcement later today on isolating for double jabbed. From his hints depends heavily on being able to differentiate between those who have and haven’t been double jabbed. Our case for real recognition gathers steam!

I can’t get my Covid 19 travel pass on the app - get a message saying no record, even though it’s in my GP record. I’m going to be very cross if I have to have a PCR test and pay for it. I’m going to email the trial now and ask for their view on that.

@JosephineDeBeauharnais

I can’t get my Covid 19 travel pass on the app - get a message saying no record, even though it’s in my GP record. I’m going to be very cross if I have to have a PCR test and pay for it. I’m going to email the trial now and ask for their view on that.

My understanding is it'll be in the travel section by the end of July. When are you going? On the NIHR website it addresses PCR tests and says they won't reimburse them.

I don't have anything in my event trials section either - I think they're doing it by location.

I’m going next week. I have emailed the local trial about it. It’s a clear disadvantage. We’ve got no way of knowing whether the airlines will accept the trial letter or the JVT letter and I’m not prepared to take the risk of getting turned away at check in if they don’t. Those letters have no legal force.

@JosephineDeBeauharnais

I can’t get my Covid 19 travel pass on the app - get a message saying no record, even though it’s in my GP record. I’m going to be very cross if I have to have a PCR test and pay for it. I’m going to email the trial now and ask for their view on that.

indeed. I don't think they will. I wouldn't necessarily expect the NHS to pay the extortionate private test cost but they should pass the cost onto novavax IMO.

the letters we're all getting makes it quite clear that we will be ok for anything like exemption from quarantine/self isolation IMO.

I think we should be allowed to use the PCR tests we get in the trial instead of the commercial ones.
I have emailed a pal who is a pilot at the airline we’re flying with and asked him who to contact there to get an answer from them as to whether they’re recognising and accepting the letter.

@JosephineDeBeauharnais
I may be wrong but I don't think airlines are going to be policing what vaccines people have. It's going to be down to the immigration authorities at the other end.
AFAIK it's only Greece that has definitely said that they will let in novavax. Some might not want any but accept a PCR in which case we're on the same playing field at least. However IF there is an arrangement that the EU for starters will accept anyone that shows as vaccinated on the app that will be a huge step forward.

I received my letter 29th June and Event Trials QR code in app 1st July. There seems to be a huge difference in working of trial sites around the country. Should all have individual NHS number in records.

spoken to dr baxter hoping to be unblinded via a three way conversation (??) later today. He totally gets our predicament, apparently there was a conference call between the trial sites last night and there was quite a lot of general gumbling and although someone was supposed to come, the rep from Novavax declined to attend which is worrying isn't it.
He has no info on approval except 'hopefully q3' but agreed with me that unless other countries also approved it that doesn't necessarily help us at all. He sounds quite exasperated with it tbh!

@Frazzled2207
Doesn’t sound encouraging! They’ve done the easy bit on app, domestic event trials, which TBH is not essential, plenty of ways around that. My thinking now is they might as well unblind everyone. Not as if they have plans to take further bloods from me.

Agree with @Ragdoll4 that they may as well unblind us now, but that won’t help with the travel situation. I understand what @Frazzled2207 is saying that it’s up to the receiving countries, and I think HMG should be working hard to get other countries lined up behind their support for us. The JVT letter isn’t worth the paper it’s written on. There should be a blanket exception for everyone who is fully vax as part of any trial, worldwide. And in the short term at the very least we should be able to use our trial PCR tests for this purpose or be reimbursed or given a voucher to cover the cost.
I have zero confidence that the approval will come in September and zero confidence that the NHS app will pull through the info in July.

While Javid stood in Parliament saying that from 16th August close contact isolation will end for double vaccinated, I contacted my MP in the hope that he will keep raising our plight. We cannot rely on promises from a less than truthful front bench. I encourage others to do the same.
The only thing that has encouraged me until now, has been that Novavax will be approved for booster vaccinations from September.
Since promise at G7 to supply vaccines to other countries can’t be confident of that.

Anyone from Norwich got the event pass yet?

@gazzaconns Im Norwich and I dont have it yet. I asked to be unblinded last night, I have had enough.

Well, I’m not going to rely on the UK government and any goodwill towards us from other countries. They’ve spent the last few years acting like spoilt children, and the goodwill is all gone, especially in Europe, and especially where vaccines are concerned.

So, I have had my first Moderna jab this morning. @Frazzled2207 and @andadietcoke, it was great, really quick. Some observations:

1. Ignore the sign on the way in that says ‘by appointment only’, it’s nonsense!
2. There’s no one there, so you won’t have to queue.
3. They were not remotely interested in why I’d waited so long to get jabbed.
4. The clinical trial question is in the middle of a series of questions about whether you’ve had reactions to other jabs, have COVID symptoms etc. So it’s easy to just keep saying ‘No’ to all of them.
5. It’s much easier telling lies wearing a mask anyway!
6. They’re there until August 31st. Generally, it’s on every day, but they’re not open this weekend (don’t know why).

I’ll let you know if I get any nasty symptoms!

Frazzled2207 it’s a 3-way conversation because there’s a research nurse on the line as well and they keep saying your details over and over again to confirm you’re the right person (yes, I know I’m sodding 47, do you have to keep banging on about it ). It’s just difficult to know who’s being spoken to, so I found it confusing!