COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Pandemic

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wonderfly

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Good news but let's be cautious. These tests are not complete and manufacturing still needs to ramp up. The logistics of this are not small. Let's remember, these vaccines must be kept at -80 degrees celsius in order to function. My father works for a company that is designing freezers for them, and trust me: it's a long, complicated process.

It's hopeful to hear Fauci give that timeline, but hoping the vaccines will be ready by then is no guarantee. We need to prepare for long lines, shortages, and impatience. Let's also keep in mind: this vaccine has been shown to prevent sickness in the recipient but has not proven whether or not they can still carry it. This could mean that spreading the virus is still possible, and the vaccinated could, in theory, spread it to those who are unvaccinated or that 10% who are vaccinated but were not protected (which, assuming every American gets the vaccine, would be approximately 35 million people still vulnerable for Covid in the US alone). Now, if 90% of the people who get the vaccine become immune, will the virus easily spread? Not at all. But it won't necessarily go away entirely, and that risk will still be there, albeit far diminished. A vaccine isn't a silver bullet: it's a tool to be used in conjunction with masks, hand washing and physical distancing for bringing this vaccine down. Is it an enormous, game-changing tool? Yes, but still not a silver bullet that will end the pandemic instantly.

I'm not at all saying not to get excited or pour too much cold water on this. Will we win the battle against Covid? Yes. This is the good news we've been waiting for. But we all need to remember this is a long process and will continue to be. Though we're all running out of patience, we need to still be patient, because this isn't over yet.

I'm just speaking in general, but won't priority for who gets the first doses be given to health care workers and to the most vulnerable in society (those elderly, or with sicknesses/pre-existing conditions)?

And since the majority of the remaining people that catch it can shrug if off like a bad cold....I don't know, maybe Spring/Summer of next year is still a good timeframe for some sort of "return to normal"?
 

Light Lucario

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I'm just speaking in general, but won't priority for who gets the first doses be given to health care workers and to the most vulnerable in society (those elderly, or with sicknesses/pre-existing conditions)?

And since the majority of the remaining people that catch it can shrug if off like a bad cold....I don't know, maybe Spring/Summer of next year is still a good timeframe for some sort of "return to normal"?
I don't know how typically it is for people to shrug it off like a bad cold at this point though. That can be the case for some people, but I've heard about plenty stories about otherwise healthy young people having some pretty serious side effects, if not actually dying, from having the virus. People with pre-existing conditions or the elderly are certainly at a higher risk, but I don't think it's good thing to assume that the majority of other people will be fine if they do get the virus.
 

TheCartoonRailfan

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Looks like we have some more good news on the horizon involving the Moderna vaccine:

Some other articles mentioned that the Moderna vaccine can be kept at higher temperatures than the Pfizer vaccine at 36-48 degrees Fahrenheit (2-8 degrees Celsius) for 30 days and -4 degrees Fahrenheit (-20 degrees Celsius) for 6 months.


 

wonderfly

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Looks like we have some more good news on the horizon involving the Moderna vaccine:

Some other articles mentioned that the Moderna vaccine can be kept at higher temperatures than the Pfizer vaccine at 36-48 degrees Fahrenheit (2-8 degrees Celsius) for 30 days and -4 degrees Fahrenheit (-20 degrees Celsius) for 6 months.



Yes, I was reading more about this, and this article has the following quote:

"Dr. Moncef Slaoui, scientific head of Operation Warp Speed, said two vaccines and two therapeutics could "potentially" receive emergency use authorization before the end of the year, and millions of Americans could begin receiving vaccinations next month.

"We plan to have enough vaccine doses available for use in the U.S. population to immunize about 20 million individuals in the month of December, and another 25-30 million per month on an ongoing basis from there on," Slaoui said."


Both the Moderna vaccine and the Pfizer vaccine require 2 doses, one month apart....but potentially 20 million people could get their first dose in December (and their 2nd dose in January), and that's just....amazing.

