COVID-19 vaccine development pipeline gears up

[Alby]

I saw an article from home today where experts spoke at a major event saying it would take six years to vaccinate the entire world. But what does that even mean? It's like painting the Sydney Harbour Bridge: as soon as you get to the end it's time to start again. Except that each lick of paint is patchy and incomplete: not everybody will take a vaccine the first year it's available, and even some of those who do will then stop taking it in the future. And some who don't take it the first time round will do so in the future--in some years but maybe not in others. Just like some people never take the flu vaccine, and others do every year, and others take it when they remember, or if their employer organizes it. The virus is surely never going to disappear: from this point in every individual will manage it as we see fit with the range of tools we each have, of which vaccines, fortunately, are now part of the list. The new normal is here, and we have been living it for some time. The only question is which activities that we did pre-March 2020 disappear completely and which return in a modified and reduced version of what they were.

 

[gracielle]

Tensión por las vacunas contra el covid: los correos electrónicos que revelan la pelea del Gobierno con Pfizer

Tensión por las vacunas contra el covid: los correos electrónicos que revelan la pelea del Gobierno con Pfizer

www.lanacion.com.ar

10 February 2021....by Pablo Fernández Blanco
Tension over covid vaccines: the emails that reveal the Government's fight with Pfizer.

A series of emails crossed between the Ministry of Health and the North American company Pfizer between last December 11 and 15, which LA NACION saw, show the reasons behind the fight between both parties, which prevent Argentina until now to close an agreement with the laboratory to become one of the most coveted alternatives in the fight against covid. The documentation analyzed shows the annoyance of the Health Minister, Ginés González García, with the laboratory, lists reproaches and denounces pressure, but leaves the door open to a future agreement.

It also reveals that the Argentine government, according to its terms, modified the regulatory framework to the limit of what is allowed and made legislative pirouettes to have the Pfizer vaccine and other alternatives, something that increased the anger of the Health Minister regarding the company's refusal....

 

[antipodean]

I saw an article from home today where experts spoke at a major event saying it would take six years to vaccinate the entire world. But what does that even mean? It's like painting the Sydney Harbour Bridge: as soon as you get to the end it's time to start again. Except that each lick of paint is patchy and incomplete: not everybody will take a vaccine the first year it's available, and even some of those who do will then stop taking it in the future. And some who don't take it the first time round will do so in the future--in some years but maybe not in others. Just like some people never take the flu vaccine, and others do every year, and others take it when they remember, or if their employer organizes it. The virus is surely never going to disappear: from this point in every individual will manage it as we see fit with the range of tools we each have, of which vaccines, fortunately, are now part of the list. The new normal is here, and we have been living it for some time. The only question is which activities that we did pre-March 2020 disappear completely and which return in a modified and reduced version of what they were.

The main objective, as I understand, is to achieve a herd immunity. This requires something like 70% of the population to have immunity at any given time.
If country X can achieve this then it is able to function without worrying about the enormous economic and significant mortal toll like in countries that have not achieved it would still need to deal with however perhaps on an increasingly “isolated” and sporadic level - costly disruptions none the less.

Of course country X would then need to keep up the vaccine compliance levels until such point as the world is a more “level playing field” or otherwise lock itself away for an indefinite period - something I’m guessing in the “first world” most people wont see as a desirable option.

I agree that the world won’t look like a “level playing” field for a long time to come, but some countries will certainly have a head start.

 

[Alby]

If country X can achieve this then it is able to function without worrying about the enormous economic and significant mortal toll like in countries that have not achieved it would still need to deal with however perhaps on an increasingly “isolated” and sporadic level - costly disruptions none the less.

There are several countries that have put themselves in the position where isolated and sporadic events will seem like the end of the world, and those countries will eventually have to face the fact that they either come to terms with those events, or indeed take the conscious national decision to lock themselves away indefinitely.

For the rest of the world, my question is, will governments even be able to hold their own attention, yet alone that of their millions of people on a goal like 70% herd immunity that, if it is ever delivered, will be years in the making because it is a high target and because even reaching it is insufficient--they have to then hold it there.

Surely, as the vaccines continue rolling out across the worst affected wealthier countries, and life moves to a scale model of what it once was (in a past we will barely be able to recall), the coronavirus and COVID19 will disappear from our consciousness as other issues (including other viruses, or other strains of this virus) take over the agenda.

 

[gracielle]

Vacuna contra el Covid: ¿Cuántas dosis de Sputnik V recibió cada provincia?

