Pfizer Covid vaccine 'is 100% effective against South African variant, beats Brazilian strain' AND works for at least six months Studies by Pfizer and University of Birmingham prove it works against variants Birmingham research found antibody levels after two doses were 'off the scale' Small trial in South Africa saw nobody caught Covid virus after vaccination Antibody levels have been lower in lab studies but people still have protection https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...t-Brazilian-South-African-Covid-variants.html Pfizer's Covid vaccine still works against the South African and Brazilian variants of the virus and protection lasts for at least six months, studies suggested today. The jab prevented 100 per cent of infections in a study run by Pfizer in South Africa and UK lab tests on the P1 Brazilian strain of the virus found it worked against that. Scientists had been worried that new variants of the virus would make vaccines less effective because they change its shape and make it harder for the immune system to recognise. Recent lab studies showed that levels of useful virus-fighting antibodies drop when vaccinated people are exposed to new variants, but scientists now say this doesn't seem to affect real-world immunity. One researcher said their study of elderly people saw that antibody levels were 'off the scale' after two doses and that everyone developed signs of protection. And Pfizer reported that results from its clinical trials showed 'high vaccine efficacy against the variant prevalent in South Africa'. The findings are good news for long-term trust in the jab and suggest that boosters may not be as vital as the first two doses. It also raises the prospect that international travel won't be too dangerous because the threat of variants is smaller. Updated clinical trial results published today by Pfizer reveal the vaccine appears to be 91 per cent effective against Covid overall, according to findings from around 46,000 people. It is between 95 and 100 per cent at preventing severe Covid and death, and was 100 per cent effective at preventing cases in South Africa in a group of 800 people. The vaccine continues to work for longer than six months, the study found. Pfizer found 850 cases of Covid in a group given a fake vaccine, compared to 77 in a group of vaccinated people – with approximately 20,000 people in each group. In a South African sub-trial of 800 people there were nine cases of Covid in the non-vaccine group and none among the vaccinated people. Six of the cases were confirmed to be the South African variant. If the vaccine couldn't protect against that variant, scientists would have expected to see about the same amount in the vaccinated group – but they didn't see any. Ugur Sahin, CEO of BioNTech which developed the jab with Pfizer, said: 'This is an important step to further confirm the strong efficacy and good safety data we have seen so far, especially in a longer-term follow-up. 'These data also provide the first clinical results that a vaccine can effectively protect against currently circulating variants, a critical factor to reach herd immunity and end this pandemic for the global population.' A separate study by the University of Birmingham looked at how well the jab worked in over-80s. It found that all of the one hundred 80 to 96-year-olds in the study developed antibodies after vaccination and that 98 of them had 'strong' immune responses. The scientists behind the research said the numbers of antibodies – virus-destroying proteins made by the immune system – were 'off the scale' in their study and that they were 'delighted' with how well the vaccine appeared to work. Vaccines haven't been widely trialled on the elderly because early studies tend to focus on low-risk patients and elderly people's immune systems are generally worse. As well as extra proof the jab will protect old people, the most at risk from Covid, the study also found that it should work against the P1 Brazilian variant of the virus. Immune responses to P1 were weaker but still high enough to prevent serious illness, the study found. It didn't look at the South African variant, which is more widespread in England with 412 cases compared to 27, but admitted it was 'possibly of more concern'. The variants are extremely similar. The study measured people's immune responses using blood samples taken just before the second dose and then two weeks afterwards. The study started before the UK changed its policy to a 12-week gap between doses, so everyone enrolled got their second jab after three weeks, but Dr Helen Parry said: 'I would expect similar end results once those vaccines have been given.' All of the people in the trial had Covid antibodies in their blood two weeks after the second dose, and two thirds had them after a single dose. The presence of antibodies in the blood suggests the body is ready to fight off the virus and that someone is immune to Covid, at least to disease if not completely. And Dr Parry and her colleague Professor Paul Moss, both from the University of Birmingham, said they were surprised by how many antibodies people had. 'When we sent these samples to Porton Down they said "we can’t give you the results right now because we’ve got to dilute them because they’re so high they’re off the scale",' Professor Moss said. 'The antibody levels were so high that they’d gone above the threshold [of blood tests] so we had to dilute them.' Dr Parry added: 'It was very exciting. And even the response to the first vaccine, we were absolutely delighted at.' (More at above url including charts)
