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Pfizer Covid vaccine approved for use next week in UK

bbc.com

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Re: Pfizer Covid vaccine approved for use next week in UK

#601

Post by tubularhells »

shusson wrote: post #71

Out of curiosity, how do people on HN rate the risk of long term side-effects?

As I see it, the political side is pushing for a solution for the now, damn the consequences in 5-10 years. This is really just BAU in politics.

I wouldn't be surprised if the leaders of the vaccine firms weren't using their own vaccines on themselves and their families for a couple more years, until they have sufficient data.

I have read enough research papers about the replication crises in many fields to know how much these long term studies are needed to properly assess a risk-benefit analysis for vaccination. I will, personally, stay the fuck away for the next couple years. My life didn't change much anyway, I've been working from home for years now. Less social life, but I can weather that.

As a note, we got COVID with the wife, I was without symptoms while she lost taste for a couple days and was tired for a week. That was all.

Re: Pfizer Covid vaccine approved for use next week in UK

#602

Post by fuoqi »

garmaine wrote: post #250
polytely wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is of vital importance that the majority of people feel safe taking the vaccine, because you need herd immunity. If people have doubts that it has been correctly vetted they will be reluctant to get vaccinated which makes the whole investment in the vaccines pointless.

Safety tests were already completed and approved by regulators months ago. The Phase 3 trials are efficacy trials to show that the vaccine gives immunity. Certainly we learned more about the safety of the vaccines from Phase 3 data, but we already knew that adverse immediate reactions would be very rare. What's ridiculous about this situation is that the regulatory authorities are not willing to weigh against the ben…

>Only Russia and China went ahead with early vaccination

I don't know about China, but mass vaccination have not started in Russia yet. It will begin only from the next week starting with medical personnel and teachers. Effectively the Russian vaccine has only finished phase 3 trials (based on 40k volunteers) relatively recently.

Re: Pfizer Covid vaccine approved for use next week in UK

#603

Post by rootusrootus »

amanaplanacanal wrote: post #387
free2OSS wrote: post #315

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nearly all of the things you mentioned is among old or obese people. Lucky children can't vote, lets start vaccinations! I somewhat kid, but COVID is a real life example where a tiny minority has ruled over the overwhelming majority.

Don’t know where you are, but in the UK and the US, old and/or obese is nothing like a tiny minority.

It's really a problem everywhere, UK & US are just leading the charge. E.g. Germany has over half the population overweight, and a solid 1 in 4 are obese. While that doesn't match the US, it's not exactly something to brag about.

Re: Pfizer Covid vaccine approved for use next week in UK

#604

Post by bluGill »

tinus_hn wrote: post #302
_Microft wrote: post #294

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's one of the possibilities I had in mind when I started the thread. Look at my top level comment so see what I asked exactly.

The answer to that is two-fold, of course. In the US and UK any hold-up is going to be blamed on the government, while in the EU it’ll be blamed on some nebulous, far away EU institution which is not elected anyway. Second one country might care more about a lot of people dying unnecessarily (besides the burden on the economy) than another. Clearly the EU has no issue with it and prioritizes theatrics instead. Again,…

The EU didn't get the data to make a decision until just a couple days ago. The FDA and UK had a head start so of course they can make an informed decision sooner.

Maybe the EU should say "We haven't seen the data, but it is good enough for the UK so good enough for us.". However what if the data shows it is good enough for anyone from north-west Europe, but not anywhere else in the world - then the approval would just needless divert the vaccine from where it would work (the UK) and give people it won't work on anyway a sore arm. This is an extreme, unlikely situation, but it is the type of thing they EU needs to know about.

Re: Pfizer Covid vaccine approved for use next week in UK

#605

Post by [deleted] »

calebm wrote: post #345
Arkhaine_kupo wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Healthy skepticism belong in peer-reviews, in revisions of medical journals. Skepticism in the public space fosters anti-vaccine sentiments, adds to the already growing anti-vax movements and puts in risk the vulnerable in our society as they require shielding and for the rest of us to do our part.

Remember the food pyramid (that said you should eat more carbs than any other category) which was published by the medical experts?

[deleted]

Re: Pfizer Covid vaccine approved for use next week in UK

#606

Post by krona »

rootusrootus wrote: post #498
djsumdog wrote: post #493

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm sure that will make those 5,000 who have trouble walking or smiling feel so much better.

Is that not true of all medicines? There is a net benefit calculation to be made.

The hippocratic oath doesn't pertain to a doctors effect on an entire society, but to her patient. Utilitarian medical ethics do not apply in any sane society.

Re: Pfizer Covid vaccine approved for use next week in UK

#607

Post by rootusrootus »

polytely wrote: post #88
modeless wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Pfizer concluded their trial and filed for approval with the FDA almost two weeks ago. People are dying. Why is it not approved yet?

It is of vital importance that the majority of people feel safe taking the vaccine, because you need herd immunity. If people have doubts that it has been correctly vetted they will be reluctant to get vaccinated which makes the whole investment in the vaccines pointless.

It'll be interesting to see what happens if there is a significant amount of antivax attitude towards the COVID vaccines. I wonder if we'll see a lot of employers mandating it.

Re: Pfizer Covid vaccine approved for use next week in UK

#608

Post by _Microft »

tinus_hn wrote: post #591
_Microft wrote: post #580

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Clearly the EU has no issue with [a lot of people dying unnecessarily]." wat?

Actions speak louder than words. 20 days delay is 100000 people dead. That’s the option they choose.

Sure, that's why I am convinced that they are working as fast as possible. (I'm fully aware by now that you seem perfectly fine with corner cutting, so no need to reiterate that again).

Re: Pfizer Covid vaccine approved for use next week in UK

#609

Post by napier »

tubularhells wrote: post #592
aspyct wrote: post #510

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah uhm... Never been to /r/asd, and now I'm slightly afraid of checking it out, seeing as two comments have been deleted :D

Look at the way people communicate here, how little empathy they show, the complete sense of humour, how anal they can be about not about the big picture that the other person is arguing for but, say, choice of words, someone's formulation of a sentence, use of the oxford comma, whatever really. Then tell me if this site is not the largest community for autistic software developers, diagnosed or not. This is in no wa…

Hear, hear!

Re: Pfizer Covid vaccine approved for use next week in UK

#610

Post by bluGill »

tinus_hn wrote: post #396
refurb wrote: post #339

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You'd fit right in with the folks that approved thalidomide. "Why worry about something that isn't going to happen?"

It would have been impossible to predict the problems with thalidomine by looking at the equivalent report as what is available now for these vaccines. So looking at it for 20 days isn’t going to help with that. It’s just going to cost 100000 lives.

Even if they approve today and the best case happens were are still looking at the same 100000 lives lost. Maybe a handful would be prevented, but no matter what supply ensures that they cannot vaccinate enough people to make a significant dent in that number.
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