samrong01 wrote: ↑Fri Feb 26, 2021 1:51 pm What is the point of having a vaccine that Merkel does not want to use on the only group who are at some risk from the virus? Same in Cambodia - the government does not want to inject people over 59 years old.

These specific vaccines were judged to not be appropriate for those age groups. Other vaccines are. It's not correct to say over 60s are "the only group at some risk from the virus." In America in particular, you'll find a great number of people under the age of 50 who have either died or are continuing to suffer ongoing health problems owing to their exposure to the virus. I personally know many such people who have been affected. Studies are also underway in the UK about this, with potentially worrying longer term impacts on its health system.

I think countries like Cambodia are in a difficult position, especially being in some part thankful for the generosity of other states to receive the vaccines that it has. Most countries can't compete financially for a supply that is far lower than the demand. I can understand that they would want to at least try and give military, health officials and others on the front lines the some degree of protection they otherwise might not have. As others have pointed out, vaccines like the Pfizer vaccine, while much more effective, would be very difficult to administer here at scale. Hopefully, all of these actions taken together will do enough to reduce transmission and the rest of the world can return to the life those of us here have been able to more or less enjoy.

The two mRNA vaccines are making quite an impressive impact in Canadian long-term care homes.

There were two major COVID19 infection outbreaks at long-term care homes in two provinces of Canada since Christmas but since most long-care residents have already had one dose of the two-dose vaccines, namely Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna, the 43 infected residents in two provinces had minor symptoms or none at all. [AZ has just been approved in Canada.]

Anecdotal evidence, yes, but the spectacular results in the two outbreak provinces are consistent in care homes right across the country.

Most nursing-home residents in Canada have received at least one shot of the two-dose vaccines. Provincial statistics show infection, serious illness and deaths have plummeted since. In Alberta, cases in long-term care have dropped 92 per cent since Christmas. British Columbia had 16 cases in long-term care last week, down from 485 weekly cases in early December. In Ontario, active long-term care cases among residents fell from 1,650 to 105 in the past month. Manitoba and Quebec experienced similar drops.

“This appears to be consistent with what the trials showed about how the vaccines would perform. The vaccines are doing what they are supposed to do,” said Jennifer Gommerman, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Toronto. “The fact there are no severe cases after just one dose with this many vulnerable people is pretty positive. These are really outstanding, amazing vaccines.”

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/ ... eaks-show/

Some AstraZeneca vaccines scheduled to arrive on Tuesday:

AstraZeneca is better than Chinapharm, but only 62% effective. No way they'll get the Pfizer here though. Still, free for everyone ain't bad.

Bitte_Kein_Lexus wrote: ↑Mon Mar 01, 2021 9:59 am AstraZeneca is better than Chinapharm, but only 62% effective. No way they'll get the Pfizer here though. Still, free for everyone ain't bad.

I'll take the AZ if I can get it. I'm assuming expats are at the bottom of the list, but maybe before all the anti-vaxers turn it down.

themistyseas wrote: ↑Fri Feb 26, 2021 7:23 pm

samrong01 wrote: ↑Fri Feb 26, 2021 1:51 pm What is the point of having a vaccine that Merkel does not want to use on the only group who are at some risk from the virus? Same in Cambodia - the government does not want to inject people over 59 years old.

These specific vaccines were judged to not be appropriate for those age groups. Other vaccines are. It's not correct to say over 60s are "the only group at some risk from the virus." In America in particular, you'll find a great number of people under the age of 50 who have either died or are continuing to suffer ongoing health problems owing to their exposure to the virus. I personally know many such people who have been affected. Studies are also underway in the UK about this, with potentially worrying longer term impacts on its health system.

I think countries like Cambodia are in a difficult position, especially being in some part thankful for the generosity of other states to receive the vaccines that it has. Most countries can't compete financially for a supply that is far lower than the demand. I can understand that they would want to at least try and give military, health officials and others on the front lines the some degree of protection they otherwise might not have. As others have pointed out, vaccines like the Pfizer vaccine, while much more effective, would be very difficult to administer here at scale. Hopefully, all of these actions taken together will do enough to reduce transmission and the rest of the world can return to the life those of us here have been able to more or less enjoy.

These specific vaccines were judged to not be appropriate for those age groups


This needs some expansion.

The Germans said there was insufficient data at the time to assess it's safety and efficacy. Now there is sufficient data and the vaccine is safe and works. But the damage has been done and then you had that little smug toad in Paris making stuff up about it. The net result is there is a perfectly effective and safe vaccine is being shunned by Europeans and they can't get enough of what they consider to be the good stuff.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) licensed it for everyone over 18. There were no exemptions or cautions for the over 65's.

Stiko, the German regulator have a lot to answer for here. The created a belief that is was unsafe for the over 65's and then you had Merkel; refusing it. There is a good explanation of what happened in the Channel 4 Fact Checker article below.

Germany’s vaccine commission has recommended that the coronavirus vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford should not be given to people older than 65 years, the German Interior Ministry said Thursday.

The Standing Committee on Vaccination (STIKO) at Germany’s Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the country’s main public health authority, has found there is insufficient data on the effectiveness of the vaccine for this age group, according to a statement from the ministry.

“Due to the small number of study participants in the age group ≥65 years, no conclusion can be made regarding efficacy and safety in the elderly. This vaccine is therefore currently recommended by STIKO only for persons aged 18-64 years,” the panel said in its recommendation.

https://abc17news.com/news/national-wor ... cials-say/

https://www.channel4.com/news/factcheck ... r-over-65s

There are two Sino vaccines: Sinopharm and Sinovac. I believe it was the Sinovac one that was only rated 50.4% efficacy (according to the Brazilians), while the Sinopharm one which is being used here is supposedly 84%. So if that's the case I am fine with either AZ or Sinopharm. Anyway we are probably at the bottom of their priorities so we can see it all roll out and make our informed judgements in the coming months.

Meanwhile, 400,000 Sinopharm doses have arrived, donated by China:

Doc67 wrote: ↑Mon Mar 01, 2021 10:12 am
These specific vaccines were judged to not be appropriate for those age groups


This needs some expansion.

The Germans said there was insufficient data at the time to assess it's safety and efficacy. Now there is sufficient data and the vaccine is safe and works. But the damage has been done and then you had that little smug toad in Paris making stuff up about it. The net result is there is a perfectly effective and safe vaccine is being shunned by Europeans and they can't get enough of what they consider to be the good stuff.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) licensed it for everyone over 18. There were no exemptions or cautions for the over 65's.

Stiko, the German regulator have a lot to answer for here. The created a belief that is was unsafe for the over 65's and then you had Merkel; refusing it.

Siko may have some things to answer for but they were simply stating good science.
Where they fell down was not explaing exactly what that meant in primary school language to all the idiots that can't tell the diff between, eg "insufficient data" and "not safe"

Ffs, if nothing else, Covid has proved just how intellectually challenged so many people are.
or do they just have a Trumpian gene and pretend they don't understand basic science as a political statement??