La mayoría de los lotes recibidos en los dos primeros vuelos ya se distribuyó, junto con la mitad de la carga del tercer vuelo; esta noche parte hacia Moscú el cuarto vuelo

www.lanacion.com.ar

10 February 2021....by Fabiola Czubaj
Covid Vaccine: How many doses of Sputnik V did each province receive?

....most of the 300,000 (two components) of the Sputnik V vaccine that arrived in the first two planes were actually distributed in the provinces, which are now awaiting the delivery of more doses to advance vaccination and avoid the cancellation of assigned appointments.....At the same time, according to a survey of the stock by component and district, in the first week of this month at least 52% of the 200,000 doses of the third flight destined for Argentina were distributed....So far, all these doses are for health personnel, in what is the initial stage of the national vaccination campaign for Covid-19. In some districts, according to the availability of doses and following the recommendation of the ANMAT, they advanced with professionals older than 60 years. Even so, those first 300,000 schemes - which still need to be completed in the jurisdictions - are enough to protect just over a third (36.5%) of the prioritized health personnel of the public and private system.

The distribution of the Russian vaccine, jurisdiction by jurisdiction....see graph.

....There are 821,394 health workers assigned to critical care areas that must be reached, according to the Ministry of Health of the Nation, in a plan aimed at a total of 14,492,299 Argentines in six priority groups. So far, the country has obtained 800,000 doses of Sputnik V. THE NATION revealed how the effective distribution was based on information from the governors or health ministries of each district as they receive units. According to these data, they received 98.9% of the first component that arrived on the flight of December 24 last, no less than 96.9% of the second component on board the flight of January 16 and, according to data of 22 of the 24 districts, 52% of the load of the flight on January 28.

Yesterday, the national Ministry of Health indicated that they sent 403,320 units of the first component of Sputnik to the provinces (initially, it had been reported that between the first and third flights 400,000 units had arrived) and 291,960 of the second component (of 400,000 doses declared of the second and third flights). For official records, there are 337,533 vaccinated with the first dose and 196,543 with the full schedule....

....So far, according to those reported by districts, that vaccination rate is uneven. In addition, as far as deliveries are concerned, there were provinces that had to discard and request the replacement of doses due to loss of cold, such as Chubut or Catamarca. Chaco, on the other hand, reported that with the 7,650 first doses assigned it was able to vaccinate 8,180 people. How was it done? “We have been able to recover 530 doses of the surplus that each bottle brings,” said the provincial Health Minister, Paola Benítez. Each vial brings five doses and a surplus “that is considered loss". That surplus that was recovered allowed the additional health workers to be vaccinated, ”Benítez said.

 

[gracielle]

Ante la escasez de vacunas, ¿Argentina debería vacunar últimos y con una sola dosis a quienes ya tuvieron coronavirus?

Se abre un dilema sobre cómo organizar las prioridades. Qué dicen los expertos. Qué pasa en otros países. A qué se llama "vacunación sucia".

www.clarin.com

6 February 2021....by Emilia Vexler
Given the shortage of vaccines, should Argentina vaccinate last and with a single dose to those who already had coronavirus?
A dilemma opens up about how to organize priorities. What the experts say. What happens in other countries. What is called “dirty vaccination”....

Si tuviste COVID-19, esto es lo que tenés que saber sobre vacunas y mutaciones del virus

¿Debo vacunarme si ya tuve coronavirus? ¿Cuánto dura el efecto de inmunidad? ¿Una dosis o dos? Todas las respuestas explicadas por expertos

www.infobae.com

11 February 2021
If you had COVID-19, this is what you need to know about vaccines and virus mutations. Should I get vaccinated if I already had coronavirus? How long does the immunity effect last? A dose or two? All answers explained by experts...

 

[antipodean]

There are several countries that have put themselves in the position where isolated and sporadic events will seem like the end of the world, and those countries will eventually have to face the fact that they either come to terms with those events, or indeed take the conscious national decision to lock themselves away indefinitely.

For the rest of the world, my question is, will governments even be able to hold their own attention, yet alone that of their millions of people on a goal like 70% herd immunity that, if it is ever delivered, will be years in the making because it is a high target and because even reaching it is insufficient--they have to then hold it there.

Surely, as the vaccines continue rolling out across the worst affected wealthier countries, and life moves to a scale model of what it once was (in a past we will barely be able to recall), the coronavirus and COVID19 will disappear from our consciousness as other issues (including other viruses, or other strains of this virus) take over the agenda.

I am not sure. There are few expectations that with a vaccine a virus will simply disappear.

