Vaccine at last!

60 Minutes interviewed the man that is over the distribution of vaccines last night. Very interesting. Don't expect it is going to be like water handouts after a storm in a town.
 

I will take it as the start of something good. I'm sure they'll be misfires at first but hopefully, down the road it'll take it's place alongside so many of the other vaccines and cures that have been found, over the years.

It may also help that with the election behind us it can become a medical and scientific undertaking with all of the political BS tossed to the side.
 
In the to be current conditions, I would be more prone to take the vaccine. However, I believe this is a two shot vaccine and takes 7 days to take affect. Still a bit concerned about the Denmark version of the virus.
 
My doctor discussed this vaccine with me about a month ago. He said the main problem with it will probably be distribution, as it needs to be kept at that very cold temperature, and must be given within about 10 minutes of being removed from the freezer.
 
Sunny said:
My doctor discussed this vaccine with me about a month ago. He said the main problem with it will probably be distribution, as it needs to be kept at that very cold temperature, and must be given within about 10 minutes of being removed from the freezer.
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Maybe we can all just get it while we are in the freezer. šŸ˜‚
 
Aneeda72 said:
In the to be current conditions, I would be more prone to take the vaccine. However, I believe this is a two shot vaccine and takes 7 days to take affect. Still a bit concerned about the Denmark version of the virus.
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It takes 28 days to take effect after 1st shot according to the article
 
Mike said:
I have just been reading that it might not
work on the new "Mink Strain" in Denmark!

Mike.
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That's the concern. Danish scientists uploaded the genome sequencing of the new strain last Thursday to a collaborative, global database. I hope their fears that antibodies from current pandemic strains do not protect against this new Danish mink mutation are wrong.

Another concern is that COVID-19 post-infection antibodies are not lasting long in some people, especially those that had mild symptoms. It will take time to know if vaccine antibodies provide adequate protection over time. I can't see people going for a vaccine every few months.
 
It's encouraging news but I may wait until the vaccine becomes more commonplace in order to avoid long lines/mass gatherings of people waiting for a shot in the first wave.
 
StarSong said:
This is very, very good news. That their vaccine needs to be held at -94F might be a huge monkey wrench in the works though. Lots of supply chain logistics will need to be sorted out on that one.

Living near a big population center will be a huge advantage.
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I wonder if it will be injected at -94F? Sounds like shock treatment.
 
StarSong said:
This is very, very good news. That their vaccine needs to be held at -94F might be a huge monkey wrench in the works though. Lots of supply chain logistics will need to be sorted out on that one.
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For sure!! If a vaccine has to be stored at such a low temperature, it will most certainly NOT be available at any local pharmacies, stores, or even many hospitals. To keep something at such a low temperature, and in sufficient quantities, is going to require some really large and sophisticated refrigeration equipment...such as a large truck trailer that has been highly modified, and can be moved fairly easily. That will severely limit the locations where a vaccine can be administered. I can visualize lines of people or cars stretching for blocks....maybe miles.

And then, how long will such a vaccine remain viable at a room temperature?? Giving a person a shot of something so drastically cold would probably be like a 3rd degree burn at the injection site....it would almost certainly have to be warmed to room temperature quickly.

Developing a vaccine is only Part of the problem. The logistics of manufacturing, transporting, and storing the quantities needed will be almost as much a challenge as developing the vaccine itself.

At this point, it seems, to me, that there are more questions than answers.
 
I still worry about side effects. It could be years before they show up. Probably won't be a problem for me, I'll be long gone but I worry about my kids.
They are working day and night on this but its still being rushed through. I suppose you have to pick your poison.
 
I heard on the radio this morning that they are
expecting/hoping to have lots of the vaccine
ready to use by the end of this month and that
they will start by giving it to Health workers and
the Elderly, the older you are, the quicker you get
it, I am not sure that I want to be at the front of
the queue, I would like to wait a while to see just
how effective it really is and not a bluff.

Mike.
 
Ruth n Jersey said:
I still worry about side effects. It could be years before they show up. Probably won't be a problem for me, I'll be long gone but I worry about my kids.
They are working day and night on this but its still being rushed through. I suppose you have to pick your poison.
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I agree. The world is so desperate for a vaccine that it has been rushed. There may well be long-term effects and I presume they will not risk giving it to pregnant women.
 
Don M. said:
For sure!! If a vaccine has to be stored at such a low temperature, it will most certainly NOT be available at any local pharmacies, stores, or even many hospitals. To keep something at such a low temperature, and in sufficient quantities, is going to require some really large and sophisticated refrigeration equipment...such as a large truck trailer that has been highly modified, and can be moved fairly easily. That will severely limit the locations where a vaccine can be administered. I can visualize lines of people or cars stretching for blocks....maybe miles.
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I would think storage would be accomplished using either regular dry ice (-110 degrees F) or liquid nitrogen (-321 degrees F). Neither of these practices is uncommon in the biomedical field and the storage containers are very portable.

Viruses are not living organisms. The Pfizer vaccine is basically just a bunch of complex organic molecules. My guess is that these degrade quite quickly at higher temperatures so must be stored at low temperatures to preserve them but they certainly wouldn't be administered at those temperatures. The media is just emphasizing the low temperature storage to shock the masses and generate viewership/readership.

For those who live in "cattle country", think of all of the artificial insemination vets driving around the countryside with tanks of liquid nitrogen in their trucks to store semen for the same reason.
 

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