COVID-19 - Wuhan Coronavirus (a non-political thread, see pg. 36 #1778)

[JPhillips]

Looks like the Trump vaccine plan was:

1: Buy vaccine
2: ?

We'll probably never really know if it was incompetence or a desire by Trump and friends to punish Biden for winning.

[AlexB]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

Looks like the Trump vaccine plan was:

1: Buy vaccine
2: ?

We'll probably never really know if it was incompetence or a desire by Trump and friends to punish Biden for winning.

Based on other petty actions in the last couple of days (China, trying to lift travel bans, etc) I think we know it’s the latter

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

Accidentally went to the first page of this thread when trying to do a reply. Oof... but not what I was here to talk about

SI

The beauty of science is that you're supposed to hypothesize and it's ok to be proven wrong. It's ok to adjust your point of view and response as you learn more. It's when people can't seem to either accept that they were wrong, or yell at the science for being wrong (and force that erroneous pov), that things get so out of whack.

[Edward64]

I didn't get to watch it live but purposely replayed the Fauci press conference.

Bravo Fauci, bravo.

I was able to follow him on the mutants, infection & death trend etc. He speaks well and clearly. If I'm him, I'm thinking about retiring to the speech circuit after this crisis is over, and start collecting moola (or getting a nice plum tenured job in an Ivy or at a Pharma).

I'm really okay with it, but IMO would have been a tad better for him to not comment on "past history", it just seemed off from the rest of the briefing. But can't blame the guy wanting to get a couple digs in.

[Edward64]

Here's hoping that J&J has a great trial and high efficacy to report soon. These are one-shot inoculations so that will be great also.

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/21/jj-p...mber-says.html

Johnson & Johnson board member Dr. Mark McClellan told CNBC that “if the clinical trial works out,” the company could significantly increase the nation’s Covid vaccine supply availability within the coming weeks.

“I do know that J&J is making a very large supply, going all out with its production, both here in the U.S. and elsewhere around the world, with the goal of having perhaps enough vaccines for 100 million Americans by spring, by this April or so,” said the former FDA Commissioner in a Thursday evening interview on “The News with Shepard Smith.”

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

The beauty of science is that you're supposed to hypothesize and it's ok to be proven wrong. It's ok to adjust your point of view and response as you learn more. It's when people can't seem to either accept that they were wrong, or yell at the science for being wrong (and force that erroneous pov), that things get so out of whack.

Yeah- it's not like "haha! you didn't know how bad a global pandemic could be" - none of us did. None of us have lived through one

But it's interesting how naive we were at the time in a lot of ways. Your post about flying half full flights was really interesting and should have been a warning to us.

SI

[sterlingice]

So, E484K variants are the first time I've been kindof worried about the virus itself for a few months.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/12/healt...ant/index.html

I mean, a lot of where we are today has been a societal failing and what we've known about the virus has been mostly static. I mean not entirely - for instance, my post about Diabetes on the last page and I think we're going to find out a lot more about bad long term side effects - but like how it's transmitted. Sure, early on there was a lot of concern about fomite transmission and there was some mixed messaging about masks (though arguably that was to keep supply up for first responders). But by May or June, we knew that it was airborne, that viral load was a huge factor, that masking and social distancing were really important to containing it, and that it was more of a blood illness than a respiratory one. That information hasn't moved much in 6 months.

So, the plan (such that it was or wasn't in the White House) was to get to a vaccine around winter time, get it out there by summer of this year, and possibly return to some semblance of normalcy for Q3 at best maybe early 2022, at worst.

This, on the other hand, has a chance to screw up a lot of the best laid plans.

(also new variants basics articles: https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/19/healt...now/index.html)

SI

[Edward64]

On Thu, Fauci did express concern about SA mutant but said even though efficacy was reduced, it doesn't mean it doesn't work. He did not venture to guess what the % reduction was though.

I do like how Fauci is getting more press time and "explaining" the virus and vaccines to us.

