Covid vaccination status?

[JayhawkCO]

Clalit has found that the B.1.351 variant has broken through the Pfizer vaccine.

In a sample size of 400 people. That has a high likelihood of being statistically insignificant.

Chris

[cl94]

Clalit has found that the B.1.351 variant has broken through the Pfizer vaccine.

In a sample size of 400 people. That has a high likelihood of being statistically insignificant.

Chris

And EVERY CASE was before the second dose. The two dose regimen is still pretty solid.

[Big John]

Just got my vaccine - it was Pfiser and already got the appointment for the 2nd shot in 3 weeks.

[Roadgeekteen]

Clalit has found that the B.1.351 variant has broken through the Pfizer vaccine.

In a sample size of 400 people. That has a high likelihood of being statistically insignificant.

Chris

Also, people infected had fewer symptoms.
https://abcnews.go.com/Health/rare-instances-south-africa-variant-evade-pfizer-vaccine/story?id=77020482

[hbelkins]

Clotting issues were also noted in the Astra-Zeneca shot, which isn't available in the United States. Is it closer to the J&J shot, or the Pfizer-Moderna one?

And why is it called "Johnson & Johnson" when the labeling says "Janssen?"

[hotdogPi]

Clotting issues were also noted in the Astra-Zeneca shot, which isn't available in the United States. Is it closer to the J&J shot, or the Pfizer-Moderna one?

From what I understand, blood clotting symptoms cannot occur via mRNA vaccines, which both Pfizer and Moderna are.

[JayhawkCO]

Clotting issues were also noted in the Astra-Zeneca shot, which isn't available in the United States. Is it closer to the J&J shot, or the Pfizer-Moderna one?

It's like the J&J.  Adenovirus based vs. mRNA.

And why is it called "Johnson & Johnson" when the labeling says "Janssen?"

Johnson & Johnson owns Janssen Pharmaceuticals.

Chris

[cl94]

The exact same type of clotting occurred with J&J and AZ. These are both the same type of vaccine. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines (effectively the same, except Moderna is much larger dose) have not seen this side effect.

It should be noted that women are more likely to have this condition occur. There are a few million cases of this blood clotting condition each year, 3/4 of which are in women. Large variety of things can cause it, so unless there are a LOT more cases we don't know about, there isn't enough to establish a causal link between the vaccine and clotting.

[kphoger]

I have yet to try this, but apparently Krispy Kreme is offering 1 free glazed donut (no purchase required) per person if you show your vaccine card.  And since they won't store any information, you can get as many free donuts as you want until the promotion ends!

My wife and I had to laugh at this.  At least around here, they give you a free donut just for walking into the store anyway!  Plenty of people take advantage of the situation.  Half the times I'm in Krispy Kreme, more people walk in and get a free donut and leave than actually pay for something.

[kphoger]

re:  Pulling the J&J

A hastily approved vaccine starts showing sign of having a side-effect that needs further study, so they pull it.  I fail to see what's stupid about that.  The goal of approving a vaccine isn't "make it less deadly than the virus".  The bar is and should be just a wee bit higher than that.

Plenty of people were hesitant to be vaccinated because they thought the vaccines were rushed through and they're worried about heretofore-unknown side-effects.  In my opinion, this should make people even more confident in the process.

[JayhawkCO]

re:  Pulling the J&J

A hastily approved vaccine starts showing sign of having a side-effect that needs further study, so they pull it.  I fail to see what's stupid about that.  The goal of approving a vaccine isn't "make it less deadly than the virus".  The bar is and should be just a wee bit higher than that.

Plenty of people were hesitant to be vaccinated because they thought the vaccines were rushed through and they're worried about heretofore-unknown side-effects.  In my opinion, this should make people even more confident in the process.

I don't know.  To some degree, I liken it to someone breaking into your house with a gun.  You're likely to rely on any weapon that's nearby to try to protect yourself whether that be your own gun, a knife, or a set of keys.  Obviously some of those work better than others, but it's still better than not trying to do anything.  (I'm aware this example isn't 100% analogous.)

Chris

[cl94]

Plenty of people were hesitant to be vaccinated because they thought the vaccines were rushed through and they're worried about heretofore-unknown side-effects.  In my opinion, this should make people even more confident in the process.

That's not what I'm seeing in antivax circles. The opinion over there seems to be "see, we told you so, maybe the others also have problems".

People interpret the pause as "the vaccine isn't safe". Look at how Europe reacted to the AZ vaccine being pulled. Hesitancy over there didn't consistently decrease after the review process- it either stayed steady or increased in many countries and you have a lot of people unwilling to take the AZ vaccine now. This is becoming a big problem over there, as people are only willing to get jabbed if they can get Pfizer or Moderna.

[J N Winkler]

Regarding B.1.351 (the South African variant), the report I've seen is that it is associated with a three-fold and six-fold reduction in neutralization activity with the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines respectively.  The Sinopharm vaccine is associated with a much smaller drop (factor of 1.6).  I'm not sure precisely what this all means in terms of efficacy.  The South Africans have given up on AstraZeneca, selling their unused stocks to other African countries, and are now testing Sputnik V, which has shown 90% efficacy in testing outside Russia.

The South African variant appears not to be appreciably more transmissible than original covid.  I'm actually a bit more worried about the new and improved version of the British variant, B.1.1.7, as it has the E484K mutation that is associated with enhanced resistance to vaccines.

As for Johnson & Johnson being pulled, the investigation is supposed to wrap within a matter of "days."  We'll see.  I suspect this may ultimately prove to be less significant than the production hiccup that spoiled 15 million doses.

[jemacedo9]

The issue isn't just "blood clotting" in general.