Take Israel or UAE as an example (as of today at 69% and 47% respectively - in terms of people receiving their first dose)

Once they have about 70%-80% of their own populations vaccinated, then the ongoing and harmful presence of COVID that the remaining 20-30% of the population are exposed to begins looks more like any other illness, something that is manageable. No lockdowns, no curfews, no restrictions on capacity needed to avoid saturating the health system - business goes back to normal and people start to live their lives "at your own risk" again. Don't like risk? Vaccinate yourself.

At that point, if an infected tourist enters the country, the damage they can do is limited and manageable.
If a tourist (or national) is infected and travels abroad and infects others in another country - not really your problem to manage - but potentially a big problem for those countries who have less immunity.

Of course both Israel and UAE will have their work cut out in keeping vaccinations/immunity current in the face of uncertain durability and new strains etc - but if we can do that to some extent with Influenza then there is no reason why we can't do it to a better extent with this coronavirus that we have a "head start" on. At least for about 5 years or so the "trauma" of the damage COVID did will still be a fresh memory and a motivating factor to encourage compliance.

 

[gracielle]

El viernes llegan al país otras 400 mil dosis de la vacuna Sputnik V

Pablo Ceriani, presidente de Aerolíneas Argentinas, anunció que este miércoles a las 23 partirá un nuevo vuelo con destino a Rusia para traer al país un nuevo cargamento de la vacuna Sputnik V. Se trata del cuarto de estos vuelos. El avión, un Airbus A-330 de pasajeros con una capacidad máxima...

www.tn24.com.ar

10 February 2021....
....Yesterday at 11:00pm a new flight left for Russia to bring to the country a new shipment of the Sputnik V vaccine. This is the fourth of these flights. Another 400 thousand doses of the Sputnik V vaccine will arrive in the country today.

The plane, an Airbus A-330 passenger with a maximum capacity in its stowage for 600,000 doses of the coronavirus vaccine, will return to Argentina after around 42 hours required by the operation (flights plus a period of between four and six hours for the loading process).

According to the previous expectations of the Government, it was estimated that in the first month of the year Argentina would have 5.3 million doses of the Russian vaccine. From the Casa Rosada they hope that these shipments will be reinforced by the arrival of Sputnik V lots from South Korea and India.

They are in addition to the 1.2 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine that will arrive in February and March: 580,000 next week (via a DHL flight) and the remaining quota the following month. These shipments are part of an additional agreement to the one already established by the Government and AstraZeneca, for 22.4 million doses. On the other hand, Argentina is expected to receive 2.2 million doses of the immunizations distributed by the Covax fund by July. In principle, the Government planned to have in the February-July period 9 million doses delivered by that multinational body, created during the pandemic for the equitable distribution of vaccines against covid-19.

 

[artisans]

After looking in Infobae and La Nacion without any success for this news, it was finally found very much below the fold at Page12. 11 Feb 21

Partió el cuarto vuelo de Aerolíneas en busca de la Sputnik V | Las dosis llegarán el viernes a Ezeiza

El avión de la aerolínea de bandera despegó a las 23:07 rumbo a Rusia para traer un cargamento de unas 400 mil dosis. También se espera para los próximos días el arribo de vacunas del Serum Institute de India y del laboratorio chino Sinopharm.

www.pagina12.com.ar

The plane of the flag airline took off at 11:07 p.m. (Wednesday) bound for Russia to bring a shipment of about 400 thousand doses.
Excerpts of interest: There will be 400,000 doses 1 of Sputnik V..... The flight will arrive on Friday around 2:00 p.m. to Ezeiza.
... At the same time, the arrival in Buenos Aires of 580,000 doses of the Oxford / AstraZéneca vaccine from the Serum Institute of India was confirmed . Transportation will be in the warehouses of different aircraft since this vaccine does not require storage at 18 degrees below zero.
... It remains to know the day of arrival of the vaccines from Sinopharm , the Chinese laboratory that committed half a million doses 1 and half a million doses 2 before the end of the month.
--- next week there will be more than a million vaccines to apply.
--- President Alberto Fernández had received the commitment from the Russian president himself, Vladimir Putin, who also announced that one million doses per week will arrive after next Monday.
--- The decision to send the entire batch of dose 1 has to do with a strategy that is being applied worldwide: rush the first application to have as many people immunized , even at 70 percent, as soon as possible.

 

[FrankPintor]

After looking in Infobae and La Nacion without any success for this news, it was finally found very much below the fold at Page12. 11 Feb 21

The @aerolineas_argentinas account in Instagram normally shows the Russia flights, but not this one. Maybe they're just becoming too normal now.