Vaccines - Covid 19

[Big Boy]

In fairness, there are a lot of people resisting vaccination here, but I think that is resistance to Sinovac.

As an aside, my spell checker offered me Casanova instead of Sinovac

[Hahuahin]

Reading that article carefully, it seems pretty clear to me that, taken as a whole, it's very positive about the way things are progressing.

An archipelago in the Indian Ocean, the Seychelles has fully vaccinated about 65% of its population with AstraZeneca and Sinopharm shots, yet weekly new infections increased rapidly this month, with 37% of those patients having already received their two doses.

The surge led authorities to close schools, cancel sporting events and ban household gatherings. Among fully inoculation people, around 60% received the vaccine from Sinopharm and the rest got an AstraZeneca shot.

What it doesn't say is how the numbers of hospitalisations and deaths have been affected, although this is referred to later in the article (see below). Also, you would have thought it possible to determine how many of the 37% of vaccinated infections had been given Sinopharm and how many had received AZ.

What seems clear is that all the approved doses reduce the incidence of people becoming severely ill or dying from the disease — the primary goal of a vaccine. That takes pressure off hospitals and medical resources. Most new Covid patients in the Seychelles, for example, are only experiencing mild symptoms, according to the country’s president.

This is a crucial first step for countries without access to mRNA vaccines, said Helen Petousis-Harris, a vaccinologist at the University of Auckland. After using available vaccines to crush the number of severe cases, countries can stamp out remaining infection with shots that curb transmission once they become available.

Another possibility is that vaccination along with the spread of mild cases could also end up building herd immunity, said Ben Cowling, head of the department of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of Hong Kong.

“The places with less immunity against infection but more immunity against severe disease will see circulation of the virus causing mainly mild infections, boosting immunity to a higher level,” he said.

Experts say a lot remains unknown and so-called breakthrough infections — where people who received shots still get Covid — do occur, even with mRNA vaccines. It’s also not yet fully known how well the different kinds of shots perform against the different variants of the virus.

A study conducted in Qatar among some 260,000 people who completed two doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine showed the mRNA shot’s effectiveness at preventing infections caused by the South African variant dipping to 75%.

The improvements in the US and Israel came before those places were affected by concerning new strains, which include variants that have emerged in Brazil and India.“I would be careful about over-interpreting the data,” said Petrovsky at Flinders University, who points out that no head-to-head studies — where shots are tested against each other — have been performed to identify the best vaccines.

For the mRNA shots, “data on their effects on transmission is very limited”, he said.

In the end, it may need the development of new, modified versions of the vaccines to finally win the war against Covid, said Petousis-Harris. Some vaccine developers are working on nasal spray inoculations, which can prevent the virus from taking hold in the respiratory tract, thus cutting off infection at its entry point.

“We’ve got some super vaccines that are beyond expectation,” she said. “We’ve learned a lot and so imagine what the next one is going to look like.”

It seems to me that the tone of the article is very positive. There's a way to go yet, but things are looking good. The crucial thing is to GET PEOPLE VACCINATED! Even, perhaps, with Sinopharm, if that's all that is available. (So get a bleedin' move on, Thailand!)

Its very positive as information, and with the information in the report, the individual can now decide better whether they will accept vaccination with a slightly less protective Sinovac / Astra Zeneca vaccine made here, or whether one prefers to wait, or travel abroad / home country to be vaccinated faster with either Pfizer or Moderna vaccine which seems to be better options following the report.
hahuahin

[HHTel]

And of course he's showing that he's been vaccinated with the AZ vaccine. Looking at the comments from Thais, one says "Well done Prayut. So you can travel through Europe whilst all the rest of us can only visit China! if and when we ever get vaccinated!"

What a dumb ass!

[HHTel]

One thing that came out of that. After receiving data from the UK regarding the efficacy of AZ vaccine against the Indian strain was very encouraging as it's planned to use the AZ vaccine as it's PRIMARY vaccine.

I hope we're duly informed when they 'run out' of Sinovac and switch to AZ.