It's a specific clotting issue...its clots which have occurred in veins that drain blood from the brain.
In addition, the 6 women had decreased platelet counts, the fragments in blood that normally form clots.

And then on top of that, there is a concern about using the typical clot treatment, the blood-thinner heparin. "In this setting, administration of heparin may be dangerous and alternative treatments need to be given," the FDA and CDC said.

[kphoger]

I just see it as the system working the way it's supposed to.

Plenty of people were hesitant to be vaccinated because they thought the vaccines were rushed through and they're worried about heretofore-unknown side-effects.  In my opinion, this should make people even more confident in the process.

That's not what I'm seeing in antivax circles. The opinion over there seems to be "see, we told you so, maybe the others also have problems".

Well, I personally know people who aren't anti-vaxxers but are still hesitating to get vaccinated for the reason I stated.  I haven't talked to them about this latest development, however.

[Jim]

People's reactions to this "pause", like so much of what we've seen in the era of COVID-19, demonstrates the massive failure of mathematics education over at least a few decades.  I don't know enough to judge how appropriate it was to issue the advisory to states to pause J&J usage, but I do know so many people's reactions indicate a total lack of ability to understand very large numbers and very small probabilities, and to compare the relative risks of various courses of action.  When someone says "why do I need to learn all this math" or "why do I have to help my kid through all this math", I think we have an excellent response.

[CoreySamson]

Well, I personally know people who aren't anti-vaxxers but are still hesitating to get vaccinated for the reason I stated.

That's me in a nutshell. I am in no way an anti-vaxxer, but I would still like to see a bit more research done before I get it. That's just part of my personality. I'm also iffy about the small risk of anaphylactic shock, because I'm deathly allergic to a couple things, and could see the new proteins in the mRNA vaccine potentially triggering such a reaction considering my other allergies. Dr. Fauci himself indicated this, and several European doctors recommended that those with allergy problems (such as yours truly) avoid getting the vaccine. I would rather get Covid again than stick an Epi-Pen in my leg.

[Rothman]

I have a nasty set of allergies and have had no problems with the Pfizer vaccination.

[I-55]

I have a nasty set of allergies and have had no problems with the Pfizer vaccination.

Good, because I get my first in a week (Pfizer).

[cl94]

Of the three, Pfizer seems to be the best with side effects. My only side effect after dose 1 of Pfizer was a sore arm. That seems to be a common trend. Of people I know who have gotten a second dose of Pfizer, it's split as to whether or not they had side effects, but they tend to be minor.

[kphoger]

Of the three, Pfizer seems to be the best with side effects. My only side effect after dose 1 of Pfizer was a sore arm. That seems to be a common trend. Of people I know who have gotten a second dose of Pfizer, it's split as to whether or not they had side effects, but they tend to be minor.

Most side-effects do seem to be minor, of the people I know.  One's developed into bronchitis, and a couple had acute side-effects.  But, other than the bronchitis guy, nobody I know who has gotten Pfizer has had side-effects last longer than two days.

[oscar]

I'm not done with vaccinations just yet, need to schedule a Shingrix booster shot at least two weeks from now, that had been delayed for my Covid vaccine shots.

I had scheduled the Shingrix booster shot for exactly two weeks from my second Pfizer shot. That was OK with the human being who took my scheduling call (non-Covid vaccinations are among the miscellaneous procedures you can't schedule online). But when I went in yesterday for my Shingrix appointment, the nurse sheepishly told me that the health plan's computer system wouldn't let her give me the Shingrix shot until two weeks plus one day after my second Pfizer shot.

So I went back today to get the Shingrix shot. Sore arm, like all my other vaccinations (Covid and otherwise) this year.

Just a cautionary note for those of you needing other vaccinations, and tempted to schedule them too close to your Covid shot(s).

[vdeane]

Plenty of people were hesitant to be vaccinated because they thought the vaccines were rushed through and they're worried about heretofore-unknown side-effects.  In my opinion, this should make people even more confident in the process.

That's not what I'm seeing in antivax circles. The opinion over there seems to be "see, we told you so, maybe the others also have problems".

People interpret the pause as "the vaccine isn't safe". Look at how Europe reacted to the AZ vaccine being pulled. Hesitancy over there didn't consistently decrease after the review process- it either stayed steady or increased in many countries and you have a lot of people unwilling to take the AZ vaccine now. This is becoming a big problem over there, as people are only willing to get jabbed if they can get Pfizer or Moderna.

I'm sure the anti-vax crowd would be finding something to say regardless.  If the government didn't pause this, they'd be saying it's a cover-up or plot of some kind.

And honestly, with the questions surrounding AZ's trial data, and how more issues seem to be found every time they're cleared up, there's no way in hell that I would have been willing to get that vaccine even BEFORE the blood clot thing.  Plus who wants to take two shots for a vaccine that's no more effective than the J&J one that only needs one shot?

[3467]

The second Shingrx really made me sick a couple of days. JNJ  a little sore the next day.
My pharmacist was volunteering to help with a bad site. She now has my concerns about PFE. Not sure effects but lower effects from improper handling.

[webny99]

I'm sure the anti-vax crowd would be finding something to say regardless.  If the government didn't pause this, they'd be saying it's a cover-up or plot of some kind.

And honestly, with the questions surrounding AZ's trial data, and how more issues seem to be found every time they're cleared up, there's no way in hell that I would have been willing to get that vaccine even BEFORE the blood clot thing.  Plus who wants to take two shots for a vaccine that's no more effective than the J&J one that only needs one shot?

One thing that hasn't been mentioned much in this discussion, and shouldn't be underrated, is that many people are more willing to get vaccinated if it's only one shot.