VACCINE NEWS-Keep your fingers crossed...

[djjoe]

On 6/5/2020 at 10:09 AM, boscobeans said:

ASTRAZENECA just announced that the vaccine they have developed has been VERY safe and successful in OVER TEN THOUSAND patients.

 

To avoid any lag time between approval and delivery they are moving ahead with production and will, if approved, be able to ship 300 million doses to the United States in SEPTEMBER of this year, and 2 billion worldwide.

I also read this article on Royal Caribbean (unofficial) blog yesterday. It sounds great, but it still requires months of testing before FDA, CDC approval. A vaccine is the only way we will return to cruising. I think we can all agree that social distancing and masks will not work on a cruise ship. I cant imagine having to use a table for 8 with only 4 diners seated. They would have to have 3 seatings in the dining room, early, middle and late. And yes we would be vaccinated, although I know many cruisers that don't believe in vaccines and never get a yearly flu shot.

[Ocean Boy]

41 minutes ago, MommaBear55 said:

When new vaccines come out, or there is a shortage, there is a prioritization. Healthcare workers and first responders, elderly, those with pre existing conditions are called to get it before young and healthy people. 

When the vaccine comes out, and I have a sense of its safety and efficacy, I will make recomendations to my patients based on guidelines that are released. But that is just how I practice medicine. Someone elses mileage my vary.

 

Being a physician doesn't mean just reading the directions in someone else's cook book.

[Ocean Boy]

Error

[crewsweeper]

5 hours ago, BND said:

Not the same thing at all.  The covid vaccine works in a very specific way.  It's not the flu at all.  Flu vaccines are selected each year based on the best guess of what strain will be out.  Read up on the covid vaccine.

 

I really wish people would do research before spouting that there are going to be "guinea pigs" who take  it first, etc.  First, this vaccine is riding on the back of research that was done for SARS as it's the same family of virus, second, there has been testing done and so far, it's gone great.  My DH and I are 60 and 63 and will gladly get the vaccine as soon as possible.

I wasn't  imp,lying COVID-19 was the same as the flu. Only using the flu shot as an example of how the effective vaccines are for these families of viruses, unlike vaccines for polio or smallpox.

My DW and I are 70. No underlying conditions,  not obese. If available prior to our next cruise,  we'llget the vaccine. Regardless,  we'll wear mask, wash hands and forgo hugging and kissing strangers😉😁 on our next cruise.

[djyellowsub]

My husband and I have gotten the flu shot every year for many years, and we will be the first in line to get a Covid-19 vaccine.  Anything to get life back to normal.  My husband is high risk if he gets the virus, so a safe vaccine will be welcome news for us.

[MommaBear55]

5 hours ago, not-enough-cruising said:

The point is, however, there is no vaccine, therefore there is no list. 
Pharmaceutical prioritization is not a one size fits all proposition. Only after a drug is approved and distribution planned would there be directives on who receives it and in what order (if indeed there is a need for such rationing)

I took the "list" to be more theoretical concept. 

[SRF]

On 6/5/2020 at 10:44 AM, ipeeinthepool said:

 

The reason that many people still catch the flu, is that they have to guess which strain of the viruses will develop each year,  When they guess correctly, it's very effective.  In the case of Covid, they know the virus and the vaccine should be very effective.  I'm not sure that they know how long the vaccine will be effective, but if I need to get a Covid vaccine each year that will be fine.  Sign me up when the vaccine's available.  

 

Agree and agree.

[BP99]

19 hours ago, not-enough-cruising said:

Covid 19 is a mutating RNA virus EXACTLY like the flu. 
A Covid 19 vaccine will NOT act like a measles, smallpox, or polio vaccine. 
There are already 14 identified mutations of Covid 19 that the current vaccines are being tested against; next year there could quite possibly be more. 
A Covid 19 vaccine, if successful, would function the same as the current flu vaccine. It would be a different cocktail every year based on research of mutation trends, and a scientific postulation of what the next strains will be. 

Hi,

Some "Friendly" comments.

All viruses mutate. The mutation rate is a bit lower in coronaviruses

than flu. RNA viruses make errors because of poor proofreading of

their enzymes that are involved in replication (a million times higher

than us).

However MANY vaccines used for humans are for RNA viruses. Many

are for children! There have been very few vaccine-escape mutants.

They can introduce new strains if this is a concern (easy to do).

Of the mutants you discussed only one is in the spike protein.  

This is the protein they are targeting in most covid 19 vaccines

(unless they use the whole virus). If the spike protein mutates too

much it will NOT bind to the host cells (us) and will NOT be able

to replicate and will NOT be transmitted to others. Interestingly,

the Chinese have a whole virus (killed) vaccine. Their vaccine

induces antibodies that recognize all 5 of the world wide strains.

