Actually, at over 90% effective, we donât need 70-80% of people to get it to greatly reduce symptomatic transmission. And maybe asymptomatic - weâll see.
Agree we donât know long term effects of the vaccine (nor the virus).
Have I mentioned that over 90% effectiveness is huge? Iâm pleased.
Sure me also. But I think we need to adapt to what they do in places like Southeast Asia. If you just feel like you have a cold then you put on a mask since you would never think about getting someone else sick. It really will be interesting this flu season to see if there are less deaths /illnesses due to masks wearing and washing hands etc.
I donât know what âsymptomatic transmissionâ means; transmission is transmission. And we donât know whether this vaccine reduces transmission at all. In the best case, YAY! it reduces transmission 90%, everybody gets vaccinated, life goes back to normal. In the worst case, it does nothing to reduce transmission, but it still protects against disease, which is great for the people it protects. We donât have any information right now to know how much it reduces transmission.
Your the one that has been pointing out that the trial only looks at symptomatic cases. Thatâs what I mean about symptomatic transmission. I understand what you are saying - you are say that just because 85+ more people in the placebo groups tested positive for Covid than the vaccinated group, that doesnât mean that the vaccinated people didnât get the virus and spread it. I tend to believe we will have a lot of examples of people in the vaccinated group that tested negative - since there are 20k plus people in that group and testing is widespread - many will have had surveillance testing. You would agree that we have no evidence of people that test negative have spread the virus, right? That would be meaningful information.
Even if it only protects for disease in the most vulnerable, that would be a good result. 90%+ effectiveness of disease in the most vulnerable would be a relief for those of us with vulnerable family members that are running out of time to get back to their life.
This is good news. Anything that mitigates the COVID situation on an individual and community basis is good news. Doesnât have to be a 100% cure or return to normalcy to be an impressive improvement and source of hope.
ps I have a kid with serious health condition that makes her vulnerable and am waiting to read how she can get a vaccine as early as possible.
I continue to take my cues from Fauci. He is usually very cautious and said this about the vaccine (I would think he has access to more info than most)-
Fauci: Coronavirus wonât be a pandemic for âa lot longerâ thanks to vaccines
Anthony Fauci said Thursday the global coronavirus outbreak will not be a pandemic for âa lot longerâ because of the development of vaccines, striking a hopeful note even as the situation worsens in the short term.
âCertainly itâs not going to be pandemic for a lot longer because I believe the vaccines are going to turn that around,â Fauci said at an event hosted by the think tank Chatham House.
Fauci, the nationâs top infectious disease expert, said that while the virus will likely cease raging across the globe as it is now, it could circulate quietly below the surface, at least in certain areas.
But whatâs âa lot longerâ mean?
Of course, vaccines will eventually stem it. But what says by next spring or fall?
See if you can find a link to F speaking to Chatham House. Not just a media report of sound bites.
I agree a vaccine will eventually work. But not that this is all done and over with.
Itâs unlikely covid will ever be over and done with, hopefully the pandemic will be over sooner rather than later (within a year). People will die of covid every year for the foreseeable future, similar to flu and other viral diseases.
Regarding kids getting vaccinatedâŠonly Pfizer is including anyone under 18 in their trials (12+), none of the other late stage vaccine trials include kids. We have had no visibility to how many 12-17 year olds Pfizer has enrolledâŠit is expected that enrolling that age group will be more difficult, as some/many parents would not choose to enroll their kid in an experimental product trial to prevent a disease that is unlikely to harm their child.
With that said, for kids with at risk conditions, the quickest way to potentially have access to the vaccine could be to enroll in the trial (of course thereâs risk of getting the placebo).
I heard that Sen. Rand Paul has told people who have recovered from COVID to throw away their masks, go to restaurants, live again. Am I correct that just because someone is immune, they could still transmit the disease to someone else? So you have antibodies in your blood stream, but your nose could still be a breeding ground for the virus? I know this was explained to me before, but clearly I donât get it.
What he is saying is not correct medically and is done with political intention. I donât understand how people like this canât be held accountable for their words. Real people are dying everyday. Hospitals are swamped now and this is just the beginning of this wave. This could be worse then the last wave if people donât get their act together.
Itâs still unknown (this is exactly the question @âCardinal Fangâ is asking about the vaccine). We donât have evidence of people who contracted the virus being exposed later and spreading it. we donât have evidence to disprove that either. However, from what I read the possibility of that is very slim. The virus spreads because of a viral load in your body (caused by exposure and replication) expelled through arolsols and droplets. Itâs spreads less so via surfaces (how.much less, we donât know). Viral load seems to be a big indicator of spread. Is there enough viral load in your nose that came from an infected person (not your own replication) is the question. Is it enough to infect someone else via aerosols and/or droplets? We donât know.
Itâs probably a good idea for people that have recovered from the virus to do a nasal wash treatment before being with immunocompromised family members.
This is one of those questions that the answer is not yet known. Also, the answer may differ from immunity derived from natural infection versus vaccine. Some people have had COVID-19 more than once, although the second time is usually less severe (but there is then the possibility that some may have gotten asymptomatic second infections that are not known about). One person was known (through testing) to have had an asymptomatic infection for much longer than two weeks.
Really interesting you stated a nasal wash. I use Sinus Pulse for when my allergies get bad. This to me seems very logical. I add in Alkalol nasal wash⊠Wonder if any studies if like Nettie Pots help at allâŠ
i saw something on the internet about this. Studies are in process, but it makes sense.
My biologist husband is convinced that COVID-19 is just the first of serious viruses we will get hit with. We got lucky with SARS a few years ago. Ebola luckily kills people so fast that spread is usually minimal. We got unlucky with this one. There will be more and we wonât be lucky with all of them. The world has gotten too interconnected so these things are much harder to nip in the bud.
Iâm wondering about that too. I should do a Neil Med sinus rinse every day. I have year round allergies, but I usually only do it if I feel they are getting out of control (despite daily meds and sprays) and/or feel like Iâm getting sick. But, very early on (Feb/March) I read something that said it was a bad idea. It could force the virus deeper into your system and get into your lungs vs stay in the nose. So Iâve avoided using it almost completely, but I hate not having it as my crutch. I started doing it here and there again due to possible exposures, and re-googling I am finding more that says it could be a good thing. I hope so! I normally swear by them as a way to avoid colds/illness.
Nasal wash (I use saline anyway) and also rinsing with Listerine- have both been mentioned online. The day after the news about Listerine, I noticed the shelves were empty of Listerine!
I had the same concern about nasal sprays pushing virus deeper in so I only do the saline nasal wash with my face down so it drips out 
Humans are intruding on natural spaces and climate is getting warmer and probably other factors make future pandemics probable. But perhaps we can be readier. Right now I just prefer not to think about it. There is a great documentary on Netflix on the heroes doing the work of virus-hunting but funding can be a problem so thatâs one thing we can all be aware of and support.
My mom died of SARS at age 81, while her mom lived into her mid 90âs. I had MRSA a few years ago, from gym exposure. Why?
I should add that my mom ate well, was at the gym daily, still totally alert. I miss her
Iâm immune compromised. If I knew you had had covid, I donât think Iâd be satisfied that you told me you did the nose irrigation before we got together.
So sorry for your loss.