Coronavirus.

Lucy

Lucy

Well-Known Forumite
Cue said:
I wouldn’t worry just yet. These vaccines are actually much more effective in general than the flu jab, etc as it is IIRC.

We also has much lower effectiveness stats to start with, and they went up and up over time as we had more data, didn’t we?

There’s also a caveat in the stats for this variant currently in that Pfizer was given to a lot more frontline workers due to the logistics, whereas AZ was used for a lot of the elderly and vulnerable population - and naturally it’s going to be more effective in a non-vulnerable individual as their immune system is more up to the task.

Realistically cases aren’t going to go down right now because we’ve barely vaccinated the groups that actually spread it - shop staff, kids, younger office workers, etc. And of course surge testing in areas where it’s present will result in a bias in the case numbers. But deaths are through the floor and we have I believe under 1000 hospitalised right now… so honestly I’m not seeing a huge amount to worry about just yet.
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Exactly, people may still catch it having been vaccinated but as long as they aren't hospitalised then that's okay.
 
SketchyMagpie

SketchyMagpie

Well-Known Forumite
Cue said:
I wouldn’t worry just yet. These vaccines are actually much more effective in general than the flu jab, etc as it is IIRC.

We also has much lower effectiveness stats to start with, and they went up and up over time as we had more data, didn’t we?

There’s also a caveat in the stats for this variant currently in that Pfizer was given to a lot more frontline workers due to the logistics, whereas AZ was used for a lot of the elderly and vulnerable population - and naturally it’s going to be more effective in a non-vulnerable individual as their immune system is more up to the task.

Realistically cases aren’t going to go down right now because we’ve barely vaccinated the groups that actually spread it - shop staff, kids, younger office workers, etc. And of course surge testing in areas where it’s present will result in a bias in the case numbers. But deaths are through the floor and we have I believe under 1000 hospitalised right now… so honestly I’m not seeing a huge amount to worry about just yet.
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Another element I learned of last night regarding those two figures is that less time elapsed between the AZ jab and the % estimate than the Pfizer one had so there's every chance it will be higher given the same amount of time.
 
C

cj1

Well-Known Forumite
the 2 jabs were given enough time to achieve max effectiveness. the difference in the figures was put down to the effectiveness of the immune systems of each cohort where older people tend to have weaker immune systems than the younger hence the difference in figures.
 
SketchyMagpie

SketchyMagpie

Well-Known Forumite
cj1 said:
the 2 jabs were given enough time to achieve max effectiveness. the difference in the figures was put down to the effectiveness of the immune systems of each cohort where older people tend to have weaker immune systems than the younger hence the difference in figures.
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I may have misspoken in repeating what I read but this is what I was referring to, from FT's John Burn-Murdoch, for clarity: https://twitter.com/jburnmurdoch/status/1396531245778079754

"Onto the much-discussed figure of 60% efficacy after two-doses of AZ: As PHE explained in their study (and we reported last night in our story), that figure shouldn’t be taken as a 'final' estimate of two-dose VE, nor should it really be compared directly to the 88% for Pfizer.

Both of those are for the same reason: the later roll-out of second doses of AZ means less time had passed between second dose and symptom onset for the people in the AZ sample compared to the people in the Pfizer sample. In other words, less time for protection to build.

In addition, second dose sample for AZ is smaller than Pfizer, so more uncertainty around 60 & 66 than around 88 & 93 Of course, that uncertainty could resolve in either direction, but experts we spoke to including report’s authors believe it’s likely 60 & 66 are under-estimates."
 
proactive

proactive

Enjoying a drop of red.
Too much of this Covid 19 business is speculation about speculation by minor public figures who want their 15 minutes of fame.
 
SketchyMagpie

SketchyMagpie

Well-Known Forumite
proactive said:
Too much of this Covid 19 business is speculation about speculation by minor public figures who want their 15 minutes of fame.
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John Burn-Murdoch is not a fame-hungry minor public figure, he's a journalist who creates data visualisation of stuff exactly like this for national newspapers. He runs (as far as I'm aware) and updates the coronavirus trajectory tracker on the Financial Times website that many have used as a resource in the past year.
 
rudie111

rudie111

Well-Known Forumite
We will all likely have boosters anyway. The more people we can get jabbed (with either vaccine) the better collectively for society as a whole. Will can then use that wealth of data to determine what we use for boosters or next years jabs. who know, it might be every 5 years, we are breaking new ground here
 
C

cj1

Well-Known Forumite
There are currently no plans to booster vaccinate anybody not on the phase 1 priority groups. Phase 1 is not confirmed yet as they don't know how long the first 2 jabs give give protection for as booster jabs may not be needed. But as we all know plans can and do change at very short notice.
 
ATJ

ATJ

Well-Known Forumite
FYI anyone who got the vaccine in the mad rush last Wednesday, you don't have to call your GP to book the second one you can use the national booking portal as soon as the first one has been registered.
 
tek-monkey

tek-monkey

wanna see my snake?
ATJ said:
FYI anyone who got the vaccine in the mad rush last Wednesday, you don't have to call your GP to book the second one you can use the national booking portal as soon as the first one has been registered.
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Is that true if your first was through your gp as well? Been 2 months since mine, and no idea when my second is.
 
Lucy

Lucy

Well-Known Forumite
You aren't really supposed to do it that way as the centres are given the right volume based on the number of first doses they gave out.
 
staffordjas

staffordjas

Well-Known Forumite
tek-monkey said:
Is that true if your first was through your gp as well? Been 2 months since mine, and no idea when my second is.
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Our GP surgery were ringing people about a day before the appointment at 11 weeks. (I rang them when I saw an entry pop up in my medical record that it was due, as they keep using obsolete contact details despite repeatedly supposed to have changed them. ) . My neighbour was ' missed' , only rang them days later when I told her I was booked in, and didn't then get hers until smack on the 12 weeks.

I'd book any boosters through the national booking system next time if I can, so that I know I'm in control of the dates .
 
Lucy

Lucy

Well-Known Forumite
The distribution for the national hubs works that way, but not for the GP network, hence why there is some free again today...
 
rudie111

rudie111

Well-Known Forumite
I’m registered with Holmcroft. I had the following text message (approx 10 weeks after first jab)


Our records show you are now eligible for your 2nd COVID vaccination.
If you do not already have an appointment, please call 01785 550654 as soon as possible to book the next available appointment. Please DO NOT call the surgery on our main number. This appointment will take place at the Staffordshire County Showground.
Please can you message back if you are already booked in for your Second Covid Vaccine or you are happy to take any appointment via text.

Holmcroft Surgery
 
staffordjas

staffordjas

Well-Known Forumite
ATJ said:
I'd have been dying of anxiety if I'd got to the 10 week mark and hadn't heard from the GP.
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I was! Especially as their messages aren't getting through to my correct email / text so I didn't know whether they had been trying to contact me or not.
Still not sure whether it was them that I had the missed call off that morning, inviting me for my 1st jab , when I phoned back the next day to check. (Thanks to the lovely Stafford Forumites advising me to ring) They had tried contacting me on one number , but hadn't actually tried again when they got no answer. Lucky I did ring them as my appointment was still booked in and I had to jump in the car and get up to the showground an hour later.
My invite to book on the NHS site arrived a couple of days after I'd had the 1st jab through GP. Would have been a lot less stressful if it had come just that bit sooner, for peace of mind having dates booked in advance.
 
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