White House asks governors for help with Johnson & Johnson vaccine https://thehill.com/homenews/admini...vernors-for-help-with-johnson-johnson-vaccine The White House is looking to governors to boost confidence in the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine as the company ramps up supply in the U.S. Several state leaders have taken the one-dose shot in recent weeks, and some have said it was an intentional decision to show the newest vaccine available to the public is safe and effective. The decisions came after White House aides told staffers from governors’ offices last month to encourage their bosses to get vaccinated with the Johnson & Johnson shot, according to two people on a recent call. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine particularly needs a confidence boost this week, after it was reported that human error at a manufacturing plant ruined 15 million doses. The snafu did not cause issues with any doses already shipped or administered, and Johnson & Johnson maintained it still expects to meet its goal of delivering 100 million doses to the U.S. by the end of June. But governors and the White House have been mobilizing to support the vaccine since the middle of March, when the Johnson & Johnson shot first started to become more widely available. The White House convened a call with communications staff from governors offices around the country in mid-March, according to sources on the call, shortly after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) signed off on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and the first shipments to states went out. A White House official said the administration wanted to spotlight the Johnson & Johnson shot "right out of the gate." Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak (D), Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D), Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D), Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) and Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) are among the state leaders who have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine since mid-March. Not every governor opted for the Johnson & Johnson shot because of the White House ask, but some said it influenced their choice. "Governor Northam's decision to get the Johnson & Johnson vaccine two weeks ago was intended to increase public confidence in that particular vaccine," said Marissa Astor, a spokesperson for Northam. "He felt it was important to demonstrate that there are three safe and effective vaccines available, including Johnson & Johnson." A spokesperson for Walz stressed that the governor wants to assure Minnesotans that "the best vaccine is the one you’re offered." Walz's decision to get the Johnson & Johnson shot was intentional, the spokesperson said, but it was made before White House officials specifically encouraged governors to get that vaccine. Stitt, who got the vaccine this week, got the Johnson & Johnson shot because the state health department had it available, an official with his office said. Oklahoma is among the top 10 states for vaccines administered, the official noted, and Stitt wanted to publicly encourage residents to get their shot. The White House official was adamant that the administration has seen enthusiasm from the public about the Johnson & Johnson shot. Outreach to governors has been part of a multipronged strategy to engage government, religious and cultural leaders to encourage the public to get any of the three available vaccines. Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and Biden's top medical adviser, also did a video posted by the White House last week in which he laid out the basis about the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and assured the public it was safe and effective. “I would definitely take the Johnson & Johnson vaccine," Fauci said, noting it's "virtually 100 percent protective" against hospitalization and death. "This is a vaccine that works, and it only requires one dose.” The Johnson & Johnson shot only requires one dose, compared to the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, which require two doses a few weeks apart. It can also be stored at higher temperatures than the other two vaccines, making it easier to ship and distribute. Yet the shot, which was the third vaccine authorized for use in the U.S., has struggled with public perception of its efficacy. Trial data showed the Johnson & Johnson shot provided slightly less effective in preventing infection than the Moderna or Pfizer shots, though it did completely prevent hospitalization and death four weeks after inoculation. Officials have cautioned that the circumstances of the trials for the different vaccines varied. For example, the Johnson & Johnson shot was tested against variants and proved effective against those newer strains of the virus. The White House has also had to overcome skepticism about the Johnson & Johnson vaccine from some leaders in the Catholic faith because it was developed from stem cells obtained during two abortions decades ago. President Biden on Wednesday urged religious leaders in a video call to "spread the word" to their congregations that the vaccines are safe and to get the shot when it's their turn. Health officials have stressed that all three of the available vaccines — Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson — are safe, and that Americans should feel comfortable getting any one of them.
Well... guess they will be giving away all the stockpiled AstraZeneca doses... Exclusive: Fauci says U.S. may not need AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-astrazeneca-exclus-idUSKBN2BO6XS The United States may not need AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine, even if it wins U.S. regulatory approval, Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease doctor told Reuters on Thursday. The vaccine, once hailed as another milestone in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, has been dogged by questions since late last year, even as it has been authorized for use by dozens of countries, not including United States. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and chief medical adviser to the White House, said the United States has enough contracts with other vaccine makers to vaccinate its entire population, and possibly enough for booster shots in the fall. Asked whether the United States will use the AstraZeneca vaccine doses, he said, “That’s still up in the air. My general feeling is that given the contractual relationships that we have with a number of companies, that we have enough vaccine to fulfill all of our needs without invoking AstraZeneca.” Late last year, the drugmaker and Oxford University published data from an earlier trial with two different efficacy readings as a result of a dosing error. Then in March, more than a dozen countries temporarily suspended the use of AstraZeneca’s vaccine after reports linked it to a rare blood clotting disorder. Also in March, a U.S. health agency said data from the company gave an incomplete picture of its efficacy. Days later AstraZeneca published results showing diminished, though still strong, efficacy. Fauci said that “If you look at the numbers (of doses) that we’re going to be getting, the amount that you can get from J&J, from Novavax from Moderna if we contract for more, it is likely that we can handle any boost that we need, but I can’t say definitely for sure.”
