Coronavirus Vaccine Is Here - Right?

The end is near…in a good way.

The coronavirus vaccine has arrived!

Actually, not here in the US - but in other parts of the world. England vaccinated its first person with the Pfizer vaccine on Tuesday. Bahrain has also approved its use.

So when do we get the shot in the U.S.? Can I go to Spain next summer after canceling the trip last summer?

Looking at timelines, I was surprised that it takes approximately 30 days to be protected against the virus from the time you take the first shot. The two part shot has to be taken 3 weeks apart. I did not realize it would take that long. Considering the first to be vaccinated are healthcare workers, the elderly, and people at high risk, it could be well in to the summer before I can get my first shot. There goes Spain.

Looking on the bright side, by the time I am vaccinated any side effects should be ironed out.

It also means that means next summer will be a time for more awesome road trips. I have always wanted to drive across country. Time rack up those free hotel night rewards!

As I finished writing this post, I saw a headline that a FDA panel just approved the Pfizer vaccine for US use. Let the countdown to my vaccination begin.

Take care and be safe.

Posts weekly (usually Tuesday)

Coronavirus Vaccine's Impact

On 11/9, Pfizer announced that their covid vaccine was found to be 90% effective in a clinical trail of 44,000 test subjects. 

What does this mean?

The stock market soared 1500 points first thing Monday morning.

Royal Caribbean Cruises stock ended up 25% while Zoom dropped 13%.

I think that Pfizer's news is wonderful, especially considering the massive outbreaks happening in Europe and across the U.S. (The U.S. is tallying over 100,00 new cases a day).  Deadline reported that 3 entertainment productions have closed this week due to positive COVID tests and I know of at least 2 last week. One of these my son was going to work on and I was scheduled to work another. We dodge the bullet on those shows.

The world knows that we sorely need a vaccine, hence the stock market jump.

However, the exuberance party was short lived as Tuesday the market ended up only 262 points and it is down today 108 points. 

There are two issues.

The first is time. If Pfizer passes all the recommended safety tests, it could be June before the vaccine is made widely available to the public. That is a long time from now. 8 months. I just realized, tomorrow 11/13/20 is exactly 8 months since Los Angeles went into lockdown mode - Friday the 13th of March. 

Trivia question: who said, "Beware the Ides of March"? (Close enough to the 15th to make it relevant. Answer below.)

Second, who is going to get vaccinated? Many people I speak to are scared of getting a vaccine whether it is for covid or any other disease. Safety is their main issue. Can the government force people to get vaccinated? Can the government or private businesses deny services like access to public school or Disneyland or a cruise ship to unvaccinated individuals?

In the movie Children Of Men, a vaccine to stop a deadly plague made everyone infertile. That is a chilling worst case scenario. Only in movies right?

But if people don't get vaccinated, how long will the economies of the world economy continue to be at risk of future shutdowns? Months, years? I read that New York is looking at closing its schools again. Los Angeles' have never opened. 

For now, all we can do is social distance, wear a mask, and keep washing those hands. We have to for at least for the next 8 months.

Take care and be safe.

Posts Weekly (Aiming for Tuesdays)

Trivia answer: The soothsayer to Julius Cesar in William Shakespeare's play.

A Coronavirus Vaccine By Mid-August?

Russia just announced it will have a vaccine ready by mid-August, according to CNN.(1)  That news totally stunned me. I go on vacation and come back and Russia has a vaccine?

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Last I heard, no vaccines would be ready until the end of the year, if we were lucky. But Russia will have one available in two weeks.

Reading deeper, it turns out that Russia is not following all of the same safety measures that are being applied to the companies in the U.S. and England. For example, for most vaccines, there is a three phase process and various approvals needed before releasing them to the public. This is not only to test a vaccine's effectiveness, but to monitor for dangerous side effects. For example, it may prevent you from catching coronavirus, but what if it makes you sterile. Wait, I think I saw that movie.

Russia's vaccine will complete phase 2 of its testing on August 3. Soon after, August 10, they will start phase 3 at the same time they start vaccinating its front-line workers. CNN said there are rumors that some leading Russian politicians have already received it.

I, like most of the world, am very intrigued and hope it works. To have a vaccine so soon would be great. Even if it is not available to everyone until the end of the year, at least there is hope.

So where are some of the leading world pharmaceutical companies in their testing?  Moderna has started its phase 3 testing Monday injecting 30,000 volunteers with its vaccine. It hopes to have its vaccine ready by the end of the year.  University of Oxford and AstraZeneca's vaccine could have emergency doses in October if all goes well. Pfizer with Biontech and Fosunpharma have also launched phase 3 human trials of 30,000 volunteers in the U.S., Brazil, Argentina, and Germany and hope to have its vaccine ready by December. (2)

Still with all this progress, Science Magazine said polls show only 50% of Americans will get the vaccine if and when it is available. (3) I am surprised. I know there is controversy over how deadly coronavirus is, or even if it is real, but why take the risk of getting sick? I had the flu 5 years ago and it was really scary. I never want to get it again.

Once a vaccine is proven safe I will get it. Hopefully, sooner rather than later.

Be safe and take care.

1. https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/28/europe/russia-coronavirus-vaccine-approval-intl/index.html
2. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/science/coronavirus-vaccine-tracker.html
3. https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/06/just-50-americans-plan-get-covid-19-vaccine-here-s-how-win-over-rest