However, there needs to be updates on logistics & challenges re: production, distribution, inoculations rate etc. Fauci isn't the guy for that and have not heard if/when those logistical press briefings will occur.

[Edward64]

Just to officially document in this thread for future reference, it does seem cases have been declining even before Biden ramps up his war plans.

So if this trend does continue, it did occur on Trump's tenure. TBF, the article also quotes this "could be a lull". So we shall see but still pretty.damn.good.news.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/22/u...s-decline.html

In recent days, coronavirus cases have been dropping steadily across the United States, with hospitalizations falling in concert. But health officials are growing increasingly concerned that quickly circulating variants of the virus could cause new surges of cases faster than the country is managing to distribute Covid-19 vaccines.

Public health experts likened the situation to a race between vaccination and the virus’s new variants — and the winner will determine whether the United States is approaching a turning point in its battle against the coronavirus, now entering a second year.

“We’re definitely on a downward slope, but I’m worried that the new variants will throw us a curveball in late February or March,” said Caitlin M. Rivers, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Nationwide, new coronavirus cases have fallen 21 percent in the last two weeks, according to a New York Times database, and some experts have suggested this could mark the start of a shifting course after nearly four months of ever-worsening case totals.
:
This week, the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, which puts out a predictive model that is widely used for planning, including by some government agencies, released a projection saying new cases in the United States would decline steadily from now on.

[sterlingice]

My guess is that we'll see another bump in the next couple of weeks. The big surges seem to follow about 6 weeks after major events and I think that was the Thanksgiving surge. I think we'll see a Christmas one, too. Then again, maybe it's so endemic now that the increased activity doesn't matter all that much and, yeah, perhaps we've seen the worst (fingers crossed).

SI

[molson]

Depending on how many people have really had COVID, we could be approaching herd immunity in the U.S., or at least, will soon be benefitting from the defenses of partial herd immunity.

Some people have tested positive for COVID twice, though that's still pretty rare all these months in. And while the variants can throw a wrench into things, everybody seems to believe vaccines and having COVID already provides at least some defense against the variants, and maybe still a lot.

I've seen estimates of how many people actually had COVID v. how many tested positive as high as 12X. That's not hard to believe considering the number of mild cases or cases without symptoms, how hard it has been to even get a test at various times and places over the last year, peoples' resistance to get a test because of job or other implications, or fear of medical debt if they need treatment, the American tradition of avoiding medical care, etc.

If 10X as many people had it than had tested positive, we're already up to about 76% of the population in the U.S. Even if it's somewhat less than that, throw in the vaccines (we finally will reach 20 million reported dosages today), then we should be seeing even more of a significant decline pretty soon.

In Idaho, where we really have had a lack of testing (especially outside Boise), where mask usage is really iffy or non-existent except for downtown Boise, and where we've still had church and big family gatherings all along, that 10X number or even higher seems plausible. And our 7-day average of new cases is down about two-thirds from its peak in early December.

[sterlingice]

If the variants don't get a big foothold and introduce re-infections, we should be close to herd immunity by later this year: with a large chunk of the population vaccinated and the rest of it having been infected.

Of course that's a very big "if".

SI

[Edward64]

I don't know how vaccine distribution to States is calculated ... is it proportional based on population, proportional based on hospitalizations and/or deaths etc.

But yeah, if it's "fair", then not allowing State purchases is probably best.

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/24/whit...-directly.html

White House chief of staff Ron Klain said Sunday that it’s not possible for U.S. states to purchase Covid-19 vaccines directly from manufacturers, as some have sought to do, under the emergency use authorization issued by the Food and Drug Administration.

“As a matter of law, this vaccine is under an emergency use authorization,” Klain told NBC’s “Meet the Press,” when asked about the requests. “I don’t think that’s possible.”

The comments come after New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo asked Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla on Monday to allow the state to purchase vaccines directly from the company, citing tightening supply.

Pfizer told Cuomo that it couldn’t do so under the terms of its December emergency use authorization.

The company said it was open to the idea, but “before we can sell directly to State governments, HHS would need to approve that proposal based on the EUA granted to Pfizer by the FDA.”