And this article has the following quote from Former FDA commission Scott Gottlieb that I found interesting:

"Once we get these vaccines in sufficient quantities heading into 2021, the combination of the fact that a lot of the population will have already had COVID, combined with the fact that we'll be vaccinating the public with a highly effective vaccine, we could effectively end this pandemic in 2021 with our technology," Gottlieb said.

Both vaccines still need to receive FDA approval. But if they do, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, has predicted the general public could potentially receive a COVID-19 vaccine by April 2021.

Gottlieb added on Twitter that "the acute phase of the U.S. pandemic will end in 2021." But for now, as COVID-19 cases continue to spike around the country, Gottlieb added that "we must work together to get through the next 3 months."


So....we arguably just need to hunker down and get through the next 3 months, and see where things are at by the time Spring comes around.
 
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TsWade2

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Yes, I was reading more about this, and this article has the following quote:

"Dr. Moncef Slaoui, scientific head of Operation Warp Speed, said two vaccines and two therapeutics could "potentially" receive emergency use authorization before the end of the year, and millions of Americans could begin receiving vaccinations next month.

"We plan to have enough vaccine doses available for use in the U.S. population to immunize about 20 million individuals in the month of December, and another 25-30 million per month on an ongoing basis from there on," Slaoui said."


Both the Moderna vaccine and the Pfizer vaccine require 2 doses, one month apart....but potentially 20 million people could get their first dose in December (and their 2nd dose in January), and that's just....amazing.

And this article has the following quote from Former FDA commission Scott Gottlieb that I found interesting:

"Once we get these vaccines in sufficient quantities heading into 2021, the combination of the fact that a lot of the population will have already had COVID, combined with the fact that we'll be vaccinating the public with a highly effective vaccine, we could effectively end this pandemic in 2021 with our technology," Gottlieb said.

Both vaccines still need to receive FDA approval. But if they do, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, has predicted the general public could potentially receive a COVID-19 vaccine by April 2021.

Gottlieb added on Twitter that "the acute phase of the U.S. pandemic will end in 2021." But for now, as COVID-19 cases continue to spike around the country, Gottlieb added that "we must work together to get through the next 3 months."


So....we arguably just need to hunker down and get through the next 3 months, and see where things are at by the time Spring comes around.
Looks like my predictions on next year getting better is coming true. It's going to be a blessing, I can tell.
Yippee skippee!
 

CartoonLover2604

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Looks like we have some more good news on the horizon involving the Moderna vaccine:

Some other articles mentioned that the Moderna vaccine can be kept at higher temperatures than the Pfizer vaccine at 36-48 degrees Fahrenheit (2-8 degrees Celsius) for 30 days and -4 degrees Fahrenheit (-20 degrees Celsius) for 6 months.


As great of news this is, it still boils my blood to hear people on social media say “2021 is gonna be just as bad as 2020”. Not saying these people are wrong as without bad there cannot be good but I wish people could have a little more enthusiasm for the coming year. (Still it's good to know there's hope for 2021).
 

JMTV

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As great of news this is, it still boils my blood to hear people on social media say “2021 is gonna be just as bad as 2020”. Not saying these people are wrong as without bad there cannot be good but I wish people could have a little more enthusiasm for the coming year. (Still it's good to know there's hope for 2021).
TBH, the people who actually do say that clearly don't know how good they had it.
 

TsWade2

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As great of news this is, it still boils my blood to hear people on social media say “2021 is gonna be just as bad as 2020”. Not saying these people are wrong as without bad there cannot be good but I wish people could have a little more enthusiasm for the coming year. (Still it's good to know there's hope for 2021).
I agree. I was thinking that 2021 is going to be bad as this year, until I’ve found out that the vaccines are coming in either later next month or two. So, you’re right, CartoonLover2604, there is hope for 2021.
 

Red Arrow

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No worries for those who are afraid that the lockdown will be over soon! European and American mink farms are making new mutations of the virus! Also, minks escape often and spread the mutated virus across the planet. Also, the vaccines will protect you against some of those mutations, but of course not all.

