DOOM: Covid-19: Oxford University vaccine shows 70% protection

[SueEllen]

“ AstraZeneca and Oxford University on Monday reported that a lower initial dose of the vaccine, followed by a full dose, produced a 90 per cent efficacy rate, compared with 62 per cent for two full doses.

However, Moncef Slaoui, the scientific head of the US's Operation Warp Speed - the programme to supply America with vaccines - told US reporters that the half-dose regime, which was discovered by accident, was only given to adults aged 55 and under - throwing the validity of the results into question.

“Now that we’ve found what looks like a better efficacy we have to validate this, so we need to do an additional study,” chief executive Pascal Soriot told Bloomberg.”

Coronavirus latest news: AstraZeneca may run new global vaccine trial, chief executive says - watch Downing St briefing live

mRNA wins

Well that's easy.

Give everyone under 55 the Oxford vaccine.

And everyone over it the more expensive one.

And as most of the developing world are under 55 it's a massive money saver that a certain foundation could help pay for.

[AtW]

Well that's easy.

No, it's not easy - too many mistakes in the trial which puts BIG question mark over how valid the whole thing is.

[SueEllen]

No, it's not easy - too many mistakes in the trial which puts BIG question mark over how valid the whole thing is.

Testing in people isn't exact as people aren't clones of one another.

[AtW]

Testing in people isn't exact as people aren't clones of one another.

No, but if they can’t get dose right and can’t say on announcement that half doze/full doze 90% success was in different age group (under 55s) compared to 60% in full doze/full doze trial (all ages).

Shocking really.

[SueEllen]

No, but if they can’t get dose right and can’t say on announcement that half doze/full doze 90% success was in different age group (under 55s) compared to 60% in full doze/full doze trial (all ages).

Shocking really.

No it's isn't really.

If you read up about all the mistakes made in drug testing, due to the side effects that are only found in proper use you wouldn't be shocked.

Plus flu vaccine is only about 70% effective at the most.

[AtW]

That’s the issue - adenovirus vector more traditional vaccines appear to be far behind newer mRNA stuff: 70% vs 95% is 6 times more sick people (30% vs 5%).

Cheap, easy to manufacture - that’s good, it is great vaccine for 3rd world but I personally would think twice before taking it, the price of mRNA is 1 round of beers.

[d000hg]

Anything much above 50% seems like it would kibosh Covid. It naturally suppresses R dramatically.
We might suggest the vulnerable should have the more expensive option for their safety, and everyone else has the cheap one.

[AtW]

Over 50%, but in what age groups? When it's 95% you know it covers all ages nicely, but if it's 50% then seems VERY likely it's much higher in lower age groups and lower in older age groups (the ones we really need to protect!), so now it turns out 90%+ was in age group of under 55, well that explains a lot, though having said that if vaccine reduces severity of Covid then it's also ok even if it's not completely preventing it.

All in all that looks bad compared to mRNA

[d000hg]

Lucky the UK has bought some of the other ones then. The elderly will be first in line, and the Oxford one isn't ready yet anyway.

[AtW]

Lucky the UK has bought some of the other ones then. The elderly will be first in line, and the Oxford one isn't ready yet anyway.

They've been manufacturing it for some time, that's (likely to be) going to be the first vaccine available in the UK en mass.