The Department of Health and Human Services — at that point still under Republican leadership — accused Cuomo, a Democrat, of attempting to “cut to the front of the line at the expense of fellow jurisdictions.”

[kingfc22]

Miami Heat to use coronavirus-sniffing dogs to screen fans at games

Did not know COVID sniffing dogs was a thing.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by kingfc22

Miami Heat to use coronavirus-sniffing dogs to screen fans at games

Did not know COVID sniffing dogs was a thing.

Europe started using them last summer. Pretty cool.

[Ghost Econ]

If we were near herd immunity, that would put the mortality rate at 0.25% instead of the estimated 1%. For comparison, flu is ~0.1%. We're talking 200,000,000 (0.25%) already having been infected instead of 50,000,000 (1%) (which is double the current official worldometers number for the US of 25,000,000 positive).

[sterlingice]

I think the mortality rate seems to be around 0.2-0.5%... until the medical system is overwhelmed. Then it jumps to 3-5%

SI

[Edward64]

And this is the crux of the problem.

Honestly, okay we can blame the Trump admin for this cluster but the Biden admin needs to get their act together soon also. How hard is it for Dr. Walensky to call the CEO/SVP of Pfizer, Moderna et. al and say to the effect ...

"We need to know when you plan to be shipping the next set of batches over the next 3 months, break it down for me in a report on date, where to shipped, and how many vials. And if you miss the targets, you need to give me a heads up so I can explain to Biden. We'll be transparent and reporting what you share with us on a website".

"Oh, here's an extra $10B each for your trouble".

This is a reasonable expectation that the vendor can provide basic details like this. And if they can't, explain why so it can be explained to the public. It doesn't seem that we understand the "root cause" other than "we don't know".

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/24/cdc-...he-us-has.html

The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned Sunday that the federal government does not know how much coronavirus vaccine the nation has, a complication that adds to the already herculean task before the Biden administration.

“I can’t tell you how much vaccine we have, and if I can’t tell it to you then I can’t tell it to the governors and I can’t tell it to the state health officials,” CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told “Fox News Sunday.”

“If they don’t know how much vaccine they’re getting not just this week but next week and the week after they can’t plan. They can’t figure out how many sites to roll out, they can’t figure out how many vaccinators that they need, and they can’t figure out how many appointments to make for the public,” Walensky said.

In a dig at the Trump administration, Walensky said the lack of knowledge of vaccine supply is indicative of “the challenges we’ve been left with.”

[Galaril]

Bad news Merck just canceled further development and canceled the February vaccines they were suppose to be releasing. Ugh I had hoped those would give us a bump in available vaccines. I like the optimism in this thread over the last few days but am not seeing it. I think we far from herd immunity. First off we going to getting to a point where people who were infected no longer have protection since the antibodies have diminished after a year or so. I am also not seeing when or where vaccines are coming from. This shit show is all on Trump and his incompetent fucking regime.

[miked]

J&J should release their results in the next day or so. Interim evaluation showed 90-100% antibody conversion within 30-60 days. Assuming that holds for the older population they are finishing up their trial for, that would add another big player to the game and give people more options.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Edward64

And this is the crux of the problem.

Honestly, okay we can blame the Trump admin for this cluster but the Biden admin needs to get their act together soon also. How hard is it for Dr. Walensky to call the CEO/SVP of Pfizer, Moderna et. al and say to the effect ...

"We need to know when you plan to be shipping the next set of batches over the next 3 months, break it down for me in a report on date, where to shipped, and how many vials. And if you miss the targets, you need to give me a heads up so I can explain to Biden. We'll be transparent and reporting what you share with us on a website".

"Oh, here's an extra $10B each for your trouble".

This is a reasonable expectation that the vendor can provide basic details like this. And if they can't, explain why so it can be explained to the public. It doesn't seem that we understand the "root cause" other than "we don't know".