The same thing is happening with raccoon dogs in China. In fact, some scientists believe that this is how the new coronavirus was created in the first place: a bat can infect a raccoon dog, which can infect a human.

A lot of the Chinese raccoon dog fur is sent to Europe and America. It is sometimes very cheap and people think it's fake fur.
 

Asa

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As great of news this is, it still boils my blood to hear people on social media say “2021 is gonna be just as bad as 2020”. Not saying these people are wrong as without bad there cannot be good but I wish people could have a little more enthusiasm for the coming year. (Still it's good to know there's hope for 2021).
The people on social media haven't seen the good news on vaccines.

Stuff like this will always change in a year and I'm sure next year will be better (expect all of us to get our miracles granted).
 

Elijah Abrams

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In Washington state, where I live, new lockdowns are in order for the next five weeks. Indoor dining and places movie theaters are banned. The good news is this wouldn’t effect my job because there are no changes to schooling (we are all virtual anyways). The bad news is I would have nothing to do on my days off.
It's actually four weeks in Washington, not five.
 
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TsWade2

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Looks like we have some more good news on the horizon involving the Moderna vaccine:

Some other articles mentioned that the Moderna vaccine can be kept at higher temperatures than the Pfizer vaccine at 36-48 degrees Fahrenheit (2-8 degrees Celsius) for 30 days and -4 degrees Fahrenheit (-20 degrees Celsius) for 6 months.


Oh goodie! The hope is getting stronger! Jackpot!
 

Spideyzilla

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The people on social media haven't seen the good news on vaccines.

Stuff like this will always change in a year and I'm sure next year will be better (expect all of us to get our miracles granted).
Yeah, they probably have, actually. Once again I do not want to be the voice of doom and I can tell you that perhaps we are seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. But please, let's keep our expectations in check and not create false hope. This is essentially preliminary data, which is a long way and a number of steps away from you making an appointment to go and get your Covid vaccine. This data has not been peer-reviewed or been printed in a medical journal. We are essentially relying on press releases from these companies. Is this for real? Probably. But manufacturing still has to happen, finding the logistics of shipping the vaccines need to take place, the vials and syringes need to be ready to go, and training on administering the vaccine needs to take place. Furthermore, let's remember these vaccines have not been approved yet, and that doesn't happen overnight. Also, unless you're one of the most vulnerable, you likely won't get the vaccine right away.

Yes, this is promising news, but that's all it is: promising. This does not mean the pandemic is going away tomorrow. If we're lucky maybe, maybe you or I will be able to get a vaccine but the spring or summer of next year, assuming everything goes perfectly. But even the federal government here in Canada has said they don't expect to be able to vaccinate everyone before the end of last year, though they believe that most Canadians will be vaccinated by then. So yes, this is positive, but let's not jump the gun here.
 

Asa

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Yeah, they probably have, actually. Once again I do not want to be the voice of doom and I can tell you that perhaps we are seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. But please, let's keep our expectations in check and not create false hope. This is essentially preliminary data, which is a long way and a number of steps away from you making an appointment to go and get your Covid vaccine. This data has not been peer-reviewed or been printed in a medical journal. We are essentially relying on press releases from these companies. Is this for real? Probably. But manufacturing still has to happen, finding the logistics of shipping the vaccines need to take place, the vials and syringes need to be ready to go, and training on administering the vaccine needs to take place. Furthermore, let's remember these vaccines have not been approved yet, and that doesn't happen overnight. Also, unless you're one of the most vulnerable, you likely won't get the vaccine right away.

Yes, this is promising news, but that's all it is: promising. This does not mean the pandemic is going away tomorrow. If we're lucky maybe, maybe you or I will be able to get a vaccine but the spring or summer of next year, assuming everything goes perfectly. But even the federal government here in Canada has said they don't expect to be able to vaccinate everyone before the end of last year, though they believe that most Canadians will be vaccinated by then. So yes, this is positive, but let's not jump the gun here.
Ok
 
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