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First person receives Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine in UK

bbc.com

31–40 of 404 posts

Re: First person receives Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine in UK

#31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not yet known whether the Pfizer vaccine prevents an infected person from transmitting the infection to other people [1]. But there is robust evidence that is does prevent an immunised person from becoming ill. [1] https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-03441-8

Could someone please explain how this can be the case? I understand the vaccine works by stimulating antibody production, which prevent you from becoming ill by binding to the virus and disabling it should it enter your system. How then could the virus be spread further if it's already been disabled?

The vaccine teaches your immune system to respond to a particular protein that surrounds the virus. If you contract the virus you are still infectious until it can kill all of the virus. The time between the immune response and OG infection can mean the virus has time to replicate and spread/ be shed I’m guessing.

Re: First person receives Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine in UK

#33
post #14

Good luck to the average person getting it in the USA before March. Even with half the population refusing it because the anti-vax people might be even more crazy than the anti-maskers. Which makes you wonder which country will have covid longest.

Good chance that there is significant overlap between anti-maskers and anti-vaxxers.

Re: First person receives Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine in UK

#34
post #21
post #14

Good luck to the average person getting it in the USA before March. Even with half the population refusing it because the anti-vax people might be even more crazy than the anti-maskers. Which makes you wonder which country will have covid longest.

All countries will have covid forever[0]: it's an endemic disease to nearly all continents now, much like the flu or aids. [0]for values of "forever" that don't go into the far future where viruses may have a cure or an effective form of erradication.

Australia doesn’t have it. Wasn’t impossible, just had to stop air travel and lockdown for a period. Now the only people with COVID are returned Australian travellers from overseas who have to go on hotel quarantine

Re: First person receives Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine in UK

#35

I feel like mRNA vaccines have huge potential, but I am really, really concerned about potential side effects. Does anyone know which other helper-substances are inside the vaccine, besides the RNA?

Adjuvants in modern vaccines are extraordinarily well studied and safe. Current side effects include 6-24 hours of feeling totally crappy. Still beats Covid-19...

Re: First person receives Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine in UK

#36

A 90 year old woman in a nursing home is not spreading COVID. Wouldn't it make more sense to give this to people who are most at risk of spreading it, not dying from it? Why wouldn't we go at the root cause of the pandemic; young healthy asymptomatic spreaders?

Why not? She could contract it from a caretaker or visitor, and then spread it to the next caretaker who spreads it further. One advantage of immunization in nursing homes is also that they can now take visitors more liberally.

Re: First person receives Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine in UK

#37
post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because stopping the elderly from overwhelming the health infrastructure needs to be step 1. ICU beds are extremely expensive.

At this age, you don't get admitted to an ICU bed

Of course they do, as long as there's a bed available. Especially with Covid. No hospital wants to be the one that denied a patient an available ICU bed.

Re: First person receives Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine in UK

#38
post #10

A 90 year old woman in a nursing home is not spreading COVID. Wouldn't it make more sense to give this to people who are most at risk of spreading it, not dying from it? Why wouldn't we go at the root cause of the pandemic; young healthy asymptomatic spreaders?

I believe the vaccine has not been showed to reduce transmission, it's been shown to reduce impact, i.e. she's less likely to die if someone visits her, so great for her, and her families, well-being.

Not just less likely: no one who got the vaccine in trials has died (of COVID)

Re: First person receives Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine in UK

#39
post #34
post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

All countries will have covid forever[0]: it's an endemic disease to nearly all continents now, much like the flu or aids. [0]for values of "forever" that don't go into the far future where viruses may have a cure or an effective form of erradication.

Australia doesn’t have it. Wasn’t impossible, just had to stop air travel and lockdown for a period. Now the only people with COVID are returned Australian travellers from overseas who have to go on hotel quarantine

It's likely this will change next year when Australia lifts quarantining. It will be considered an acceptable risk given that most people will not be vulnerable to it.

Re: First person receives Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine in UK

#40
post #10

A 90 year old woman in a nursing home is not spreading COVID. Wouldn't it make more sense to give this to people who are most at risk of spreading it, not dying from it? Why wouldn't we go at the root cause of the pandemic; young healthy asymptomatic spreaders?

I believe the vaccine has not been showed to reduce transmission, it's been shown to reduce impact, i.e. she's less likely to die if someone visits her, so great for her, and her families, well-being.

If it reduces impact it also reduces impact of transmission because the patient has lower viral load. Masks have to same effect, although to a lesser degree (and obviously a different mode of operation).
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