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/24/cdc-...he-us-has.html

I mean, they've been on the job 4 whole days after not having any information available to them (unlike any normal transition) and can't confirm anyone to head major positions because of petty Senate politics so maybe have some realistic expectations

SI

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

I mean, they've been on the job 4 whole days after not having any information available to them (unlike any normal transition) and can't confirm anyone to head major positions because of petty Senate politics so maybe have some realistic expectations

SI

I'm thinking they have 6 weeks. But they need to show progress even before then.

Look at it this way. Would you ever report to your manager "uh, I'm not sure what's going on" or would you say "uh, I'm not sure what's going on but this is what I'm doing to find out. Expect my next status report in a couple days".

I may have missed it but the article seems to indicate the former and not latter.

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by Edward64

And this is the crux of the problem.

Honestly, okay we can blame the Trump admin for this cluster but the Biden admin needs to get their act together soon also. How hard is it for Dr. Walensky to call the CEO/SVP of Pfizer, Moderna et. al and say to the effect ...

"We need to know when you plan to be shipping the next set of batches over the next 3 months, break it down for me in a report on date, where to shipped, and how many vials. And if you miss the targets, you need to give me a heads up so I can explain to Biden. We'll be transparent and reporting what you share with us on a website".

"Oh, here's an extra $10B each for your trouble".

This is a reasonable expectation that the vendor can provide basic details like this. And if they can't, explain why so it can be explained to the public. It doesn't seem that we understand the "root cause" other than "we don't know".

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/24/cdc-...he-us-has.html

You are absolutely correct. The Biden administration needs to get their shit together soon. Full stop.

I am not sure why this is an example of them not doing that. She said she does not know how much of the vaccine the country has and all the issues that come from not knowing that piece of information. There is a timeframe by which they should have a handle on how much they have. Worst case scenario is that they have to start from scratch with the inventory count beginning with the shipments the Biden administration receives moving forward. As far as communication with the manufacturers and the procurement of the vaccine, the article said the following

Production will increase after the first 100 days, Walensky said, and the expected introduction of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine will also help ease supply problems.

“We are really hoping that we’ll have more vaccines and that will increase the pace at which we can do the vaccinations,” Walensky said.

I am not sure that us bribing them with $10B will get it down faster but I am not an expert in that area so I could be wrong.

Should she be able to tell us the exact number of units we should have by COB tomorrow? I mean sure if that is that standard. If they don't have it done, then we rap her knuckles for failing to meet that standard and continue to rap her knuckles every day until she has an answer. However based on that article and what she was addressing in that article, it seems like she is providing the sort of transparency that you are looking for. Is it a rosy picture? No. Is it the reality of where we are at? Yes.

It seems strange that you would feel this way given your desire to always give individuals the benefit of the doubt when it come to them doing the best they can in a tough spot.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by miami_fan

Should she be able to tell us the exact number of units we should have by COB tomorrow? I mean sure if that is that standard. If they don't have it done, then we rap her knuckles for failing to meet that standard and continue to rap her knuckles every day until she has an answer. However based on that article and what she was addressing in that article, it seems like she is providing the sort of transparency that you are looking for. Is it a rosy picture? No. Is it the reality of where we are at? Yes.

It seems strange that you would feel this way given your desire to always give individuals the benefit of the doubt when it come to them doing the best they can in a tough spot.

No, I understand if she cannot tell us now. But she should be able to say this is what I'm doing to find out and expect an update soon with what we know.

Re: production will increase in the next 100 days doesn't really tell us much and not good enough. I would be surprised if Moderna & Pfizer cannot tell us what they are targeting in 2-4-6-8 etc. weeks with the appropriate assumptions. This is the information that States need to plan.

Only giving us a high-level estimate for 3+ months out is ridiculous for a modern company. Don't really know how good Moderna's supply chain system is but Pfizer doesn't have that excuse. The CEOs should be asking for this information (or we should be asking the CEOs to get us this information).

