Well sure, vaccine distribution was always going to be handled by the government no matter which company developed it.
But that guaranteed contract from the Warp Speed program was whether they got approved or not. That's why they were able to start manufacturing months ago. To say they were not part of Warp Speed is disingenuous. They've leveraged $2 billion in Warp Speed funds, they participated in Warp Speed manufacturing programs (procurement of glass vials, etc.), they've leveraged the Warp Speed reduction in CDC approval and review times. They participated in Warp Speed conference calls, and they've been listed as Warp Speed participants by the US Government, The New York Times, and a myriad of press releases for 6 months and have never once issued a correction. They did NOT take Warp Speed R&D money, but they are fully leveraging the tools, funds, and processes developed under Warp Speed.
Scientific Thoughts: The Pfizer vaccine is huge news for a number of reasons. 1. If its ~90% effective, you can begin thinking about wiping out COVID, not just controlling an endemic sickness. A very effective vaccine also helps dumber people get over their vaccine "hesitancy" and actually get the shot 2. It is an mRNA vaccine. If approved and safe, it launches vaccine science forward decades. Now we would have tools to go after any number of serious viruses. Future pandemics can bring vaccines to bear in months rather than years. You could actually begin talking about developing vaccines for less threatening but annoying viruses that cause stomach bugs and colds, reducing productivity losses each year and raising quality of life. 3. Its just the first of several vaccines that are weeks away from reporting results. Each one compounds how quickly we can all be vaccinated. 1 out of 1 is good and bodes well for others being effective.
From what I've read, this Pfizer data is very promising but also based on very early data. There's also no data on how long the protection lasts.
Do you have a source for that? From this press release https://www.pfizer.com/news/press-r...biontech-announce-agreement-us-government-600, it says that Pfizer will get paid upon delivery of 100 million doses following FDA authorization or approval. Pfizer's CEO said "
Sorry about your relatives. I have a cousin overseas whose family contracted it, but they seem to be recovering. He did lose his sense of smell/taste, but I'm not sure that's permanent in his case. I'm also watching numbers starting to ramp up in a local school district in the DFW area where a friend works, so we'll probably see more of this. There's only expected to be about 100 million doses (enough for 50 million people) by year's end, and I think 40 million of that 50 million is expected to be used in the US from what I heard (not sure if that's true or not). It hasn't even been approved yet and the data needs to be studied further, but it's looking promising. The initial doses are meant for front-line responders, hospital workers, etc. They won't have enough to cover "everybody" until sometime next year assuming it gets approved. *EDIT* : edited the total amount of doses expected to be available based upon the Pfizer release @jchu14 posted.
How terrible a President do you have to be for a mega pharma company to hold off on possibly the biggest announcement in their company's history and try to help get a party elected that has openly made you their enemy - just out of spite.
Posting this here as a last resort: Is there anyone with a background in computer science that can explain a problem to me? I am about to graduate, I had some credits in to burn, so I thought hey, I know a little bit of coding, this intro to computer science class should be fun. Boy was I wrong. Its been a pain in the ass when all I wanted to do was coast to the finish. Anyway, there is my rant. I am sorry if it is inappropriate to post this here.
good luck breh. i almost flunked out of comp sci in high school. so much reading, the text was like font 8 with no pictures and the textbook was tucker thicc. i too, made that mistake... cept much younger.
Well I found out two hours ago that my 8 year old son has tested positive for COVID, my wife has tested positive for COVID and that I have tested positive for COVID. I have taken a great deal of precautions, so I am a little surprised. My best guess is it is from my wife on Halloween answering the door to some woman without a mask, but we will never know. We all have symptoms. My wife the most severe and my son the mildest.
^Crap. Take a lot of vitamin C and vitamin D. Can't overdose on C. D is fat soluble but people usually deficient during fall/winter seasons. Hope your experience is mainly a quarantine at home.
@Nook and @jchu14 -- thinking of y'all. Just stay on top of it and in regular phone touch with your doctors. If you've got an oxygen meter, that would be good, from everything I hear. They are pretty affordable via amazon, last I checked. On the vaccine, here are the thoughts of a couple of UCSF experts. They're legit and have been preaching good, grounded science throughout the pandemic, bless them. Maybe this thread can focus on the virus and its impacts and we can leave the politics to D&D. Just a thought. https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Pfizer-vaccine-UCSF-doctor-Bob-Wachter-COVID-15713416.php Take home: could be impacting our lives this coming summer, which would be great. But we're in for a rough winter. Be safe and take care, everybody. Follow the guidelines, if you can, on distancing, minimizing time with non-family indoors, and everyone's favorite, the masks.
