“There are a lot of unanswered questions about Cuba’s vaccine program, and the fact that neither the labs nor the government has shared much information about these vaccines makes me wonder if these efficacy numbers are real,” said Andy Gomez, a Cuba scholar and former senior fellow at the University of Miami’s Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies. “If the vaccines are that good, why not share the data with the world?”
Cuba will begin Phase III of clinical trials for their COVID-19 vaccine, which could make the island the first Latin American country to test and develop its own vaccine. By Associated Press/Cubavision
The World Health Organization set up a COVID-19 vaccine tracking system to compile detailed information about each candidate in development by closely monitoring its progress as part of an effort by the global scientific community to share data and to facilitate approvals at a global level. Cuba is listed with three Soberana shots — 01, 02 and Plus — and Abdala, but the WHO table says: “Awaiting information on strategy and timelines for submission.”
Details about the vaccine candidates being tested are scarce on Cuba’s Health Ministry’s trial registry system, but the information provided so far shows they are all protein-based, in which a type of protein located on the virus “spike” is used to induce neutralizing antibodies, basically teaching the immune system to fight off the virus. The technology has been previously used in other vaccines. They are easier and cheaper to produce, and that must have been a key consideration for the socialist island as it faces a severe economic crisis that’s influencing its ability to buy materials. Both the Soberana and the Abdala vaccines require three doses, but Cuban authorities said the Soberana does protect against serious disease and death after just two doses.
FishPants wrote: ↑Tue Jun 22, 2021 2:50 pm
Today my family all received second doses.. Pfizer for the kids, Moderna for my wife and I (we had AZ first). Let the lab experiment begin! To further muddy the waters we were tight on time to get back home for meetings/school - so I grabbed Taquitos from 7-11 (This was a first for my kids) - so any side effects we won't be sure if it's the vaccine or the food poisoning!
I heard mixing vaccines results in your growing a third testicle, but at the same time your body no longer produces testosterone therefore it just goes to waste. Care to confirm or deny?
So far the same balls! On another note though, I did play a round of golf yesterday and had random serious sweats for the first few holes. Once I had a cold beer, everything seemed to self correct -- and I played a great game no less. So clearly mixing of vaccines is shown to improve golfing performance. Science fact.
Not sure which thread this should go in, but in the most NC State thing ever (sorry YK!), their baseball team was one win away for playing for their first national championship since the 80s when they were disqualified because too many people on the team were unvaccinated and had to sit out due to contact tracing. And when I say “their first national championship”, I don’t mean the baseball team’s, I mean the whole university’s. Idiot.
Ralph-Wiggum wrote: ↑Sat Jun 26, 2021 1:15 pm
Not sure which thread this should go in, but in the most NC State thing ever (sorry YK!), their baseball team was one win away for playing for their first national championship since the 80s when they were disqualified because too many people on the team were unvaccinated and had to sit out due to contact tracing. And when I say “their first national championship”, I don’t mean the baseball team’s, I mean the whole university’s. Idiot.
Today was my town's Independence Day celebration (it's always the weekend before the holiday so as not to conflict with Boston). It was comforting to see normalcy after the parade and festival were canceled last year. I estimate that there were 2-3,000 people at the high school, with long lines at all of the food trucks. I saw fewer than a dozen masks, and half of those were chin diapers. Norfolk County leads Mass. with about 71% fully vaxxed and over 80% at least partially, and since it was outdoors with a stiff breeze the risk was near zero. I was a little concerned about the legions of small children running around unmasked, since they're the virus' host population now, but I have essentially no contact with children day-to-day.
Anyway, I got my annual hot Italian sausage sub from The Sausage Guy, and the fireworks start in an hour, so the 4th is fully celebrated this year.
I just got back from getting my second dose (Moderna this time, to go with Pfizer on the first go-round). Two more weeks and then I can embark on such exciting adventures as booking a dental cleaning and an eye exam.
"What? What?What?" -- The 14th Doctor
It's not enough to be a good player... you also have to play well. -- Siegbert Tarrasch
Oof, Moderna is kicking my ass today. Up until I went to bed last night, the side effects were pretty much the same as the initial dose of Pfizer, mostly just a sore arm. Then I woke up in the middle of the night running a mild fever (37.8C) and had a couple of bouts of chills and shivering. When that subsided, I went back to sleep and woke up this morning with a headache, more general body aches and a slightly more elevated fever (38.4C).
It's not great, but it will pass and at least I know it's doing something.