[JAG]

Originally Posted by Galaril

Bad news Merck just canceled further development and canceled the February vaccines they were suppose to be releasing. Ugh I had hoped those would give us a bump in available vaccines. I like the optimism in this thread over the last few days but am not seeing it. I think we far from herd immunity. First off we going to getting to a point where people who were infected no longer have protection since the antibodies have diminished after a year or so. I am also not seeing when or where vaccines are coming from. This shit show is all on Trump and his incompetent fucking regime.

2 vaccines already FDA cleared by EUA and being manufactured + distributed.

J&J vaccine that will likely be FDA cleared by EUA in Feb. and manufactured + distributed shortly thereafter. This is a one-dose vaccine that can be stored at normal refrigeration temperatures, so when the company states they can get 100M doses out by the end of April, that's hopefully a significant boost to how many will get vaccinated (not sure how many are promised to the US among those 100M).

Astrozeneca vaccine that will be cleared....sometime? They had some weird results and restarted a US clinical trial as a result, so they will likely submit for EUA in April, as long as their results are acceptable. There are 8-9 countries that have already approved them for emergency use, so chances are decent it will be cleared then.

These are just the ones that I'm aware of that are closest to being ready. There are other vaccine candidates out there as well.

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by Edward64

No, I understand if she cannot tell us now. But she should be able to say this is what I'm doing to find out and expect an update soon with what we know.

Re: production will increase in the next 100 days doesn't really tell us much and not good enough. I would be surprised if Moderna & Pfizer cannot tell us what they are targeting in 2-4-6-8 etc. weeks with the appropriate assumptions. This is the information that States need to plan.

Only giving us a high-level estimate for 3+ months out is ridiculous for a modern company. Don't really know how good Moderna's supply chain system is but Pfizer doesn't have that excuse. The CEOs should be asking for this information (or we should be asking the CEOs to get us this information).

RE: needing the count of vaccines for planning purposes: You both agree.

“I can’t tell you how much vaccine we have, and if I can’t tell it to you then I can’t tell it to the governors and I can’t tell it to the state health officials,” CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told “Fox News Sunday.”

“If they don’t know how much vaccine they’re getting not just this week but next week and the week after they can’t plan. They can’t figure out how many sites to roll out, they can’t figure out how many vaccinators that they need, and they can’t figure out how many appointments to make for the public,” Walensky said.

Yes, it would have probably been better if she actually said the words "I am going to do a nationwide inventory count to find out how many vaccines we currently have. Once that happens we will know how many to ship to each state etc." I am ASSuming that since she know that number is important to the operation, she is going to find that number out and it will be done by counting the number of vaccines available at a certain point in time. Seeing that the agency she runs had that capability taken away from it and given to a private company, I can understand why she did not have a date by which she would have that count completed on Sunday. I am willing to give her 10 days provided there is an accurate accounting of how many were shipped, how many have been distributed, how many were wasted which would leave us that final number of how many are left. I could see the argument for just going with rough estimates given the dire situation we are in and my belief that there is none of the accurate accounting I mentioned. I would be interested in the time frame you feel is appropriate to do that.

RE: the vaccine production. The reason I said that production will increase AFTER 100 days not over the next 100 days is because there seems to be consensus that the immediate supply of the vaccine is pretty much fixed due to current manufacturing capacity.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/21/h...ne-supply.html

But federal health officials and corporate executives agree that it will be impossible to increase the immediate supply of vaccines before April because of lack of manufacturing capacity. The administration should first focus, experts say, on fixing the hodgepodge of state and local vaccination centers that has proved incapable of managing even the current flow of vaccines.

That last piece is the place where I feel their feet need to be held to the fire. The rest of the article I posted seems to address your other concerns regarding production of the vaccine after April. I guess they can give us the shipment breakdown in the time frames you outlined but unless I am missing something the United States does not have an issue getting the vaccine from Pfizer, Moderna or even Johnson & Johnson. The problem are getting them to the people doing the vaccinating and ultimately to the public without allowing them to expire before hand.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by miami_fan

I am willing to give her 10 days provided there is an accurate accounting of how many were shipped, how many have been distributed, how many were wasted which would leave us that final number of how many are left. I could see the argument for just going with rough estimates given the dire situation we are in and my belief that there is none of the accurate accounting I mentioned. I would be interested in the time frame you feel is appropriate to do that.

