General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsSkittles
(153,113 posts)never mind, it's not like he fucking cares
Tree Lady
(11,428 posts)Maybe he doesn't care.
Its hard to believe after 1/2 a million deaths anyone could be that callous but looking how they handled the loss of electricity I am not surprised.
Skittles
(153,113 posts)I absolutely despise him.
roamer65
(36,744 posts)It will require at least yearly booster shots for many years, if not longer.
Thank the cloud beings that Moderna and Pfizer had mRNA vaccination technology ready to go.
I will be in line to receive the Moderna variant and booster shot this fall.
The current Moderna vaccine does whack B.1.1.7 and the South African one, too.
cilla4progress
(24,718 posts)I don't know about it?
Celerity
(43,130 posts)(Reuters) - A laboratory study suggests that the South African variant of the coronavirus may reduce protective antibodies elicited by the Pfizer Inc/BioNTech SE vaccine by two-thirds, and it is not clear if the shot will be effective against the mutation, the companies said on Wednesday. The study found the vaccine was still able to neutralize the virus and there is not yet evidence from trials in people that the variant reduces vaccine protection, the companies said.
Still, they are making investments and talking to regulators about developing an updated version of their mRNA vaccine or a booster shot, if needed. For the study, scientists from the companies and the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) developed an engineered virus that contained the same mutations carried on the spike portion of the highly contagious coronavirus variant first discovered in South Africa, known as B.1.351. The spike, used by the virus to enter human cells, is the primary target of many COVID-19 vaccines.
Researchers tested the engineered virus against blood taken from people who had been given the vaccine, and found a two- thirds reduction in the level of neutralizing antibodies compared with its effect on the most common version of the virus prevalent in U.S. trials. Their findings were published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). Because there is no established benchmark yet to determine what level of antibodies are needed to protect against the virus, it is unclear whether that two-thirds reduction will render the vaccine ineffective against the variant spreading around the world.
However, UTMB professor and study co-author Pei-Yong Shi said he believes the Pfizer vaccine will likely be protective against the variant. We dont know what the minimum neutralizing number is. We dont have that cutoff line, he said, adding that he suspects the immune response observed is likely to be significantly above where it needs to be to provide protection. That is because in clinical trials, both the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and a similar shot from Moderna Inc conferred some protection after a single dose with an antibody response lower than the reduced levels caused by the South African variant in the laboratory study. Even if the concerning variant significantly reduces effectiveness, the vaccine should still help protect against severe disease and death, he noted. Health experts have said that is the most important factor in keeping stretched healthcare systems from becoming overwhelmed.
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roamer65
(36,744 posts)By then, you may be able to boost with Moderna as well.
Initech
(100,041 posts)But it won't be anywhere near the disaster it was in October - November - December. It will most likely mutate to where influenza is now - just an endemic nuisance that we'll have to deal with every year.
dalton99a
(81,404 posts)As a result, the scientists said, people could expect to continue to take measures such as routine mask-wearing and avoiding crowded places during COVID-19 surges, especially for people at high risk.
Even after vaccination, I still would want to wear a mask if there was a variant out there, Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical advisor to U.S. President Joe Biden, said in an interview. All you need is one little flick of a variant (sparking) another surge, and there goes your prediction about when life gets back to normal.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-variants-insight/when-will-it-end-how-a-changing-virus-is-reshaping-scientists-views-on-covid-19-idUSKBN2AV1T1
littlemissmartypants
(22,593 posts)❤ miss pants