"What? What?What?" -- The 14th Doctor
It's not enough to be a good player... you also have to play well. -- Siegbert Tarrasch
From what I read thats only true so far for people who had previously been infected with it.
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I am Dyslexic of Borg, prepare to have your ass laminated.
I guess Ray Butts has ate his last pancake. http://steamcommunity.com/id/daehawk
"Has high IQ. Refuses to apply it"
I'm not sure about that. My understanding is that people that had COVID-19 that are then vaccinated are effectively "boosted" and their immune response is ever greater than someone that is just vaccinated with the same series of shots.
The biggest concern we've have is whether or not booster will be necessary for all, and this study suggests we might be ok. There's additional concern for the immunocompromised and if we only need to booster them, that's good news.
Smoove_B wrote: ↑Mon Jun 28, 2021 1:33 pm
Some good news:
The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines may protect against the coronavirus for years, a study of more than a dozen vaccinated people found.
The findings add to evidence that most people immunized with the mRNA vaccines may not need boosters.
Still waiting to hear what the official recommendation will be for J&J folks.
So my daughter is almost eligible to be vaccinated (turns 12 on July 26th). My inclination right now since the three major vaccines seem to be pretty widely available is to get her either Moderna or Pfizer if I can, given that there seem to be some indications like this that they may provide better protection than J&J (even if, like this, they are tentative and yet-to-be-confirmed). Does that make sense?
El Guapo wrote: ↑Mon Jun 28, 2021 1:47 pm
So my daughter is almost eligible to be vaccinated (turns 12 on July 26th). My inclination right now since the three major vaccines seem to be pretty widely available is to get her either Moderna or Pfizer if I can, given that there seem to be some indications like this that they may provide better protection than J&J (even if, like this, they are tentative and yet-to-be-confirmed). Does that make sense?
(1) I would discourage vaccine shopping. The best vaccine is the one you get get.
(2) Your daughter (at age 12) would only be eligible for the Pfizer vaccine - it's the only one approved for 12+. Moderna is approved for 16+. J&J is only approved for 18+.
El Guapo wrote: ↑Mon Jun 28, 2021 1:47 pm
So my daughter is almost eligible to be vaccinated (turns 12 on July 26th). My inclination right now since the three major vaccines seem to be pretty widely available is to get her either Moderna or Pfizer if I can, given that there seem to be some indications like this that they may provide better protection than J&J (even if, like this, they are tentative and yet-to-be-confirmed). Does that make sense?
(1) I would discourage vaccine shopping. The best vaccine is the one you get get.
(2) Your daughter (at age 12) would only be eligible for the Pfizer vaccine - it's the only one approved for 12+. Moderna is approved for 16+. J&J is only approved for 18+.
I realize that any vaccine is better than no vaccine. But in a situation where you can get any vaccine on a given day (which is I think about where we are at this point in the U.S.), the question of choosing a particular vaccine becomes relevant.
But only one being authorized for her age does make it moot.
My experience (locally, NJ) is that Pfizer is overwhelmingly available. I think there are select locations offering Moderna and J&J, but in terms of what seems easiest to get locally, Pfizer seems to be it. I don't know if that's a trend seen elsewhere.
I comment on the vaccine shopping issue mainly for people reading along - it's become a real issue. The hesitant are using availability ("I only want my doctor to give it to me"; "I only want Moderna") as a way to maintain a non-vaccinated status. Trying to address those kinds of issues is...frustrating. My FIL lives in AZ. He's in a high risk age group, living in a high risk state and he is "shopping". I genuinely fear for his safety as there's zero reason for him to not be vaccinated at this point - it should have been done 4 months ago.
It seems like everywhere I go there's a "vaccines available here! No wait!" sign. Including at a theme park that we were at this weekend in Connecticut, which was interesting.
I'm also not totally sure whether I should book an appointment for my daughter on her birthday, or just show up at a CVS or something.
If it were me, I'd be booking an appointment as far in advance as I could for the day I want. I am saying that from a management/logistics perspective to make sure they have it the day I'm ready.
I honestly don't know what's going on with supplies, but I keep seeing information (locally) that things are in a constant state of flux - where they're moving vaccines to areas/locations that need them more. While it might have been "walk in" status back in late April and early May, your ability to walk in to lots of places might not be the same as it was then.
Max Peck wrote: ↑Sun Jun 27, 2021 12:28 pm
I just got back from getting my second dose (Moderna this time, to go with Pfizer on the first go-round). Two more weeks and then I can embark on such exciting adventures as booking a dental cleaning and an eye exam.