There is no doubt they were left with a cluster. 10 days is good with me but I'll also add it doesn't need to be 100% accurate but there does need to be something/target published with the appropriate caveats & assumptions. It would be unfathomable to me if their supply chain system cannot provide some sort of report to company leadership with estimates on X being produced in Y quantities by Z dates.

e.g. Assumptions like ... assuming we get the X, Y chemicals which are coming from China; assuming we get enough vials to fill; whatever ...

I guess they can give us the shipment breakdown in the time frames you outlined but unless I am missing something the United States does not have an issue getting the vaccine from Pfizer, Moderna or even Johnson & Johnson. The problem are getting them to the people doing the vaccinating and ultimately to the public without allowing them to expire before hand.

Earlier in the month, I pointed to CDC link that showed plenty of vaccines at States but that States actual inoculation % rates were low. AL, GA, CA at that time were lowest. This indicated it was a "last mile" (distribution) issue.

Then others here pointed out that lots of news about States saying this was not true. And that it may not have been the distribution but actual supply.

I honestly don't know where the problem is, probably a combination of both but wouldn't surprise me if the CDC data was old. Meaning it is not the "last mile" but actual supply. So yeah, it could be production or the shipping to the States.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Edward64

I honestly don't know where the problem is, probably a combination of both but wouldn't surprise me if the CDC data was old. Meaning it is not the "last mile" but actual supply. So yeah, it could be production or the shipping to the States.

I think you're talking about the exact problem we're seeing. The CDC and Biden administration don't know which numbers they can trust. And that could be anything from an ineptly designed system (possible - though you'd think they'd use the same one they use for flu vaccines), the numbers were ineptly entered to begin with (mortal lock), to even malicious manipulation of the numbers to make it look worse than it is (can't take this one off the table, considering how much last minute sabotage was done and the stuff with the vaccine reserves, etc).

I suspect it's a matter of trying to figure out what numbers to trust: where you need to start over from scratch and where you can work with what is there. It's going to take a little time to get some hands around it - like the 6 weeks you were talking about before, especially if a number of things have to be redone from scratch.

SI

[Ksyrup]

How's high school basketball going you ask? Well let me tell you!

Mackenzie had Covid in November, developed complications and was delayed in getting to practice/play. The season was supposed to start right around Thanksgiving but got put off until January 4th. Mack missed the 1st 4 games, got cleared, played 1 game, then one of her teammates tested positive and they got shut down for 10 days. Saturday was their first game after quarantine and we found out this morning that one of the refs tested positive. Shut down for another 10 days. And we're 0-6!

[Thomkal]

yowza

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

I think you're talking about the exact problem we're seeing. The CDC and Biden administration don't know which numbers they can trust. And that could be anything from an ineptly designed system (possible - though you'd think they'd use the same one they use for flu vaccines), the numbers were ineptly entered to begin with (mortal lock), to even malicious manipulation of the numbers to make it look worse than it is (can't take this one off the table, considering how much last minute sabotage was done and the stuff with the vaccine reserves, etc).

I suspect it's a matter of trying to figure out what numbers to trust: where you need to start over from scratch and where you can work with what is there. It's going to take a little time to get some hands around it - like the 6 weeks you were talking about before, especially if a number of things have to be redone from scratch.

SI

To illustrate your point, who do you believe?

Florida has used only half of the vaccines it was sent, White House says

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by miami_fan

To illustrate your point, who do you believe?

Florida has used only half of the vaccines it was sent, White House says

Can we pick any other state than the one that would appear atop the "states most likely to be fixing their COVID numbers" list?

SI

[Edward64]

Pretty sure this is BS and non-starter. But did chuckle at his creativity.

