The biology of coronavirus COVID-19 - including research and treatments

The first elderly woman to be vaccinated in Québec contracted COVID 2 weeks later, but had very mild symptoms. The vaccine may have saved her life. That would have made her 'feel better' for sure.

 

That probably assumes two things

1. That this is what happened, that one shot of vaccine diminished the ability of the virus to kill her, that without it it would have done, and
2. That in a pandemic the main threat is from the virus. At least from my point of view the virus isn't the problem, other than at a population level. The threat to individuals, like me, or her, comes not from the virus, but from people.

Vectors of transmission are practically the only important thing, if I want to not get infected, staying away from.

This is mainly people, and the way they behave.

Not buildings or places, as the authorities seem to want people to think.

I really, really, doubt it.

 

It seems common over here - everyone feels a lot better after the jab, even if they hadn't been feeling ill.
I a looking forward to it, although Israel seems to be saying that one dose doesn't work. I will have to make sure I feel better after the second dose.

 

Would be even more interesting to know how people felt after their jab if they didn't know they had had it ...

 

Just occurred to me the UK is pretty much running an experiment on whether 1 dose of vaccine is effective. E.g. if you check the number of people who have had 1 dose and been admitted to hospital after 1 month and before the second dose is effective --- maybe I've picked this idea up somewhere --- @Snow Leopard ?

EDIT came across this after I posted the above:
"However, Public Health England’s head of immunisation has said that if infection data showed vulnerable groups, such as the over-80s, were well protected by their first shot, then second doses could be delayed to get a first jab to younger people as well."
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/18/when-how-will-i-get-covid-vaccine-uk

 

Rogue antibodies could be driving severe COVID-19

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-00149-1

 

https://twitter.com/user/status/1351651899787800576

 

In fact, Dr Griffin was the one who had asked me that. So these are not independent reports!!

 

The ME Association in the UK has asked about experiences with vaccines (or at least the flu vaccine) in the past on their polls on their website:

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I always feel better after a blood draw and a hair cut. Don't ask me why. I have no clue.

 

You mean this?

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/coro...vulnerable/ar-BB1cTT3o?ocid=ASUDHP&li=BBoPWjQ

 

Yes, it has come out in various news outlets.

There is a suggestion that for the vulnerable elderly a single dose of Pfizer vaccine is almost useless or at least gives only a few people protection.

It does not surprise me. These vaccines are using new technology and we have no evidence for good efficacy from one dose. I don't think there are good data on the elderly anyway and so the figures originally put out by Pfizer even for 2 doses may have been optimistic.

The idea of just giving one dose seems to be a huge poorly organised experiment that would never have got through an ethics committee. It might turn out to be a good idea. However, the UK policy on Covid has so far proven to be the worst in the world so there is little reason to think anyone knows what they are doing.

 

Pfizer (official trial) data is for symptomatic cases - Israeli data is for PCR positive (un-symptomatic?) cases - would be worrying if people are still infectious as well as PCR +ve though.

 

Yes, one may be too optimistic and the other too pessimistic. But if a vaccine does not prevent a person growing up enough virus to show up on PCR then it would be disappointing.

 

So are you expecting the vaccine to reduce transmissibility from people who have been vaccinated, even if they get infected? There seems to be such doubt about this in the media.

 

I think it is unlikely that if a vaccine reduces symptomatic infection it does not reduce transmission. If you make enough virus to cough around and infect others you almost certainly have made enough virus to feel ill. There is no certainty that the two will match but it would be surprising if there was major infectivity despite abolishing symptoms.

 

California calls for pause of 330,000 doses, investigation after allergic reactions to Moderna vaccine batch

A cluster of allergic reactions prompted state officials to call for a pause of Moderna batch 041L20A

https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/01...-allergic-reactions-to-moderna-vaccine-batch/

 

Can a person suffer anaphylactic shock from a vaccine even if no previous history of anaphylaxis? Or is it something that can be guarded for by taking special precautions for people who might be more susceptible?

Intriguing it's at just one vaccination site. Maybe something else is going on.

 

Most of the discussion on twitter are people saying, 'I don't feel any better' or 'I felt a bit better for a few days and then crashed'

As far as anecdotal observations go, it's not terribly compelling when few people have the same experience.

 

On the covid longhaulers sub on reddit, the most common response is that they felt a bit worse (ie, more flu-ish) for a few days and had soreness at the point of the injection.