[hhinner]

And of course he's showing that he's been vaccinated with the AZ vaccine. Looking at the comments from Thais, one says "Well done Prayut. So you can travel through Europe whilst all the rest of us can only visit China! if and when we ever get vaccinated!"

What a dumb ass!

Ah, but he can't go to China.

[Big Boy]

HHTel, I said yesterday that HHH is saying it will be using AZ on wrinklies. We both fall into that zone, so it shouldn't be an issue.

[HHTel]

Absolutely right. Hadn't thought of that. Haha.

[HHTel]

Thanks for that, BB. I must have missed it. I'd read that they'd approved Sinovac for over 60's as well as under. Probably from some little tin god who didn't have the authority to issue statements.

[Big Boy]

It was in the same announcement where they had cancelled 6 of the 7 Hua Hin vaccination points i.e. they will only be using HHH Car Park, floor 10 now, and will have capacity for 2,000/day. maybe we should be having this conversation in the Hua Hin or vaccine thread.

[hhinner]

It was in the same announcement where they had cancelled 6 of the 7 Hua Hin vaccination points i.e. they will only be using HHH Car Park, floor 10 now, and will have capacity for 2,000/day. maybe we should be having this conversation in the Hua Hin or vaccine thread.

Didn't see that. Not enough demand?

[Ratsima]

From The Washington Post: "Amid lingering questions over the efficacy of Chinese-developed coronavirus vaccines, health experts in China are calling for all high-risk groups to take a third dose of the vaccines, saying the shots’ protection recedes after six months."

[hhinner]

Still got 7 in mo prom app and LINE.

[Big Boy]

I guess we'll find out the truth on the 7th, but the announcement looked very genuine.

[caller]

When I left the UK it was made very clear to me that I should expect nothing in medical support, and I'd be on my own. That was included in my early retirement package, and by my local medical centre.

When we arrived, we discovered one of Mrs BB's tablets was banned in Thailand. We asked my UK medical centre for advice (they had always been very friendly). The response was very short and to the point. We'd moved to Thailand, and they were no longer prepared to advise, even though we'd been gone only a couple of weeks.

That's very sad to hear BB. But I don't believe that is everyone's experience.

Just before moving here, My GP prescribed for me, what, if I recall correctly, was 3-months worth of meds. I wasn't expecting that (not 100% sure of the period it covered, but basically it was to cover me for the time it took to get a new doc/meds sorted out).

Some time later, because of various past ailments, my then new Doctor in Korat, asked if I could get a copy of my medical records. My old surgery emailed this over asap. Obviously, I should have brought these with me, but didn't.

[pharvey]

When I left the UK it was made very clear to me that I should expect nothing in medical support, and I'd be on my own. That was included in my early retirement package, and by my local medical centre.

When we arrived, we discovered one of Mrs BB's tablets was banned in Thailand. We asked my UK medical centre for advice (they had always been very friendly). The response was very short and to the point. We'd moved to Thailand, and they were no longer prepared to advise, even though we'd been gone only a couple of weeks.

That's very sad to hear BB. But I don't believe that is everyone's experience.

Just before moving here, My GP prescribed for me, what, if I recall correctly, was 3-months worth of meds. I wasn't expecting that (not 100% sure of the period it covered, but basically it was to cover me for the time it took to get a new doc/meds sorted out).

Some time later, because of various past ailments, my then new Doctor in Korat, asked if I could get a copy of my medical records. My old surgery emailed this over asap. Obviously, I should have brought these with me, but didn't.

Whilst living in China, I was on a 12 month visa, which was renewed mostly during my travels (via HK), but was on a number of occasions done locally in Chongqing. I was there for just over 12 years in this fashion. I continued to pay my NI in the UK although there was no need to. I was able to get 3 months meds at a time on prescription which could be collected by a member of the family (and passed on to anyone travelling). On any return visit to the UK I'd have a check-up with the local GP and anything further if and when required.... Simple case was, I never said I was a resident of another country - which, by law I wasn't. I could therefore have travelled to the UK for my vaccine.

[EDIT] Sorry - not helping!!