Florida offers to host Olympics if Tokyo backs out: state official

Florida's chief financial officer on Monday told the International Olympic Committee that the state would be happy to host the Olympics Games amid speculation that current hosts Japan may back out.

Jimmy Patronis sent a letter to Thomas Bach, the head of the IOC, "to encourage you to consider relocating the 2021 Olympics from Tokyo, Japan to the United States of America, and more specifically to Florida."

"With media reports of leaders in Japan 'privately' concluding that they are too concerned about the pandemic for the 2021 Olympics to take place, there is still time to deploy a site selection team to Florida," he said.

The letter, signed by Patronis and posted online, cited the supposed strength of state's vaccination roll-out, its economic re-opening and sports events it has hosted during the pandemic, as well as the fact that its theme parks, including Disney World, are open for business.

[Edward64]

Here's your chance to ask Fauci questions.

I'm more interested in asking the supply/distribution type questions. From the Mon press briefing, they plan to start 3-a-week coronavirus task force briefings starting on Wed.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/26/us/fi...rnd/index.html

Dr. Anthony Fauci, Dr. Rochelle Walensky and Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith are joining Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta for a CNN Town Hall tomorrow at 8 p.m. ET, and they'll answer questions from readers and viewers like you. Submit questions here.

FWIW, not sure if Biden's new 150M target is because he has a more confident view of future vaccine supply (and he can control/impact distribution with his office) OR if he felt MSM pressure (he shouldn't have) to commit to a higher number.

Hope its the former and not the latter. I would have been okay with him continue to say "100M is the baseline target but we will certainly aim for more".

[bronconick]

Originally Posted by Edward64

Pretty sure this is BS and non-starter. But did chuckle at his creativity.

Florida offers to host Olympics if Tokyo backs out: state official

Like other nations want to send their athletes to Super-spreader Florida.

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by Edward64

Here's your chance to ask Fauci questions.

I'm more interested in asking the supply/distribution type questions. From the Mon press briefing, they plan to start 3-a-week coronavirus task force briefings starting on Wed.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/26/us/fi...rnd/index.html


FWIW, not sure if Biden's new 150M target is because he has a more confident view of future vaccine supply (and he can control/impact distribution with his office) OR if he felt MSM pressure (he shouldn't have) to commit to a higher number.

Hope its the former and not the latter. I would have been okay with him continue to say "100M is the baseline target but we will certainly aim for more".

This is from the New York Times article I linked above.

The nation’s vaccine supply in the first three months of the year is expected to substantially exceed what is needed to meet the administration’s goal. According to a senior administration official, Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna have been ramping up and are now on track to deliver up to 18 million doses a week. Together, they have pledged to deliver 200 million doses by the end of March. A third vaccine maker, Johnson & Johnson, might also come through with more doses. If all of that supply were used, the nation could average well over two million shots a day.

If the above is true, that means the Biden administration will have 200 million does by Day 70 of its administration. If the above is true, then the 150 million in 100 days seems a bit less daunting if the Biden administration come up with a functional distribution. For the third time if the above is true, the Biden administration will be held accountable for making sure those doses are distributed to the states AND making sure the states are actually vaccinating the people. Note I did not define what role he can/should play in that. States rights and all that jazz that you guys were discussing before. I don't think anyone really cares about that when it comes to the accountability. This is where the buck ultimately stops with the President.

[cuervo72]

‘Call the pros’: Chick-fil-A helps direct gridlocked traffic at S.C. drive-thru COVID-19 vaccine site

Mmm-hmm.

[molson]

I think before long the U.S. will be criticized for hogging all of the vaccines, particularly when we approach the threshold where there are no longer enough willing people to snatch up every one that is available.

Edit: The U.S. has about 210 million adults. If 60% of them will get the vaccine as soon as they can, that's about 125 million people. We shouldn't be too many months away from that, we're close to 20% of that already after about a month of distribution where the perception is things have really limped along.

[NobodyHere]

There have been criticisms about "vaccine nationalism" long before the covid vaccine was even created.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by molson

I think before long the U.S. will be criticized for hogging all of the vaccines, particularly when we approach the threshold where there are no longer enough willing people to snatch up every one that is available.