That's great. Now you can feel free that you've done your part.
Today my Dad and I got booked for Pfizer on the same day, for an appointment this Saturday. Feels quite quick. We've come a long way from just a few weeks earlier. My Mom is also booked for tomorrow.
Smoove_B wrote: ↑Mon Jun 28, 2021 2:02 pmMy experience (locally, NJ) is that Pfizer is overwhelmingly available. I think there are select locations offering Moderna and J&J, but in terms of what seems easiest to get locally, Pfizer seems to be it. I don't know if that's a trend seen elsewhere.
In my neck of the woods, Moderna is plentiful and only select pharmacies and hospital sites have Pfizer available for 12-15. J&J is at least as scarce as Pfizer.
Max Peck wrote: ↑Sun Jun 27, 2021 12:28 pm
I just got back from getting my second dose (Moderna this time, to go with Pfizer on the first go-round). Two more weeks and then I can embark on such exciting adventures as booking a dental cleaning and an eye exam.
That's great. Now you can feel free that you've done your part.
Today my Dad and I got booked for Pfizer on the same day, for an appointment this Saturday. Feels quite quick. We've come a long way from just a few weeks earlier. My Mom is also booked for tomorrow.
Cool, I'm glad that the booking portal is working well on day one of the free-for-all. I have one friend who was planning to be up and caffeinated by 0730 and ready to log on at 0759. I haven't checked in with them, but I hope they were able to book a new appointment ASAP as well.
"What? What?What?" -- The 14th Doctor
It's not enough to be a good player... you also have to play well. -- Siegbert Tarrasch
Max Peck wrote: ↑Sun Jun 27, 2021 12:28 pm
I just got back from getting my second dose (Moderna this time, to go with Pfizer on the first go-round). Two more weeks and then I can embark on such exciting adventures as booking a dental cleaning and an eye exam.
That's great. Now you can feel free that you've done your part.
Today my Dad and I got booked for Pfizer on the same day, for an appointment this Saturday. Feels quite quick. We've come a long way from just a few weeks earlier. My Mom is also booked for tomorrow.
Cool, I'm glad that the booking portal is working well on day one of the free-for-all. I have one friend who was planning to be up and caffeinated by 0730 and ready to log on at 0759. I haven't checked in with them, but I hope they were able to book a new appointment ASAP as well.
Oh, I forgot to mention that they not only emailed to say my Dad's original second dose date was being cancelled, but also called too. So, that was a nice surprise given the discussion we've had here. Mind you this was via the local health unit, so experiences may differ. But I was quite impressed.
WHO: In order to avoid stigmatizing countries, we will now refer to SARS-CoV-2 variants using arbitrary labels rather than referring to the country where it was first observed.
Media: No problem. When we report on a variant, we will helpfully remind everyone where it was first seen. Every. Single. Time.
"What? What?What?" -- The 14th Doctor
It's not enough to be a good player... you also have to play well. -- Siegbert Tarrasch
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I am Dyslexic of Borg, prepare to have your ass laminated.
I guess Ray Butts has ate his last pancake. http://steamcommunity.com/id/daehawk
"Has high IQ. Refuses to apply it"
We tend to use the word bug loosely for any very small creature with legs. However, a true bug is defined as belonging to the order Hemiptera. These creatures characteristically have tough forewings and lack teeth, such as beetles. True bugs have a stylet (a mouth shaped like a straw) that they use to suck juices from plants. Insects belong to the class Insecta and they are characterized by three-part bodies, usually two pairs of wings, and three pairs of legs, (e.g., bees and mosquitoes).
dbt1949 wrote: ↑Tue Jun 29, 2021 12:45 pm
I see where California has banned travel to Arkansas.
Oh no!
That has nothing to do with Covid and is off topic. Additional discussion should be in R&P.
I guess I need to start actually reading the articles.
Didn't mean to be harsh, on stupid ass Samsung tablet where it's hard to get to emojis and was also in a hurry. But no, the five states that California state government employees can't go to has to do with LGBTQ stuff.
Studies have found that Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine is effective against several variants of concern, including the Delta variant, the biotech company announced on Tuesday.
Moderna says recently completed studies have found the vaccine to have a neutralizing effect against all COVID-19 variants tested, including the Beta, Delta, Eta and Kappa variants.
While still highly effective against the Delta variant, the study showed the vaccine was less effective against it and certain other variants than against the original strain of the virus.
The antibody response against the Delta variant was about two times weaker than against the ancestral strain of the virus.