Also, antibodies are HUGE proteins compared to the spike protein. Any 

antibodies against any portion of the spike protein would likely

block entry into human cells and would also clear the virus.

There are several news articles that discuss covid 19 mutations

Google: COVID-19 Will Mutate — What That Means for a Vaccine 

 

 

[Biker19]

A coronavirus vaccine which exists in pill form could enter the first phases of clinical trials this year.

Oravax, the company working on the substance, announced in a press release that it hopes to begin the first phase of clinical trials in humans by June.

 

The step is only the earliest phase of developing a vaccine. There is no guarantee of success, and even if it works it could be a year or more before it is authorized for use (Moderna and Pfizer began their first human trials in March and May 2020 respectively).

 

Oral vaccines are an option being assessed for "second-generation" vaccines, which are designed to be more scalable, easier to administer, and simpler to distribute.

Oravax is joint venture by two firms: the Israeli-American company Oramed and the Indian company Premas Biotech. Its press release Friday said that trials could begin by June.

 

An oral vaccine could "potentially [enable] people to take the vaccine themselves at home," Nadav Kidron, CEO of Oramed, said in the release.

 

The vaccine could be shipped in a normal refrigerator and stored at room temperature, Kidron said, "making it logistically easier to get it anywhere around the world," the Jerusalem Post reported.

 

In an email to Insider, Prof. Paul Hunter, Professor in Medicine at the University of East Anglia, sounded a note of caution.

 

"We would need properly conducted studies to prove [oral vaccines'] worth," he said.

"But they may also be of value in people who are severely needle phobic and may be easier and more rapid to administer."

 

Oral vaccines could also offer other benefits over vaccines taken in the arm, Hunter told Insider.

 

"The thing about systemic vaccines (shots in arms) in that they are generally very good at preventing severe disease" but they are often not great at preventing infection.

 

The theory is that because the infection first happens in the nose and throat, that vaccines focused on those areas will help stop infection before it can develop to anything worse.

 

Data about the Oravax vaccine has not been published to date. "The results of the animal studies are encouraging", Hunter told Insider. "But don't assume that animal results always translate into human results".

 

"We need human studies to be sure," he said.

 

Other types of second-generation vaccines are being investigated, such as vaccines delivered by a spray through the nose. Scientists are also studying whether vaccines could be delivered through patches.

 

Prof. Sarah Gilbert, lead scientist on the development of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, said that Oxford is assessing the possibility of developing tablets and nasal-spray oral vaccines, the Independent reported on February 25.

 

Oxford University declined to answer questions about oral vaccines put by Insider before publication.

 

Another company, ImmunityBio, is running Phase 1 clinical trials of an oral version of the vaccine. However, this would be used more as a booster dose to the intramuscular vaccine, rather than the vaccine on its own.

 

The only test of an oral COVID-19 vaccine done in humans so far has not panned out.

 

In late 2020, a company called Vaxart announced good results in animal trials, but in the first human trials got disappointing responses.

 

COVID-19 Vaccine in The Form of a Pill Is Set to Enter First Clinical Trials (sciencealert.com)

Edited March 23, 2021 by Biker19

[Biker19]

Biotech company SaNOtize Research & Development said Monday that it has received interim approval in Israel to sell its Nitric Oxide Nasal Spray (NONS), which is designed to protect users from viruses that enter the body through the upper nasal pathways. The product is expected to be sold in pharmacies in Israel by the summer, and has been registered to begin being sold in New Zealand.

 

Manufacturing of NONS, under the brand name Enovid, has begun in Israel with Sanotize’s manufacturing partner, Ness Ziona-based Nextar Chempharma Solutions.  

 

In New Zealand, SaNOtize has registered its nasal spray with the New Zealand Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Authority, which has permitted the company to distribute and sell NONS over the counter immediately, the company said.

 

Last week, SaNOtize along with Ashford and St. Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in Surrey, UK, announced results of clinical trials indicating that NONS represents a safe and effective antiviral treatment that could prevent the transmission of COVID-19, shorten its course, and reduce the severity of symptoms and damage in those already infected. The study has been submitted to a leading medical journal for review and publication.

 

“Our novel formulation of nitric oxide for use in humans is designed to kill viruses in the upper airways, preventing them from incubating and spreading to the lungs," according to Dr. Chris Miller, Chief Science Officer and co-founder of SaNOtize. "The pharmacology, toxicity and safety data for use in humans has been well-established for decades. Our innovative product design also allows the treatment to be self-administered effectively and affordably.”

 

Israeli Anti-Viral Nasal Spray gets first sales approvals - The Jerusalem Post (jpost.com)