Yeh. I dunno. When we have other vaccines available, obviously, we do not need to invoke emergency government contracts and all of that with AstraZ, so I sort of have other fish to fry. Nevertheless, I don't completely like Fauci's attitude. We have a global pandemic and AstraZ is trying to come to market in an aggressive manner and would like to be considered in an aggressive manner- particular since much of Europe and the WHO are trying to sort out how good/useable it is. As I said before, I am an America First person but also know that that can include our cup running over once we take care of ourselves. We have a duty to help get vaccines to the rest to the world. Fauci would not argue against that but also seems to lose the fire in his belly once we have enough for Americans- or so his demeanor seems to be. Yeh, I get that there are some issues with AstraZ. But Fauci will also stand by and watch his buddies at WHO distribute more Sino and Sputnik vaccines if AstraZ cannot get traction. In addition we should be aggressively helping our people out in the colonies and in Europe to assess AstraZ on an aggressive schedule. Where I differ with both Trump and Biden is that I believe that the WHO is probably one of the areas where a global approach is appropriate. Trump immediately cut funding to them. And Biden immediately refunded them and threw an extra 4 billion in on top of it. Both of the approaches are bullshit. We should be propping up the WHO but requiring that its structure be moved into the civilized parts of the world or else establishing more of a NATO FOR HEALTH MATTERS type of organization. Alright enough of that but this AstraZ thing raises many of those issues. I may have given Fauci too much credit. His organization and Moderna jointly developed the Moderna vaccine and often acts as though he is all set if his vaccine is all set and if there is enough vaccine for the country. No, it is true that we should not be suckers or come second, but we have world obligations to the free world. He should be helping to bring the best consideration to AstraZ at the fastest pace possible- even if that is a denial.
The Canadians are above all these ethical and corporate issues because they have Canadian values. Of course, they also do not have any vaccines. So there is that. Meanwhile, AstraZ is jumping through endless hoops to bring their vaccine to market - a rip-off price of 3-4 dollars, per shot. Lock em up. There are obstacles to bringing affordable vaccines to market. Some of them are in the corporate world and some of the obstacles are in the government world. Not to forget that dems took more pharma money than pubs in the last election. Interesting to see how lefties argue that there was no government involvement under Trump that led to the vaccines being developed. Then when they are available they want to argue that the government paid for them. Might want to tidy that argument up a bit. I do think that Moderna's price needs to be examined in light of the fact that it was co-developed in Fauci's labs. So I do not dismiss the idea of examining them in that light. But some companies simply accepted pre-orders and the government prepaid and also had future opens, even said it might seize them under the defense production act. That is not "development" by the government. As I said, Moderna is suspect though. Fauci has given them sweetheart deals to work in his labs and Moderna got sweetheart treatment in the approval process so their price needs to be examined and the public needs to get a sweetheart deal as well.
Well the Biden administration has now put a halt to AstraZeneca production at the Emergent BioSolutions facility in Baltimore. This means that there will be no U.S. location producing the AstraZeneca vaccine. Biden Admin Steps in After COVID Vaccine Mix-Up at Baltimore Plant https://www.thedailybeast.com/biden...vaccine-mix-up-at-emergent-plant-in-baltimore After a manufacturing screw-up ruined 15 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine, the Biden administration has stepped in to make sure it doesn’t happen again. The Emergent BioSolutions facility in Baltimore was contracted to make vaccines from both Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca—but somehow mixed up the ingredients from the two. None of it was distributed, and now the Biden administration has put Johnson & Johnson in charge of the plant and put a halt to AstraZeneca production there, The New York Times reported. The newspaper notes that the reorganization puts AstraZeneca’s vaccine—which had a rocky debut overseas—in doubt in the U.S. Read it at The New York Times
Canada is on a crusade to try to find vaccine developers and manufacturers to redeem itself from its miserable performance. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...e-argument-to-lure-vaccine-makers-we-re-small I can easily see them taking on the AstraZ vaccines - or one of them anyway- and rebranding it as Canuckvax or something like that. Little joke there- but not really. AstraZ's brand is fairly damaged right now, and so is Canada's so they both need to regroup a little. I don't have a lot of energy or interest in straightening out all of AZ's various problems and bad luck but at the same time I would not mind seeing them be successful if they are able to be. There is still a major need out there for a low-cost -non-Chinese, non Russian, non Shithole Country vaccine to serve the rest of the world. If AZ- for example- was able to work some arrangement with our Canadian colony that might let allow the Canadians to ultimately be able to crow about saving the world unlike the American barbarians- which- as we know- is what they love to do. I don't mind the crowing if they are also doing some work along with it- so far that is the missing piece. Astrazenica partnering with Canada to produce Canuckvax? Yeh, I can see it. One of the problems they would have though is that AstraZ is already producing one of its third-worldish vaccines in India so there is that competition. On the other hand that vaccine has been approved in Canada so AstraZ would like to be able to put a western country approval on it. Enter Canada.