Edit: The U.S. has about 210 million adults. If 60% of them will get the vaccine as soon as they can, that's about 125 million people. We shouldn't be too many months away from that, we're close to 20% of that already after about a month of distribution where the perception is things have really limped along.

I think it'll take longer than a months but by this summer and probably before, I think you're right.

SI

[sterlingice]

We officially crossed the 100M mark for cases

https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/26/world...ntl/index.html

Considering how spotty testing has been across many periods of this pandemic, I'm sure it's well north of this number, but this is the official milestone

SI

[miami_fan]

Study: Covid-19 could pose a “global threat� to male fertility

I thought I posted a similar study before but I can't find it. Of course just like everything else with COVID-19, it is too early to know for sure.

[Brian Swartz]

Originally Posted by miamifan

if the above is true, the Biden administration will be held accountable for making sure those doses are distributed to the states AND making sure the states are actually vaccinating the people. Note I did not define what role he can/should play in that. States rights and all that jazz that you guys were discussing before. I don't think anyone really cares about that when it comes to the accountability. This is where the buck ultimately stops with the President.

Not by me he won't. All manner of people often have unrealistic expectations of their leaders in various ways, but the only way in which I would hold him accountable is if he shows negligence - no sign of that yet - or for making a promise he couldn't keep. I won't say more than that in a nonpolitical thread.

[NobodyHere]

Originally Posted by miami_fan

Study: Covid-19 could pose a “global threat� to male fertility

I thought I posted a similar study before but I can't find it. Of course just like everything else with COVID-19, it is too early to know for sure.

I'm not sure this is a bad thing. Reducing the human population on this planet is the best way to combat global warming.

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by NobodyHere

I'm not sure this is a bad thing. Reducing the human population on this planet is the best way to combat global warming.

There are some interesting Venn diagram possibilities here.

[miami_fan]

If the manufacturers do what they are suppose to do, with this purchase America will have almost all the vaccine she needs.

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/bide..._live_hero_hed

President Joe Biden will announce Tuesday that his administration has secured commitments from coronavirus vaccine makers to buy another 200 million doses to arrive this summer, raising the total to 600 million and ensuring the U.S. will eventually have two shots of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for nearly every American.

[whomario]

Originally Posted by molson

I think before long the U.S. will be criticized for
hogging all of the vaccines

Already the case. To be fair, neither did anybody expect differently nor are actors like the UK or EU acting any better here.

As an aside, in a first the drug maker Sanofi is now producing about 100 mio doses of Pfizer/BionTech vaccine until they can get their own developed vaccine market ready (if that ever gets there).

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-h...-idUSKBN29V23Y

[Edward64]

Liking Biden's press briefings. States will get more accurate estimates 3 weeks in advance supposedly. I guess someone called the CEOs for better estimates.

Wonder if Biden, Fauci etc. reads FOFC for ideas.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by molson

I think before long the U.S. will be criticized for hogging all of the vaccines, particularly when we approach the threshold where there are no longer enough willing people to snatch up every one that is available.

I agree that Biden has to think US first. However, IMO the US could do more to help.

A longshot option. China and India are huge manufacturers of pharmaceuticals. China may not be interested but I have to believe India would be interested in some sort of deal in reproducing/ramp-up the Moderna vaccine (storage is not as big of an issue) and subsidize India to "give/sell" the vaccines around the world.

(Admittedly, there may be supply chain challenges e.g. chemicals to make the vaccines).

A more practical option. China is providing their vaccine to many developing countries. It's got a lower efficacy (from 50%-70%) but US can give/loan money to developing countries to buy them from China.

And, of course, once the US has vaccinated everyone that wants to be vaccinated, they have a role to play to help the further-behind countries.

[sterlingice]

China's also trying to curry favor with their vaccine buying for poorer countries, continuing what they've been doing for decades now of trying to increase their influence. We should do the same in our own best interest

SI