Good News 14: Keeping our spirits up, just a bit longer.

[hugoagogo]

I stayed off the board for quite a few months, definitely helped by avoiding all of the doom threads. Glad to see that you wonderful lot kept up the good news.

Am very happy today to see that boosters will be available to those 40+. I’ll be happily booking myself in once enough time has passed since my second jab.

Bump, this thread is urgently needed at the moment! I will look for some reassuring Twitter threads I saw to link.

Here you go:

'“The new Omicron variant of the Coronavirus results in MILD disease, WITHOUT prominent symptoms.” -Angelique Coetzee, the chairwoman of the South African Medical Association.'

Quoted by Chise on Twitter

I needed to read this post this evening @lomaamina thank you.
I’ve been thrown back into 2020 emotionally by the press.

www.theguardian.com/society/2021/nov/26/biontech-says-it-could-tweak-covid-vaccine-in-100-days-if-needed

BioNTech says it could produce and ship an updated version of its vaccine within 100 days if the new Covid variant detected in southern Africa is found to evade existing immunity.

The German biotechnology company is already investigating whether the vaccine it developed with US drugmaker Pfizer works well against the variant, named Omicron, which has caused concern due to its high number of mutations and initial suggestions that it could be transmitting more quickly.

The company says it will know in two weeks whether its current vaccine is likely to be sufficiently effective against the B.1.1.529 variant, now named Omicron by the World Health Organization, based on lab-based experiments.

If required, BioNTech said it is poised to tweak its vaccine to match it more closely to the new variant.

More good news from Chise on Twitter:

"PRELIMINARY DATA but good news for your afternoon! Pfizer vaccine’s is only SLIGHTLY less effective in preventing infection with Omicron than with Delta- 90% as opposed to 95%- while it is AS EFFECTIVE in preventing serious symptoms- around 93% – at least for those boosted!"

Thanks @lomaamina! I haven't searched out this thread for a while, really needed to see that this morning. A little balance to the panic-mongering!

@lomaamina

More good news from Chise on Twitter:

"PRELIMINARY DATA but good news for your afternoon! Pfizer vaccine’s is only SLIGHTLY less effective in preventing infection with Omicron than with Delta- 90% as opposed to 95%- while it is AS EFFECTIVE in preventing serious symptoms- around 93% – at least for those boosted!"

Would this apply to those who initially had AstraZeneca, with a Pfizer booster, do you think? Or is it one of those unknowns?

news.sky.com/story/sotrovimab-new-covid-drug-which-cuts-risk-of-hospitalisation-and-death-by-79-approved-for-use-in-uk-in-people-aged-12-years-and-older-12484329

Sotrovimab: New COVID drug which cuts risk of hospitalisation and death by 79% approved for use in UK in people aged 12 years and older
Xevundy, also known as sotrovimab, has been approved for anyone aged 12 and over, who weighs more than 40kg. It is authorised for use in people who have a mild or moderate COVID infection and who are at risk of developing severe illness

@Imfedupwithallofthis, I’m not sure there’ll be an answer as the preliminary data are coming from two settings very different from the UK .

(I wrote something longer, but I’m not an expert, so would rather simply pass on my own, naive, interpretation of the situation, which is that we shouldn’t worry too much, especially after a booster. I won’t be GOING to the Christmas party, nevertheless ).

@herecomesthsun

news.sky.com/story/sotrovimab-new-covid-drug-which-cuts-risk-of-hospitalisation-and-death-by-79-approved-for-use-in-uk-in-people-aged-12-years-and-older-12484329

Sotrovimab: New COVID drug which cuts risk of hospitalisation and death by 79% approved for use in UK in people aged 12 years and older
Xevundy, also known as sotrovimab, has been approved for anyone aged 12 and over, who weighs more than 40kg. It is authorised for use in people who have a mild or moderate COVID infection and who are at risk of developing severe illness

That's great news

If anybody wishes to listen to Dr John Campbell today on you tube it looks likely that omicron is in fact a blessing in disguise.

I for one after my booster this December would not be planning any more jabs after this! Hopefully no need.

@Guacamole001

If anybody wishes to listen to Dr John Campbell today on you tube it looks likely that omicron is in fact a blessing in disguise.

I for one after my booster this December would not be planning any more jabs after this! Hopefully no need.

Anyone who thinks they can accurately predict what will happen next before we have more days is either a fool or a charlatan.

Watch and wait time.

Data not days

Is this the latest thread or is there a new one I’m missing?

Saw this twitter thread and whilst I am all for professors getting truthful information out there it just left me feeling so low and I am in need of some good news.
I’m double jabbed and so is DH and we are both boosted too, we have DD who is 1 and I am feeling so anxious at the thought of being stuck inside all through the winter months whilst the weather is grey and miserable and I don’t want her social skills to be impacted, but then I’m now also scared we are putting her and ourselves at risk if we go to any baby groups etc 😩

twitter.com/chrischirp/status/1476616293822390280?s=21

If you feel anxious I would stay clear of Christina Pagel tbh

Happy New Year

The UK has approved Pfizer’s Covid-19 pill for patients over the age of 18 years who have mild to moderate infection and are at high risk of their illness worsening, Reuters reports.

The approval comes as the country scrambles to build its defences amid a record hit a daily record of new Covid cases on Thursday.

Based on data, the pill, Paxlovid, is most effective when taken during the early stages of Covid, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said on Friday, recommending that the drug be used within five days of the onset of symptoms.

Pfizer this month said Paxlovid showed near 90% efficacy in preventing hospitalisations and deaths in high-risk patients, and recent lab data suggests the drug retains its effectiveness against the fast spreading Omicron variant.

“We now have a further antiviral medicine for the treatment of Covid-19 that can be taken by mouth rather than administered intravenously. This means it can be administered outside a hospital setting,” MHRA chief June Raine said in a statement.

@herecomesthsun

Happy New Year

The UK has approved Pfizer’s Covid-19 pill for patients over the age of 18 years who have mild to moderate infection and are at high risk of their illness worsening, Reuters reports.

The approval comes as the country scrambles to build its defences amid a record hit a daily record of new Covid cases on Thursday.

Based on data, the pill, Paxlovid, is most effective when taken during the early stages of Covid, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said on Friday, recommending that the drug be used within five days of the onset of symptoms.

Pfizer this month said Paxlovid showed near 90% efficacy in preventing hospitalisations and deaths in high-risk patients, and recent lab data suggests the drug retains its effectiveness against the fast spreading Omicron variant.

“We now have a further antiviral medicine for the treatment of Covid-19 that can be taken by mouth rather than administered intravenously. This means it can be administered outside a hospital setting,” MHRA chief June Raine said in a statement.

That sounds amazing!